Biography of the popular dance duo of the early 20th century featuring many fine period song and dance numbers. The daughter of a well-known physician meets and marries a vaudeville performer. They travel to Paris and are soon established as a world-famous dancing team, but tragedy strikes when Vernon is killed in a plane crash during World War I., Novice dancer Irene convinces comic Vernon Castle to give up slapstick comedy in favour of ballroom dancing, becoming an overnight sensation., A biography recounting the lives of the husband-and-wife ballroom dancing team Vernon and Irene Castle., The last of RKO’s Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers vehicles, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle is also the least typical. At their best playing carefree characters in gossamer-thin musical comedy plotlines, Fred and Ginger seem slightly ill at ease cast as the real-life dancing team of Vernon and Irene Castle. The stripped-to-essentials storyline boils down to novice dancer Irene (Rogers) convincing vaudeville comic Vernon (Astaire) to give up slapstick in favor of “classy” ballroom dancing. With the help of agent Edna May Oliver, the Castles hit their peak of fame and fortune in the immediate pre-World War I years. When Vernon is called to arms, Irene stays behind in the US, making patriotic movie serials to aid the war effort. Vernon is killed in a training accident, leaving a tearful Irene to carry on alone. To soften the shock of Astaire’s on-screen death (it still packs a jolt when seen today), RKO inserted a closing “dream” dancing sequence, with a spectral Vernon and Irene waltzing off into the heavens. The film’s production was hampered by the on-set presence of the real Irene Castle, whose insistence upon accuracy at all costs drove everyone to distraction–especially Ginger Rogers, who felt as though she was being treated like a marionette rather than an actress. In one respect, Mrs. Castle had good reason to be so autocratic. Walter, the “severest critic servant” character played by Walter Brennan, was in reality a black man. RKO was nervous about depicting a strong, equal-footing friendship between the white Castles and their black retainer, so a Caucasian actor was hired for the role. Mrs. Castle was understandably incensed by this alteration, and for the rest of her days chastised RKO for its cowardice. As it turned out, it probably wouldn’t have mattered if Walter had been black, white, Chicano or Siamese; The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle was a financial bust, losing $50,000 at the box office. Perhaps as a result, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers would not team up again for another ten years.
Q&A :
Q: Who are the main cast members in “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle ” ?
A: The main cast includes Fred Astaire,Ginger Rogers,Edna May Oliver,Walter Brennan,Lew Fields,Etienne Girardot,Janet Beecher,Rolfe Sedan,Leonid Kinskey,Robert Strange,Douglas Walton,Clarence Derwent,Sonny Lamont,Frances Mercer,Victor Varconi,Donald MacBride,Buzz Barton,Dick Elliott,Joe Bordeaux,David McDonald,John Meredith,Eugene Borden,Neal Burns,Tiny Jones,Marge Champion,Billy Franey,Neal Hart,Roy D’Arcy,Hal K. Dawson,Dorothy Lovett,Hugh McArthur,Leonard Mudie,Esther Muir,Frank O’Connor,Bill Patton,Jack Perrin,Kay Sutton,Theodore von Eltz,Willis Claire,Armand Cortez,Don Brodie,Bruce M. Mitchell,George Irving,Russell Hicks,Adrienne d’Ambricourt,Allen Wood,Elspeth Dudgeon,Lynton Brent,Mary Brodel,Tom Chatterton,Eleanor Hansen,Jacques Lory,Louis Mercier,Frank Mills,Willaim Hamilton,Dorothy Yost,Douglas Travers,Hermes Pan,Irene Castle,Robert de Grasse,Van Nest Polglase,Darrell Silvera,Oscar Hammerstein II,Pandro S. Berman,Victor Baravalle,William Hamilton,Walter Plunkett,Irene Castle,Mel Berns,Vernon L. Walker,Edward Stevenson,Mel Burns,Perry Ferguson,Vernon Walker.
Q: When Did the “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle” Released?
A: The Movie “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle” originally aired on 1939-04-28 and released in the year of 1939.
Q: What Languages are available to watch “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle” ?
A: Is also available in eng language.
Q: Where to watch “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle” ?
A: “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle” is Avaiable on Netflix. as its Netflix Originals.
