You will never get rich

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Movie
German title You will never get rich
Original title You'll never get rich
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1941
length 88 minutes
Rod
Director Sidney Lanfield
script Michael Fessier ,
Ernest Pagano
production Samuel Bischoff
music Cole Porter ,
Morris Stoloff
camera Philip Tannura
cut Otto Meyer
occupation
synchronization

Rich you will never , aka Who is already rich in the military? (Original title: You'll Never Get Rich ), is an American film musical with Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth from 1941. Columbia Pictures has won songwriter Cole Porter for the music and dance numbers . The film, which atypically for the genre focuses on the life of the soldier, revived Astaire's career after his professional separation from Ginger Rogers and established Hayworth as a musical star of the 1940s.

action

Martin Cortland, an eccentric show producer on New York's Broadway , has his eye on the beautiful and talented dancer Sheila Winthrop. She, however, is more interested in Robert Curtis, the choreographer of her dance troupe. Still, Cortland tries to win Sheila's affection with gifts such as a bracelet with her name engraved on it. However, when his wife Julia becomes suspicious, Cortland tries to convince her that Sheila is already as good as engaged to Robert Curtis. To this end, he invites Sheila and Robert to dinner together. When Sheila notices that Cortland is using Robert to calm Julia down, and Robert willingly pretends that it was he who wanted to give Sheila the bracelet, she storms off, hurt.

The next morning, a newspaper announces the engagement of Sheila and Robert. Since Robert is convinced that Sheila is responsible, he looks for her in her apartment. Still angry about his hurt, she and her aunt Louise play him a joking scene, insisting that he should keep his word and marry her. Sheila's actual fiancé, Captain Tom Barton, also plays along and pretends to be her brother, who eventually takes up a gun to force Robert to marry. The latter immediately fled, whereupon the other three burst out laughing. Robert then learns of his conscription to the army and does not hesitate to join the army, as the army offers him the ideal solution to his current problems. On his first night in the army, he feels guilty about Sheila and dreams that Tom is chasing him with a pitchfork. While trying to wake him up, Robert accidentally beats his superior, which earns him two days in the army prison. When Sheila wants to visit Tom in his barracks, she meets Robert in his cell. He apologizes for his behavior and tries to impress her by claiming to be a captain. After his release, he steals a captain's uniform and visits Sheila at Tom's mother's house. But to his surprise, he finds Sheila and Tom and the captain who he stole his uniform there, which is why he is placed under arrest for two more weeks.

Meanwhile, Cortland decides to show his revue to the soldiers. He wants to hire Robert for this. He finally receives permission on the condition that he is always accompanied by two guards. Since Robert insists on Sheila as his partner on the show, but Cortland would rather see his new flame Sonya on stage, Cortland tries to drive an even bigger wedge between Robert and Sheila. To do this, he has the engraving on the bracelet changed from “Sheila” to “Sonya” after Robert offered him to buy the bracelet to give it to Sheila. Knowing that Robert will pick up the piece of jewelery in his apartment while Sonya is there, Cortland also sends Sheila to his apartment under a pretext. There Robert finds Sonya scantily clad. When Sheila knocks on the door, he hides Sonya in the bathroom. When his two guards arrive, he tries to escape with Sheila over the fire escape. Sheila discovers both Sonya and the bracelet with the new engraving. Before Sheila storms off angrily, she lets Robert know that she will be marrying Tom shortly.

In order to wipe out Cortland, Robert invites his wife Julia to the army camp and introduces her to Sonya, who then withdraws from the show, embarrassed. Then the two soldiers Kewpie Blain and Swivel Tongue help him to call the rest of the company to a demonstration, which is to persuade Sheila to return to the revue. Given the mass of soldiers on her doorstep, she finally agrees. However, she is still not ready to forgive Robert. In a dance number that is designed as a wedding, Robert lets a real priest perform and at the end of the dance kisses his newlywed bride in high spirits. When Robert Sheila announces that they are now officially married, Sheila is furious and runs away again. However, Cortland stops her and guiltily tells her the truth. Now that she knows that Robert was not to blame and that he really loves her, she visits him in his cell and is willing to spend the night in a tent in front of his cell. At that moment, Robert’s superior arrives, who releases him and wishes the two newlyweds all the best.

background

prehistory

Rita Hayworth (1941)

In the mid-1930s, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers had become the most successful dance duo on the screen with film musicals from RKO Pictures , including Ich tanz 'mich zu dein Herz inside (1935) and Swing Time (1936). After nine films together, the last of which could not match the success of their predecessors, Astaire and Rogers ended their permanent film partnership in 1939. Astaire then shot Broadway Melody in 1940 with Eleanor Powell and Swing-Romance (1940) with Paulette Goddard . Due to the rather moderate success of the two films, he then wanted to take early retirement. But Harry Cohn , the boss of Columbia Pictures, was able to convince Astaire to shoot another film for his studio.

