When the United States stock market crashed in October of 1929, the world was shaken, and all eyes were on America as it tried to get back on its feet. Enter beloved dance partners Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, whom quite literally urged the U.S. to “pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again.” Although most of their musicals did not deal directly with the Great Depression, the overall themes were incredibly emblematic of the emotional experience of the time. While the popularity of their films is nearly unarguable, audiences often attribute their success to the escapist nature of blissful song and dance. Many scholars will contest, however, that the films are not as much escapism as they are an embodiment of the conflicts of the Great Depression. If the Astaire-Rogers films are more than kitschy spectacles, to what extent do they hold a mirror up to the social, political, and economic struggles of the Depression-ridden U.S.? It is through closer analysis of the techniques, strategies, and content of their films that one can understand how Fred Astaire and Ginger Roger’s moving feet helped America get up on theirs.
Mueller, John. “Fred Astaire and the Integrated Musical.” Cinema Journal, vol. 24, no. 1 1984, pp. 28-40.
Summary: Mueller has two goals for his article: (1) to define the different types of songs in musicals and (2) to discuss the added effect of dance with specific reference to Fred Astaire. He characterizes the types of musical numbers by their integral relevance to the plot. In his discussion of Fred Astaire specifically, Mueller mentions common choreographical devices employed by the beloved dancer, such as architectural movement, mating dances, and the alteration of tempos. He suggests that most of Astaire’s dances fell under the category of songs that advance the plot through content, as many of his numbers exposed a deeper element of a particular relationship or character.
Assessment: Mueller’s source serves as an overview of song and dance in the movie musical genre with a brief introduction to the work of Astaire. Unfortunately, it lacks any concrete information about Ginger Rogers, Astaire’s crucial counterpart. Without her, his story seems almost incomplete. Additionally, unlike any of my other sources, this article makes no mention of the historical or social significance of his films. Instead, it focuses solely on the films’ musical qualities.
Reflection: Although the piece oriented me in this specific genre, it did not do much to enhance my understanding of Astaire as a key figure in shaping the cultural reaction to the Great Depression. There is no contextualization of his work, which leaves the reader wondering why it is that his films are so important. The article does, however, give an inner look at Astaire’s dance techniques, which helped familiarize me with his musical style. It also encouraged me to look deeper into the content of his dances, something I was able to do through other sources. While this article does not directly answer my research question, it was a great starting place, as it provided important general knowledge about the genre and person I am studying.
Telotte, J.P. “Dancing the Depression: Narrative Strategy in the Astaire-Rogers Films” Framework: Journal of Popular Film and Television, vol. 8, no. 3, 1980, pp. 15-24.
Summary: By looking at a number of Astaire-Rogers films, Telotte observes the general strategies employed to convey familiar themes of the Great Depression. He begins by discussing the use of dance, which often symbolizes the need for movement and change in society. She goes on to compare the films of Busby Berkeley, where the dichotomy of the real world and staged world is concretely defined, to those of Astaire and Rogers, where theatrics and reality blend together. She argues that this continuity demonstrates the submersion of tangible issues from the 1930s into the narratives of the musicals. Another strategy that Telotte discusses is the focus on physical distance between lovers (often an effect of a large argument), claiming that the eventual reunion between partners suggests a transcendence of boundaries. It is dance, however, that ultimately provides the resolution in most of the films, acting as an enjoyable method of problem solving. She concludes that the Astaire-Rogers films take prevalent cultural problems and subject them to an individual level of inter-personal conflict, allowing these narrative strategies to represent society’s greater struggles.
Assessment: Telotte’s article is an introduction to understanding how dance and other narrative strategies in Astaire-Rogers films mirrored Depression-era struggles. This source clarifies the major symbols used in the films, such as movement, distance, and reunions. It does not, however, as some of the other resources do, discuss how specific content reflects recurring themes of the 1930s. It is successful in trying to convey, on a macro-level, how the techniques employed by Astaire and Roger create such an emotional connection to the time period.
