IMDb RATING
7.4/10
7.9K
YOUR RATING
A ballet dancer and a showgirl fake a marriage for publicity purposes, then fall in love.A ballet dancer and a showgirl fake a marriage for publicity purposes, then fall in love.A ballet dancer and a showgirl fake a marriage for publicity purposes, then fall in love.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 4 nominations total
Norman Ainsley
- Ship's Bartender
- (uncredited)
Ben Alexander
- Evans - a Bandleader
- (uncredited)
Sherwood Bailey
- Newsboy
- (uncredited)
Matthew Boulton
- Ship's Officer
- (uncredited)
Harry Bowen
- Johnson - the Locksmith
- (uncredited)
Sidney Bracey
- First Steward
- (uncredited)
William Burress
- New Jersey Justice of the Peace
- (uncredited)
Charles Coleman
- Central Park Policeman
- (uncredited)
Monte Collins
- Usher-Messenger
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe scene where Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance on roller skates took about 150 takes, according to one of the VHS versions of the film.
- GoofsAt the end, Linda Keene (Ginger Rogers) plans to crash Petrov's (Fred Astaire) big dance number, so she can personally serve him her divorce papers. Legally, a summons cannot be served by someone who is a party to the action.
- Quotes
Linda Keene: What are the grounds for divorce in this state?
Clerk: Marriage.
- Crazy creditsWhen George Gershwin's name appears in the credits, a bit of "Rhapsody in Blue" plays on the soundtrack.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood: The Great Stars (1963)
- SoundtracksSlap That Bass
(1937) (uncredited)
Words by Ira Gershwin
Music by George Gershwin
Sung and danced by Fred Astaire and Ensemble in engine room
Sung also by Dudley Dickerson
Featured review
Oh, no, they can't take that away from me
"Shall We Dance" is for this viewer one of the great Astaire-Rogers films, even if some of the comments don't agree. I love it because of the glorious Astaire dancing. One of my all-time favorite numbers of his is "Slap that Bass" in which Astaire dances to the rhythm of machines. Oh, those pirouettes! Amazing. I rewound and watched it twice more.
Astaire plays a ballet dancer named Petrov. In real life, Astaire was loathe to do ballet because he was self-conscious about his large hands. Who's looking at his hands? Petrov falls hard for singer Linda Keene (Rogers, who else) and arranges to follow her on the same ship to New York.
Everyone has a great time, including the comic relief, Eric Blore, Edward Everett Horton, and Jerome Cowan. One of the best scenes occurs as Horton and Cowan smuggle a dummy of Linda (from a number she never did) into Astaire's stateroom to photograph the two together and prove they're married (they're not. And Blore getting arrested and telephoning to get bailed out of the Susquehana jail is wonderful.
But "Shall We Dance," like the previous Astaire-Rogers pairings, isn't about the plot, it's about the music and dance. What music, what dance. George and Ira Gershwin's score includes "I've Got Beginner's Luck," and "They All Laughed," both sung by Astaire, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (sung and danced by the pair on roller skates), "They Can't Take That Away From Me" (sung by Astaire), and the music later becomes a ballet sequence with Astaire and Harriet Hoctor. Astaire and Rogers dance to "Shall We Dance" after Astaire sings the number and the two reprise "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off."
You can't beat "Shall We Dance" for pure escapism, breathtaking dance, and great songs.
Astaire plays a ballet dancer named Petrov. In real life, Astaire was loathe to do ballet because he was self-conscious about his large hands. Who's looking at his hands? Petrov falls hard for singer Linda Keene (Rogers, who else) and arranges to follow her on the same ship to New York.
Everyone has a great time, including the comic relief, Eric Blore, Edward Everett Horton, and Jerome Cowan. One of the best scenes occurs as Horton and Cowan smuggle a dummy of Linda (from a number she never did) into Astaire's stateroom to photograph the two together and prove they're married (they're not. And Blore getting arrested and telephoning to get bailed out of the Susquehana jail is wonderful.
But "Shall We Dance," like the previous Astaire-Rogers pairings, isn't about the plot, it's about the music and dance. What music, what dance. George and Ira Gershwin's score includes "I've Got Beginner's Luck," and "They All Laughed," both sung by Astaire, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (sung and danced by the pair on roller skates), "They Can't Take That Away From Me" (sung by Astaire), and the music later becomes a ballet sequence with Astaire and Harriet Hoctor. Astaire and Rogers dance to "Shall We Dance" after Astaire sings the number and the two reprise "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off."
You can't beat "Shall We Dance" for pure escapism, breathtaking dance, and great songs.
helpful•171
- blanche-2
- Sep 23, 2006
- How long is Shall We Dance?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $991,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $6,662
- Runtime1 hour 49 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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