You'll Never Get Rich (1941) User Reviews

Hayworth seems a bit too "grand" for Astaire's self-effacing style...

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 27 March 2005]

Released shortly before America's entry into the war, Columbia's "You'll Never Get Rich" is one of Fred Astaire's better films during the relatively dry period that extended from his last RKO film with Ginger Rogers to his first films at MGM…

Since leaving RKO and Ginger Rogers, Astaire had danced with Eleanor Powell in "Broadway Melody of 1940" and with Paulette Goddard in "Second Chorus."

In "You'll Never Get Rich," he had a new partner in Rita Hayworth: a lushly beautiful redheaded actress who was being prepared for stardom in mostly low-budget films… She was a talented dancer who had worked with her family for many years in a vaudeville act called the Dancing Casinos…

"You'll Never Get Rich" cast Astaire as Robert Curtis, a Broadway dance director who is drafted into the army… He becomes involved in an on-again, off-again romance with Sheila Winthrop (Hayworth), a beautiful chorus girl whose fiancé is a captain in the army… The not-very-interesting plot is often interrupted for musical interludes… Astaire and Hayworth dance together twice—to the sensuous Latin beat of "So Near and Yet So Far," and in "The Wedding Cake Walk," a military finale which has a chorus of war brides and soldiers, plus the two stars, dancing atop a huge tank…

Astaire and Hayworth make an attractive dance team, although Hayworth seems a bit too formidable, too "grand" for Astaire's self-effacing style…. Astaire also has several numbers without Hayworth: most notably, a dance in a guardhouse to the song "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye," in which he combines several kinds of dazzling footwork…

"You'll Never Get Rich" is lightweight but amiable entertainment, and it kept Astaire dancing

Astaire and a Dazzling Hayworth Amid Boogie-Woogie Beats and Wartime Shenanigans

[EUyeshima · 7/10 · 6 September 2007]

Barely five minutes into the film and only thirty seconds long, a small jewel is not to be missed in this vintage 1941 musical, as it ranks among the best dance numbers to be seen from the golden age of Hollywood. It's where Fred Astaire casually asks Rita Hayworth to follow him on a complex tap routine set to Cole Porter's "Boogie Barcarole". That Astaire performs flawlessly is to be expected, but the stunning 23-year old Hayworth is startling in her precision and élan. Not only is she absurdly beautiful in her crisp rehearsal togs, but she matches Astaire step for step with unbridled confidence and with her long, gorgeous gams perfectly synchronized with his. The rest of the number, performed with an army of similarly dressed dancers, is not nearly as interesting especially since the fusion between boogie-woogie and classical feels forced.

The movie itself, directed by Sidney Lanfield and written by Michael Fessier and Ernest Pagano, is a silly mistaken identity affair that feels lifted from one of Astaire's earlier pairings with Ginger Rogers and then retrofitted into a military theme. Hardly a stretch, he plays Bob Curtis, a Broadway dancer and choreographer who works for philandering producer Martin Cortland, played by Algonquin wit Robert Benchley. Cortland has his eyes on chorus dancer Sheila Winthrop and attempts to give her a diamond bracelet until his wife Julia mistakes the gift for her. He pretends the bracelet is from Curtis, which of course, leads to larger complications, especially when Curtis gets drafted and his superior officer turns out to be Sheila's intended fiancé. Off the dance floor and in her first leading role, Hayworth, already in her 38th film, is charming as Sheila, although Frieda Inescort easily steals all her scenes as the deadpan Julia, a perfect match to the acerbic Benchley.

Lowbrow comic shenanigans are interspersed with the Robert Alton-choreographed musical numbers. The highlights are an impressive Astaire tap solo set to "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" and two more duets with Hayworth - the alluring rumba, "So Near and Yet So Far", and the infectious "Wedding Cake Walk" where the pair get married amid a dress-alike chorus, do a mean Harlem shuffle and tap-dance atop a white cake shaped like a tank. In fact, opening two months before Pearl Harbor, the film portends the upcoming war with patriotic ensemble numbers like "Shootin' the Works for Uncle Sam". The 2003 DVD includes trailers for this film as well as two classic Hayworth vehicles, the career-defining Gilda, and future husband Orson Welles' pulp classic, The Lady from Shanghai. The movie is very lightweight, but Astaire's artistry is always worthwhile in any setting, and it's easy to see why Hayworth became the fantasy figure of many an American soldier.

Not much plot but plenty of Rita

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 11 June 2007]

"You'll Never Get Rich" is a 1941 film starring Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley, and a very large cast. Benchley plays Martin Cortland, a producer who chases around on his wife (Frieda Inescort) and sets his sights on Sheila (Hayworth), who is in his current show along with Robert Curtis (Astaire). When his wife suspects, Martin has Robert take Sheila out and present her with a diamond bracelet that Martin actually purchased for her but that his wife found in his pocket. Martin then pretends he bought it for Robert to give to Sheila. Sheila angrily refuses it, and when Robert goes to her place to explain, he comes face to face with her boyfriend, whom he thinks is her brother - whoever he is, he has a gun in his hand. Robert finds himself drafted and, desperate to get in and avoid Sheila's boyfriend, pads himself with the 5 extra pounds he needs to get into the service. He then spends just about the rest of the film in the guard house until the grand finale - and even then, he's returned to the guard house.

