| You Were Never Lovelier | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | William A. Seiter |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | |
| Produced by | Louis F. Edelman |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ted Tetzlaff |
| Edited by | William A. Lyon |
| Music by | Leigh Harline |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.6 million (US rentals)[1] |
You Were Never Lovelier is a 1942 Americanmusicalromantic comedy film directed byWilliam A. Seiter and starringFred Astaire andRita Hayworth. The supporting cast also featuresAdolphe Menjou,Xavier Cugat andAdele Mara. The music was composed byJerome Kern and the lyrics byJohnny Mercer.[2] The picture was released byColumbia Pictures and includes the elaborate "Shorty George" and romantic "I'm Old Fashioned" song and dance sequences.
The film, aHollywood remake of the 1941Argentine romantic comedyLos martes, orquídeas (On Tuesdays, Orchids),[3] is set inBuenos Aires.
Robert "Bob" Davis is a well-known American dancer with a weakness for betting on the horses. After he loses his money gambling inBuenos Aires, he goes looking for a job with Eduardo Acuña, the wealthy owner of a nightclub. Acuña, however, does not wish to see him. Bob's friend, bandleaderXavier Cugat, invites him to perform at the wedding of Acuña's eldest daughter, Julia. Acuña insists his daughters must wed in order of age, from oldest to youngest. Maria is next in line to get married but refuses to, much to the disappointment of her two younger sisters, Cecy and Lita, who both have boyfriends and want to marry as soon as possible.
During Julia's wedding reception, Bob is attracted to Maria, but his advances are rebuffed by her, and she refuses to speak to him. While talking with Acuña, Bob remarks that Maria's personality is like "the inside of a refrigerator". Aware of his younger daughters' plight, Acuña works out a plan: he sends orchids and anonymous love notes from a supposed secret admirer to Maria to help get her in the mood. One day, when Bob once again tries to see Acuña at his office, Acuña orders the unseen Bob, mistakenly assuming him to be a bellboy, to deliver the latest note and flower. Maria, who by now is feeling amorous and eagerly awaiting the next love letter from her secret admirer, sees Bob dropping off the note and flower and assumes that he is her admirer. When Maria sees Bob at her father's office, she asks her father to introduce them and invite Bob to dinner. At the dinner, after Mrs. Acuña almost shoots Bob, Maria invites Bob to the garden, where they dance. Finding that Maria has become infatuated with Bob, whom Mr. Acuña despises, the father makes a deal with the dancer: in exchange for a contract to perform at the club at some later date, Bob will court Maria and then repel her with his "obnoxious" personality.
Despite Bob's efforts to disappoint Maria, the two quickly fall in love. With his plan gone completely awry, Acuña orders Bob to leave Buenos Aires. At the Acuñas' 25th anniversary party, Mr. Acuña composes a farewell love note for Bob. Mrs. Acuña overhears him reciting the note in his office and accuses him of cheating on her with another Maria, her dear friend Maria Castro. While Mr. Acuña tries to defend himself, Bob and Maria come into the office. Bob confesses that he did not write the love letters, disillusioning Maria.
Impressed by Bob's behavior, Acuña grants him permission to begin dating Maria. After repeated deliveries of flowers fail to change Maria's attitude to him, Bob remembers Mr. Acuña telling him that when Maria was young, she became infatuated withLochinvar, a fictional knight in SirWalter Scott's poemMarmion. That night, Bob arrives at the Acuña home wearing a suit of armor and riding a horse. Maria is amused and decides to reconcile with him.
The film was the second of two films starring the duo of Astaire and Hayworth,[4] following the box-office success of the previous year'sYou'll Never Get Rich. The new film avoided the wartime themes of the previous film, while benefiting from lavish production values – a consequence of the box-office success of the earlier film. Kern created astandard with "I'm Old Fashioned". Initially, Kern was unhappy about the selection of Cugat and his orchestra; however, when production was complete, he was so pleased with the band's performance that he presented Cugat with a silver baton. Although Hayworth had a fine voice,Harry Cohn insisted on her singing being dubbed throughout byNan Wynn.
The film is a reworking of the 1941 Argentine musicalLos martes, orquídeas (On Tuesdays, Orchids) directed byFrancisco Múgica.[5]It follows the usual conventions established by Astaire in his earlier musicals, such as an anti-romantic first meeting between the two leads, a virtuoso dance solo for Astaire, a playful dance duet and a romantic dance duet.
The film's dance director was Val Raset, the only time he collaborated with Astaire, and his choreographic input into the film is unclear. According to Astaire's biography, he worked out all the numbers with Hayworth while rehearsing above a funeral parlour. Although the setting is a Latin one, Kern felt unable to compose in this style, but Astaire was determined to continue his exploration ofLatin dance, which he did with the help of special arrangements by Cugat and Murphy, and the inspiration provided by the enthusiastic and talented Hayworth. This became an important counterbalance to Kern's tendency to compose sweet, occasionally saccharine, melodies. Hayworth's performance here establishes her claim as one of Astaire's foremost dance partners.
The following receivedAcademy Award nominations:[7]
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