You Were Never Lovelier

Movie Review: You Were Never Lovelier

Year of Release: 1942
Country of Origin: USA
Director: William A. Seiter
Cast: Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Adolphe Menjou

Plot outline: An Argentine heiress thinks a penniless American dancer is her secret admirer (IMDb).

Based on the story The Gay Senorita by Carlos A. Olivari and Sixto Pondal Rios, You Were Never Lovelier is a good Fred Astaire romantic musical after life with Ginger Rogers, with a beautiful 24-year-old Rita Hayworth. Hayworth actually lives up to the title and never looked more ravishing in a movie. They were teamed before in You'll Never Get Rich (1941). The movie was a major hit and made Hayworth a superstar. Director William A. Seiter doesn't do much but he keeps the fluffy story gayly moving along, while the Jerome Kern-Johnny Mercer score is top-rate. Kern's theme song and his "I'm Old Fashioned" are the movie's crown jewels and "Dearly Beloved" was recorded by Glenn Miller's orchestra and Dinah Shore and made the hit parade. Other songs include: "Chui Chui," "The Shorty George," "Ding Dong Bell," "Wedding in the Spring" and "On the Beam." (DS)

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars