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Academy Awards
1930's-1940'sAcademy AwardsActresses
Claudette ColbertClaudette ColbertFilmography Claudette ColbertFavorite Claudette FilmsGinger RogersGinger RogersFilmography of Ginger RogersGinger Rogers on StageGinger and FredFavorite Ginger Rogers FilmsJean ArthurJean ArthurFilmography of Jean ArthurJean Arthur Other AppearancesMyrna LoyMyrna LoyFilmography of Myrna LoyMyrna and William PowellFavorite Myrna Loy FilmsLinks
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| Best Ginger Roger's Films |
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 Flying Down to Rio This is the first of the Astaire-Rogers musicals, about an American band-leader who romances a pretty South American socialite on two continents. The highlights are a production number on the wings of a moving airplane, and, of course, the chemistry between the two stars, of which we were soon to see much, much more. Top Hat Astaire, Rogers, Irving Berlin, choreography by Hermes Pan and Astaire: all the elements that define the classic Astaire-Rogers picture and, therefore, the height of the '30s musical. When dancer Astaire hits London for the debut of his new show, his tap practice in his agent's (Horton) hotel room wakes his downstairs neighbor, Rogers. With one look at her face, a smitten Astaire chases her all over London and even to Venice after she believes he's really married to Horton's wife, Broderick. Despite her marriage in a fury to an Italian designer, the lovers are reunited in a gondola at the end. The plot's made meaningless, of course, by the elegance and bravura of the Deco sets, the perfectly integrated musical set pieces, and the justly famous pairing of Astaire and Rogers, including their renowned interpretation of "Cheek to Cheek." All 5 Berlin tunes, including "Cheek to Cheek" and "Top Hat," made it to the top of the charts. Swing Time Here is one of the high points of the Astaire-Rogers team, and, therefore, one of the greatest of Depression-era song-and-dance spectaculars. The story involves a gambler and dancer who's engaged to marry Furness, but first must raise $25,000 to prove he can support her. When he meets dance teacher Rogers at Blor's dance academy, all thoughts of money fly away. The scene in which Rogers teaches Astaire to dance and the justly famous "The Way You Look Tonight" sequence are standouts. Stevens gives the familiar formula a witty lift and the Kern-Fields numbers delight. Priceless. Bachelor Mother A young, unmarried woman stops to take a peek at a little bundle of joy abandoned on the steps of an orphanage. This innocent curiosity lands her in hot water when the home's administrators conclude that she's the baby's true mom. In no time at all, the woman is crazy about the charming infant....and discovering other forms of love, too. Kitty Foyle Rogers turned her career in a new direction (and won an oscar) when she stepped out of her dancing shoes and into the starring role in this romantic melodrama. As an average working-girl secretary, Rogers faces compromising her self-image and relationships with her friends and coworkers when she falls in love with a married man. Academy Awards: Best Actress: Ginger Rogers. The Barkleys of Broadway Astaire and Rogers, whose last joint project had been made 10 years before, come together one final time for this film. The magical pair play performers Josh and Dinah Barkley, whose act-and marriage-break up when Dinah decides to become a "serious actress." Among the unforgettable numbers are "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (which Astaire and Rogers first performed in 1937's Shall We Dance), "Shoes with Wings On," "Swing Trot," and "You'd Be So Hard to Replace." The Major and the Minor After writing some of the wittiest scripts of the 1930s, Wilder was finally given the opportunity by Paramount to direct this comedy about a distitute New York career woman (Rogers) who decides to return to Iowa at reduced train fare by masquerading as a 12-year-old. On her journey, she meets the dignified, proper Milland, the commander of a military school, who takes it upon himself to see to her welfare. The predictable misunderstandings ensue as Rogers falls in love with Milland while the cadets start making passes at the new visitor. Very popular when released, it's interesting to view now in light of its Lolita-like subtext, of which Wilder was certainly more than aware. Monkey Business This Hawks screwball comedy has no relation to the Marx Brothers classic of 1931. Here Grant is a chemist in quest of a youth elixir, actually concocted by a marauding monkey let lose in the lab. An assault on American manners and decorum, in which Grant and his wife (Rogers) accidentally revert back to unrestrained pre-teenagers. Marilyn Monroe has an early role as a dumb secretary. One of Hawks's best comedies, up there with "His Girl Friday" and "Bringing Up Baby." 
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