Fred Astaire and Michael Kidd choreographed this gem of a Hollywood musical produced by MGM.
The Band Wagon began as a revue which opened in 1931 on Broadway starring Astaire and his sister Adele.
In the film version, Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a has-been Hollywood song and dance man, who heads to New York to try and revive his career.
His old friends, Lester and Lily Marton (Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray) have an idea for a light-hearted pop musical and have asked Tony to star in it.
They ask Jeffrey Cordova (Buchanan) to direct it because his Broadway successes will attract backers. However, Jeffrey decides to turn the show into ‘meaningful’ theatre and hires top ballerina Gaby Gerard (Cyd Charisse) as Tony’s co-star.
This is a disastrous move: She thinks he’s too old, he thinks she’s too tall, their styles don’t blend and, at the off-Broadway try-out, the backers withdraw. However, washed-up Tony takes the helm and things start to come right.
A spoof of the ‘Hey kids, let’s put on a show’ musical, The Band Wagon includes some of the best of the great songs by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, such as Triplets and Dancing In The Dark.
The unforgettable That’s Entertainment was specially written for the finale.
Tony Hunter
Fred Astaire Gaby Berard
Cyd Charisse Jeffrey Cordova
Jack Buchanan Lester Marton
Oscar Levant Lily Marton
Nanette Fabray Paul Byrd
James Mitchell Hal Benton
Robert Gist Colonel Tripp
Thurston Hall Movie star
Ava Gardner Shoeshine boy
LeRoy Daniels
Broadway Danny Rose (1984) Although Broadway Danny Rose might be considered one of Woody Allen's more minor movies, it is a thoroughly charming and often extremely…
My Sister Eileen (1955) Sisters Eileen and Ruth Sherwood move to New York City from rural Ohio to chase their dreams: Pretty but naive…
King and I, The (1956) The King and I was another lavish Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, this time based on Anna Leonowens' autobiographical novel Anna and The…
Jailhouse Rock (1957) This is Elvis Presley's glorious third movie, after Love Me Tender (1956) and Loving You (1957), when the snarl and talent were,…
Kiss Me Kate (1953) Fred (Howard Keel) and Lilli (Kathryn Grayson) are a divorced pair of actors who are brought together by Cole Porter…
Singin' In The Rain (1952) Before 1952, Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen, and Arthur Freed had made some great films. Kelly made his mark with his…
Look Back In Anger (1959) This film version of John Osborne's landmark play stars Richard Burton as 'angry young man' Jimmy Porter, the brooding misogynist…
A spoof of the ‘Hey kids, let’s put on a show’ musical, The Band Wagon includes some of the best of the great songs by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, such as Triplets and Dancing In The Dark.