However, since the studio did not have a female musical star under contract and Cohn did not want to borrow a star from another studio for cost reasons, they remembered Rita Hayworth, who was under a permanent contract with Columbia and only recently with films like Most Beautiful in Town (1941) and King of the Toreros (1941) had become a sought-after actress. She belonged to a family of dancers, "The Dancing Cansinos", and was trained as a dancer by her father Eduardo Cansino, who came from Seville , at a young age. In her first films she mostly appeared as a dancer. When she received her contract with Columbia in 1937, however, she was henceforth almost exclusively cast in small crime films in which her dancing talent was not used.

When Hayworth found out in 1941 that she was supposed to shoot a film musical with Fred Astaire, she was initially unsettled and feared that she would not be able to keep up with Astaire after her dance break of several years. However, Astaire had no concerns about her talent as a dancer, as he knew her father Eduardo well from his time in vaudeville theaters, who, like himself, had performed as a dance duo with his sister. When Astaire and Hayworth first practiced dance steps together, they liked each other straight away. Astaire was only concerned that Hayworth might be too tall for him, which is why she didn't wear particularly high heels when shooting.

Filming

The shooting took place from May 20 to July 24, 1941. During the shoot, Hayworth and Astaire got along very well under the direction of Sidney Lanfield . During rehearsals, they often played little pranks on each other, but also had great respect for each other's talent and professionalism. Astaire, who was known for being very demanding, later especially praised the speed with which his colleague rehearsed the choreographies: “She learned the dance steps faster than anyone I knew. I showed her a choreography before lunch and as soon as she came back from dinner she danced the steps with perfection. ”He also noticed that Hayworth never completely wasted her energies on rehearsals, but gave everything when the cameras were rolling.

Astaire later remarked: “Rita danced with trained perfection and individuality. She knew, of course, through her experience, what was important when dancing. It was evident from the moment I started working with her. I enjoyed filming, you will never get rich - because of Rita and the fact that it was one of the first films to deal with military service in World War II. ”Astaire was also happy to have his obligatory suit and hat against could exchange a uniform. His only regret was that the film was not shot in Technicolor , which was very expensive at the time.

Music and dance numbers

Cole Porter (1934)

Despite the well-known cast of Astaire, Hayworth and Benchley, composer Cole Porter found it difficult to write songs for a film musical about life in the army. He was also used to the luxury of a large, glamorous studio like MGM , whereas Harry Cohn's Columbia Pictures was more practical and saved the budget because of any luxury on the sets. Although various American radio stations went on strike in 1941 and the songs by Reich you will never be heard rarely on the radio, Porter received an Oscar nomination for his song Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye . While Fred Astaire designed his and Hayworth's dances himself, the choreographer Robert Alton was hired for the rest of the dancers. He had previously worked on Broadway, which is why he initially had difficulty getting along with the less well trained dancers of Columbia.

  • Rehearsal Duet ( Cole Porter ): During a dance rehearsal at the beginning of the film, Robert Curtis (Fred Astaire) practices a short number with Sheila Winthrop (Rita Hayworth) in front of the other dancers. They step next to each other at high speed.
  • Boogie Barcarolle (Porter): Then Robert rehearses a big show with ballet and tap dance elements with his dancers, including Sheila, in which the dancers move across the stage in several rows and at the end some female dancers are lifted into the air by their male colleagues.
  • Dream Dancing (Porter): To appease his wife, Martin Courtland ( Robert Benchley )invitesRobert and Sheila to dinner together in a pub, where Robert in a tuxedo and Sheila in a white dressdancearm in arm to the music of a big band . Robert admits that he only reprimands Sheila at the rehearsals to have the opportunity to dance with her, whereupon Sheila admits that she deliberately makes mistakes for the same reason.
  • Shootin 'The Works For Uncle Sam (Porter): When Robert decides to join the army and waits for his departure at the local train station, some of his revue girls surprisingly appear in tight clothing to say goodbye to him. Robert tunes in to the military song Shootin 'The Works For Uncle Sam with a stick and hat, after which he and the girls march through the train station in a dance step. The combination of jazz and marching rhythms illustrates the parallels between dance rehearsals and army drills.
  • Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye (Porter) serve as Robert in the brig his sentence must, a small chapel black musician playing in another cell the melancholic songSince I Kissed My Baby Goodbye(dt .: "Since I my girl goodbye kissed "). Robert slowly begins to dance in his simple uniform to the music that is getting faster and faster until he steps dynamically through the room while Sheila watches him.
  • March Milastaire (A-Stairable Rag) (Porter): Later Robert dances another solo in his cell, with which he expresses his sudden joy at his love for Sheila and tries to make as much noise as possible with clapping and stepping do.
  • So Near and Yet So Far (Porter): At a rehearsal for a big show in front of the soldiers, Robert and Sheila appear in fine evening wear on the stage of the camp. In front of Sheila, who is sitting on an artificial palm tree, Robert sings So Near and Yet So Far in a tailcoat with a white bow tie , describing Sheila's irresistible attraction. When Sheila gets up in her black dress with a high slit that emphasizes her shoulders and hips in addition to her legs, they both beginto dance to the song's rumba melody. As a synthesis of Latin and ballroom dancing supplement, in which Sheila with her sensuality and Robert with its elegance, presents So Near and Yet So Far is the romantic highlight of the film.
  • The Wedding Cake Walk (Porter): At the final show performance in front of hundreds of soldiers, the singer Martha Tilton starts the song The Wedding Cake Walk . She is lifted up by dancers in uniform until the curtain opens and more uniformed dancers march in a long line in front of revue girls, all of whom are wearing wedding dresses. Then Sheila, also in a white wedding dress, walks gracefully between the other dancers, one of whom leads her to Robert at the artificial wedding altar. After Robert and Sheila have said yes in front of the priest, they begin to dance with the others, which they continue shortly afterwards on a huge wedding cake in the form of a tank.

