''Let's Dance'' is a 1950 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by

Norman Z. McLeod Norman Zenos McLeod (September 20, 1898 – January 27, 1964) was an American film director, screenwriter and cartoonist. McLeod's most acclaimed work was made in collaboration with major comic performers of the 1930s, and included such films as ...

starring

Betty Hutton Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 11, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. Early life and education Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg on February 2 ...

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

and Roland Young. It was produced and released by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Plot

During World War II, Kitty McNeil (

) and her dance partner Donald Elwood (

) are performing for troops in London. Don announces his engagement to Kitty on stage, but Kitty later tells him she's recently married pilot Richard Everett, a member of a wealthy Boston family. Everett is killed soon after the marriage after being shot down. Five years later, Kitty is locked in a struggle with her late husband's grandmother Serena ( Lucille Watson) for the custody of Kitty and Richard's son, Richard "Richie" Everett VII ( Gregory Moffett). Serena dislikes Kitty, and thinks she knows best about Richie's education. Kitty decides to flee to New York City with Richie. Desperate for money, Don has taken a job at Larry Channock's (

Barton MacLane Barton MacLane (December 25, 1902 – January 1, 1969) was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, including his role as General Martin Peterson on the 1960s NBC ...

) nightclub. Don runs into an out-of-work Kitty at a café, and manages to get her a job as a cigarette girl. However, Serena has sent her two lawyers Pohlwhistle ( Roland Young) and Wagstaffe (

Melville Cooper George Melville Cooper (15 October 1896 – 13 March 1973) was an English actor. His many notable screen roles include the High Sheriff of Nottingham in ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938), Mr. Collins in ''Pride and Prejudice'' (1940) and ...

) to the club, where they subpoena Kitty in an attempt for Serena to gain custody of Richie. Don persuades Larry to give Kitty a steady job as his dance partner at the club, but various potentially embarrassing details about Richie not going to school and spending most of his time at the club emerge at court. However, all are easily answered by the kind nightclub staff. The judge gives Kitty sixty days to give Richie a stable home life, to which end Don agrees to marry Kitty. However, Don and Kitty get into an argument at the marriage license bureau, thus ending their short-lived engagement. Kitty becomes engaged to the rich Timothy Bryant (

Shepperd Strudwick Shepperd Strudwick (September 22, 1907 – January 15, 1983) was an American actor of film, television, and stage. He was also billed as John Shepperd for some of his films and for his acting on stage in New York. Early years Strudwick was ...

), a friend of Don's. A jealous Don manages to end the engagement, and all looks well until Serena wins back custody of Richie. Kitty kidnaps Richie and hides him at the club. However, Don, who has made a substantial amount of money from selling a racehorse, manages to smooth things out between Kitty and Serena. A delighted Kitty agrees to marry Don.

Cast

as Kitty McNeil *

as Donald Elwood * Roland Young as Edmund Pohlwhistle * Ruth Warrick as Carola Everett * Lucile Watson as Serena Everett * Gregory Moffett as Richard Everett *

as Larry Channock *

as Timothy Bryant *

as Charles Wagstaffe *

Harold Huber Harold Huber (born Harold Joseph Huberman, December 5, 1909September 29, 1959) was an American actor who appeared on film, radio and television. Early life Huber was born in the Bronx to Jewish immigrants from Imperial Russia, who had arrived in ...

as Marcel *

George Zucco George Zucco (11 January 1886 – 27 May 1960) was a British character actor who appeared in plays and 96 films, mostly American-made, during a career spanning over two decades, from the 1920s to 1951. In his films, he often played a suave ...

as Judge Mackenzie * Peggy Badley as Bubbles Malone * Virginia Toland as Elsie

Production

Buoyed by the great success of MGM teaming Astaire with their biggest female musical star

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

in the 1948 musical blockbuster '' Easter Parade'', Paramount decided to team Astaire with their biggest female musical star (Hutton) hoping that the same box-office magic would happen. Astaire's character, perhaps coincidentally, even possessed the same first name (Don) as in the 1948 film. Unfortunately, the film did not repeat the earlier film's success. While the film did reasonably well financially, overall it proved to be a disappointment. ''Let's Dance'' was completely overshadowed by Hutton's other musical film of 1950, '' Annie Get Your Gun'', which became one of the highest-grossing films of the year. Hutton was loaned to MGM to replace Garland (because of illness) as

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoverished family in western ...

in ''Annie Get Your Gun''. Frank Loesser wrote the music.

Comic book adaptation

* Eastern Color Movie Love #7 (February 1951)

References

External links

* * * * * {{Norman Z. McLeod 1950 films 1950 musical comedy films 1950 romantic comedy films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films Films directed by Norman Z. McLeod Paramount Pictures films Films based on short fiction Films scored by Robert Emmett Dolan 1950s English-language films Films adapted into comics 1950s romantic musical films 1950s American films