That's the story and admittedly, it's not much. There are some very good dance numbers, but the thing about the film that's special is the partnership of Astaire and Hayworth. They are marvelous together. Supposedly Rita was his favorite partner, and it's easy to see why. She doesn't dance; she floats, and she's so gloriously beautiful, you can't take your eyes off of her. Fred and Rita dance to the "Boogie Barcarole," "So Near Yet So Far," and "The Wedding Cake Walk," sung by Martha Tilton for Rita. Fred's solos include "Shootin' the Work for Uncle Sam," and "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye." It's hard to go wrong with stars like Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, and while this isn't the best film of either one of them, it's still enjoyable.

The first Astaire/Hayworth film, but worth a second look.

[movibuf1962 · 24 March 2005]

I initially thought this one was the lesser of the two pairings. But I have to admit this film- which puts its audience squarely into the start of World War II- is quite sharp, script-wise, and quite lyrical, music-wise. Astaire's dance director shows an early but distant attraction to chorus dancer Hayworth (and vice-versa), but is drafted into the Army (not to mention repeatedly banished to the guardhouse for various insubordination) before they can live happily ever after. They were a sweet coupling, despite their 19-year age difference, and Hayworth, as others have mentioned, was quite a revelation as a tap and ballroom dancer. All of their dances are performances only, not love scenes (which are the duets I have always preferred), but they are sensational. The requisite 'big number' is the finale, the "Wedding Cake Walk" (you'll do a double-take at the last image of the tank-shaped wedding cake), and there is an ensemble dance at the start of the film called "Boogie Barcarolle." But two numbers stand out: Astaire's solo dance in the guardhouse, sung by a black jazz chorus (uncredited, called the Delta Rhythm Boys) and entitled "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye." Elegant tapping by Astaire is blended with a rich bass vocal by Lucius Brooks. The other number is Astaire and Hayworth's dress rehearsal "So Near and Yet So Far," a stunning rumba which shows off Hayworth in a sheer black gown and expands into intricate layers of choreography. This is one of the last films to show Ms. Hayworth as a brunette; her hair is no longer black, but it is not yet red either, but shortly after this outing her tresses went completely red as she began doing doing Technicolor films. Their follow-up film, "You Were Never Lovelier," had more of the standard romantic shenanigans and more lyrical dance numbers, but this first one was more screwball comedy and, in a sense, more of a challenge to pull off.

Rita + Fred= Sheer Dancing Delight!

[jem132 · 7/10 · 11 June 2006]

Ginger Rogers may have been Fred Astaire's ultimate dance partner, but Rita Hayworth makes a very worthwhile play for that title in 'You Were Never Lovelier'. This fun wartime comedy-musical has a very contrived plot that is as flimsy as tissue paper, but when the two stars Hayworth and Astaire are on screen together all faults are forgiven for the sheer brilliance they show together as dancing partners.

Hayowrth, early in her career, shows little sign of nervousness before the camera and handles her role as Sheila Winthrop very well, she imbues her with charm, grace and just a hint of sass. Astaire is equally likable as Robert Curtis, Rita's love interest from the beginning. As with all of Astaire's films with Rogers the lovestruck couple experience a series of misdemeanours that hinder their romance, until a romantic finale reunites the pair. Light moments of comedy work well to compliment the bursts of energetic dancing, and Hayworth's and Astaire's charisma shine through perfectly when they are needed to lift the action.

The army base setting is refreshing, yet also distracting. A little too much time is given to the rather unamusing antics of Astaire's servicemen buddies. The film isn't overly influenced with visual style, the sets look as if they have been used time and time again, yet Hayworth and Astaire are sublime whatever the situation. Rita looks very beautiful in this one, and she displays a natural acting talent. Astaire was never much of an actor but he lights up the screen like no other. Nice supporting work from Frieda Inescort is a highlight, as is the dancing finale for Hayworth and Astaire atop an army tank. Yes, the army sub-plot came in handy in the end.

Margarita Cansino was still undergoing the 'Rita Hayworth' transformation while this film was being made, so Rita still looks quite Latin in most scenes, with darker hair than we are normally accustomed to from the famous redhead. Fred often said that Rita was the best dancer he ever worked with, and at times he does seem in awe of her capabilities that definitely match his. Rita considered this one of the two jewels in her film career (the other being 'You Were Never Lovelier' with, you guessed it, Fred), and it is a gorgeous film.

A feel-good musical that isn't a mind-blowing film experience, yet is definitely an enjoyable one.

7/10.

You're In The Army Now, Fred

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 22 March 2007]

Though the 42 year old Fred Astaire was certainly not eligible for the peacetime draft still he plays the would be soldier very well in You'll Never Get Rich. Leaving Rita Hayworth is certain to be a problem though.

