User reviews

THE BAND WAGON tells the story of faded movie star Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire) as he attempts to restart his stage career with the help of his two pals Lester (Oscar Levant) and Lily (Nanette Fabray) Marton. The Martons have written Tony a surefire hit... or so they think, until they fall under the charms of writer/director/producer/actor du jour, Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan) and their lighthearted musical comedy is turned into some kind of freaky Faustian opera. Jeffrey also ropes the famous French ballet-dancer Gabrielle Gerard (Cyd Charisse) and her choreographer boyfriend Paul Byrd (James Mitchell) into the production, but Tony and Gabrielle start off with each other on the wrong foot--almost literally so, since Tony is primarily a hoofer feeling his age, and Gabrielle a ballet star in her prime. They don't seem to match at all, from age to temperament, right down to dancing style. When Tony and Gabrielle finally come to an understanding, however, it's evident their musical is headed for a critical drubbing, and their hint of a romantic relationship thrown into doubt by Paul's annoyance that Gaby doesn't want to leave the show with him. The rest of the film works at resolving this double impasse.

It's probably hard to avoid comparing this film to SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, since they were made just a year apart and were both written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Moreover, the themes are even vaguely similar--THE BAND WAGON is a gentle, sharp satire on theatrical goings-on; SINGIN' IN THE RAIN a wicked parody of Hollywood and movie-making. Both films list Cyd Charisse as one of the characters; both films have a ballet section towards the end of the film. And of course, both films star (separately, unfortunately) the two greatest dancing talents of any and every Hollywood generation--Fred Astaire (TBW) and Gene Kelly (SITR). So certainly, comparisons are rife... the films seem to *beg* one to make them! Personally, the chips fall on the side of SITR for me: it's got a tighter story line, it's less talky, the chemistry between the leads is impeccable, and the songs and dances are simply wonderful.

That is, however, an entirely personal preference. There are people--there are in fact several other IMDB reviewers--who prefer THE BAND WAGON, and with good reason. Entirely on its own merits and not in comparison to SITR (as it should be judged), this film is exactly what it sets out to be: a cracking two hours worth of sheer entertainment. It's cleverly written, while the songs and dances are charming and some even mind-blowing. Vincente Minelli does an excellent job of directing; he is, after all, justly known as the master of musical films. Astaire couldn't be bad if he tried, and he's quite ably supported by his cast of Charisse, Levant, Fabray and Buchanan. The numbers range from the heartbreakingly romantic and simple (Charisse and Astaire falling in love to 'Dancing In The Dark'); through to the clever and amusing (most of the brief numbers attributed to 'The Band Wagon', the play within the movie, but most especially the 'Triplets' number with Astaire, Fabray and Buchanan); on to the rousing and hilarious (Astaire's German accent midway through 'I Love Louisa); and finally to those that are simply stunning in their sheer technical mastery (without a doubt the 'Girl Hunt' ballet). And of course, that's forgetting to mention the song that best sums up the entire spirit of THE BAND WAGON: 'That's Entertainment!'. Joyously performed by Astaire, Fabray, Buchanan and Levant (and in a finale reprisal also featuring Charisse), you really get the feeling that *this* is what Hollywood, and more specifically, the MGM musical, is about. And at the game of entertainment, THE BAND WAGON succeeds handsomely.

I think the only problem I have with THE BAND WAGON is that it just doesn't come together as perfectly and as seamlessly as I'd like. There are moments when my attention drifts, and the acting is frequently uneven. (An exception would be Fabray, who simply radiates exuberance with her big voice and great moves in relatively little screen time.) I've said that Astaire couldn't be bad if he tried. True, he *isn't* bad... just a little listless, it seems to me, particularly in the first half of the film. His dancing, however, is faultless as usual, just as you'd expect from Astaire. And he definitely seems to warm up considerably in the second half of the film. It's rather a shame that there's a spark missing from Charisse's performance as well--as a dancer she is visually *and* emotionally arresting, but she's quite frankly not as much an actress as she is a dancer. (She had the same problem in BRIGADOON, and she didn't have to act in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN except through her dancing.) Most of the time her performance is passable, reaching 'good' and occasionally 'great' at the most naturalistic parts--for example, when she's laughing or pretending to smoke with Tony. Astaire and Charisse are fantastic in their two main numbers together though--'Dancing In The Dark' is one of the best, simplest and most romantic film dances I've ever seen, and 'Girl Hunt' is so inventive and perfectly executed that you can't help thinking these two dancers really *do* match somehow.

