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For the item of clothing, see top hat. For the item of clothing see Top hat. For the fictional TUGS character see Top Hat (TUGS. For the fictional TUGS character, see Top Hat (TUGS). TUGS is a British Children's television series, first broadcast in 1989 Top Hat is a fictional character who appeared in the 1988 television series TUGS, created by the producers of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
Top Hat
Directed by Mark Sandrich
Produced by Pandro S. Berman
Written by Allan Scott
Dwight Taylor
Starring Fred Astaire
Ginger Rogers
Edward Everett Horton
Erik Rhodes
Eric Blore
Helen Broderick
Music by Irving Berlin
Max Steiner
Cinematography David Abel
Editing by William Hamilton
Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Release date(s) August 30, 1935
Running time 101 minutes
Language English
Budget $609,000
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Top Hat is a 1935 screwball musical comedy in which Fred Astaire plays an American dancer named Jerry Travers, who comes to London to star in a show produced by Horace Hardwick (Edward Everett Horton). Mark Sandrich (born August 26, 1900 in New York City, New York &ndash died March 4, 1945 in Hollywood, Pandro Samuel Berman ( March 28, 1905 &ndash July 13, 1996) known as Pandro S Allan Scott may refer to Allan Scott (athlete (born 1982 Scottish hurdler Allan Scott (businessman (born c Dwight Taylor can refer to Dwight Taylor (baseball (born 1960 former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Kansas City Royals Dwight Taylor Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 &ndash June 22, 1987) was an American Academy Award Ginger Rogers ( July 16, 1911 &ndash April 25, 1995) was an Academy Award -winning American film and stage actress Edward Everett Horton ( March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American Character actor with a long career including Erik Rhodes ( February 10, 1906 &ndash February 17, 1990) He was an American Film and Broadway Singer Eric Blore ( December 23, 1887 - March 2, 1959) was an English comic Actor. Helen Broderick ( August 11, 1891 – September 25, 1959) was an American Film and stage Actress Irving Berlin (11 May 1888 &ndash 22 September 1989 was a Russian-born American Composer and Lyricist, and one of the most prolific American songwriters This article is about the film composer For other persons with the same name see Max Steiner. David Abel ( December 15, 1884 - November 12, 1973) was an American cinematographer William Hamilton (and shortened forms may refer to Europeans William Hamilton (Lord Chancellor, (d Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Events Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM The screwball comedy is a subgenre of the comedy Film genre. It has proven to be one of the most popular and enduring film genres The musical film is a Film genre in which several Songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 &ndash June 22, 1987) was an American Academy Award Edward Everett Horton ( March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American Character actor with a long career including He meets and attempts to impress Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers) to win her affection. Ginger Rogers ( July 16, 1911 &ndash April 25, 1995) was an Academy Award -winning American film and stage actress The film also features Eric Blore as Hardwick's valet Bates, Erik Rhodes as Alberto Beddini, a fashion designer and rival for Dale's affections, and Helen Broderick as Hardwick's long-suffering wife Madge. Eric Blore ( December 23, 1887 - March 2, 1959) was an English comic Actor. Erik Rhodes ( February 10, 1906 &ndash February 17, 1990) He was an American Film and Broadway Singer Helen Broderick ( August 11, 1891 – September 25, 1959) was an American Film and stage Actress

The film was written by Allan Scott, and Dwight Taylor. Allan Scott may refer to Allan Scott (athlete (born 1982 Scottish hurdler Allan Scott (businessman (born c Dwight Taylor can refer to Dwight Taylor (baseball (born 1960 former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Kansas City Royals Dwight Taylor It was directed by Mark Sandrich. Mark Sandrich (born August 26, 1900 in New York City, New York &ndash died March 4, 1945 in Hollywood, The songs were written by Irving Berlin. Irving Berlin (11 May 1888 &ndash 22 September 1989 was a Russian-born American Composer and Lyricist, and one of the most prolific American songwriters "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" and "Cheek to Cheek" have become American song classics. " Top Hat White Tie and Tails " is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1935 film Top Hat, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire " Cheek to Cheek " is a song written by Irving Berlin, and first performed by Fred Astaire in the movie Top Hat (1935

