The couple Josh (Fred Astaire) and Dinah Barkley (Ginger Rogers) are successful musical comedy artists in Broadway and perfect on stage. However, they frequently argue with each other backstage and at home and the perfectionist Josh usually questions the performance of his wife. Their close friend and pianist Ezra Millar (Oscar Levant) usually calms them down.

When Dinah is introduced to the playwright and director Jacques Pierre Barredout (Jacques Francois),he believes that she is a great dramatic actress and offers a lead role in his play to her. After an argument with Josh, Dinah splits up with her husband and decides to pursue the career of actress. The stubborn Josh misses Dinah and secretly helps her in her new career but none of them seems to give in.

"The Barkleys of Broadway" is another musical comedy with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, but in Technicolor. This time, in addition to the beautiful numbers of Fred and Ginger, Oscar Levant wonderfully plays Tchaikovsky. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Ciúme, Sinal de Amor" ("Jealousy, Sign of Love")

I see written everywhere (thus replicating the words of Leonard Maltin in his 'Movie and Video Guide') that Ginger Rogers declaiming 'La Marseillaise' at the end of 'The Barkleys of Broadway' is the LOW POINT of the movie. Let me say that, as a French viewer, I totally disagree. What Miss Rogers does here is remarkable on the contrary: she actually brilliantly mimics her model, drama diva Sarah Bernhardt whose style of acting was pompous and bombastic. Such a style sure looks very outdated today but was very much admired and in demand at the time. Now, just imagine Sarah had underplayed her scene the way Ginger does so well in other circumstances, she would never have been accepted by the stiff and starchy jury of the Comédie Française! Even more impressive is the American actress's accent: she indeed delivers her tirade in more than passable French. Well, Americans may think this sequence ridiculous, but not French people. In any case, gallically speaking, it by no means constitutes a LOW but a HIGH POINT of this altogether excellent musical comedy.

Even when such an iconic partnership like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are in a film that doesn't showcase their talents as well as their previous outings, you can still enjoy the film on its own. That is definitely the case with The Barkleys of Broadway, still a good enough film despite lacking compared to their previous films. The story may be far-fetched but considering that that component wasn't ever as strong as everything else in their films together that isn't as big an issue. More problematic is Ginger's La Marseillaise scene feeling forced, the Weekend in the Country number never shaking off the feeling that it would have been more suited to Judy Garland(the originally intended female lead, this song really doesn't play to Ginger's strengths) and some of Ginger's clothes- somewhat frumpy-looking here- not accommodating her lovely figure. The costumes, scenery and sets generally are sumptuous and the film is beautifully filmed. The score is lovely too with a sense of whimsy and wit, and while there have been more memorable songs in other Fred and Ginger outings the songs are still good. Shoes with Wings On is a charming and good-natured song that shows off Fred's skills as a dancer very well, Bouncin' the Blues is catchy and fun and anybody who want to see Fred and Ginger's dancing and chemistry will find pleasure in You'd Be Hard to Replace. The Highland Fling song is not particularly memorable but is fun to watch, the kilts are a nice touch. The dance duet of You Can't Take That Away from Me from Shall We Dance is musically and choreographically in a different league, nostalgic and moving it is very effective and doesn't feel out of place at all. The choreography is elegant and sparkling if not with new ideas(ie. dancing on roller-skates or girls on airplanes),and Fred and Ginger's dancing is as poised and athletic as it ever was. Their chemistry is very convincing too. The dialogue is smart and witty with a good amount of heart. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are great here, Ginger may have lost some of her freshness, not helped by some frumpy outfits, but she is still sassy and beautiful. Fred is wonderfully chirpy and debonair, that comes through loud and clear in Shoes With Wings on. The supporting cast give solid performances, Oscar Levant brings some amusing touches and a fresh personality while playing the piano brilliantly, especially when it's as demanding as Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto no.1(though not so much as Rachmaninov 3rd or particularly Brahms 2nd). Billie Burke is charming in her role. All in all, very enjoyable though a little disappointing too. 7/10 Bethany Cox