A Damsel in Distress

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A Damsel in Distress

1937,

1h 38m,

Musical/

Comedy

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71%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

66%

250+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

The staff at Tottney Castle are taking bets on whom the young lady of the manor, Alyce Marshmorton (Joan Fontaine), will wed. When she meets American song-and-dance man Jerry Halliday (Fred Astaire), footman Albert (Harry Watson) schemes to make the mismatched pair fall in love so he'll win the bet. A romantic farce written by British humorist P.G. Wodehouse and based on his novel, the film features the last songs written for the screen by George Gershwin, who died during filming.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Mar 26, 2009

Astaire and his vet terp aide, Hermes Pan, have devised four corking dance routines which director George Stevens has expertly envisioned and mounted.

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Tom Milne

Time Out

Jan 26, 2006

Nicely directed but a bit on the twee side with its Wodehouse plot and mock Englishisms, the result would be questionable but for a rich Gershwin score.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Jan 1, 2000

Burns and Allen were imported to balance her lack of humor; their presence is certainly welcome, and their work with Astaire is surprisingly effective.

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Ann Ross

Maclean's Magazine

Jul 23, 2019

Bright and lively and well worth seeing, even if Mr. Astaire is deprived of Ginger Rogers as a dancing partner.

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Basil Wright

The Spectator

Jun 27, 2018

The inspired lunacy of the Wodehouse prose style cannot, however, survive the change of medium, and the director has failed to capture the typical Blandings atmosphere.

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TV Guide

Nov 13, 2007

3/4

Burns and Allen are reliably funny and display more than passing hoofing abilities, and Montague Love and Reginald Gardiner are properly pompous in their aristocratic roles.

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Jan 31, 2019

The best musical movie ever made!

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George Stevens

Director

Fred Astaire

Jerry Halliday

George Burns

George

Joan Fontaine

Lady Alyce Marshmorton

Gracie Allen

Gracie

Reginald Gardiner

Keggs

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Synopsis

The staff at Tottney Castle are taking bets on whom the young lady of the manor, Alyce Marshmorton (Joan Fontaine), will wed. When she meets American song-and-dance man Jerry Halliday (Fred Astaire), footman Albert (Harry Watson) schemes to make the mismatched pair fall in love so he'll win the bet. A romantic farce written by British humorist P.G. Wodehouse and based on his novel, the film features the last songs written for the screen by George Gershwin, who died during filming.

Director: George Stevens
Producer: Pandro S. Berman
Screenwriter: P.G. Wodehouse, Ernest Pagano, S.K. Lauren
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 19, 1937, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 25, 2008
Runtime: 1h 38m

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