Shall We Dance (film)
Encyclopedia
Shall We Dance is the seventh of the ten Astaire
-Rogers
musical comedy films. It was released in 1937. The idea for this film originated in the studio's desire to exploit the successful formula created by Richard Rodgers
and Lorenz Hart
with their 1936 Broadway
hit On Your Toes
, which featured an American
dancer getting involved with a touring Russia
n ballet
company, and which featured the famous "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue
" satirical ballet created by the Russia
n émigré choreographer George Balanchine
. In a major coup for RKO, Pan Berman managed to attract the Gershwins (George Gershwin
wrote the symphonic underscore and Ira Gershwin
the lyrics) to score this, their first Hollywood musical.
with classical forms— wrote each scene in a different style of dance music, and he composed one scene specifically for the ballerina Harriet Hoctor
. Ira Gershwin seemed decidedly less excited by the idea; none of his lyrics make reference to the notion of blending different styles of dance (such as ballet
and jazz
), and Astaire was not enthusiastic about the concept. While the film—the couple's most expensive to date—benefits from quality comedy specialists, opulent art direction by Carroll Clark under Van Nest Polglase's supervision, and a timeless score which introduces three classic Gershwin songs, the convoluted plot and the curious absence of a romantic partnered duet for Astaire and Rogers—a hallmark of their musicals since The Gay Divorcee
(1934)—contributed to their least profitable picture to date.
Astaire was no stranger to the Gershwins, having headlined, with his sister Adele
, two Gershwin Broadway
shows: Lady Be Good
! in 1924 and Funny Face
in 1927, and George Gershwin accompanied the pair on piano in a set of recordings in 1926. Ginger Rogers first came to Hollywood's attention when she appeared in the "Embraceable You" number (choreographed by Astaire) in the Gershwin's Girl Crazy
in 1930.
collaborated with Astaire on the choreography throughout and Harry Losee was brought in to help with the ballet finale. Gershwin modeled the score on the great ballets of the 19th century, but with obvious swing and jazz influences, as well as polytonalism. While Astaire made further attempts—notably in Ziegfeld Follies
(1944/46), Yolanda and the Thief
(1945) and Daddy Long Legs
(1955) it was his rival and friend Gene Kelly
who would eventually succeed in creating a modern original dance style based on this concept. Some critics have attributed Astaire's discomfort with ballet (he briefly studied ballet in the 1920s) to his oft-expressed disdain for "inventing up to the arty".
Gershwin was already suffering during the production of the motion picture from the brain tumor that was shortly to kill him, and Shilkret (as well as Robert Russell Bennett
) contributed by assisting with orchestration on a few of the numbers.
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
-Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
musical comedy films. It was released in 1937. The idea for this film originated in the studio's desire to exploit the successful formula created by Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Hart
Lorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
with their 1936 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
hit On Your Toes
On Your Toes
On Your Toes is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939....
, which featured an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
dancer getting involved with a touring Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
company, and which featured the famous "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue is a ballet with music by Richard Rodgers and choreography by George Balanchine. It occurs near the end of Rodgers and Hart's 1936 Broadway musical comedy On Your Toes. Slaughter is the story of a hoofer who falls in love with a dance hall girl who is then shot and killed...
" satirical ballet created by the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n émigré choreographer George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
. In a major coup for RKO, Pan Berman managed to attract the Gershwins (George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
wrote the symphonic underscore and Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century....
the lyrics) to score this, their first Hollywood musical.
Background
George Gershwin—who had become famous for blending jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
with classical forms— wrote each scene in a different style of dance music, and he composed one scene specifically for the ballerina Harriet Hoctor
Harriet Hoctor
Harriet Hoctor was a ballerina, dancer, actress and instructor from Hoosick Falls, New York. Composer George Gershwin composed a symphonic orchestral piece specifically for Hoctor in the film Shall We Dance .-Family:Born to Timothy Hoctor and Elizabeth Kearny, Harriet Hoctor was one of four...
