You'll Never Get Rich (1941) Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Comedy / Musical / Romance
Film Review
The film that transformed Rita Hayworth from a minor contract player to
a major Hollywood star sees her partnered with another screen legend,
Fred Astaire. Since splitting with Ginger Rogers, Astaire's
career was beginning to decline and he was reluctant to work with
Hayworth, on account of her inexperience and height. As it turned out,
the sensual Hayworth and the
debonnaire Astaire appeared to be made for one another, as their
impeccable dance routines together testify.
Whilst not the best film for either star, You'll Never Get Rich is great fun,
buoyed up by some uplifting Cole Porter numbers and stunning dance
routines. The plot is admittedly something of a dog's breakfast
but at least there is plenty of decent comedy to compensate for that
and, overall, the film is an enjoyable romp. And if you are still
wondering where the film gets its title from, recall the old army song:
You're in the Army now. You're in the
Army now. You'll never get rich, by diggin' a ditch. You're in
the Army now. Astaire and Hayworth would appear together
in You Were Never Lovelier
(1942).
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Film Synopsis
Martin Courtland is a womanising theatrical producer on Broadway whose latest
fancy is one of the dancers in his company, Sheila Winthrop. To show
his interest, Martin offers Sheila an expensive bracelet, but in doing so
he incurs the wrath of his wife Julia, who by now has had enough of his philandering
exploits. To save his marriage and his fortune, Martin sees only one
way out - to admit to his wife that the damning bracelet was a gift from
Bob Curtis, his choreographier and dancer. Unfortunately, Sheila already
has an admirer, in army captain Tom Barton. To extricate himself from
this muddle, Bob enlists in the army, but merely ends up becoming further
entangled in his friend's lies when Martin turns up at his base and enlists
his help in putting on a show for the troops...
Cast:Fred Astaire (Robert Curtis),
Rita Hayworth (Sheila Winthrop),
Robert Benchley (Martin Cortland),
John Hubbard (Capt. Tom Barton),
Osa Massen (Sonya),
Frieda Inescort (Mrs. Julia Cortland),
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams (Kewpie Blain),
Donald MacBride (Top Sergeant),
Cliff Nazarro (Swivel Tongue 'Swiv'),
Marjorie Gateson (Aunt Louise),
Ann Shoemaker (Mrs. Barton),
Boyd Davis (Col. Shiller),
Sam Ash (Nightclub Headwaiter),
Bonnie Bronson (Chorus Girl),
Lucius Brooks (Guard House Singer),
Stanley Brown (Private),
Leon Buck (Guard House Singer),
Harry Burns (Foreigner at Information Counter),
John L. Cason (Soldier),
Eddie Coke (Army Chauffeur)
Country: USA
Language: English
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 88 min
The very best of French film comedy
Thanks to comedy giants such as Louis de Funès, Fernandel, Bourvil and Pierre Richard, French cinema abounds with comedy classics of the first rank.
American film comedy had its heyday in the 1920s and '30s, but it remains an important genre and has given American cinema some of its enduring classics.
In the 1910s, French cinema led the way with a new industry which actively encouraged innovation. From the serials of Louis Feuillade to the first auteur pieces of Abel Gance, this decade is rich in cinematic marvels.