Knowledge (XXG)

The Sky's the Limit (1943 film)

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725: 709: 691: 675: 659: 295:. He spots a beautiful woman, Joan Manion, in a nightclub. Eavesdropping, he learns that she is a newspaper photographer fed up with taking pictures of celebrities. Her pleas for an assignment in a war zone fall on deaf ears. Her boss, newspaper publisher Phil Harriman, likes her just where she is: nearby so he can try to wear her down and persuade her to marry him. 499:": The number took two and a half days to shoot, after seven days of full set rehearsal. After a drunken rendition of the song, he furiously tap dances up and down the bar, pausing only to smash stacked racks of glasses and a mirror. Astaire's first drunk dance was the comic routine "You're Easy To Dance With" in 449:"A Lot In Common With You": Astaire muscles in on Leslie's (using her own voice this time) on-stage song-and-dance routine, which develops into a mock competitive comic side-by-side tap dance using a range of leg-before-leg hurdling steps, some of which had been developed for "The Shorty George" number in 326:
The next day, Phil makes one last attempt to get Joan to marry him. When that fails, he sends her to the airfield to take pictures of pilots returning to the fight in the Pacific, knowing Fred would be there. Here she spots Fred in his uniform, where it all becomes clear to her. The two embrace, and
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Joan tries hard to get Fred a job. When she learns that he once worked as a reporter, she arranges an interview with Phil. Fred, with his leave running out, instead spends the time giving Phil pointers on how to win Joan over, even setting up a romantic dinner at Phil's penthouse with the assistance
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Later, Reginald informs Fred that their leave has been cut short; they only have two more days. Since Fred still does not have a job, Joan takes him along to a banquet honoring airplane manufacturer Harvey J. Sloan. She introduces Fred to Mr. Sloan, but instead of making a good impression as he had
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story about an attractive young woman from Texas who was an assistant/employee/(lover?) of an older man prominent in New York City literary circles. In the story, the young woman leaves her glamorous job to marry a young man who is going off to World War II. This character is altered a good bit to
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She lets him take her on a date, though she steers him into a crowded canteen where she does volunteer work entertaining servicemen. When a performer cancels on short notice, Joan is recruited to sing a number. Fred invites himself to sing along and dance with her; in the process, he runs into his
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Fred, giving himself the last name "Burton" to hide his identity, romances her himself in an annoyingly persistent way, even renting a room in the building she lives in. Eventually, she starts to like him, despite what she considers to be a lack of ambition on his part; he does not seem to have or
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All dances were choreographed by and credited to Astaire alone, an unusual departure for him, as he generally worked with collaborators. What is not unusual is the selection of dance routines, which is the standard Astaire formula of a comic partnered routine, a romantic partnered routine and a
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of his butler, Jackson. Phil blunders badly, then reveals to Joan what Fred has been up to. Fred's scheme works, and he ends up dining for the evening with Joan, in Phil's penthouse. Joan pours on the charm and proposes marriage to Fred, leaving him in an uncomfortable position.
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The film was an unusual departure for Astaire, one which caused some consternation among film critics and fans at the time, though not enough to prevent the film from doing well. Aside from the dancing – which contains the famous solo performance to the
245:", described by Astaire as "the best song specially written for me" – the script provided him with his first opportunity to act in a serious dramatic role, and one with which his acting abilities, sometimes disparaged, appear to cope. 318:
Afterward, Phil invites Fred to a nearby bar, where he reveals to Fred that he has found out his true identity. Fred asks him to keep it a secret. Fred proceeds to get drunk, singing to bartenders while bar-hopping,
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and a ten-day "leave." The only trouble is, they are expected to spend all their time on a nationwide morale-boosting tour. Fred sneaks off the train at a rural stop to seek some fun.
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Lieutenant Fred Atwell and his almost-as-successful comrades, Reginald Fenton and Richard Merlin, are brought back to the United States for a
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According to RKO records, the film earned $ 1,410,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $ 775,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $ 625,000.
1256: 442:" (song): Arlen and Mercer's simple and hymn-like wartime ballad, the picture's signature song, is mimed by Joan Leslie (dubbed here by 1266: 635: 1231: 806: 745: 822: 798: 388: 1062: 446:) against the backdrop of a band whose instruments are framed with illuminated neon outlines. It became a hit, albeit slowly. 361: 222: 1086: 998: 870: 814: 703: 1281: 738: 1126: 315:
promised, he criticizes the fighter plane's performance built by Sloan. When Joan finds out, she breaks up with him.