The first peacetime draft in American history forms the background for this film in the same way as Universal's Abbott and Costello classic, Buck Privates. You'll Never Get Rich bares some resemblance to Buck Privates in the comedy portions of the film though it does stay away from the burlesque aspects that Abbott and Costello brought to it.

Remember this is a Fred Astaire film and in the plot it has a lot of resemblance to what Astaire had been recently doing over at RKO with Ginger Rogers. The same kind of kittenish romantic complications with humorist Robert Benchley taking the Eric Blore/Victor Moore part as the one who causes all the problems.

The dance numbers bear a strong resemblance to the routines Astaire did with Rogers. But here he is being brought over to Columbia to showcase the woman who would be Columbia Picture's mealticket for the next decade and a half.

Rita Hayworth was just coming into her own as a box office attraction when this film was done. On the dance floor she complements the elegant Mr. Astaire divinely. This was the first of two films she did with Astaire and while I like You Were Never Lovelier a lot better than this one, You'll Never Get Rich is still entertaining.

Cole Porter wrote the score for this film and it's probably one of his lesser efforts for the screen and stage. Still it did have an Oscar nominated song in Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye. It's not a song that immediately brings Cole Porter to mind for today's audience though.

Will both Rita Hayworth and Uncle Sam get the services of Fred Astaire? See You'll Never Get Rich and find out.

Wonderful Dance Sequences

[LeonardKniffel · 7/10 · 9 April 2020]

When Rita Hayworth was paired to star in this film opposite the phenomenal Fred Astaire, there was speculation over whether or not the emerging star could match the superstar of dance. Hayworth proved herself to be one of the best dancing partners he ever had, Ginger Rogers notwithstanding. The exceptional dance scenes are reason enough to stick with the hokey plot to the end. There's "Boogie Barcarolle," "Shootin' the Works for Uncle Sam," and "So Near and So Far," all of which typify the swinging, patriotic 1940s. "The Wedding Cake Walk" is the best of boogie-woogie. --from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

Hayworth Becomes A Star

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 10 July 2020]

There is a special moment early in this film, when dancer Robert Curtis (Fred Astaire) takes one of the girls (Rita Hayworth) out of the chorus to dance with her. It's the moment Hayworth became a star. Even when she is surrounded by a multitude of dancers doing the same steps, she stands out. When she and Astaire tap side by side, her precision and style are readily apparent and her beauty is incandescent.

This film is a group of dance numbers accompanied by a group of comic gags. There is minimal plot. The guy, Robert Curtis, and the girl, Sheila Winthrop, have a difficulty with timing: when she likes him, he is not interested, and vice versa. At one point, Robert enlists in the army. It's a plot development that might have seemed more natural in 1941, especially since the U.S. had not yet entered WWII.

Most of the music is written by Cole Porter, and it's a mixed bag. Some of the numbers have a boogie beat that feels like it's designed for Astaire. Likewise, some choreography is electrifying, but other numbers feature choreography that fails to demonstrate the sophistication of Astaire's best work.

The pairings of Astaire and Hayworth, alone, make this film well worth watching.

Hayworth-Astaire are a perfect match.

[cobrazulu · 9/10 · 12 June 2005]

I have to differ with the viewer who feels that though Rita Hayworth was a marvelous dancer she did not measure up to Ginger Rogers as the partner of Fred Astaire. Rita's dancing was so graceful that she was the perfect match for the stupendous Astaire. Her beauty in this movie is a thing to behold. Now after all these years we can only wish that they included a bunch of other dances instead of all the silliness. How can it be that such a lovely as Rita would have such a difficult life? I wonder if the talented Hayworth ever realized that it would be her early dancing that would really be her lasting legacy and if she did would she have given us more to appreciate for the years. Watching her dance as a young woman is a joy that will be repeated for generations.

The lesser of the two films Fred and Rita did together, though still a pleasant watch

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 23 July 2014]

You'll Never Get Rich had a lot going for it, and while it is slightly disappointing with a very silly, contrived and thin story, Sidney Lanfield having moments when his direction was leaden, a couple of stale army jokes and Cliff Nazarro and his double-talk schtick starting off funny but grew irritating. But it is still makes for pleasant viewing. You'll Never Get Rich boasts lovely costumes for Rita Hayworth and beautiful photography, and probably a better-looking film than the second and superior Fred/Rita outing You Were Never Lovelier(and that was still a nice film to look at). Cole Porter's songs are not among his best, but Since I Kissed My Girlfriend Goodbye deserved its Oscar nomination, The Wedding Cake Walk is a lot of fun and So Near Yet So Far is just sublime. The score suits the tone of the film just fine. The choreography ranges from spirited to graceful, again the highlights being in those three songs, the tap-dancing routine between Fred and Rita being one of the main pleasures of You'll Never Get Rich. Although the script and story don't work entirely, they do have moments, Fred and Rita are really charming in their scenes and scenes like the restaurant one generate some amusement, and for all its flaws the film does have heart too. Of the supporting cast, the standouts are a hilarious Robert Benchley and a perfectly cast Frieda Inescourt. John Hubbard and Michael MacBride are good as well, only Nazarro didn't do much for me. The main attractions of You'll Never Get Rich were always Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, and they are also the best thing about the film. Fred is a suave and charming leading man and makes an effort to not make the comedy seem forced while Rita is effortlessly graceful and you totally see what Robert sees in Sheila in the first place. They are also just magical together. Overall, a decent and pleasant film but there was the potential for it to have been better than it turned out to be. 7/10 Bethany Cox

