Second Chorus

Overview

Though not the best of the Fred Astaire musicals, Second Chorus is the most easily accessible thanks to its current public-domain status. Astaire and Burgess Meredith play Danny O'Neill and Hank Taylor, friendly-enemy musicians who after spending seven years in a college band aspire to join the Artie Shaw Orchestra. Danny and Hank also spend a lot of time vying over the attentions of their pretty manager Ellen Miller (Paulette Goddard). While Paulette Goddard later became Mrs. Burgess Meredith in real life, guess who wins her hand in this picture? Charles Butterworth steals the show as Mr. Chisholm, a music-loving eccentric who finances Shaw's "swing concerto" concert at Carnegie Hall. Oh, and Fred Astaire dances, too.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/09/2015
UPC:	0644827221424
Original Release:	1940
Source:	Reel Vault
Language:	English
Sales rank:	42,368

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Fred Astaire	Danny O'Neill,Performer
Paulette Goddard	Ellen Miller,Performer
Burgess Meredith	Hank Taylor
Artie Shaw	Artie Shaw
Charles Butterworth	Mr. Chisholm,Performer
Frank Melton	Stu
Jimmy Conlin	Mr. Dunn
Adia Kuznetzoff	Boris
Michael Visaroff	Sergai
Joseph Marievsky	Ivan
Don Brodie	Hotel Clerk
Billy Benedict	Ticket Taker
Ben Hall	Western Union Boy
Hermes Pan	College Clarinetist
Willa Curtis	Scrubwoman
Jerry Jerome	Tenor Sax Player
Adia Kutznetzoff	Actor

Technical Credits

Frank Cavett

Johnny Mercer

Elaine Ryan

Ian McLellan Hunter

Frank Cavett	Director,Screenwriter
Boris Morros	Producer
H.C. Potter	Director
Boris Monroe	Producer
Johnny Mercer	Screenwriter
Elaine Ryan	Screenwriter
Ian McLellan Hunter	Screenwriter
Robert Stillman	Producer
Fred Astaire	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Second Chorus is one of the weaker Fred Astaire films -- largely because it doesn't seem fully committed to being about Fred Astaire. Astaire doesn't have to dominate a film, of course, as numerous films with the likes of Ginger Rogers, Bing Crosby, Rita Hayworth, and Judy Garland demonstrate; but if he's cast as the lead of a film, the filmmakers need to let him dominate. Unfortunately, Chorus was originally conceived as a vehicle for Artie Shaw, who ended up having a supporting role; but the writers kept enough of the old concept to hamstring Astaire, making Chorus a bit of a mess, script-wise. Astaire and Burgess Meredith also make an odd pair of pals, with the latter's slightly odd personality not meshing well with Astaire's smoothness. And while Astaire and Paulette Goddard are an interesting romantic pair, she's not dancer enough to fill the role as required. Fortunately, Goddard's appeal helps to overcome this flaw, and there are a couple of first-rate Astaire routines that do more than smooth over the movie's rough spots. Add in some fine playing from Shaw and his band (including a "jazz symphony" that definitely gets better as it goes along), along with an amusing turn from Charles Butterworth, and Chorus ends up decent, if uneven, entertainment.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler