Shall We Dance? (1937)
(Mark Sandrich, US 1937, 109 min., 35mm)
Fred and Ginger are at it again, this time to the music of George and Ira Gershwin. Here, Astaire plays ballet master Peter P. Peters (assuming his professional name of “Petrov”), pursuing tap-dancing musical revue star Linda Keene (Rogers) while trying to evade the advances of ballerina Lady Tarrington (Ketti Gallian). Rumors spread that Pete and Linda have actually been married for years, causing problems with Linda’s fiancé and Pete’s burgeoning love for Linda. Astaire sings “You Can’t Take That Away from Me,” and Astaire and Rogers duet on the title song, but it’s the pair’s lovely performance of “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” that steals the show. Introduction by Michael Lasser.