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fellow pilots. While Richard dances with Joan, Reginald amuses himself by blackmailing Fred into doing a
934: 774: 686: 420: 28: 505:, but this solo marks his first clear departure from a carefully crafted screen image of urbane charm. 1158: 1221: 1174: 1054: 1038: 958: 469: 455:, but had not been used. The song also makes reference to recent musicals by Leslie and Astaire by 579: 1150: 1030: 982: 862: 782: 762: 501: 285: 210: 206: 42: 1190: 1134: 1102: 966: 942: 910: 846: 653: 631: 1198: 1078: 1070: 854: 830: 367: 1014: 990: 918: 886: 878: 838: 720: 443: 439: 349: 323:," even tapdancing on a bar table and breaking dozens of drinking glasses in the process. 257: 226: 218: 52: 708: 690: 674: 724: 658: 486:
The tabletop snake dance: Performed by Astaire at the behest of Robert Ryan's character.
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Fred professes his love to Joan, just after he boards the plane for takeoff.
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It was released in France in 1945 and recorded admissions of 671,864.
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on the table in exchange for not revealing who he really is.
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Academy Award for Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)
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RKO Film Grosses, 1929-1951: the C. J. Tevlin ledger
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Astaire Dancing - The Musical Films of Fred Astaire
170: 162: 154: 146: 136: 113: 103: 92: 82: 72: 58: 48: 38: 21: 473:from the previous year and Astaire's partner in 489:"My Shining Hour" (dance): This is a partnered 746: 8: 1327:English-language romantic comedy-drama films 619:Icons Radio - Interview with John Mulholland 1332:English-language musical comedy-drama films 497:One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) 243:One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) 753: 739: 731: 723: 707: 689: 673: 657: 27: 18: 595:Box office information for France in 1945 340:as Fred Atwell, also known as Fred Burton 248:Arlen and Mercer were nominated for the 536: 566: 564: 562: 7: 1292:American romantic comedy-drama films 1252:Films directed by Edward H. Griffith 1302:American musical comedy-drama films 467:, respectively Leslie's partner in 1272:World War II films made in wartime 545:"The Sky's the Limit: Detail View" 14: 1307:1940s romantic comedy-drama films 479:from 1941 and the aforementioned 1297:1940s musical comedy-drama films 418:The story line was taken from a 1227:American romantic musical films 425:fit Fred Astaire in the movie. 16:1943 film by Edward H. Griffith 1262:Films shot at Pinewood Studios 1237:American black-and-white films 580:"Top Grossers of the Season", 1: 1277:Films scored by Leigh Harline 1287:1940s romantic musical films 1247:Films based on short fiction 1242:1940s English-language films 1087:Biography of a Bachelor Girl 704:AFI Catalog of Feature Films 1312:World War II aviation films 205:. The film was directed by 122:September 2, 1943 1348: 1257:Films set in New York City 614:, 1959, multiple reprints. 