Simply put, you just couldn't go wrong with THE BAND WAGON. You'll laugh, you'll marvel, you'll sing along... but most of all, you'll be well-entertained. And if *that's* the point the film is trying to make... point surely very well-taken! 8/10

The Band Wagon is one of those films such as "The Maltese Falcon" and "Some Like It Hot", where just about everybody involved does the finest work of their career, both in front of and behind the camera. It is certainly the best collaboration between two legends of the musical genre, hoofer Fred Astaire and director Vincente Minnelli.

Astaire plays has-been Hollywood star Tony Hunter who hopes to revive his popularity by returning to Broadway in a new musical written by his friends Lester and Lily Marton (Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray in essence portraying the screenplay's authors, Adolph Green and Betty Comden).

The Martons have entrusted the staging of their show to wunderkind actor/director/producer Jeffrey Cordova (a combination caricature of Orson Welles and Jose Ferrer played by British song-and-dance man Jack Buchanan). Two of Cordova's inspirations include casting ballerina Gabrielle Gerard (Charisse) as the female lead (good idea) and turning the show into a pretentious Faust allegory (really bad idea).

Tony and Gabrielle rub each other the wrong way - at first, and Cordova's joyless concoction lays an egg. But the cast vows to forge ahead and try again with another musical, this time with no mention of hell or the devil.

As clever as the script is, the main attractions are the exquisitely performed musical numbers (written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz) including "That's Entertainment", "A Shine on Your Shoes","Dancing in the Dark" and the greatest grand finale in the history of movie musicals "The Girl Hunt Ballet", a parody of film noir with Astaire as private eye Rod Riley and Charisse in a dual role as good girl and femme fatale.

There are many shimmering moments in Bandwagon: Fred Astaire (playing a role close to his own life story; he was 53 at the time), the acidic wit of Oscar Levant ('that'll keep 'em laughing!!') tempered by the sunny Nanette Fabray and musical numbers including "Shine on Your Shoes," "I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan," and a clever novelty trio called "Triplets." But the musical sequence that stands out the most is the one which has no vocal, no dialog, and gently advances the movie's plot of whether or not oil-and-water dancers Astaire and Cyd Charisse can actually perform together (when he thinks she's too tall and she thinks he's too old). Against a Central Park twilight, the film shows its heroes enjoy a hushed walk through a park (only an instrumental refrain of 'High and Low' is heard), after which they step into an empty courtyard (he in a pastel linen suit and spectator shoes, she in a flared white dress and ballet flats; a necessity to keep her from being taller than him on film) and into the pas-de-deux of "Dancing In The Dark." It's an exquisite sequence, which at times resembles courtship, foreplay, and ultimately a romantic climax- all done in dance. It ends, just as smoothly as it began, with the two leads spinning up a short flight of stairs and mounting a hansom cab, without a single hair out of place. Now THAT's entertainment.

Just saw this again, for the first time in 10 years. What a show! This is unquestionably the last of the great line of MGM – and, therefore, Hollywood – musicals . . . the last real flowering of Arthur Freed's genius at holding together a team of top production talents which had produced such a fine string of musicals. Not a dull spot in the entire movie and tremendous style in Minnelli's direction. Nice to see Jack Buchanan getting a last chance in the spotlight – his top hat routine with Astaire is one of the highlights of the movie. Astaire himself, playing the fading musical star which he was by 1953, has a magnificent opening with two contrasting numbers – the wistful By Myself and the exuberant Shine on your Shoes – tailored to set up his character perfectly. The Girl Hunt ballet is, of course, the dancing highlight of the movie and it is here that the utterly wonderful Cyd Charisse comes into her own. Apart from being arguably the best female dancer in Hollywood history, she was certainly the most beautiful: the scene in the ballet in which she appears on a bar stool and slips off her coat to reveal a dramatic red dress oozes with as much sex appeal as any movie moment I've ever seen.

