Roberta (DVD)

Roberta (1935) starring Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Randolph Scott. American band from Indiana arrives in Paris for gig, immediately gets fired. They go looking for a job and end up at Roberta's Gowns, where they hope to gain some purchase from John's (Scott) Aunt Minnie. There they meet Stephanie (Dunne), and John immediately falls for her. The plot is really just a framework on which to hang musical numbers by the band, which features Astaire as its leader -- and of course there are dance numbers featuring Astaire and Rogers. It's all rather silly, but it's good clean fun. I like to imagine an audience back in 1935 going to the theater just to see this movie. How different from us they must have been! This DVD features subtitles in English, as well as closed captions for the hearing-impaired. Grade: B