769: 547:. American Film Institute 376:as Jackson, Phil's butler 291:He eventually ends up in 26: 1267:Flying Tigers in fiction 584:, January 5, 1944, p. 54 1232:American aviation films 791:Billy and the Big Stick 716:The Sky's the Limit 698:The Sky's the Limit 682:The Sky's the Limit 666:The Sky's the Limit 649:The Sky's the Limit 481:You Were Never Lovelier 452:You Were Never Lovelier 280:, Flying Tiger triple 264:was nominated for the 815:Your Obedient Servant 775:The Awakening of Ruth 476:You'll Never Get Rich 421:Saturday Evening Post 189:comedy film starring 807:The Law of the North 1183:The Sky's the Limit 1175:One Night in Lisbon 959:Alias the Lone Wolf 823:The End of the Road 799:One Touch of Nature 597:at Box Office Story 470:Yankee Doodle Dandy 382:as Harvey J. Sloan 362:Elizabeth Patterson 185:is a 1943 romantic 182:The Sky's The Limit 22:The Sky's the Limit 1282:RKO Pictures films 1063:The Animal Kingdom 983:The Price of Honor 863:If Women Only Knew 763:Edward H. Griffith 761:Films directed by 687:TCM Movie Database 391:as Richard Merlin 370:as Canteen hostess 358:as Reginald Fenton 286:ticker tape parade 254:Best Original Song 213:. Astaire plays a 211:RKO Radio Pictures 209:, and released by 207:Edward H. Griffith 108:RKO Radio Pictures 43:Edward H. Griffith 1317:1943 comedy films 1209: 1208: 1191:Young and Willing 1135:Honeymoon in Bali 1127:I'll Take Romance 1103:Next Time We Love 967:The Opening Night 911:Week End Husbands 847:The Vice of Fools 621:, June 10, 2007. 178: 177: 1339: 1322:1943 drama films 1199:Perilous Holiday 1079:Another Language 1071:Lady with a Past 871:The Land of Hope 855:Dawn of the East 755: 748: 741: 732: 727: 711: 693: 677: 661: 598: 592: 586: 577: 571: 568: 557: 556: 554: 552: 541: 368:Marjorie Gateson 352:as Phil Harriman 217:pilot on leave. 197:, with music by 129: 127: 31: 19: 1347: 1346: 1342: 1341: 1340: 1338: 1337: 1336: 1212: 1211: 1210: 1205: 1015:Love Over Night 991:Captain Swagger 919:Another Scandal 879:Scrambled Wives 839:The Garter Girl 765: 759: 721:Box Office Mojo 644: 617:Joan Leslie in 602: 601: 593: 589: 578: 574: 569: 560: 550: 548: 543: 542: 538: 528: 517: 512: 493:romantic dance. 444:Sally Sweetland 440:My Shining Hour 431: 416: 411: 406: 350:Robert Benchley 333: 321:One for My Baby 274: 258:My Shining Hour 227:Robert Benchley 223:Army Air Forces 219:Robert T. Smith 139: 132: 125: 123: 116: 65: 53:David Hempstead 34: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1345: 1343: 1335: 1334: 1329: 1324: 1319: 1314: 1309: 1304: 1299: 1294: 1289: 1284: 1279: 1274: 1269: 1264: 1259: 1254: 1249: 1244: 1239: 1234: 1229: 1224: 1214: 1213: 1207: 1206: 1204: 1203: 1195: 1187: 1179: 1171: 1167:Bahama Passage 1163: 1155: 1147: 1139: 1131: 1123: 1119:Cafe Metropole 1115: 1111:Ladies in Love 1107: 1099: 1095:No More Ladies 1091: 1083: 1075: 1067: 1059: 1051: 1047:Beyond Victory 1043: 1035: 1027: 1019: 1011: 1007:The Shady Lady 1003: 995: 987: 979: 975:Afraid to Love 971: 963: 955: 947: 939: 931: 923: 915: 907: 899: 891: 883: 875: 867: 859: 851: 843: 835: 827: 819: 811: 803: 795: 787: 779: 770: 767: 766: 760: 758: 757: 750: 743: 735: 729: 728: 712: 706: 694: 678: 662: 643: 642:External links 640: 639: 638: 630:, Knopf 1985, 626:John Mueller: 624: 615: 610:Fred Astaire: 607: 606: 600: 599: 587: 572: 558: 535: 534: 533: 532: 527: 524: 516: 513: 511: 508: 507: 506: 494: 491:ballroom-style 487: 484: 447: 430: 427: 415: 412: 410: 407: 405: 404: 395: 389:Richard Davies 386: 377: 371: 365: 364:as