The Bandwagon may yet prove to be the best of backstage musicals. It certainly is Fred Astaire at his best, probably his best film when he did not partner with Ginger Rogers.

Arthur Freed had great success with two previous song catalog musicals, An American In Paris with the music of George Gershwin and Singing in the Rain which utilized the songs that he wrote with Nacio Herb Brown. His source for this film were the songs of Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz.

Dietz and Schwartz were an interesting pair of writers. Howard Dietz worked right at MGM in their publicity department. In fact it was Dietz who invented MGM's famous Leo the Lion. Song lyrics were in fact an avocation. Arthur Schwartz was a lawyer who just one day gave up the practice of law to devote himself to songwriting. They wrote some of the best music of the Thirties. After which Dietz devoted himself to publicizing MGM and Schwartz worked with other lyricists.

They wrote revues and this is where the source material for The Band Wagon comes from. In fact one of their revues was entitled The Band Wagon and starred none other than Fred and Adele Astaire. However the team got together again and wrote one new number for the film, the legendary That's Entertainment.

This The Band Wagon is not a revue. The plot concerns an aging musical film star Fred Astaire, talked into coming east by husband and wife writing team Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant. They want him to do a Broadway show to revive his career. They get Broadway wunderkind Jack Buchanan to direct it and later on classical ballet star Cyd Charisse to team with Astaire.

Buchanan is outrageously funny as he first tries to get them to do an avant garde musical about the Faust saga. When that flops, he's a good enough trooper to put ego aside and do some serious rewriting. And this man certainly has one Texas size ego. According to a book on the Arthur Freed musicals, Buchanan was in a lot of pain from arthritis and doing some of those numbers, especially Triplets was agony for him.

That was not the only problem on the set. It was a pretty grim place. Oscar Levant had suffered a heart attack before the production and he was ten times his normal hypochondriac self. And Fred Astaire's wife was terminally ill at home.

Cyd Charisse gauging the mood of her fellow cast members just kept to herself, but Nanette Fabray who is an exuberant personality did not go over well as Miss Perky. She recorded it was one of her worst film experiences.

Still this monumental triumph of a film got made. My favorite of all the numbers besides That's Entertainment is the soft shoe duet that Fred Astaire and Jack Buchanan partner in. It's all grace and elegance and so typically Fred Astaire. And it's probably what most people know of Jack Buchanan. Over in the United Kingdom he was a leading stage and screen performer. Until The Band Wagon was made he was probably best known to American audiences as Jeanette MacDonald's leading man in Monte Carlo.

Cyd Charisse dances divinely as she always does, never better than in the finale, The Girl Hunt Ballet with Astaire. I still wonder why she never starred at MGM with her husband Tony Martin.

When one is asked what the American musical film ideal is, one of the best answers you can give is The Band Wagon.

Director Vincente Minnelli is probably the most important star of the visually stunning film "The Bandwagon". Betty Comden and Adolph Green supplied the book and most of the songs, aided by Arthur Schwartz and Alan Jay Lerner. And the relationships, as anyone who has worked in theater can attest, are unusually understated and true. The primary story-line concerns Tony Hunter, a man who has had failures in film and has now returned to Broadway looking for a good project. His old friend portrayed by Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant have a project in mind. But they make the mistake of hiring an ambitious director who sees in their tale a vehicle for a Faustian allegory filled with deep meanings, fire, brimstone, explosions and necrophiliac lighting. Of course the musical they produce is a total failure; and Tony has been compelled to dance with a hired ballerina, with whom he finds himself falling hopelessly in love. In desperation, he suggests they go back to the original show and not disband. As a result they craft a success, Tony gets his girl and everything ends happily. This I find to be a first-rate MGM production, using its top personnel: cinematography by Henry Jackson, art direction by Preston Ames and Cedric Gibbons, sets by Edwin Willis and Keogh Gleason, Sydney Guilaroff's hairstyles and William Tuttle's makeup, and costumes by Mary Ann Nyberg. The stars of the film are all very professional and likable. Fred Astaire is Tony, Cyd Charisse the ballerina, Nanette Fabray andOscar Levant as ilmic Comden and Green stand-ins, Jack Gardner, James Mitchell, Robert Gist, and many others in small or uncredited roles including familiar faces such as Herb Vigran, Barbara Ruick, Julie Newmar, et al. Some have complained that the musical numbers here seemed a bit static or curiously cold; but this is a musical for once where the numbers look as if they could have been musical numbers onstage; and after chasing this film for decades, when I saw it I was delighted by its stunning visual qualities; and as a theatrical veteran I was also gratified that its human relationships seemed to work, as theatrical portraits by Comden and Green and in the personages who people this very enjoyable entertainment.

