There are two reasons why The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle was Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers's last RKO musical. If you haven't seen it, you don't know what they are. The duo play a real life dance couple, and it could have been very entertaining to watch. But the dances featured in the film mirror the real Castles' style, rather than Fred and Ginger's. By comparison to the delightful and impressive numbers audiences were used to, they saw small dances of the cakewalk and the two-step. The second reason it wasn't well received and put a screeching halt to the beloved duo's musical pairings was because of the ending. I won't spoil it, but I also wouldn't recommend watching this one.
If you do decide to watch it, you'll hear lots of old-fashioned songs to put you in the mood of the turn of the century. "Oh, You Beautiful Doll," "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," and "Little Brown Jug" are cute, but they're not the schmaltzy 1930s songs we're used to. It feels like the two leads are holding back - which they are. The romance is forced and "Hollywood" to give audiences a Cliffs Notes version of the Castles' courtship. For the first time, Fred and Ginger play a married couple, and we can't even enjoy it! They spend most of their time perfecting their vaudeville act, rather than showing their love for each other. The whole film feels watered down.
If you do decide to watch it, you'll hear lots of old-fashioned songs to put you in the mood of the turn of the century. "Oh, You Beautiful Doll," "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," and "Little Brown Jug" are cute, but they're not the schmaltzy 1930s songs we're used to. It feels like the two leads are holding back - which they are. The romance is forced and "Hollywood" to give audiences a Cliffs Notes version of the Castles' courtship. For the first time, Fred and Ginger play a married couple, and we can't even enjoy it! They spend most of their time perfecting their vaudeville act, rather than showing their love for each other. The whole film feels watered down.