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Top Hat Overview:

Top Hat (1935) was a Comedy - Musical Film directed by Mark Sandrich and produced by Pandro S. Berman.

SYNOPSIS

Astaire, Rogers, Irving Berlin, choreography by Hermes Pan and Astaire: all the elements that define the classic Astaire-Rogers picture and, therefore, the height of the '30s musical. When dancer Astaire hits London for the debut of his new show, his tap practice in his agent's (Horton) hotel room wakes his downstairs neighbor, Rogers. With one look at her face, a smitten Astaire chases her all over London and even to Venice after she believes he's really married to Horton's wife, Broderick. Despite her marriage in a fury to an Italian designer, the lovers are reunited in a gondola at the end. The plot's made meaningless, of course, by the elegance and bravura of the Deco sets, the perfectly integrated musical set pieces, and the justly famous pairing of Astaire and Rogers, including their renowned interpretation of "Cheek to Cheek." All 5 Berlin tunes, including "Cheek to Cheek" and "Top Hat," made it to the top of the charts.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Top Hat was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1990.

Academy Awards 1935 --- Ceremony Number 8 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Art DirectionVan Nest Polglase, Carroll ClarkNominated
Best Music - SongMusic and Lyrics by Irving BerlinNominated
Best PictureRKO RadioNominated
See More Oscar Winners

Top Hat BlogHub Articles:

Musical Monday: Top Hat (1935)

on Aug 26, 2024 From Comet Over Hollywood

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals. This week’s musical:Top Hat (1935) – Musical... Read full article

You're Invited! HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM 1930s + TOP HAT at Egyptian Theatre 3/17

on Mar 4, 2018 From GlamAmor

My HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM screening series at the Egyptian Theatre continues with the 1930s on March 17! This series is 7 parts - one event per decade from the 1920s to the 1980s - and each will be followed by a screening of a film featured in the talk. Some of the incredible style we celebrate... Read full article

DOUBLE BILL #3 Top Hat (1935) and Swing Time (1936)

By Carol Martinheira on Jun 4, 2017 From The Old Hollywood Garden

DOUBLE BILL #3 Top Hat (1935) and Swing Time (1936) On June 4, 2017June 4, 2017 By CarolIn Uncategorized Musicals of the 1930s are pretty much screwball comedies with songs. And they’re absolutely fabulous. Especially Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers ones. Ten adorable... Read full article

Top Hat (1935) – Updated

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jan 14, 2016 From 4 Star Films

Perhaps Astaire and Rogers most famous film together, Top Hat has them at top form once more, seemingly defying gravity at the full peak of the powers. The beauty of their partnership is that they’re able to tell the progression of a love story through dance, but they do it with such ease and... Read full article

Review: Top Hat (1935)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jan 14, 2016 From 4 Star Films

Perhaps Astaire and Rogers most famous film together, Top Hat has them at top form once more, seemingly defying gravity at the full peak of the powers. The beauty of their partnership is that they’re able to tell the progression of a love story through dance, but they do it with such ease and... Read full article

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Top Hat Quotes:

[He is reading a telegram]
Alberto Beddini: 'Come ahead. stop. Stop being a sap. stop. You can even bring Alberto. stop. My husband is stopping at your hotel. stop. when do you start. stop.' I cannot understand who wrote this.
Dale Tremont: Sounds like Gertrude Stein.
Madge Hardwick: Well, if that's your story Horace, you stick to it.
Jerry Travers: Are you afraid of thunder?
Dale Tremont: Oh, no. It's just the noise.
Jerry Travers: You know what thunder is, don't you?
Dale Tremont: Of course. It's something about the air.
Jerry Travers: No, no. When a clumsy cloud from here meets a fluffy little cloud from there, he billows towards her. She scurries away and he scuds right up to her. She cries a little and there you have you showers. He comforts her. They spark. That's the lightning. They kiss. Thunder.
Alberto Beddini: I am too much protection enough!
Jerry Travers: All is fair in love and war, and this is revolution!
See More Quotes from Top Hat
Top Hat Facts
Earned $3 million at the box office (a huge amount at the time), the only other film in 1935 to outgross it being Mutiny on the Bounty.
Early drafts of the script called for Irving Berlin songs "Wild About You", "Get Thee Behind Me, Satan" (to be sung by Ginger Rogers) and "You're the Cause", but they were not used in the final version.
A 78-minute version of the film was released by RKO in 1953. Cuts to the dance numbers were severe. Prints are still in circulation.
Character Alberto Beddini's motto was originally, "For the men the sword, for the women the whip." The script was changed to "For the women the kiss, for the men the sword" after the censors objected.
The end portion film was trimmed down after a preview audience complained of the length. Small parts by Donald Meek and Florence Roberts were cut. One of the last scenes to go, in which Eric Blore insults a policeman, is still present in some prints (including the RKO Collection videotape version from Turner Home Entertainment).
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