If They Only Had Fred & Rita Dance And Forgot The Story This Would Have Been Great

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 26 September 2006]

I really enjoyed the first third of this hour-and-a-half movie. However, when Fred Astaire joins the army, the movie switches from dancing to humor, and the humor is not much. His consists mainly of a fellow soldier who is an expert in double talk. He's pretty good but his act wears thin quickly. So, too, does the storyline: lying, lying, and more lying. That's followed by cover-ups, false accusations, people falling in and out of love at the drop of a hat, etc. - you know, typical stupid fare of the day for these kind of films.

Since they were not allowed to pollute the films with profanity and pornography, filmmakers still could promote everything wrong by trivializing adultery, lying, smoking, drinking, cheating and other evils. This movie, like a lot of comedies of the day, gives numerous examples of that. Too bad, because it looked like it was going to be a great film, at least in the dancing of Astaire and Hayworth in the beginning. Those two were great to watch. Hayworth, known more for her glamor, was actually a great dancer and reportedly Astaire's favorite partner. No arguments there! Rita looks fantastic and Astaire's stepping is always perfection.

Unfortunately, in Fred's films they had to have a story go along with his dancing. I only give it five points to see Rita.

The skills of Fred Astaire, the glamour of Rita Hayworth

[Petey-10 · 9/10 · 18 November 2009]

Impresario Martin Cortland has a big crush on the showgirl Sheila Winthrop.Her wife may not like that.Mrs. Susan Cortland happens to find a diamond bracelet with Sheila's name on it.He tells a lie that choreographer Robert Curtis bought that to her.They all go out together, which suits Sheila just fine, since she has a crush on Robert.But she starts loathing him after she finds out the game they were playing.Robert notices he has feelings for Sheila.Then Uncle Sam wants him and he is drafted into the army, where he gets in and out of prison.But they'll meet again.Sidney Lanfield's You'll Never Get Rich (1941) is a wonderful wartime picture.It has the brilliant score by Cole Porter.This was the first movie that teamed Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth.What a great pair they make! Fred even made Rita his favorite dancing partner, before Ginger Rogers.He even knew her father before she was born, as they were dancers on the New York City vaudeville circuit.The movies she made with Fred were Rita's own personal favorites.Robert Benchley does a great job as the womanizing impresario.Frieda Inescort is marvelous as his wife.Osa Massen is very good as his new girl Sonya.John Hubbard is terrific as Captain Tom Barton.Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams is terrific as Kewpie Blain.And so is Cliff Nazarro as Swivel Tongue 'Swiv'.Donald MacBride is magnificent as Top Sergeant.This romantic musical comedy is very entertaining, and often very funny.I had most fun watching that restaurant scene, where they're trying to convince Mrs. Cortland that Sheila is Robert's girl.Also the double-talk routine by Cliff Nazarro at the train station is funny.Or him trying to get some water to Robert as others are trying to sleep.Astaire in a captain's uniform is quite hilarious.And when he goes AWOL.And you could never get bored of watching Fred Astaire's tap dancing.

So What - You'll FEEL Rich

[writers_reign · 7/10 · 31 March 2006]

This was one of several transitional movies made by Astaire between his RKO and MGM years which means more or less that it's minor Astaire but let's face it even minor Astaire is light years ahead of major Kelly so that by and large this is an entertaining soufflé'. Most of us weren't of course around on its initial release - anyone who was even ten in 1941 would be 75 in today's money - so we probably buy the DVD for the Cole Porter score as much as the Astaire hoofing. Old King Cole doesn't disappoint though one of his finest ballads 'Dream Dancing' is only heard briefly and orchestrally but this still leaves So Near And Yet So Far and Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye, both top-drawer Porter plus Boogie Barcarolle and Wedding Cake-Walk both of which offer excellent hoofing opportunities. The plot - PLOT! you're kidding, right? - is typical of the time and about as believable as anything that ever came out of Nixon's mouth but Robert Benchley is on hand with his peculiar brand of whimsy and comic timing and Fred gets to dance with the gorgeous Rita Hayworth so whaddya want, blood?

Mildly entertaining

[AAdaSC · 4/10 · 20 July 2011]

Robert Curtis (Fred Astaire) is a choreographer who is asked by his boss Martin Cortland (Robert Benchley) to cover for him while he lies to his wife Julia (Frieda Inescort). Cortland has been caught out buying a necklace for showgirl Sheila (Rita Hayworth) and he wants Curtis to pretend that the necklace is actually a gift from Curtis and not from Cortland. Then Curtis gets drafted into the army where Sheila turns up again. And so does Cortland. They put on a show.

