Roberta (1935)
(William A. Seiter, US 1935, 106 min., 35mm)
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appear here in support of Randolph Scott and Irene Dunne. Scott is John, an American football player tagging along to France with bandleader Huck (Astaire). There, John visits his Aunt Minnie, a couturiere, and her assistant, Stephanie (Dunne). Meanwhile, Huck runs into old flame Liz (Rogers), who is posing as a countess, and blackmails her into a gig. When Aunt Minnie dies and John inherits her shop, he wants to partner with Stephanie, but she is discouraged when John’s former girlfriend shows up in Paris. Jerome Kern provided the music for the songs, with lyrics primarily from Dorothy Fields. Dunne performs “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and “Lovely to Look At,” while Astaire and Rogers steal the show with their “I Won’t Dance” number.
Introduction by Michael Lasser.