It has been nostalgically referenced — particularly its "Cheek to Cheek" segment — in many films, including The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) and The Green Mile (1999). The Purple Rose of Cairo is an award-winning 1985 film written and directed by Woody Allen. Events 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films The Green Mile is a 1999 American Drama film, directed by Frank Darabont and adapted by him from the 1996 Stephen The year 1999 in film involved some significant events and was arguably the most successful year for films released in the 1990s

Top Hat was the most successful picture of Astaire and Rogers' partnership (and Astaire's second most successful picture after Easter Parade), achieving second place[1] in worldwide box-office receipts for 1935, and while some dance critics[1] [2]maintain that Swing Time contained a finer set of dances, Top Hat remains, to this day, the partnership's best-known work. Easter Parade is a 1948 Musical film starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. [3]

Contents

Synopsis

An American dancer, Jerry Travers comes to London to star in a show produced by the bumbling Horace Hardwick. While practising a tap dance routine in his hotel bedroom, he awakens Dale Tremont on the floor below. She storms upstairs to complain, whereupon Travers falls hopelessly in love with her and proceeds to pursue her all over London.

Dale mistakenly believes he is married to her friend Madge, who is actually Hardwick's long-suffering wife. Following the success of Jerry's opening night in London, Travers follows Dale to Venice, where she is visiting Madge and modelling/promoting the gowns created by Alberto Beddini, a dandified Italian fashion designer with a penchant for malapropisms. Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the

Jerry proposes to Dale, who is disgusted that her friend's husband could behave in such a manner and agrees instead to marry Alberto. Fortunately, Bates, Horace's meddling English valet, disguises himself as a priest and conducts the ceremony.

On a trip in a gondola, Jerry manages to convince Dale and they return to the hotel where the previous confusion is rapidly cleared up. A Gondola is a traditional Venetian rowing Boat. Gondolas were for centuries the chief means of transportation within Venice and still have The reconciled couple dance off into the Venetian sunset, to the tune of "The Piccolino". [4]

Cast

Notable bit parts:

Production

Top Hat began filming on April 1, 1935 and cost $620,000 to make. Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 &ndash June 22, 1987) was an American Academy Award Ginger Rogers ( July 16, 1911 &ndash April 25, 1995) was an Academy Award -winning American film and stage actress Edward Everett Horton ( March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American Character actor with a long career including Wikipedia has three articles on individuals named Erik Rhodes: Erik Rhodes (actor Erik Rhodes (musician Erik Rhodes (porn Helen Broderick ( August 11, 1891 – September 25, 1959) was an American Film and stage Actress Eric Blore ( December 23, 1887 - March 2, 1959) was an English comic Actor. Lucille Ball (August 6 1911 – April 26 1989 was an American comedienne, film television stage and radio Actress, model, film Tom Ricketts ( 15 January 1853 – 20 January 1939,) was an English American Silent film Actor Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Shooting ended in June and the first public previews were held in July, these led to cuts of approx. ten minutes mainly in the last portion of the film - the carnival sequence and the gondola parade which had been filmed to show off the huge set were heavily cut. A further four minutes were cut[5] before its premier at the Radio City Music Hall, where it broke all records, and went on to gross $3 million on its initial release and became RKO's most profitable film of the 1930s. [6] After Mutiny on the Bounty, it made more money than any film released in 1935. Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1935 film starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable based on the Charles Nordhoff and James Norman [2]