This film starts well with the deception over the necklace and a tap dance with Astaire and Hayworth - it's the highlight musical piece, far away better than any of the other unremarkable music numbers in the film. However, when Astaire joins the army, the film just chugs along until the end. It's not particularly entertaining. Funny moments include Cliff Nazarro talking gobbledy-gook at the station (although this gets repetitive during the rest of the film) and Astaire pretending to be a captain and........um......that's it. There is also some tedious slapstick thrown in for bad measure in the army dormitory.

The big music numbers (when Astaire leaves to enrol and the finale) are, unfortunately, all choreographed in a military way - you know, lots of marching - and so they are not very good. Unless you like marching. Astaire is good as always but his dances are not memorable - the best, other than the highlight already mentioned, would have to be a solo routine in the Guardhouse accompanied by some dude singing.

It's a shame that the majority of the film focuses on Astaire and his army life as it tries to get humour out of stale stereotypes. There are some mildly amusing moments and a standout, all too brief, tap dance highlight with Astaire and Hayworth at the beginning, but that's your lot on the entertainment front. I'd quite like to have a Chinese back-scratcher, though.

Rita Hayworth is breathtaking in this film

[jauny2000 · 15 November 2003]

I think this film is a delightful comedy, with all players playing their respected roles beautifully. I especially love the dance steps and musical number done by Astaire and Hayworth during rehearsal at the beginning of the movie.

Back when Uncle Sam wore a "hit me" sign . . .

[pixrox1 · 6/10 · 14 January 2014]

. . . on his back in Hollywood's antebellum military farces such as YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH (1941), is it any wonder that Hirohito, Hitler & Co. hit us shortly after this flick was leaked to the world? Though Fred "Crazy Legs" Astaire has switched branches from the Navy (FOLLOW THE FLEET, 1936) to the Army in YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH, he's still an enlisted man with a penchant for decking officers, seemingly with impunity. Though he spends most of the running time of YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH in the "guard house," this military "jail" consists of a dance floor with a few benches scattered along the walls. As in FLEET, there are no consequences whenever Fred feels like going A.W.O.L., since Hollywood's version of the U.S. Military is a total joke. The only reason the sailors at Pearl Harbor weren't laughing at Fred's shenanigans as Hirohito's bombs started to rain down on them is that the Japanese Zeroes delivered their torpedoes more accurately during sunrise church services than they could have in the darkness of Saturday movie night.

OLd-School Musical

[JamesHitchcock · 6/10 · 8 February 2020]

Martin Cortland, a womanising theatre owner, gets into trouble when his wife Julia discovers that he has bought a diamond bracelet for a beautiful young dancer named Sheila Winthrop. In a desperate bid to save his marriage, Martin persuades his choreographer, Robert Curtis, to pretend to be Sheila's boyfriend, allowing him to claim that he bought the bracelet for Robert to give to Sheila. To further this deception, Robert asks Sheila out on a date to the same restaurant where Martin and Julia are dining together. This being a romantic comedy, Robert and Sheila end up falling for one another, but there is a further complication in that Sheila has another admirer, Army Captain Tom Barton. Things get even more complicated when Robert is drafted into the Army and finds that Tom is now his commanding officer. The title "You'll Never Get Rich" has nothing to do with the difficulties involved in accumulating wealth; it is a line from an old Army song.

This was the film which first made a major star of Rita Hayworth, cast because Columbia Pictures were looking for a replacement for Ginger Rogers as Fred Astaire's dance partner. The pairing was a successful one. Astaire was an unusual Hollywood star. He was neither particularly handsome nor particularly talented as an actor, but his abilities on the dance floor were enough to ensure that he retained his leading man status throughout the thirties, forties and fifties, playing opposite a succession of ever-younger dancing partners. (Rogers, Hayworth, Cyd Charisse, Audrey Hepburn...). As for Hayworth, this film shows what a great find she was, showcasing her beauty, her skill as a dancer and her charisma.

The plot of this film is a pretty thin one, and does not always make a lot of sense. If one examines it too closely, Sheila's treatment of both Robert and Tom would make her seem like a heartless flirt, and I doubt whether in real life the Army would have been quite so relaxed about Robert's attempt to impersonate an officer. The supposed "marriage" between Robert and Sheila would certainly not have been legally binding. This, however, is the sort of musical comedy where one should not take the plot too seriously because it only exists as a flimsy framework to support a succession of song-and-dance routines. And those routines are all very slick and professional. Yes, from a modern perspective they would have looked better in colour, but I doubt if too many people complained in 1941 when black-and-white was the rule and colour the exception, even for spectacular dance shows.

The film was very successful at the box office, which might suggest that audiences of this period did not have the same expectations of a musical as did those of the succeeding generation. The great musicals from the fifties, sixties and seventies- "Show Boat", "The King and I", "West Side Story", "South Pacific", "The Sound of Music", "Fiddler on the Roof", "Cabaret" and so on- offered audiences a coherent plot, often built around a serious theme (racism, gang violence, war or the rise of the Nazis), and a greater sense of emotional involvement with the characters.