Reflection: This source was helpful in confirming my hypothesis that the Astaire-Rogers films were more than just escapist fantasies. It proved, through specific examples, that many of the motifs in their films were not only relevant to the Great Depression, but also a reflection of it. Additionally, as the only author to mention Busby Berkeley, Telotte contextualizes both the economic climate of the 1930s and the artistic one as well. He makes it clear that the Astaire-Rogers films are not just special in retrospect, but rather they were progressive and groundbreaking during their time too. Telotte’s overall thesis that Astaire and Rogers managed to personify the hardships of the Depression helped to influence my thesis as well as my further research.
Sutton, Damian. “‘Let the Dance Floor Feel Your Leather’: Set Design, Dance, and the Articulation of Audiences in RKO Radio’s Astaire-Rogers Series.” Journal of Popular Film and Television, vol. 43, no. 1, 2015, pp. 3-13.
Summary: Although Sutton upholds the argument that the Astaire-Rogers Series was helpful in providing an escapist fantasy during the Depression, he mainly asserts that the series did more to promote networks of social interaction during this harrowing time in American history. He begins by discussing the 1929 Middletown in Transition studies, in which husband-and-wife sociologists studied the effects of culture on an average American town. They found that films, in particular, were not only enjoyable, but they also encouraged social interactions. With the Astaire-Rogers films, these social effects included imitation of dance, interactions with other moviegoers and the venues themselves, and occasionally, sought-after relationships with the production teams. Sutton argues that the entertainment factor of the films was beneficial in that it allowed for high attendance and therefore, greater magnitude of effects. In discussing the specific affordances that made the Astaire-Rogers films so enjoyable to the Depression-era eye, Sutton notes the mobility of the camera, the upscale settings, and the sheer size and scale of the sets, providing an idealistic view of society.
Assessment: This article is specific in that it suggests that increased social interaction is the main result of the Astaire-Rogers films. Though Sutton discusses numerous venues for said social interaction, he tends to highlight the consistent forging of inter-personal relationships due to these movie musicals. Additionally, his inclusion of the Middletown in Transition studies adds an element of concrete research to the discussion that many of the other articles lack, further substantiating his argument. Sutton is also the first and only of the researchers to note tangible social reactions to the film. Although the article focuses on these effects, Sutton does observe the many affordances that allow for these results as well. In maintaining a discussion of both cause and effect, Sutton creates an all-encompassing understanding of the Astaire-Rogers films’ social value.
Reflection: Sutton’s article is interesting because of its heavy focus on audience reaction and participation. While most of the other articles helped me clarify the specific elements of the films that made audiences so responsive, Sutton is able to expand on this and discuss how the audience responded. Therefore, this article is helpful in that it adds a third party to the discussion of Astaire-Roger films; it is no longer just about the production team and the stars, but about the people watching them as well.
McFadden, Margaret T. “Shall We Dance?: Gender and Class Conflict in Astaire-Rogers Dance Musicals.” Women’s Studies, vol. 37, no. 6, 2008, pp. 678-706.
Summary: McFadden uses various Astaire-Rogers films to highlight the gender and class issues that pervaded the Depression. She argues that it is the couple dynamic replicated in many of their RKO films that represents both the conflict and resolution of gender and class crises. More specifically, she cites the “Night and Day” number in the 1934 film Gay Divorcee as a restoration of male dominance (through the negotiation of companionate marriage)along with the introduction of female power assertion (through Rogers’ character’s eventual rejection of Astaire’s character). Through “Isn’t it a Lovely Day” from the 1935 hit Top Hat, McFadden maintains the notion of women challenging their male counterparts through discussion of the “challenge dance.” She paints a broader picture of the Depression through analysis of Follow the Fleet, in which the opening number reveals two quite literally depressed characters whom save each other from suicide. McFadden narrows the issue of class through the lens of “They All Laughed” from the 1937 musical Shall We Dance. In a dance number that pits the wealthy Astaire with his high culture, European ballet against the working-class, feisty Rogers with her lowly jazz and tap routine, two classes clash in order to form eventual artistic and social unity. As the author thoroughly examines the social contradictions represented in the Astaire-Rogers films, she commends their ability to convey complicated and polemic social strife in an enjoyable manner.
