The most profitable of the Astaire-Rogers RKO musicals is terrific fun, with a plot that, while admittedly contrived as hell, is very bright and full of good lines. The whole conceit is that Ginger Rogers thinks Fred Astaire is a married noble (Edward Everett Horton) - adding to the complications are Horton's nonsense wife (Helen Broderick, who steals the show) and butler (Eric Blore, who is in fine form too).
Fred looks awkward, sings some classic songs in that weird-but-curiously-engaging voice he has (this one includes the title song and "Cheek to Cheek") and dances sublimely. He works so well with Ginger, who was a warmer personality, better actor, and could match him on the dance floor; though she didn't have his genius, she did have sex appeal - dancing in this movie is the equivalent sex, and makes the emotional stakes clear.
As a piece of drama, the action does drag once Rogers knows Astaire's true identity - at this point I wanted the action to wrap up. Plenty of scintillating dances - but the material and players are strong enough (especially the support cast) that I think this could have worked without it. Not as well, of corse.
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