The old-school musicals of the thirties and forties, by contrast, tended to be much more escapist, with farcical plots like this one and plenty of song-and-dance. They were intended to offer people a relief from the hardships of the depression and the dangers of wartime, so serious themes were out. It would not have been possible to make a musical about the rise of Nazism until the Nazis had not only risen but also fallen and been safely consigned to the rubbish bin of history. Despite the military theme of "You'll Never Get Rich", and despite the fact that it was made in 1941, not long before America's entry into World War II, there is no real suggestion that Robert, Tom and their comrades in uniform might soon have to go and fight for their country.

The changes which were later to affect the musical genre mean that today it is difficult to judge a film like this objectively. There is plenty of talent involved; Astaire and Hayworth were excellent dancers, Cole Porter a great songwriter and Robert Alton a very capable choreographer. And yet a film like "You'll Never Get Rich", popular though it was in its day, tends to strike us as today as dated and artificial. We just have to remember that that was not how it would have struck the audience for whom it was intended. 6/10

Emotion and Technique

[OldieMovieFan · 6/10 · 12 August 2023]

After RKO Studios told Fred in 1939 that they had no more work for him, he bounced around Hollywood for a few years making much less expensive (though still quality) movies until Bing Crosby came along. "You'll Never Get Rich" is a good example. Most of the film is set around army barracks - not exactly an extravagant film set - and the general production quality is a far cry from the Ginger Rogers cycle of films that audiences had grown accustomed to in the 1930s. For example, compare the spectacle of "The Continental" or "The Piccolino" with the dance on top of a wooden tank finale of "You'll Never Get Rich" and it becomes obvious that studios had absorbed the lesson learned by RKO; costs must be kept on a very strict budget or an Astaire movie would lose a lot of money. Still, his name carried weight with producers and he stayed active.

Many reviews talk about the weakness of the plot of "You'll Never Get Rich," but actually Astaire musicals are quite consistent in their lack of strong plots. Ginger used to comment in interviews that musicals need a somewhat weaker plot because people want to focus on the music. One of her great post-Fred musicals, "Roxie Hart," is an example; people watch musicals to see Ginger's sizzling tap dance on a prison staircase, not ponder the universe.

Hayworth was Fred's first real partner after Rogers moved on. His other partners Fontaine and Powell had such glaring deficiencies - Joan couldn't sing or dance, Eleanor couldn't sing or act - that not even Fred Astaire could rescue those films. Rita could certainly dance and her acting was acceptable although certainly no competition for Rogers (or Fontaine either, for that matter), and the studio didn't give her anything to sing even though she actually had a good voice.

Rita's dancing is exciting, technically flawless, but there is no attempt to reach the profound depth of emotion that Rogers and Astaire display in their iconic romantic dances. Fred never found another partner that could reach the heights he climbed with Ginger... "Night and Day" or "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" or that profound swoon in "The Last Waltz"... and Fred never created that type of dance for anyone else. He stays within a narrow range with Rita Hayworth and while the technique can't be faulted, their dances can't have the same expressive power as those that he created with Rogers.

This was Hayworth's breakout role, and in later years she said that the only films she made that she thought were any good, were the two she made with Astaire.

Fred Astaire's bravest performance.

[the red duchess · 7/10 · 12 February 2001]

This under-rated film in the Astaire canon deserves another look. Not for its mediocre merits as a musical comedy or its sparkleless gaucheness as a romantic comedy.

No.

This is one of the great explorations of the Astaire persona. Mr. Top Hat and Tails is put in a squalid army environment, and roundly subverts it with lies and disguises, injecting the surreal, and having startling homoerotic dreams. Furthermore, the 'gentleman' persona is exposed in primitive conditions, exposed as mendacious, cynical, cowardly, downright unpatriotic! Extraordinary.

Ginger May Have Given Fred Sex, But Rita Sizzles All On Her Own

[MissPommery1926 · 10/10 · 13 December 2003]

Regarding the comments made by a previous poster, Astaire and Rogers were THE BEST dance team together - but who cares? Rita Hayworth is hot and sizzling all on her own!!! Don't get me wrong... I love Fred and Ginger and all of their movies together (they were my first love and intro into the wonderful world of classic movies!) But I just have to clarify that Rita in her own rights was every bit as great a dancer as Ginger ever was - maybe even better... in at least this instance. The "So Near And Yet So Far" dance number by Astaire and Hayworth in this movie is my favorite. However, I can't help chuckling at the fact that it looks as though Fred is slightly uncomfortable in this latin themed song. Rita is heavenly shaking those gorgeous hips of hers and dancing rings around Fred....... and Fred... well Fred looks as though he can't quite keep up with Rita... hee hee hee! Fred dances up a storm from beginning to end of this movie....we all know he's the greatest dancer ever known to the silver screen. But his "gringo" hips just can't keep up with Rita in this number. It was a valiant try though! So Ginger can keep Fred..... who cares.....we're all looking at Rita.