. Ira Gershwin seemed decidedly less excited by the idea; none of his lyrics make reference to the notion of blending different styles of dance (such as ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
), and Astaire was not enthusiastic about the concept. While the film—the couple's most expensive to date—benefits from quality comedy specialists, opulent art direction by Carroll Clark under Van Nest Polglase's supervision, and a timeless score which introduces three classic Gershwin songs, the convoluted plot and the curious absence of a romantic partnered duet for Astaire and Rogers—a hallmark of their musicals since The Gay Divorcee
The Gay Divorcee
The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 American film based on the musical play Gay Divorce written by Dwight Taylor, Kenneth S. Webb, Samuel Hoffenstein, with screenplay by George Marion Jr., Dorothy Yost and Edward Kaufman, from an unproduced play by J. Hartley Manners...
(1934)—contributed to their least profitable picture to date.
Astaire was no stranger to the Gershwins, having headlined, with his sister Adele
Adele Astaire
Lady Charles Cavendish , better known as Adele Astaire, was an American dancer and entertainer. She was Fred Astaire's elder sister. Her birthdate was often given as 1897 or 1898, but the 1900 U.S...
, two Gershwin Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
shows: Lady Be Good
Lady Be Good (musical)
Lady, Be Good is a musical written by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson with music by George and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was first presented on Broadway in 1924; the West End production followed in 1926...
! in 1924 and Funny Face
Funny Face (musical)
Funny Face is a 1927 musical composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and book by Fred Thompson and Paul Gerard Smith.Originally called Smarty, it starred Fred Astaire and his sister Adele Astaire. It opened in Philadelphia to poor reviews, and amidst major re-writes,...
in 1927, and George Gershwin accompanied the pair on piano in a set of recordings in 1926. Ginger Rogers first came to Hollywood's attention when she appeared in the "Embraceable You" number (choreographed by Astaire) in the Gershwin's Girl Crazy
Girl Crazy
Girl Crazy is a 1930 musical with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in this musical production....
in 1930.
Plot
Peter P Peters (Astaire), an American ballet dancer billed as 'Petrov' dances for a ballet company in Paris owned by the bumbling Jeffrey Baird (Horton). Peters secretly wants to blend classical ballet with modern jazz dancing, and when he sees a photo of tapdancer Linda Keene (Rogers), he falls in love with her. He contrives to meet her, but she's less than impressed. They meet again on a liner travelling back to New York. Unknown to them, a plot is launched as a publicity stunt, 'proving' that they're actually married. Peters and Keene, unable to scotch the rumour, decide to actually marry and immediately divorce. But they discover that they prefer being married.Musical numbers
Hermes PanHermes Pan (choreographer)
Hermes Pan was an American dancer and choreographer, principally celebrated as Fred Astaire's choreographic collaborator on the famous 1930s movie musicals starring Astaire and Ginger Rogers.-Early life:...
collaborated with Astaire on the choreography throughout and Harry Losee was brought in to help with the ballet finale. Gershwin modeled the score on the great ballets of the 19th century, but with obvious swing and jazz influences, as well as polytonalism. While Astaire made further attempts—notably in Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies (film)
Ziegfeld Follies is a 1945 Hollywood musical comedy film directed by Lemuel Ayers, Roy Del Ruth, Robert Lewis, Vincente Minnelli, Merrill Pye, George Sidney and Charles Waters...
(1944/46), Yolanda and the Thief
Yolanda and the Thief
Yolanda and the Thief is a 1945 MGM musical-comedy film set in a fictional Latin American country, and stars Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer, Frank Morgan, Ludwig Stossel and Mildred Natwick, with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Arthur Freed...
(1945) and Daddy Long Legs
Daddy Long Legs (film)
Daddy Long Legs is a Hollywood musical comedy film set in France, New York City, and the fictional college town of "Walston" in Massachusetts. The film was directed by Jean Negulesco, and stars Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, Terry Moore, Fred Clark, and Thelma Ritter, with music and lyrics by Johnny...
(1955) it was his rival and friend Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
who would eventually succeed in creating a modern original dance style based on this concept. Some critics have attributed Astaire's discomfort with ballet (he briefly studied ballet in the 1920s) to his oft-expressed disdain for "inventing up to the arty".
- "Overture to Shall We DanceOverture to Shall We DanceThe Overture to Shall We Dance was written by George Gershwin in 1937 as the introduction to his score for Shall We Dance. Performance time runs about 4 minutes....