reception

publication

The world premiere of Reich You Will Never took place on October 23, 1941 at New York's Radio City Music Hall . Rita Hayworth was effective in advertising, accompanied by officers of the US armed forces and four young soldiers representing the United States Army , Navy , Coast Guard and the Marine Corps . You will never get rich was very successful at the US box office and turned out to be one of the biggest hits of the year for Columbia Pictures. In addition, the film established Hayworth as a musical star and ensured that Fred Astaire's career flourished again after breaking up with dance partner Ginger Rogers and already considering his artistic retirement.

During the filming, Hayworth graced the cover of an issue (August 11, 1941) of Life Magazine , in which her famous pin-up photo appeared, which shows her in a silky, lace-trimmed negligee in a provocative pose. Along with this photo, the film made Hayworth the most popular pin-up girl of the US GIs during WWII alongside Betty Grable . Another decisive factor was that you will never get rich was the first film musical that dealt with everyday army life and was released before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , which prompted the Americans to enter World War II. Due to the positive feedback, Astaire and Hayworth made their second joint film Du Wasst Never Beberberer (1942) a year later . While the reviews at the time were very positive for Reich you will never be and above all praised the surprisingly good collaboration between Astaire and Hayworth, the film musical is now rated as a rather weaker film by the two actors.

In Germany , Reich will never be shown on television for the first time on January 16, 1974, but in the original English language with German subtitles. For a Rita Hayworth series, the ZDF only commissioned a dubbing in 1984 , in which Astaire was dubbed by Eckart Dux and Hayworth as well as in Gilda by Viktoria Brams . In 2004 the dubbed version appeared under the title Who will get rich in the military? on DVD.

Reviews

Daily Variety , you will never get rich after the premiere as a “successful combination of music, dance and comedy”. The duo, Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, are "also a happy connection". The film is "certainly one of Astaire's best musicals" and shows "a new talent" by Hayworth, "which will be very popular". Your performance can compete with "any comparison". Sidney Lanfield's direction deserves "also praise". Theodore Strauss wrote in the New York Times that although Fred Astaire was “not a great actor”, “he had that carefree manner” that “casts a spell over everyone”. Rita Hayworth, “who can make you sleepy”, dance “with verve and enthusiasm”.

Variety found that the script was "peppered with humorous dialogues and situations". Even if the story does not appear new, "Sidney Lanfield's direction has polished it up sufficiently". Lanfield kept the plot "constantly in motion" and the songs and dance numbers were "cleverly distributed". According to Time , the news spread across America "when the best tap dancer in the world, Fred Astaire, found a new dance partner". She said she had never dancedwith him in Reich and was “the best partner” he had ever had ”.

For Craig Butler of the All Movie Guide , getting rich was, in retrospect, "not exactly the best movie that both Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth have ever made". The chemistry, however, is "definitely between the two". This is particularly evident “during her dance numbers, when Hayworth's friendly aura of a goddess of love is wonderfully combined with Astaire's sense of perfection”. Hayworth is "even a better dancer than Ginger Rogers". Cole Porter's score is "neat, with So Near and Yet So Far even more than that". The script, on the other hand, is "a bit like a patchwork quilt". However, as long as the stars and supporting actor Robert Benchley can be seen, the film will be entertaining "enchantingly". According to the film critic Leonard Maltin , the film offers "lively pleasure" thanks to the "funny banter, the music by Cole Porter and the terrific dancing" of the two main actors. “Disappointing musical with only moderate music and dance interludes; entertaining at best through occasional comedy and good actors ”, judged the lexicon of international films .