Broadway Batallion

[lugonian · 7/10 · 19 October 2014]

YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH (Columbia, 1941), directed by Sidney Lanfield, could very well be a screwball comedy about an oddball inventor and his many failed get-rich-quick schemes. The title, derived from the lyrics lifted from an old army song, indicates Columbia's attempt in capitalizing on Army comedies that had become the new rage starting with the ever popular BUCK PRIVATES (Universal, 1941) that not only made overnight sensations of the burlesque comics, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, but popularized some popular song hits introduced by The Andrews Sisters. While YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH starts off amusingly well as a backstage musical, the second half shifts maneuvers towards BUCK PRIVATES material set in an Army camp. Though there's no Bud and Lou with the Andrews Sisters to boost up any musical-comedy morale, there are songs by Cole Porter, an original screenplay by Michael Fessler and Ernest Pagano, and the leading presence of legendary dancer Fred Astaire opposite the up-and-coming Rita Hayworth, a few years before her motion picture achievement as GILDA (1946) and becoming THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1948). Most of all, there's humorist Robert Benchley in some good scene-stealing support.

The film opening offers a different approach as apposed to the traditional title credits with Robert Benchley's character, in the back seat of his limousine, telling Jenkins, (Emmett Vogan), his chauffeur, to slow down. As he gazes through the window, the camera captures its opening credits with star and staff names posted on billboards, wooden fences, road signs and on the side of a barn before story proceedings get underway. Martin Cortland (Robert Benchley), the owner of the Courtland Theater, stops off in a jewelry store on Fifth Avenue and 54th Street to buy an anniversary present for his wife and gift for one of the chorines appearing in an upcoming musical show choreographed by Robert Curtis (Fred Astaire). Courtland leaves the store following a purchase of a seven dollar Chinese back scratcher for his wife and an expensive diamond bracelet for Sheila Winthrop (Rita Hayworth). After Sheila refuses Cortland's present, the bracelet is soon discovered by Cortland's ever-suspecting wife, Julia (Frieda Inescort), with Sheila's name engraved on it. To avoid possible divorce proceedings, Cortland tries to convince his wife he bought the bracelet for Robert as a present for Sheila. At the Crystal Roof where the Courtlands are to celebrate their fifteenth wedding anniversary, the couple have Sheila and Robert accompany them at the dinner table where Courtland passes off the bracelet gift to give to Sheila in the presence of his wife. Sheila, caught by surprise, leaves the banquet as Robert attempts to explain. Problems arise when reporter captures the moment and places Robert and Sheila's "engagement" on the front page of the morning newspaper. Upon receiving his draft notice, Robert leaves his troubles behind him for Army life at Camp Weston. Aside from becoming a private under the leadership of a tough sergeant (Donald MacBride), and the company companionship of Kewpie Blair (Guinn Williams) and Twivel Tongue (Cliff Nazarro), his past encounters soon catches up with him, creating further complications ahead.

Other members of the cast consist of John Hubbard (Captain Tom Barton); Osa Massen (Sonya); Marjorie Gateson (Sheila's Aunt Louise); Ann Shoemaker (Mrs. Barton); and Frank Ferguson (Justice of the Peace).

With a fine yet unmemorable score by Cole Porter, the motion picture soundtrack is as follows: "Dance Duet" (performed by Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth); "Boogie Barricade" (danced by Fred Astaire and ensemble); "Dream Dance" (instrumental); "Shooting the Works for Uncle Sam" (sung and danced by Astaire/ensemble); "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" (performed by The Delta Rhythm Boys/ danced by Astaire) "A Stairable Rag" (danced by Astaire); "So Near, Yet So Far" (sung by Astaire, danced by Astaire and Hayworth); and "The Wedding Cake Walk" (sung by Martha Tilton, danced by Astaire and Hayworth, ensemble). Of the tunes, only "So Near, Yet So Far" has possibilities of a song hit. As surprisingly brief as musical interludes go, the best moments belong to the fine chemistry dance duets from Astaire and Hayworth, which, upon their conclusions, makes one wish for either more or longer segments between them on the dance floor. Astaire's two separate tap dancing solos accompanied by the Delta Rhythm Boys, in the guard house has its moments, but not quite as fantastic as those Astaire solos from either TOP HAT (1935) or SWING TIME (1936).

As Abbott and Costello providing many laughs through their routines in BUCK PRIVATES, Columbia attempted in duplicating that match with Guinn Williams and Cliff Nazarro. Nazarro introduction to the film set at Grand Central Station starts off in hilarious fashion with his double-talk routine. As the story progresses, his constant repeated vaudeville-style gags grow tiresome long before the closing Columbia logo hits the screen. Though Nazarro should be credited for some hilarious moments from another movie for Columbia, BLONDIE GOES TO COLLEGE (1942), his drill routine here is definitely no match for how Abbott and Costello did it in BUCK PRIVATES. In spite of some flaws and typical story, YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH still provides some fine entertainment during its 88 minutes.

