In a film that may have inspired "fast forward" technology, dancer extraordinaire Fred Astaire has exactly two memorable moments. Those moments, plus the music of Artie Shaw and his band, make it the kind of film best left to excerpting. Astaire and Burgess Meredith (who seems to be auditioning for The Penguin, a television role he played on Batman in the 1960s) play two foolish trumpeters (quite obviously dubbed, by the great Bobby Hackett and Billy Butterfield). The idiotic script makes you want to tell Astaire to shut up and dance, which he does once with co-star Paulette Goddard and at his best during "Poor Mr. Chisholm," when he conducts the band while tap dancing. Shaw's band playing "Sweet Sue" is also one of the few delights of this film. Shaw's skill with the clarinet is legendary, but his music cannot make up for the bandleader's acting, which is so bad he even has trouble playing himself.
Review of Second Chorus