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1942 , Reich was never nominated for an Oscar in the categories of Best Song ( Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye ) and Best Film Music in a Film Musical. In the latter category, however, the musical director of Reich you will never , Morris Stoloff , was unable to prevail against Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace , who were recognized for their music in the Disney film Dumbo . Even composer Cole Porter could not hold his own with his song Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye against the competition of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein , who won the Oscar for The Last Time I Saw Paris from Lady Be Good .

German version

The German dubbed version was created in 1984 on behalf of ZDF .

role actor Voice actor
Robert Curtis Fred Astaire Eckart Dux
Sheila Winthrop Rita Hayworth Viktoria Brams
Sonya Osa crowds Madeleine proud
Aunt louise Marjorie Gateson Haide Lorenz
Mrs. Barton Ann Shoemaker Marianne Wischmann

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c John Kobal: Rita Hayworth: The Time, The Place and the Woman . WW Norton, New York 1977, pp. 100-104.
  2. ↑ “She learned steps faster than anyone I've ever known. I'd show her a routine before lunch. She'd be back right after lunch and have it down to perfection. " Fred Astaire cited. after John Kobal: Rita Hayworth: The Time, The Place and the Woman . WW Norton, New York 1977, p. 102.
  3. ^ “Rita danced with trained perfection and individuality. She, of course, knew through experience what the dancing business was all about. That was apparent the moment I started working with her. I enjoyed making You'll Never Get Rich because of Rita and the fact that it was one of the first films with a World War II service background. " Fred Astaire cited. after Gene Ringgold: The Films of Rita Hayworth . Citadel Press, Secaucus 1974, p. 128.
  4. ↑ George Eells : The Life That Late He Led . G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1967.
  5. ^ John Howard Reid: Hollywood Gold: Films of the Forties and Fifties . Lulu Press, 2005, p. 219.
  6. ↑ People. Movie stars gallivant near & far . In: Life , November 10, 1941, p. 51.
  7. ↑ John Kobal: Rita Hayworth: The Time, The Place and the Woman . New York: WW Norton, 1977, p. 99.
  8. ↑ “ You'll Never Get Rich is a happy combination of music, dancing and comedy […]. The teaming of Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth also is another happy combination. Picture ranks easily with Astaire's best, and displays another side of Miss Hayworth's talents - a side that will find much favor. Her work will stand up to any comparisons. […] Sidney Lanfield's direction rates equal praise. ” Daily Variety cit. after Gene Ringgold: The Films of Rita Hayworth . Citadel Press, Secaucus 1974, p. 129.
  9. ↑ “Mr. Astaire is no great shakes as an actor, but he has an irrepressibly light-hearted way about him that takes everything in its stride. [...] Miss Hayworth, who is something to trouble a night's sleep [...], does dance with verve and excitement. " Theodore Strauss: At the Music Hall . In: The New York Times , October 24, 1941.
  10. ↑ “Script is studied with humorous lines and situations, and despite a somewhat familiar ring it's all sufficiently refurbished by Sidney Lanfield's direction to get over in good style. Lanfield keeps things moving consistently, and the song and dance routines are neatly spotted. " See You'll Never Get Rich . In: Variety , 1941.
  11. ^ "It was news throughout the US that the best tap dancer in the world, Fred Astaire, had a new dancing partner. She danced out with him before the nation in Columbia's new musical, You'll Never Get Rich , and she was the best partner he had ever had. " See Cinema 1941: Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth in “You'll Never Get Rich” . In: Time , October 5, 1983.
  12. ↑ “ You'll Never Get Rich is not the greatest film that either Fred Astaire or Rita Hayworth ever made, but […] there's a definite chemistry at work between the two. This is especially clear during their musical numbers, naturally, when Hayworth's friendly sex goddess aura meshes beautifully with Astaire's air of sophistication. Hayworth is even a better dancer than Ginger Rogers […]. Cole Porter's score is serviceable, with So Near and Yet So Far considerably more than that. The script is a bit of a patchwork quilt […] but as long as the stars (and co-star Robert Benchley) are around, Rich is engaging entertainment. ” Craig Butler, cf. omovie.com
  13. ↑ "Witty banter, a Cole Porter score [...], and terrific dancing by the two stars make this breezy fun." Leonard Maltin , cf. tcm.com
  14. ↑ You will never get rich. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 26, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used