Script development

Dwight Taylor was the principal screenwriter in this, the first screenplay written specially for Astaire and Rogers. Dwight Taylor can refer to Dwight Taylor (baseball (born 1960 former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Kansas City Royals Dwight Taylor Astaire reacted negatively to the first drafts, complaining that "it is patterned too closely after The Gay Divorcee", and "I am cast as . The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 Film that was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. . . a sort of objectionable young man without charm or sympathy or humour". [1] Allan Scott, whose first major project this was, and who would go on to serve on six of the Astaire-Rogers pictures, was hired by Sandrich to do the rewrites and never actually worked with Taylor, Sandrich acting as script editor and advisor throughout. Allan Scott may refer to Allan Scott (athlete (born 1982 Scottish hurdler Allan Scott (businessman (born c [2] The Hays Office insisted on only minor changes, including probably the most quoted line of dialogue from the film: Beddini's motto: "For the women the kiss, for the men the sword" which originally ran: "For the men the sword, for the women the whip. For the television broadcasting term please see Production code number. "[2] [7] Of his role in the creation of Top Hat, Taylor recalled that with Sandrich and Berlin he shared "a kind of childlike excitement. The whole style of the picture can be summed up in the word inconsequentiality. When I left RKO a year later, Mark said to me, 'You will never again see so much of yourself on the screen. '"[2][8] On the film's release, the script was panned by many critics, who alleged it was merely a rewrite of The Gay Divorcee. The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 Film that was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. [6]

Musical score and orchestration

This was composer Irving Berlin's first complete film score since 1930 and he negotiated a unique contract, retaining the copyrights to the score with a guarantee of ten per-cent of the profits if the film earned in excess of $1,250,000. [6] Eight songs from the original score were discarded as they were not considered to advance the film's plot. [6] One of these: "Get Thee Behind Me, Satan" was recycled into Follow the Fleet (1936). Follow the Fleet ( RKO) is a 1936 Hollywood musical comedy Film with a nautical theme and stars Fred Astaire, Ginger All five songs eventually selected became major hits and, in the September 28, 1935 broadcast of Your Hit Parade, all five featured in the top fifteen songs selected for that week. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Your Hit Parade was a popular American Radio and Television program sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes and broadcast from 1935 to 1955 on [6]

Astaire recalled how this success helped restore Berlin's flagging self-confidence. Astaire had never met Berlin before this film, although he had danced on stage to some of his tunes as early as 1915. There ensued a lifelong friendship with Berlin contributing to more Astaire films (six in total) than any other composer. Of his experience with Astaire in Top Hat Berlin wrote: "He's a real inspiration for a writer. I'd never have written Top Hat without him. He makes you feel so secure. "[1]

As Berlin couldn't read or write music, and could only pick out tunes on a specially designed piano which transposed keys automatically, he required an assistant to make up his piano parts. Hal Borne - Astaire's rehearsal pianist - performed this role in Top Hat and recalled working nights with him in the Beverly Wiltshire Hotel: "Berlin went 'Heaven. . . ' and I went dah dah dee 'I'm in Heaven' (dah-dah-dee). He said, 'I love it, put it down. '"[2] These parts were subsequently orchestrated by a team comprising Edward Powell, Maurice de Packh, Gene Rose, Eddie Sharp, and Arthur Knowlton who worked under the overall supervision of Max Steiner. This article is about the film composer For other persons with the same name see Max Steiner. [1]

Berlin broke a number of the conventions of American songwriting in this film, especially in the songs "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" and "Cheek to Cheek",[9] and, according to Rogers, the film became the talk of Hollywood as a result of its score. " Top Hat White Tie and Tails " is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1935 film Top Hat, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire " Cheek to Cheek " is a song written by Irving Berlin, and first performed by Fred Astaire in the movie Top Hat (1935 [9]

Set design

In an Astaire-Rogers picture, the Big White Set - as these Art-Deco-inspired creations were known - took up the largest share of the film's production costs, and Top Hat was no exception. Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939 affecting the decorative arts such as Architecture, Interior design, and Industrial A winding canal - spanned by two staircase bridges at one end and a flat bridge on the other - was built across two adjoining sound stages. Astaire and Rogers dance across this flat bridge in "Cheek to Cheek". Around the bend from this bridge was located the main piazza, a giant stage coated in red bakelite and this was the location for "The Piccolino". This fantasy representation[10] of the Lido of Venice was on three levels comprising dance floors, restaurants and terraces, all decorated in candy-cane colours, with the canal waters dyed black. Venice 's Lido is an 11-mile (18 km long sandbar, home to about 20000 residents greatly augmented by the (mainly Italian tourists who move in every summer Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the The vast Venetian interiors were similarly inauthentic, reflecting instead the latest Hollywood tastes. [11]

Carroll Clark, who worked under the general supervision of Van Nest Polglase, was the unit art director on all but one of the Astaire-Rogers films and he managed the team of designers responsible for the scenery and furnishings of Top Hat.