MGM, Arthur Freed, Vincent Minelli, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray, Jack Buchanan and that wonderful company behind them. Wow! The Broadway musical is one of America's great contributions to the performing arts, and the Band Wagon delightfully turns its clichés on their heads, with the story of a plucky group of troopers who put all their heart and talent into...a turkey.

Great dancing includes one of Fred Astaire's classic ballet duos, "Dancing in the Dark," with Cyd Charise. She does this spin ending in a semi-kneel, with the mid-calf hem of her dress landing mid-thigh, in order to display one of those spectacular gams of hers...'tis a wonder to behold! Also, there's a number with Astaire and Jack Buchanan, one of the great British variety stars. It's a delight to see this all-too-short exhibition of contrasting dance styles by two master hoofers.

And there's the added treat of Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant (Levant being one those, like Robert Benchley, who entertains by playing himself) standing in for Comden and Green, who happened to write The Band Wagon (as well as Singin' in the Rain and Bells are Ringing). What I like about Comden and Green is, that while most all American musicals come out of New York, the sound of Comden and Green IS New York. They once said, "New York is the ongoing background of our lives - Brooklyn girl, Bronx boy - and whether we have been conscious of it or not, it is the background..."

Yes, there's the music - five numbers, part of the great repertory of American Standards: That's Entertainment, By Myself, You and the Night and the Music, Something to Remember You By, and of course Dancing in the Dark. My favorite dance number after DITD is Shine on My Shoes, surely an under-appreciated classic. All in all, a pretty good score (no pun intended), wouldn't you say?

The story is classified as a "backstage musical," and certainly it is. But there's a scene in Band Wagon with a truly documentary feel. After the show's premier, there's a dress-down cast party. The underpaid company singers and dancers really are in it for the love, and when they want to wind down, they go somewhere cozy, get their drinks and sing a lovely, subdued song, Something To Remember You By. (Of course, after Astaire joins them, the volume goes up, and it's a miracle they aren't evicted. I guess New Haven is used to it by now.) When I was a kid I was a gofer for the Metropolitan Opera when it hit my town on its spring tours, and it's why this scene in The Band Wagon rings so true: as a fly on the wall, I saw the Met company unwinding just this way.

One more element of realism (or life imitating art imitating life): according to the trivia, Buchanan had to have triple root canal work and was in pain for most of the production, and Fabray gashed her knee in "Louisiana Hayride," then had to dance on her knees for the "Triplets" number. Ouch! Talk about plucky troopers!

This was smart and sophisticated musical comedy of the 50s, an era when New York adults still set pop trends and before American culture became corrupted and dumbed down by television. It's not just nostalgia to say they don't make them like they used to.

Many people seem to genuinely love "The Band Wagon", and it regularly receives top recommendations from reviewers and raters, but I just don't like this movie. Some of Fred Astaire's numbers are top notch, such as "Shine on My Shoes" and Fred and Cyd's number "Dancing in the Dark", and by themselves deserve a top rating. However, the plot is irritating, particularly the characters laboriously plodding through trying to bring to fruition producer Jeffrey Cordova's (Jack Buchanan) view of what the next great stage musical show should be like. Also, Fred and Cyd seem much too far apart in age to be a plausible romantic couple. Most irritating is that the musical numbers seem to be a hodge-podge which have nothing to do with each other. It's all too disjointed to be enjoyable.

