One of the better late Fred Astaire musicals, since his advancing years are made part of the plot, and his non-conformist role suits his aloof and chilly persona. He probably was never more charming than the Prom scene in this film -- first ruefully contemplating his own irrelevance among the college-age studs, and then out-dancing them all in the "Sluefoot" number. Too bad his partner is the chunky and gauche Leslie Caron, who ruins the big romantic dance by waddling through it in a bouffant skirt. (In the 1935 farce "In Person," Ginger Rogers wore a disguise consisting of buck teeth, glasses and a horsehair wig, and managed to look just like Caron.) Thanks to DVD you can fast-forward through the gawdawful dream ballet -- every other musical after "Oklahoma" had to have one, it seems, and this is one of the worst.
Review of Daddy Long Legs