"
- "French Ballet Class (for two pianos)French Ballet Class (for two pianos)French Ballet Class is a 6 minute piece written by George Gershwin in 1937 for two pianos for the movie Shall We Dance. This sequence was meant to accompany a scene of dozens of ballet dancers practicing their positions. It is written in the style of the galop....
" written in the style of the galopGalopIn dance, the galop, named after the fastest running gait of a horse , a shortened version of the original term galoppade, is a lively country dance, introduced in the late 1820s to Parisian society by the Duchesse de Berry and popular in Vienna, Berlin and London...
.
- "Rehearsal Fragments": In a brief segment which seeks to motivate the film's core dance concept, Astaire illustrates the idea of combining "the technique of ballet with the warmth and passion of this other mood" by performing two ballet leaps, the second of which is followed by a tap barrage.
- "Rumba Sequence": Astaire watches a flip-picture book illustrating a brief orchestral rumbaRumba (dance)Rumba is a dance term with two quite different meanings.In some contexts, "rumba" is used as shorthand for Afro-Cuban rumba, a group of dances related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. The most common Afro-Cuban rumba is the guaguancó...
sequence for Ginger Rogers and Pete Theodore choreographed by Hermes Pan;her only partnered dance without Astaire in the 10 film sequence of Astaire-Rogers musicals. The increasing complexity and chromaticism in Gershwin's music can be detected between music for this sequence and Gershwin's earlier effort at a rumbaRumbaRumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and dance that originated in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves and Spanish colonizers. The name derives from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo which means "party" or "spree". It is secular, with no...
, the Cuban OvertureCuban OvertureCuban Overture is a symphonic overture or tone poem for orchestra composed by American composer George Gershwin. Originally titled Rumba, it was a result of a two-week holiday which Gershwin took in Havana, Cuba in February 1932...
, written 5 years earlier. Scored for chamber orchestra.
- "(I've Got) Beginner's Luck (dance)(I've Got) Beginner's Luck" Beginner's Luck" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, written for the 1937 film Shall We Dance, it was introduced by Fred Astaire.-Notable recordings:...
": A brief comic tap solo with cane where Astaire's rehearsing to a record of the number is cut short when the record gets stuck.
- "Waltz of the Red Balloons" written in the style of a valse joyeaux.
- "Slap That BassSlap That Bass"Slap That Bass" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, introduced by Fred Astaire and Dudley Dickerson in the 1937 film Shall We Dance.The song refers to the slap style of double bass playing that was popular at the time....
": In a mixed race number unusual for its time, Astaire encounters a group of African-American musicians holding a jam session in a spotless, Art DecoArt DecoArt deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
-inspired ship's engine room. Dudley DickersonDudley DickersonDudley Dickerson was an African American film actor. Born in Oklahoma, he appeared in nearly 160 films between 1932 and 1952, and is best remembered for his roles in several Three Stooges films.-Career:...
introduces the first verse of the song whose chorus is then taken up by Astaire. The virtuoso tap soloFred Astaire's solo and partnered dancesThis is a complete guide to over one hundred and fifty of Fred Astaire's solo and partnered dances compiled from his thirty-one Hollywood musical comedy films produced between 1933 and 1968, his four television specials and his television appearances on The Hollywood Palace and Bob Hope Presents...
which follows is the first substantial musical number in the picture, and can be seen as a successor to the "I'd Rather Lead A Band" solo from Follow the FleetFollow the FleetFollow the Fleet is a 1936 Hollywood musical comedy film with a nautical theme and stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Randolph Scott, Harriet Hilliard, and Astrid Allwyn, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Lucille Ball and Betty Grable also appear, in small supporting roles...
(1936)—which also took place aboard ship—this time introducing a vertical element to the predominantly linear choreography, some pointedly dismissive references to ballet positions, and a middle section similarly without musical accompaniment but now imaginatively supported by rhythmic engine noises. George Gershwin's colour home-movie footage of Astaire rehearsing this number was discovered only in the 1990s.
- "Dance of the Waves": written in the style of the barcarolleBarcarolleA barcarole is a folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers, or a piece of music composed in that style...
.
- "Walking the DogWalking the Dog (Gershwin)Walking the Dog is one of many musical numbers written in 1937 by George Gershwin for the Fred Astaire - Ginger Rogers film score for Shall We Dance. In the film, the music accompanies a sequence of walking a dog on board a luxury liner...