I will say this is not entirely the fault of Betty Comden and Adolph Green's writing--they were, at times, given a group of unrelated songs by MGM and requested to write a movie script that would encompass them. This film was also loosely based on their own professional relationship as a script-writing team, although they were not married, as the writers, the Martons, are in the film.

If you haven't seen this movie, it IS worth watching for some of the musical numbers, and when I've seen it, I try to concentrate on those. But try as I might, I never seem to be able to warm up to this film.

This is not really in the same league as at least three other Arthur Freed productions that immediately spring to mind. Truth to tell the dialogue is creaky, the theatrical bonhomie rather forced and leading lady Cyd Charisse is sorely in need of a drama coach.

The film runs not far short of two hours but is rendered immortal by roughly eighteen minutes of movie musical magic comprising Fred Astaire's incomparable rendition of 'By myself'; an impeccable but tantalisingly brief routine by Astaire and Jack Buchanan performing 'I'll guess I'll have to change my plan'; the inspired and wonderfully characterful 'Girl Hunt' ballet choreographed by Michael Kidd and what is surely the jewel in the crown, the lush orchestration of Howard Dietz' 'Dancing in the Dark', again choreographed by Mr. Kidd as a pas de deux for Astaire and Charisse which is a miracle of grace, poise and refined sensuality. This is three minutes of utter sublimity which calls to mind the observation that Dance is the perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire.

Although frequently asked, Mr. Astaire was notoriously reluctant to name his favourite partner but is on record as saying that "when you've danced with Cyd Charisse, you stay danced with".

The most sophisticated of all screen musicals and Minelli's masterpiece. It's also the best putting-on-a-show musical ever made, (forget about those Busby Berkeley musicals and Judy and Mickey; this is the real McCoy). The show about to be put on is a musical version of "Faust", directed by a high-minded type, 'a genius of the theatre' with more hits running than Andrew Lloyd Webber, (Jack Buchanan in a great musical-comedy performance). The show would, of course, have been a disaster had not its star, (the incomparable Fred Astaire at his incomparable best), and its writers, (Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant as fairly obvious take-offs of the film's writers Betty Comden and Adolph Green), not rescued it with some good, old-fashioned Broadway hoofing and a score that includes 'I'll guess I'll have to change my plan', 'Louisiana Hayride' and 'The Girl Hunt Ballet'. It also has Fred and Cyd Charisse 'dancing in the dark' and this is the one with 'That's Entertainment'. Nothing much happens but it arguably has the best score of any musical as well as the best cast and a director who knew how best to utilize both. It really should be preserved in a time-capsule.

It is a brave film which has a song called That's Entertainment! as its signature number. Because if, as is unfortunately the case with The Band Wagon, the film is not great entertainment...well, the negative review practically writes itself. This is a film which has the good fortune to have two great talents, Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse, and the misfortune of completely wasting them. It's a film full of largely forgettable musical numbers and it has a story which never really engages and which in the end goes off the rails completely. To call the film tedious would be harsh but not entirely untrue. The film goes for laughs but fails rather miserably in that regard. It tries to give you a little romance but that angle never heats up. The film has no flow to it, there is a real disjointed feel throughout. No, this is not entertainment.

Astaire plays declining movie star Tony Hunter. His friends Lester and Lily Marton have written a stage show which they think can revive his career. They bring it to noted Broadway director/producer/star Jeffrey Cordova who decides to turn what was written as a light comedy into a serious, and seriously bizarre, retelling of Faust. Not surprisingly this proves disastrous. Lester and Lily start bickering. The play, which no longer makes any sense whatsoever, spirals out of control. And all the while tension rises between Tony and his costar, ballerina Gabrielle Gerard. Tony is intimidated by Gabrielle's youth and beauty, not for no reason with Charisse playing the part. And he thinks this classically trained ballerina has no respect for his style of hoofing. Tony and Gabrielle have no chemistry, can't stand one another, can't work together. Eventually they do come together somewhat which provides the film with perhaps its one true highlight, Astaire and Charisse with a wonderful, beautiful dance in a park. Unfortunately after that Tony and Gabrielle's play continues to crumble and so does the film. By the time Astaire and Charisse dance together again much later on the film is past the point of being salvageable.

