America was sinking deeper into the Great Depression when something magical happened in Hollywood to lighten the mood. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, partnering first in the 1933 film Flying Down to Rio, captivated the movie-going public like no other duo, starring in seven musicals together from 1933 to 1937. No dancers ever reached a wider public, and Astaire and Rogers became the most popular team the movies had ever known. Slight of plot, but employing the music of some of the best popular composers of the day (Berlin, Gershwin, Porter, Kern), the films were set in a fantasy of wealth, with sets, and especially costumes, designed to recreate the fun and verve and glamour of the roaring Twenties, and appeal to a nation craving escape from the workaday world.

But it was the dancing that made the art that engendered the magic. Astaire had been a stage actor/dancer for a decade or more. Rogers had been in Hollywood for a couple of years, but when cast together at RKO, they stole the movie from the purported stars. It has been said that Astaire gave Rogers class, and she gave him sex. Indeed, in addition to humor, wit, and plot advancement, their choreography often exudes deep emotion and palpable sexual tension. Their movies were both popular and memorable.

This colloquy will focus particularly on four of the duo’s best movies (see Syllabus below). Films will be assigned to watch at home, and clips will be shown in class. Discussions will center on the artistry of the work, character delineation, production design and other technical aspects of the film making, and behind the scenes stories.

Brooke Dojny is a retired food writer and cookbook author specializing in New England food. She is past board president of Friend Memorial Library and currently cooks at a Blue Hill soup kitchen. Brooke has been a lifelong film enthusiast.