Friday 28 June 2019 – Shirebrook Village Hall, Shirebrook
Featuring Ginger Rogers; Fred Astaire
Top Hat (1935) is one of the great 1930s dance musicals, and possibly the best, most characteristic and most profitable Astaire and Rogers musical ever, with wonderful, magical dance and song numbers.
Top Hat centres on a typical mistaken-identity plot, with wealthy Dale Tremont (Rogers), on holiday in London and Venice, assuming that American entertainer Jerry Travers (Astaire) is the husband of her friend Madge (Helen Broderick) – who’s actually the wife of Jerry’s business manager Horace Hardwick (Edward Everett Horton).
Complicating matters is Dale’s jealous suitor Beddini (Erik Rhodes), whose motto is “For the woman the kiss – for the man the sword.” Beddini is disposed of by some last-minute chicanery on the part of Jerry’s faithful valet Bates (Eric Blore), paving the way for the happy ending everyone knew was coming from the opening scene.
The Irving Berlin score includes “Cheek to Cheek,” “Isn’t it a Lovely Day?,” and the jaunty title song.
Synopsis by Hal Erickson, Rovi
Timing for the film:
Start: 1.30pm
Interval: 2.30pm
2nd half: 3pm
Finish: 3.45pm
Cost £4 incl tea/coffee, 1 carer/family member comes free
Doors 1:00pm
Film Starts 1:30pm
Film ends 4:00pm