Astaire and Charisse really were hung out to dry here. The supporting cast adds nothing. The loony Cordova character is meant to be over-the-top but Jack Buchanan goes way too far with it. This character is too nuts for the film's good. At least he has some spark to him which is more than can be said for the writing couple, Lester and Lily. Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray play those parts quite lifelessly. And James Mitchell, playing a romantic interest for Gabrielle, is a total wet blanket with all the personality of a doorknob. The musical numbers all fall flat and many make no sense whatsoever. By the end the film is just throwing random songs up on the screen to see what sticks. None of it does. Some of the numbers in the film's homestretch are obviously meant to be funny but they are just terrible, producing groans not laughs. The big final number is a little better even if, as with so much of what preceded it, it makes very little sense. The best musicals have a lot of life in them. The Band Wagon does not. The energy just is not there. The story doesn't work, the songs are forgettable, the performances of the supporting cast leave much to be desired. Astaire and Charisse have a couple of moments. A couple of moments is not enough to make a good film.

Perhaps the finest hour of Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse together (although Silk Stockings comes a close second); the 'Dancing in the Dark' sequence says it all about both this film, and the two impeccably classy stars.

There are, of course, other highlights - Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray's acidic writers; Jack Buchanan's overblown producer; Fred's dance with the shoeshine boy, Le Roy Daniels; anything featuring Cyd Charisse - and those wonderful musical numbers, ranging from the anthem 'That's Entertainment' to the hilarious 'Triplets'.

'The Band Wagon' sends up the old film staple plot "putting on a show" and does it brilliantly, thanks to the crackling Comden/Green script. One of MGM's best musical efforts, hugely enjoyable.

I have seen my fair share of good musicals as well as some disappointing ones. What's for sure for me, The Band Wagon is one of my favourites from the genre. It has a good engaging story and a witty script. It also has brilliant direction from the great Vincente Minelli, and absolutely fabulous production design from the scenery to the costumes. And the choreography is really clever and fabulous, and the same applies for the superb music. As for the performances, Fred Astaire is very likable and stunning here, and Cyd Charisse is simply gorgeous. There are also some very memorable sequences namely the Dancing in the Dark sequence and the Mickey Spillaine parody The Girl Hunt ballet. Overall, this film is fabulous and one of the best of the musical genre. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I found the "Band Wagon" pretty disappointing overall. There is one genuinely terrific number ("That's Entertainment"), but most of the songs and the dancing routines are really nothing extraordinary. Sure, they are executed with professionalism by all the cast members, but there are no really surprising movements and not as much energy as there should be. The script is almost non-existent, often making the narrative seem slow and predictable. And there is also an uncomfortable element of narcissism here: the hero of the film, who has more than a lot in common with Fred Astaire himself (his popularity probably wasn't at its zenith in 1953), is regarded as a person who knows exactly what entertainment is all about, and a man who should be admired by everyone.

Despite some bright moments, and the wonderful cinematography, this picture seems to be somewhat overrated...

Vincente Minnelli was a director that worked well in different genres, as his distinguished career shows. He excelled in the musicals he directed. In "The Band Wagon", Mr. Minnelli gave us one of the perhaps, most satisfactory musicals of all times. In fact, this is a film that doesn't have many original songs like some other MGM musicals, but still shows the talented Betty Comden and Adolph Green at their best.

Some of the criticism directed to "The Band Wagon" in this forum has to do with the perception that Fred Astaire, the star of the film, was finished, but as he brilliantly demonstrates, he still had a lot left in him. One of the most brilliant numbers of the film involves Mr. Astaire dancing with Leroy Daniels "Shine on my Shoes" at an arcade on 42 Street. Both Mr. Astaire and Mr. Daniels do amazing dancing in a number that will remain one of the classics of the American musicals in film.