": This jaunty number was only published in 1960 as "Promenade" to accompany two pantomimicMime artistA mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer...
routines for Astaire and Rogers. This is the only part of the score besides Hoctor's BalletHoctor's BalletHoctor's Ballet is a long movement by George Gershwin for full orchestra written in 1937, originally from the score for Shall We Dance. Performance time runs about 15 minutes....
to be published for performance in the concert hall, thus far. Scored for chamber orchestra. (Not all of the Walking the Dog sequence heard in the movie is in the published score, the ending of the scene features the themes following each other in a round (music)Round (music)A round is a musical composition in which two or more voices sing exactly the same melody , but with each voice beginning at different times so that different parts of the melody coincide in the different voices, but nevertheless fit harmoniously together...
.)
- "Beginner's Luck (song)": Astaire delivers this jaunty number to a non-committal Rogers, whose skepticism is echoed by a pack of howling dogs intervening at the close.
- "Graceful and Elegant": another waltz written by Gershwin, this one written in the style of the pas de deuxPas de deuxIn ballet, a pas de deux is a duet in which ballet dancers perform the dance together. It usually consists of an entrée, adagio, two variations , and a coda.-Notable Pas de deux:...
(the first of two pas de deux in the score)
- "They All Laughed (At Christopher Columbus)They All Laughed (song)"They All Laughed" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, written for the 1937 film Shall We Dance where it was introduced by Ginger Rogers as part of a song and dance routine with Fred Astaire.-Notable recordings:...
": Ginger Rogers provides a sparkling introduction of Gershwin's now-classic song and is then joined by Astaire in a comic dance duet which begins with a ballet parody: Astaire in a mock-Russian accent invites Rogers to "tweeest" but after she pointedly fails to respond the pair revert to a delightful tap routine which ends with Astaire lifting Rogers onto a piano.
- "Let's Call the Whole Thing OffLet's Call the Whole Thing Off"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" is a song written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 film Shall We Dance where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as part of a celebrated dance duet on roller skates...
": The genesis of the joke in Ira Gershwin's famous lyrics is uncertain: Ira has claimed the idea occurred to him in 1926 and remained unused. Astaire and Rogers sing alternate verses of this quickstepQuickstepThe quickstep is a light-hearted member of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal and informal events...
before embarking on a partnered comic tap dance using roller skates on an ice-rink. Astaire uses the circular form of the rink to introduce a variation of the "oompah-trot" he and his sister AdeleAdele AstaireLady Charles Cavendish , better known as Adele Astaire, was an American dancer and entertainer. She was Fred Astaire's elder sister. Her birthdate was often given as 1897 or 1898, but the 1900 U.S...
had made famous in vaudevilleVaudevilleVaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
. In a further dig at ballet, the pair strike an arabesqueArabesque (ballet position)In classical ballet, the term arabesque In classical ballet, the term arabesque In classical ballet, the term arabesque (aa-rah-besk; literally, "in Arabic fashion". Specifically, "arabesque" references an architectural design term that describes and is a spiral...
pose just prior to toppling onto the grass.
- "They Can't Take That Away from MeThey Can't Take That Away from Me"They Can't Take That Away from Me" is a 1937 song written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film Shall We Dance....
": The Gershwins' famous foxtrotFoxtrot (Dance)The foxtrot is a smooth progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band music, and the feeling is one of elegance and sophistication...
, a serene, nostalgic declaration of love;one of their most enduring creations and one of George's personal favourites—is introduced by Astaire. As with "The Way You Look Tonight" in Swing TimeSwing TimeSwing Time is a 1936 RKO musical comedy film set mainly in New York City and stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Helen Broderick, Victor Moore, Eric Blore and Georges Metaxa, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Dorothy Fields...
(1936), it was decided to reprise the melody as part of the film's dance finale. George Gershwin was unhappy about this, writing "They literally throw one or two songs away without any kind of plug". Astaire subsequently acknowledged the error, and finally put matters right in The Barkleys of BroadwayThe Barkleys of BroadwayThe Barkleys of Broadway is a 1949 musical film from the Arthur Freed unit at MGM that reunited Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers after ten years apart...
