Royal Wedding

Fred Astaire musical, co-starring Jane Powell and featuring some of Astaire’s most elaborate routines, including a dance around the walls and ceiling., MGM musical in which a brother and sister are performing in London at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s marriage and each finds true love. Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling and with a coat rack in two of his most visually stunning routines. Jane Powell stepped in as the lead after first June Allyson and then Judy Garland bowed out of the role., Two real-life events were incorporated into the plot of the 1951 MGM musical Royal Wedding. One, the marriage of Fred Astaire’s sister Adele to a British nobleman had occurred years earlier; the other, the wedding of England’s Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip was only four years in the past. MGM would probably have gotten Royal Wedding out closer to the Elizabeth-Philip nuptials, but the picture had leading-lady problems; every girl who was cast either became pregnant, ill, or otherwise unavailable. Finally, Jane Powell was cast as the sister and partner of American-entertainer Fred Astaire. The plot has Astaire and Powell heading to Merrie Olde England to perform at the palace. Once they’ve arrived, Powell breaks up the act when she falls in love with blueblooded Peter Lawford. Astaire himself finds romance in the form of Sarah Churchill (daughter of Sir Winston), and the four happy campers gleefully attend the titular Windsor Castle wedding. Also in the cast is Albert Sharpe, fresh from his Broadway triumph in Finian’s Rainbow, and Keenan Wynn, hilarious as twin cousins. The plot is so light that it threatens to float away at times, but Royal Wedding sticks in the memory thanks to its first-rate musical numbers. The Astaire/Powell duets are entertaining enough; the real magic, however, occurs in Astaire’s two solos: the hat-rack duet and the now-legendary tap-dance on the ceiling (even knowing how this cinematic legerdemain was accomplished does not detract from its brilliance and virtuosity). Because it has slipped into public domain, Royal Wedding is one of the most easily accessible of all the Fred Astaire musicals., Romantic comedy/musical starring Fred Astaire. Tom and Ellen are a brother and sister dance act booked to perform in London. Romance blossoms between Ellen and a Lord as they travel to England., A brother and sister team take their show to London at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding, and find romance of their own., A brother and sister dance team go to London at the time of the royal wedding, when Princess Elizabeth marries Philip., A sibling dance team is booked to play London at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s marriage. The musical is famous for a pair of Fred Astaire solos, one a duet with a coat rack, the other a tap dance across a ceiling., Fred Astaire musical, co-starring Jane Powell and featuring some of Astaire’s most elaborate routines, including a dance around the walls and ceiling. Stanley Donen directs. With Chinese Subtitles., Astaire and Powell make a delightful team in Stanley Donen’s solo directing debut, which features some of Astaire’s most elaborate routines, including his stunning dance around the walls and ceiling.