Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Picture 1934

The Contenders:

The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Cleopatra
Flirtation Walk
The Gay Divorcee
Here Comes the Navy
The House of Rothschild
Imitation of Life
It Happened One Night (winner)
One Night of Love
The Thin Man
Viva Villa!
The White Parade

Fred and Ginger

Films: The Gay Divorcee
Format: DVD from personal collection on rockin’ flatscreen.

There’s a particular charm to early musicals, at least in theory. Even when they aren’t very good, there’s a sweet innocence to them. When your stars are Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, though, you’re likely to find something worth watching even if the story is dippy. The Gay Divorcee is the second film the pair made together, and while the plot isn’t a great deal to get excited about, it’s a hard film not to enjoy. Astaire and Rogers are a great couple on screen and a better one on the dance floor. Toss in Edward Everett Horton and Betty Grable, and yo’ve got a movie that, while thin on believable plot, is hard not to enjoy.