Assessment: McFadden’s piece is interesting in that he identifies two particular social structures conveyed in the Astaire-Rogers films: gender and class. By narrowing her focus through these lenses, she is able to discuss the themes of the films in a much more specific manner. McFadden continues to add clarity through specificity by highlighting gender and class struggles in individual dance numbers. Unlike Telotte, who focuses on overall narrative strategies, McFadden is looking solely at dance as a form of expression.
Reflection: McFadden’s emphasis on dance helps clarify what makes the individual talents of Astaire and Rogers so instrumental in their films’ lasting effects. By focusing on particular dance numbers, McFadden allows me to attribute the expression of certain social issues to recognizable songs. With other sources, I might have been aware on a larger scale that the dance style of Astaire and Rogers reflected the Great Depression, but with this source the reflection is exemplified with clarity. Additionally, McFadden’s focus on gender and class issues helps to further characterize the different struggles expressed in these films.
Melgosa, Adrián Pérez. “Opening the Cabaret America Allegory: Hemispheric Politics, Performance, and Utopia in Flying Down to Rio.” American Quarterly, vol. 64, no. 2, 2012, 249-275.
Summary: Melgosa specifically examines one number, the Carioca, from Astaire and Roger’s performance in their 1933 hit, Flying Down to Rio, and discusses its politico-cultural significance. At a time when most Hollywood films depicted Latin American countries as weaker counterparts to the United States, Flying Down to Rio is often commended for its shaping of the Latin American identity as more than a derogative stereotype. That being said, in redefining the notion of Latin Americans through song and dance, Melgosa claims that Flying Down to Rio turns Latin American identity into a performance, an act. This performance, according to him, is conveyed through three tropes: the cabaret (with it’s spectacle and democratic format) as an allegorical microcosm of the United States, the Hollywood reinvention of the Latin America stock character (a gifted singer or dancer), and an elevated view of show business (in which people equate popularity with quality and justice). Melgosa adds a political element to the discussion by using Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy as crucial historical context. Furthermore, she suggests that the entire movie, Carioca included, is a metaphor for American imperialist motives: an acceptance of Latin American culture under the conditions of American greed. Overall, Melgosa vacillates between the positive and negative portrayals of Latin Americans in the well-renowned number.
Assessment: While most of the other articles focus on social causes and effects of the Astaire-Rogers films, Melgosa makes the films political and adds international significance. By only using one number in Flying Down to Rio as a case study, he is able to point out specific characters, choreography, and sets. He uses these elements of the dance number to prove that in exemplifying American imperialist motives, Flying Down to Rio has managed to re-define the Hollywood version of Latin America. This piece, more than any other, incorporates a substantial amount of historical context, further supporting his argument for prevalent historical allusions.
Reflection: While this article deals with an external American relationship rather than an internal social structure, it provides a new and fascinating view on yet another effect of the Astaire-Rogers films during the Great Depression. Melgosa’s inclusion of a highly political matter challenges the notion that Astaire-Rogers films only addressed social issues. I held this misconception before reading this piece, and with stellar evidence, Melgosa convinced me that these films are, in fact, incredibly political. There is a general consensus among the other authors that Astaire and Rogers did a good job in pushing for a positive outlook with hope for change in the Depression. This piece, however, takes the message of one of their films much farther, asserting that Flying Down to Rio not only re-defined an entire nationality, but that it exposed American imperialist motives as well. Melgosa gets to the nitty-gritty of one of the Astaire-Rogers films; he is the only author to suggest that not all the messages conveyed in their films were necessarily “good.” This critical lens crucially rounds out my argument that the Astaire-Rogers films held a mirror to 1930s American society.