No doubt a box-office winner back in 1941, YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH, along with Astaire and Hayworth's second and final collaboration of YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (Columbia, 1942), each distributed to home video (dating back to the 1980s) and DVD, can be seen occasionally on either Turner Classic Movies or Get-TV cable channels. So near yet so far. (***1/2)

Aside from some nice dancing, this movie was a disaster

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 11 April 2007]

Pairing Fred Astaire with a much younger Rita Hayworth was odd, but this really wasn't the problem with the film. I found I could suspend disbelief that a middle-aged guy like Fred would have any chance with Rita. Plus, Rita's dancing was excellent due to her years as a professional dancer before coming to Hollywood. And Fred Astaire, as always, was a joy to watch as he danced. So I really can't blame the movie on the stars--they seemed to give the film all they had.

The main culprit for the low IMDb score was the writing. It was awful and the script abounded with more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese. Again and again, poor dialog, super-contrived situations (even for this style of film) and logical errors abounded. This was not a huge problem in the first third of the film--but when he went into the army the film absolutely came to a grinding halt because it just wasn't funny. And to make these army antics worse, Fred was saddled with perhaps the least funny and most annoying character actor in history as one of his army buddies--Cliff Nazarro. Nazarro's contributions to the film were to pepper his dialog with nonsense words that weren't funny the first time--and were downright infuriating to listen to after the 500th time!

The bottom line is that for lovers of Fred Astaire, this is a huge disappointment and the film only manages a 4 due to decent, though not particularly outstanding dance routines. As an army comedy (and there were quite a few during this era), this film stinks. BUCK PRIVATES, CAUGHT IN THE DRAFT and TANKS A MILLION all are head and shoulders better because they actually are funny (especially the last two films listed). And for those who are not fans, I don't see how you'll be able to force yourself to finish this dopey film that is so lacking in charm. See this only if you are a rabid fan.

RICH, NO...HAPPY, YES...!

[masonfisk · 8/10 · 4 March 2019]

This is the first teaming of Fred Astaire & Rita Hayworth in which they are embroiled in a comically labyrinthine plot to stay out of each other's way but keeping finding themselves falling into each other's arms. Astaire's boss, played Robert Benchley (Peter's father), is putting on a new show but also wants to put the moves on Hayworth w/o his wife finding out so he concocts a fiction that he's playing the middleman to Astaire & Hayworth but not wanting to be involved in these hi-jinks, Astaire enlists in the army but soon finds he really has feelings for her but what will Hayworth's current beau think of all this. Moving w/the speed of a hummingbird on a double decaf, the loony situations come a mile a minute all the while Astaire & Hayworth dance their socks off to charming dividends.

Watchable only for the teaming of Astaire and Hayworth...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 29 November 2006]

I'm sorry, but even a musical with stars like FRED ASTAIRE and RITA HAYWORTH ought to have a plot. What little plot this one has is enough to drive you nuts. None of the comedy seems a bit believable, especially once Astaire joins the Army and gets into trouble with all of his Army buddies. It's just one stale joke after another and none of the service humor comes off as the least bit amusing--irritating is more like it.

However, the musical sequences save the picture from being a complete zero in the entertainment department. Whether dancing alone or with Rita, Astaire shows that he is a master of his trade. And Rita, still with dark hair before she became more famous as a red-head, flashes that smile and puts her lush body into some torrid dance routines that show why she would soon be labeled "The Love Goddess" by the Hollywood press.

ROBERT BENCHLEY has some lame comedy moments, and JOHN HUBBARD and OSA MASSEN are pleasant enough in supporting roles, as is DONALD MacBRIDE as an exasperated Top Sergeant--an exasperation that's sure to be shared by the audience at certain cringe inducing moments.

Aces All Around

[dougdoepke · 18 August 2012]

Dance arranger escapes to the army after his daffy boss can't seem to keep his women properly sorted.

Expert mix of comedy, dance, and glamour. The glamour's supplied by Hayworth who's—in a word—simply dazzling (okay, two words). Her appearance in Gilda (1946) may have supplied the smoldering sex appeal, but this one supplies the sheer beauty. Plus she cuts a pretty good rug with the incomparable Astaire who turns in his usual nimble footed magic. Of course, putting the rail-thin danceman in the army is a stretch, but the script doctors manage to turn his weight trick into a chuckle.

Then there's the terminally befuddled Robert Benchley (Mr. Cortland) who can't seem to tell a backscratcher from a bracelet or his wife from a chorus girl. Pairing his nonsense with the classy, no-nonsense Inescort (Mrs. Cortland) is a comedic masterstroke. I love his I'm-caught-again stammer as he withers under her glare. Then too, the chorus girls send-off for the soldier boys in the train station is a real eye-catcher and masterpiece of staging. It may not be the dance centerpiece, but it does brim over with genial high spirits.

If I didn't know better (release date, Sept. 1941), I would have guessed this was a WWII morale booster. But clearly the big one is on the horizon, and I'll bet this 90-minutes of escape played in a ton of overseas bases. After all, what GI would not fight to keep the Hayworths back home safe and secure. But happily you don't need to be a GI or his girl to enjoy this expert blend of dance and whimsy, courtesy a stellar cast, a clever script, and Columbia studios.