Wardrobe: The "feathers" incident

Although Bernard Newman was nominally in charge of dressing the stars, Rogers was keenly interested in dress design and make-up[12] and for the "Cheek to Cheek" routine she was determined to use her own creation: "I was determined to wear this dress, come hell or high water. Bernard Newman ( 18 November 1903 - 30 November 1966) was head designer for Bergdorf Goodman and head costume designer for RKO And why not? It moved beautifully. Obviously, no one in the cast or crew was willing to take sides, particularly not my side. This was all right with me. I'd had to stand alone before. At least my mother was there to support me in the confrontation with the entire front office, plus Fred Astaire and Mark Sandrich. "[13]

Due to the enormous labour involved in sewing each ostrich feather to the dress, Astaire - who normally approved his partner's gowns and suggested modifications if necessary during rehearsals - saw the dress for the first time on the day of the shoot[14] and was horrified at the way it shed clouds of feathers at every twist and turn, recalling later: "It was like a chicken attacked by a coyote, I never saw so many feathers in my life. "[15][16]According to Pan, Astaire lost his temper and yelled at Rogers, who promptly burst into tears, whereupon her mother, the redoubtable Lela "came charging at him like a mother rhinoceros protecting her young. "[17] An additional night's work by seamstresses resolved much of the problem, however, careful examination of the dance on film reveals feathers floating around Astaire and Rogers and lying on the dance floor. [1] Later, Astaire and Pan presented Rogers with a gold feather for her charm bracelet, and serenaded her with a ditty parodying Berlin's tune:

Feathers - I hate feathers

And I hate them so that I can hardly speak

And I never find the happiness I seek

With those chicken feathers dancing

Cheek to Cheek[6][18]

Thereafter, Astaire nicknamed Rogers "feathers" - also a title of one of the chapters in his autobiography - and parodied his experience in a song and dance routine with Judy Garland in Easter Parade (1948). Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10 1922 – June 22 1969 was an American actress and singer [1]

Astaire also chose and provided his own clothes. He is widely credited with influencing 20th Century male fashion and, according to Forbes male fashion editor, G. Forbes is an American Publishing and media company Its flagship publication Forbes magazine is published bi-weekly Bruce Boyer, the "Isn't It a Lovely Day?" routine: "shows Astaire dressed in the style he would make famous: soft-shouldered tweed sports jacket, button-down shirt, bold striped tie, easy-cut gray flannels, silk paisley pocket square, and suede shoes. It's an extraordinarily contemporary approach to nonchalant elegance, a look Ralph Lauren and a dozen other designers still rely on more than six decades later. For the company see Polo Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifshitz on October 14, 1939) is an American Astaire introduced a new style of dress that broke step with the spats, celluloid collars, and homburgs worn by aristocratic European-molded father-figure heroes. "[19]

Musical numbers and choreography

The choreography, in which Astaire was assisted by Hermes Pan, is principally concerned throughout with the possibilities of using taps to make as much noise as possible. Hermes Pan ( December 10, 1910 &ndash September 19, 1990) was an American Dancer and Choreographer, principally celebrated [1] In the film, Astaire suffers from what Rogers terms an "affliction": "Every once in a while I suddenly find myself dancing. " Astaire introduces the film's tap motif when he blasts a tap barrage at the somnolent members of a London Club. [1][20]

The final supported backbend - Astaire and Rogers in the climax to "Cheek to Cheek"
The final supported backbend - Astaire and Rogers in the climax to "Cheek to Cheek"

Awards

The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as Art Direction (Carroll Clark and Van Nest Polglase), Original Song (Irving Berlin for "Cheek to Cheek"), and Dance Direction (Hermes Pan for "Piccolino" and "Top Hat"). The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to artists working The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Irving Berlin (11 May 1888 &ndash 22 September 1989 was a Russian-born American Composer and Lyricist, and one of the most prolific American songwriters The Academy Awards for Best Dance Direction (1935-1937 only 1935 Dave Gould - Broadway Melody of 1936 ("I've Got a Feeling You're Fooling" Hermes Pan ( December 10, 1910 &ndash September 19, 1990) was an American Dancer and Choreographer, principally celebrated

In 1990, Top Hat was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The National Film Registry is the registry of Films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress

In 2006 this film ranked #15 on the American Film Institute's list of best musicals. The American Film Institute ( AFI) is an independent Non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 Part of the AFI 100 Years series, AFI's 100 Years of Musicals is a list of the top musicals in American cinema.

