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Golden Comedy: A Damsel in Distress Review

I’m always a sucker for a good movie musical. A Damsel in Distress was the first Fred Astaire movie I had the opportunity to watch in its entirety (my watch history on YouTube is full of my attempts to watch him dance to Puttin’ on the Ritz); it was also one of the movies he did without Ginger Rogers. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. A Damsel in Distress is an excellent reminder of how timeless Golden Age Movies are as it is the perfect medley of romantic-comedy and musical.

A Damsel in Distress (1937) follows Jerry Halliday (Fred Astaire) and Lady Alyce Marshmorton’s (Joan Fontaine) comedic journey to falling in love. Director George Stevens outdoes himself in this movie, delivering a romantic comedy, anybody with a penchant for golden age movies is sure to love. The movie opens with Lady Alyce’s staff betting on who she will marry. A young footman Albert (Harry Watson) places a bet on a “Mr. X,” a mysterious American friend of Lady Alyce’s. When Alyce visits London she runs into Jerry, an American dancer, and the staff assumes that he is the American Lady Alyce is in love with. They then lead on Jerry to believe this as well and a hilarious journey of miscommunication ensues.

The music in A Damsel in Distress is phenomenal. George and Ira Gershwin wrote the music for the move, and the cast pulls it off well. “A Foggy Day” and “Nice Work if You can get It,” two American Songbook Standards, both originated in this movie. Since then, people such as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald have sung these songs, helping seal their fame as jazz standards. Fred Astaire was one of the first people to use song in a movie to move the plot forward instead of just a flashy piece, although one can still see the blending of these two techniques in numbers like “Stiff Upper Lip” where Gracie consoles Jerry and encourages him. The number also includes a long comedic dance break. I thought the numbers focusing on Jerry, Gracie (Gracie Allen) and George (George Burns) were particularly interesting because they helped display the trio's relationship and comradery, as they try to help Jerry win over Lady Alyce.

Now of course one can’t talk about a movie with Fred Astaire in it without discussing his dancing—in detail. When we first meet Jerry, he dances to “I can’t be Bothered Now,” an upbeat jazz number, perfectly at home in the 30’s and 40’s. The quick paced taping is simply astonishing. The use of an umbrella flows seamlessly with his dancing for a great rhythm section, and his cheeky escape from the cops by dancing across the street and onto the bus is wonderful. There are a few odd cuts in the sequence, starting with only showing Astaire from the waist up and the cut from his dance break to his escape. Unless you’re looking for it, one is simply too mesmerized by his quick paced tap dancing to be bothered to care.

“Put me to the Test” is reminiscent of a Vaudeville act, and the trio (Astaire, Allen, and Burns) use whisk brooms as they tap through the number. Not the most breathtaking number, but it is certainly enjoyable, seeing how they incorporate the set and whisks in the number.

Saving the best for last, “Nice Work if You Can Get it,” was simply spectacular. The physical state Astaire had to be in to pull this one off is remarkable. It looks as if it was done in one continuous take, a trademark of Astaire. Like other dance numbers in the show, “Nice Work if You Can Get it” utilizes other elements for rhythm with the tap break. For this song, Astaire tap dances around a drum kit. It’s impressive to watch him tap and play the drums at the same time. I particularly enjoyed when Astaire does a wing into hitting the bass drums. This number is a great showcase of Astaire’s talents as a dancer and sense of rhythm.

A Damsel in Distress displays what a work of art Golden Age Romantic-Comedies are with their music and dancing and outlandish plots. If you’re a movie connoisseur or love a good tap dancing number, this movie is for you. It truly is a classic Golden Age Movie.