Belgian-born miner George Raft's dancing gets booed off the stage, so he starts dancing with dames for flash. He keeps dragging brother William Frawley and his inexhaustible wallet along as his manager to France. There his act clicks with Frances Drake as his partner, but she insists on mixing business with pleasure, so he dumps her for ever-increasing success with like-minded Carole Lombard. On the eve of his opening his own club in Paris, World War One intervenes, as it so often does in movies like this.
Raft shows off his flashy dancing to good effect, and Miss Drake certainly keeps up with him -- she had danced in British night clubs -- but Miss Lombard clearly has a dance double for long shots. Once you get past the idea of Raft and Frawley being half-brothers, the movie rolls right along, with its symbolism of sexuality entwined with Terpsichore, and the plot progression clearly works along to the progressions in Ravel's famous piece.
Sally Rand appears to do her famous fan dance. For me, it was the highlight of the show, although I wish she had smaller fans.
Raft shows off his flashy dancing to good effect, and Miss Drake certainly keeps up with him -- she had danced in British night clubs -- but Miss Lombard clearly has a dance double for long shots. Once you get past the idea of Raft and Frawley being half-brothers, the movie rolls right along, with its symbolism of sexuality entwined with Terpsichore, and the plot progression clearly works along to the progressions in Ravel's famous piece.
Sally Rand appears to do her famous fan dance. For me, it was the highlight of the show, although I wish she had smaller fans.