Contemporary reviews

DVD releases

Region 1

Since 2005, a digitally restored version of Top Hat is available separately and as part of The Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 from Warner Home Video. Warner Home Video is the Home video unit of Warner Bros Entertainment Inc In both cases, the film features a commentary by Astaire's daughter, Ava Astaire McKenzie, and Larry Billman, author of Fred Astaire, a Bio-bibliography.

Region 2

Since 2003, a digitally restored version of Top Hat (not the same as the US restoration) is available separately, and as part of The Fred and Ginger Collection, Vol. 1 from Universal Studios, which controls the rights to the RKO Astaire-Rogers pictures in Europe. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American In both releases, the film features an introduction by Ava Astaire McKenzie.

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Mueller, John (1986). Astaire Dancing - The Musical Films. London: Hamish Hamilton, pp. 76-87. ISBN 0-241-11749-6.  
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Croce, Arlene (1972). The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book. London: W. H. Allen, pp. 54-79. ISBN 0-491-00159-2.  
  3. ^ a b c Hyam, Hannah (2007). Fred and Ginger - The Astaire-Rogers Partnership 1934-1938. Brighton: Pen Press Publications. ISBN 978-1-905621-96-5.  
  4. ^ Adapted from Billman
  5. ^ incl. the scene where Blore poses as a gondolier and insults an Italian policeman - this scene is restored in some prints. cf. Croce p. 78
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Billman, Larry (1997). Fred Astaire - A Bio-bibliography. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, pp. 88-90. ISBN 0-313-29010-5.  
  7. ^ reviewing the film in England, author Graham Greene was pleased to find the film "quite earnestly bawdy" and took satisfaction in how this had escaped the British censor. Henry Graham Greene OM, CH (2 October 1904 &ndash 3 April 1991 was an English writer best known as a novelist but who also produced Short stories cf Mueller, p. 80.
  8. ^ The claims that Top Hat was adapted by Karl Noti from A Scandal in Budapest by Aladar Laszlo and Alexander Farago have been examined and dismissed by Arlene Croce, cf. Arlene Croce (born 1934 founded Ballet Review magazine in 1965 Croce p. 70
  9. ^ a b Green, Benny (1989). Let's Face the Music: The Golden Age of Popular Song. London: Pavilion-Michael Joseph, p. 171. ISBN 1-85145-4896.  
  10. ^ Croce, p. 56: "Venice as a celestial powder room"
  11. ^ Descriptions adapted from Croce, p. 76
  12. ^ a preoccupation lost on the Variety critic who wrote: "she is again badly dressed, while her facial make-up and various coiffeurs give her a hard appearance", cf. Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman Billman, p. 90. Croce, p. 66, disagrees.
  13. ^ Rogers, Ginger (1991). Ginger, My Story. New York: Harper Collins, p. 143. ISBN 0-060-18308-X.  
  14. ^ Astaire had approved the costume sketch. cf. Billman p. 89.
  15. ^ Astaire, Fred (1959). Steps in Time. London: Heinemann, pp. 205-211. ISBN 0-241-11749-6.  
  16. ^ David Niven attended the shoot in the company of Astaire's wife, Phyllis, who suffered from a speech impediment. James David Graham Niven (1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983 was an English Academy Award -winning Actor probably best known for his role as the punctuality-obsessed He recalled her verdict: "she looks like a wooster", cf. Billman p. 89
  17. ^ Thomas, Bob (1985). Astaire, the Man, the Dancer. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, p. 112. ISBN 0-297-78402-1.  
  18. ^ Since Astaire and Pan had to create a tap track to accompany the routine, they also created a joke version, replete with melodramatic female sighs and creaking sounds to accompany backbends for Rogers' amusement. cf. Mueller p. 86
  19. ^ Bruce Boyer, G. (2005). Fred Astaire Style. Assouline, pp. 10-11. ISBN 2-84323-677-0.  