The pairing of Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse proves to be one of the most felicitous things in the movie. Ms. Charisse and Mr. Astaire are seen dancing beautifully in "Dancing in the Dark" and in the ballet sequence. Ms. Charisse was one of the most talented dancing stars at MGM and it's a shame she didn't get more opportunities in which to shine, as she does in "The Band Wagon".

Oscar Levant and Nannette Fabray are excellent playing Adolph Green and Betty Comden, that in the film they are named Lester and Lily Marton. Jack Buchanan plays Jeffrey Cordova, the classical actor that turns all shows into hits. Mr. Buchanan is hysterical with his approach to turn the show the Martons have written into a variation of "Faust", with disastrous consequences.

Among the other great numbers in the film, "The Triplets", in which Jeff, Lily and Tony, are seen as dancing and singing babies in a delightful turn. Also Nannette Fabray in "Louisiana Hayride" shows her best qualities. Other songs heard are "By Myself", "Change my Plan", and that hymn about show business, "That's Entertainment".

"The Band Wagon" is a film to cherish because all the right elements were put together by the genius of Vincente Minnelli.

Astaire plays a classical stage musical star that hasn't had a hit for years. He is persuaded by his friends to star in a new musical they have written which is to be directed by pretentious entrepreneur Jack Buchanan, who wants to change a few things turning it into the Faust legend with music.

One of the better MGM musicals of the fifties which has quite a few fun songs and a couple of good dance numbers. It's strength though is its largely sugar free script, a jolly if predictable story, enjoyable stars particular Charisse and Buchanan and a great sense of humour with some killer one liners. Fun.

The Band Wagon (1953) : Brief Review -

The world is stage, The stage is a world of entertainment! Well done. One of those Astaire's last memorable Musical. One thing about The Band Wagon is most important that it is one of those last great musical drama from Legend Fred Astaire's late days. If you are fan of his work and have seen his early classics of 30s and 40s then this one is gonna be special for you. I got three best things about it which takes it from Good to Very Good level. The first one is like i said Astaire, second is Jack Buchanan's hilarious character and third is Focus on the script which excludes typical romance and cliches. In the climax i thought there would be silly Romance between Astraire and Cyd but thankfully it was skipped and it definitely helped the context to grow better. A pretentiously artistic director is hired for a new Broadway musical and changes it beyond recognition but then things get better when the real genius of the league carries it further in his own way. The musical numbers here are truly chartbusters. Not every single but most of them are hits and the lyrics are totally killer. The one i put in the tagline is from "That's Entertainment" which remains my favourite and is already an immensely popular one for years. In the first 15 minutes you see Fred Astaire doing one of the finest musical ever on that 42nd Street segment. That surely blows your mind and you fall in the narrative quickly. Cyd Charisse is sensational, Jack Buchanan is freaking hilarious and Oscar Levant & Nannette Fabray are fantastic in supporting roles. The screenplay drags slightly in the finale and i think those serious and haunting segments in the last act lacked repeat value. Vincente Minnelli has done a fine job keeping everything close to the story and his overall presentation is certainly deserves your watch.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest

Probably Fred's last great musical with the strange "Daddy Long Legs", the irritating (to me anyway.) "Funny Face", the lackluster "Silk Stockings" and the rather bizarre "Finian" to follow.

That Minnelli got any acting performance out of Cyd Charisse is itself a miracle (Both she and Fred were far less effective in "Silk Stockings.) and she proved herself a great dancer in addition. The others were equally wonderful including the flamboyant Jack Buchanan (a hoot as the Jose Ferrer-Orson-Vincente character "Jeffrey Cordova") who nearly stole the film with his hammy acting, his singing, and dancing, the peppy Nannette Fabray and the wonderfully grumpy hypochondriac Oscar Levant, the pianist and friend of George Gershwin. ("That voice!" as Liza Minnelli exclaims in the DVD commentary.) The latter two, in effect, played Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the writers of the film even if they were not a married couple as in the film. Of course, Fred played himself (here under the name of "Tony Hunter".) as in nearly all his musicals.

