ROBERTA has to be my least favorite of the movies teaming GINGER ROGERS and FRED ASTAIRE--mostly because they have little more than supporting roles while the spotlight goes to IRENE DUNNE and RANDOLPH SCOTT. Furthermore, the plot is a zany one, best described by TCM's capsule comment: "An American jazzman and his buddy love a Russian princess and a fake countess in Paris." It's odd material for a musical with a score by Jerome Kern and only comes to life when Astaire and Rogers are hoofing it to the beat of an uptempo tune.
Otherwise, it falls flat in the comedy department and the romance between RANDOLPH SCOTT (who seems uncomfortable in an "out of his element" role as a football coach who inherits a fashion shop) seems awfully hard to believe. IRENE DUNNE is lovely to look at, but I was never a fan of her singing voice, the style of which is probably suited well enough to the Kern songs but seems to have a shrill sound whenever she's in the higher register.
The fashion finale gets a lift from the final dance of Astaire and Rogers which ends the story on a high note. They give the film its liveliest, most professional moments.
Trivia note: Look for a glimpse of a very blonde LUCILLE BALL wearing an ornate white gown toward the end of the fashion show. The fashions themselves tend to date the film terribly, as does RANDOLPH SCOTT's slang expression which evidently was hugely popular in the '30s and he uses throughout: "That's swell!" You know what he'd be saying today.
Otherwise, it falls flat in the comedy department and the romance between RANDOLPH SCOTT (who seems uncomfortable in an "out of his element" role as a football coach who inherits a fashion shop) seems awfully hard to believe. IRENE DUNNE is lovely to look at, but I was never a fan of her singing voice, the style of which is probably suited well enough to the Kern songs but seems to have a shrill sound whenever she's in the higher register.
The fashion finale gets a lift from the final dance of Astaire and Rogers which ends the story on a high note. They give the film its liveliest, most professional moments.
Trivia note: Look for a glimpse of a very blonde LUCILLE BALL wearing an ornate white gown toward the end of the fashion show. The fashions themselves tend to date the film terribly, as does RANDOLPH SCOTT's slang expression which evidently was hugely popular in the '30s and he uses throughout: "That's swell!" You know what he'd be saying today.