Silk Stockings (1957)

A musical remake of the 1939 Greta Garbo film Ninotchka, here starring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse.

After three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to retrieve a straying Soviet composer from Paris, the beautiful, ultra-serious Ninotchka (Charisse) is sent to complete their mission.

The composer is betraying his Russian classical heritage by writing music for a low brow movie musical.

She starts out condemning the decadent West, but gradually falls under its spell, with the help of Steve Canfield (Astaire), an American movie producer.

Canfield distracts the pretty young Russian with the wonders of Paris, classy nightclubs, and dancing to jazz. In falling for him, her strict heartless personality melts away.

Cyd Charisse’s vocals were dubbed by Carole Richards, who had also sung for her in Brigadoon (1954).

After this film, Fred Astaire effectively retired from musicals, preferring to concentrate on non-musical roles, though he would produce several musical specials for TV in the next few years. Astaire wouldn’t make another musical until 1968.

Steve Canfield
Fred Astaire
Ninotchka Yoschenko
Cyd Charisse
Peggy Dayton
Janis Paige
Brankov
Peter Lorre
Vassili Markovitch
George Tobias
Babinski
Jules Munshin
Ivanov
Joseph Buloff
Peter Ilyitch Boroff
Wim Sonneveld

Director
Rouben Mamoulian

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