I don't feel it necessary to comment on the dance numbers as that's been done often enough in these comments and I agree with the favorable ones. Even if some seem to think the story was nothing new, I'd say that's true of most if not all movie plots at this point and it doesn't matter when the show-biz plot is used so well and satirized so effectively.

My only reservation has to do with the rather abrupt show-bizzy ending ("That's Entertainment" reprise.) but that was Vincente's conscious choice.

The two DVD set shows the film beautifully restored with a fine Dolby "sort-of stereo" audio track as well as the original mono recording. The commentary with Liza Minnelli and Michael Feinstein is too "gosh-oh-gee, isn't-everything-wonderful" for my taste but it does tell you a lot about the film. Whether a second DVD is necessary is questionable but the price of the set (usually around $25) doesn't seem excessive.

The songs are simply excellent. Most especially Astaire and Buchanann singing "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan." Their soft shoe dance routine reinforces the sophistication we should all summon when the girl of our dreams turns out to be the girl of someone else's dreams. "That's Entertainment" "By Myself" two other excellent moments. The final mise-en-scene with Fred Astair and Cyd Charise shows a darkness to Astaire that is often overlooked in his easy comedy.

But Rogers and Hammerstein, and before them Hammerstein and Kern--SHOW BOAT--had created and perfected on Broadway the 'integrated musical' where music moved the story line forward. What Fred Astaire, Arthur Freed, Vincent Minnelli had done was a throwback to the review which can best be encapsulated: let's put on a show. Whether that show would be 42 STREET, BABES IN ARMS, THE GOLDDIGGERS OF 1933, or Broadway MELODY--pick a year--they all came down to a vehicle to show off dancing and singing.

I don't think this movie wears well over time. It's not as good as SINGING IN THE RAIN which seems smoother and more finished than this film does. Even Comden and Green ON THE TOWN had a smoother unity than this one did. And certainly by 1953, it doesn't even approach anything Rogers and Hammerstein produced on stage, and would produce on film in the future; a standard we all respond to and measure other movie musicals to.

Fred Astaire was the best song and dance man in Hollywood; his limited vocal range showed off the lyrics; his comedy was often a self-mockery; his acting was passable for what his roles expected of him. There are no better films then TOP HAT, GAY DIVORCE, EASTER PARADE, and all those movies with Ginger Rogers. Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Dorothy Fields, the Gershwins appreciated the phrasing he brought to a song that made the song important, not the singer. Sadly, this movie reflected a time long gone and simply does not hold up under time. The viewer of 2010 has now seen CABARET, CHICAGO, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. In BANDWAGON, the parts are better than the whole: the viewer loves to see the Fred Astaire and Jack Buchanann soft shoe, but wading through the rest of the story line seems less than rewarding.

I am a very big fan of most film musicals, but this one always left me cold.

The plot is not very engaging or involving, and Fred Astaire is not really a very likable character here-whereas in most, if not all of his other films, he is always very likable.

The dance numbers are really nothing special-compare some of the ones here with say, Fred Astaire and Eleanore Powell in Broadway Melody of 1940!!No comparison. Now that film had some great dancing , superb, especially the finale, "Begin the Beguine".

I know everyone simply adores Vincente Minellis's work, and he was very talented to be sure, but this is one of the most overrated film musicals ever.

Stunning musical about fading star Fred Astaire making stage comeback with the help of friends Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabares. Jack Buchanon is fun as hammy stage actor who teams up with the group. Cyd joins in as haughty ballerina. The songs are first rate. Fred's solos and the girl hunt ballet are good but I prefer the romantic Dancing in the Dark number. The other highlight is Fred cheering up the cast after the first night flops.This was the film that introduced That's Entertainment. It is given a joyous presentation as Jack Buchanon explains what the job of show business is all about.The color is stunning,costumes great,set design good.Surprisingly Cyd's big solo "Two-faced Woman" was cut. It was shown on TCM.