  20. ^ Croce, p. 57: "the dance technique is an element in the characterization. Jerry Travers is literally footloose, he's bumptious, he's a disturber of the peace. " Also Mueller, p. 78: "this urge becomes a motif in the film as Astaire's dancing feet, usually irritating somebody or other, send the plot skittering along. "
  21. ^ As Mueller notes, repeating a song was extremely unusual for Astaire, who by way of variation, mixes two drinks during the repetition
  22. ^ described by Croce (p. 59) as "rising from her satin pillows, like an angry naiad from the foam. In Greek mythology, the Naiads or Naiades (Ναϊάδες from the Greek νάειν "to flow" and νἃμα "running water" "
  23. ^ Mueller, p. 80: "at once tender and erotic. . . This scene is one of the most memorable in Astaire's career," and Croce, p. 59: "in the movie's sexiest scene, dances. . . with caressive little strokes. "
  24. ^ The script originally called for a scene in a zoo, but as Berlin provided this song, the script was adapted accordingly. cf. Mueller, p. 80.
  25. ^ Croce, p. 62: "that ecstatic embrace when they pivot together in a wide circle all around the stage. . . a shining moment in the history of the musical film. "
  26. ^ Hyam, p. 104: "It epitomises the elegance and sophistication that are synonymous with his name. "
  27. ^ Astaire recounts how he got the idea at 4. 00 a. m. and woke his sister Adele as he cavorted around his bedroom with an umbrella. Lady Charles Cavendish ( September 10, 1896 &ndash January 25, 1981) better known as Adele Astaire, was an American dancer After explaining to his awakened sister that he had just had an idea for the Manhattan number, she replied: "Well, hang on to it, baby — you're going to need it in this turkey. " cf. Astaire, p. 184
  28. ^ Satchell, Tim (1987). Astaire - The biography. London: Hutchinson, p. 128. ISBN 0-09-173736-2.  
  29. ^ Mueller, p. 16: "Trudy Wellman, a secretary who worked on Top Hat recalls: 'He gets very annoyed with himself, just himself. . . . He would take that cane and he would break it across his knee, just like that, and, of course, we were all shocked because we knew we only had 13 canes. . . . It was a good thing we had that 13th cane because that was the take we printed. '"
  30. ^ Astaire, p. 210: "Jimmy watched and whispered to me after about the third take, 'Don't shoot it again, kid — you got it on the second take. You'll never top that one. ' I insisted on one more, but Jimmy was right. Next morning when I saw the rushes, that second take was the one. "
  31. ^ This sequence was parodied in a scene in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. Mel Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American director, Writer, Composer, Lyricist Young Frankenstein is a 1974 Comedy film directed by Mel Brooks, starring Gene Wilder as the title character
  32. ^ which did not dissuade Croce from describing it as "a bit too ritzy, a bit too consciously "poised". " For a comparison of critical opinions see Hyam, pp. 205,207
  33. ^ Hyam, p. 205: "Rogers' feathered dress creates dazzling spirals of white. "
  34. ^ Dance description principally condensed and adapted from Mueller, pp. 83-86
  35. ^ Mueller, p. 87: "I love it, the way you love a child that you've had trouble with. I worked harder on 'Piccolino' than I did on the whole Top Hat score. "
  36. ^ Unlike its predecessors, "The Piccolino" never became a national craze. cf. Mueller, p. 86
  37. ^ Croce, p. 75: "When Pan objected that Berlin's lyric was about a song rather than a dance ('Come to the Casino/ And hear them play the Piccolino'), Berlin suggested that the dance could be called 'The Lido,' and then the lyric could run 'Come and do the Lido / It's very good for your libido. '"
  38. ^ Hyam, p. 121: "a thoroughly appealing performance, lively and expressive without any suspicion of exaggeration. " Also Mueller, p. 86: "a lively rendition"

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