(1949), his final reunion with Rogers, creating one of their most admired essays in romantic partnered dance, and it remains the only occasion on film when Astaire permitted himself to repeat a song he had performed in a previous film. George Gershwin died two months after the film's release, and he was posthumously nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original SongAcademy Award for Best Original SongThe Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
for this song at the 1937 Oscars.
- "Hoctor's BalletHoctor's BalletHoctor's Ballet is a long movement by George Gershwin for full orchestra written in 1937, originally from the score for Shall We Dance. Performance time runs about 15 minutes....
": The film's big production number begins with a ballet featuring a female chorus and ballet soloist Harriet HoctorHarriet HoctorHarriet Hoctor was a ballerina, dancer, actress and instructor from Hoosick Falls, New York. Composer George Gershwin composed a symphonic orchestral piece specifically for Hoctor in the film Shall We Dance .-Family:Born to Timothy Hoctor and Elizabeth Kearny, Harriet Hoctor was one of four...
whose speciality was performing an elliptical backbend en pointeEn pointeEn pointe means "on the tip" and is a part of classical ballet technique, usually practised using specially reinforced shoes called pointe shoes or toe shoes. The technique developed from the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and has evolved to enable dancers to dance on the...
, a routine she had perfected during her vaudeville days and as a headline act with the Ziegfeld FolliesZiegfeld FolliesThe Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
. Astaire approaches and the pair perform a duet to a reprise of the music to "They Can't Take That Away From Me." This number runs directly into:
- "Shall We Dance/ Finale and Coda": After a brief routine for Astaire and a female chorus, each wearing Ginger masks, he departs and Hoctor returns to deliver two variations on her backbend routine. Astaire now returns in top hat, white tie and tails and delivers a rendition of the title song; urging his audience to "drop that long face/come on have your fling/why keep nursing the blues" and follows this with a zestful half-minute tap solo. Other musical nods are interwoven referencing the previous ballet sequences. Finally, Ginger arrives on stage, masked to blend in with the chorus whereupon Astaire unmasks her and they dance a brief final duet. (This routine was referenced in the 1999 romantic comedy Simply IrresistibleSimply IrresistibleSimply Irresistible is a 1999 American romantic comedy film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sean Patrick Flanery. It was directed by Mark Tarlov and was written by Judith Roberts. Simply Irresistible is notable as the last movie reviewed by film critic Gene Siskel...
).
- The score is probably the largest source of Gershwin orchestral works unavailable to the general public, at least since the advent of modern stereo recording techniques in the 1950s. The movie contains the only recordings of some of the instrumental pieces currently available to Gershwin aficionados (unfortunate because not all the incidental music composed for the movie was used in the final cut.) Some of the cuts arranged and orchestrated by Gershwin include: Dance of the Waves, Waltz of the Red Balloons, Graceful and Elegant, Hoctor's BalletHoctor's BalletHoctor's Ballet is a long movement by George Gershwin for full orchestra written in 1937, originally from the score for Shall We Dance. Performance time runs about 15 minutes....
and French Ballet Class (for two pianos)French Ballet Class (for two pianos)French Ballet Class is a 6 minute piece written by George Gershwin in 1937 for two pianos for the movie Shall We Dance. This sequence was meant to accompany a scene of dozens of ballet dancers practicing their positions. It is written in the style of the galop....
. The instrumental track Walking the Dog, however, has been frequently recorded and has been played from time to time on classical music radio stations.
- Nathaniel ShilkretNathaniel ShilkretNathaniel Shilkret was an American composer, conductor, clarinetist, pianist, business executive, and music director born in New York City, New York to an Austrian immigrant family.-Early career:...
, musical director for the movie, hired Jimmy Dorsey and all or part of the Dorsey band as the nucleus of a fifty-piece studio orchestra including strings. Dorsey was in Hollywood at the time working the "Kraft Music Hall" radio show on NBC hosted by Bing Crosby. Dorsey is heard soloing on "Slap That Bass," "Walking the Dog" and "They All Laughed."
Gershwin was already suffering during the production of the motion picture from the brain tumor that was shortly to kill him, and Shilkret (as well as Robert Russell Bennett
Robert Russell Bennett
Robert Russell Bennett was an American composer and arranger, best known for his orchestration of many well-known Broadway and Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers. In 1957 and 2008, Bennett received Tony Awards...
) contributed by assisting with orchestration on a few of the numbers.