Mrs. Fisher 359: 353: 347: 346:as Joan Manion 341: 334: 332: 329: 273: 270: 201:and lyrics by 176: 175: 172: 168: 167: 164: 160: 159: 156: 152: 151: 148: 144: 143: 140: 137: 134: 133: 131: 130: 119: 117: 114: 111: 110: 105: 104:Distributed by 101: 100: 94: 90: 89: 84: 80: 79: 74: 73:Cinematography 70: 69: 60: 56: 55: 50: 46: 45: 40: 36: 35: 32: 24: 23: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1344: 1333: 1330: 1328: 1325: 1323: 1320: 1318: 1315: 1313: 1310: 1308: 1305: 1303: 1300: 1298: 1295: 1293: 1290: 1288: 1285: 1283: 1280: 1278: 1275: 1273: 1270: 1268: 1265: 1263: 1260: 1258: 1255: 1253: 1250: 1248: 1245: 1243: 1240: 1238: 1235: 1233: 1230: 1228: 1225: 1223: 1220: 1219: 1217: 1201: 1200: 1196: 1193: 1192: 1188: 1185: 1184: 1180: 1177: 1176: 1172: 1169: 1168: 1164: 1161: 1160: 1156: 1153: 1152: 1148: 1145: 1144: 1140: 1137: 1136: 1132: 1129: 1128: 1124: 1121: 1120: 1116: 1113: 1112: 1108: 1105: 1104: 1100: 1097: 1096: 1092: 1089: 1088: 1084: 1081: 1080: 1076: 1073: 1072: 1068: 1065: 1064: 1060: 1057: 1056: 1052: 1049: 1048: 1044: 1041: 1040: 1036: 1033: 1032: 1028: 1025: 1024: 1020: 1017: 1016: 1012: 1009: 1008: 1004: 1001: 1000: 999:Hold 'Em Yale 996: 993: 992: 988: 985: 984: 980: 977: 976: 972: 969: 968: 964: 961: 960: 956: 953: 952: 948: 945: 944: 940: 937: 936: 932: 929: 928: 924: 921: 920: 916: 913: 912: 908: 905: 904: 903:Unseeing Eyes 900: 897: 896: 895:The Go-Getter 892: 889: 888: 884: 881: 880: 876: 873: 872: 868: 865: 864: 860: 857: 856: 852: 849: 848: 844: 841: 840: 836: 833: 832: 828: 825: 824: 820: 817: 816: 812: 809: 808: 804: 801: 800: 796: 793: 792: 788: 785: 784: 780: 777: 776: 772: 771: 768: 764: 756: 751: 749: 744: 742: 737: 736: 733: 726: 722: 718: 717: 713: 710: 705: 702: 700: 699: 695: 692: 688: 684: 683: 679: 676: 672: 668: 667: 663: 660: 655: 651: 650: 646: 645: 641: 637: 636:0-394-51654-0 633: 629: 625: 623: 620: 616: 613: 612:Steps in Time 609: 608: 604: 603: 596: 591: 588: 585: 583: 576: 573: 567: 565: 563: 559: 546: 540: 537: 530: 529: 525: 523: 520: 514: 509: 504: 503: 498: 495: 492: 488: 485: 482: 478: 477: 472: 471: 466: 465:Rita Hayworth 462: 458: 457:name-dropping 454: 453: 448: 445: 441: 437: 436: 435: 428: 426: 423: 422: 413: 408: 403: 399: 398:Peter Lawford 396: 394: 390: 387: 385: 381: 380:Clarence Kolb 378: 375: 372: 369: 366: 363: 360: 357: 354: 351: 348: 345: 342: 339: 336: 335: 330: 328: 324: 322: 316: 312: 308: 306: 300: 296: 294: 293:New York City 289: 287: 283: 279: 271: 269: 267: 263: 262:Leigh Harline 259: 255: 251: 246: 244: 240: 234: 232: 228: 224: 220: 216: 212: 208: 204: 203:Johnny Mercer 200: 196: 192: 188: 184: 183: 173: 169: 165: 161: 157: 153: 150:United States 149: 145: 141: 135: 121: 120: 118: 112: 109: 106: 102: 98: 97:Leigh Harline 95: 91: 88: 85: 81: 78: 77:Russell Metty 75: 71: 68: 64: 61: 57: 54: 51: 47: 44: 41: 37: 30: 25: 20: 1197: 1189: 1182: 1181: 1173: 1165: 1157: 1149: 1143:Cafe Society 1141: 1133: 1125: 1117: 1109: 1101: 1093: 1085: 1077: 1069: 1061: 1053: 1045: 1037: 1029: 1021: 1013: 1005: 997: 989: 981: 973: 965: 957: 949: 941: 933: 925: 917: 909: 901: 893: 885: 877: 869: 861: 853: 845: 837: 829: 821: 813: 805: 797: 789: 781: 773: 715: 697: 681: 665: 648: 627: 618: 611: 605:Bibliography 590: 581: 575: 549:. Retrieved 539: 521: 518: 500: 480: 474: 468: 461:James Cagney 450: 432: 419: 417: 402:(uncredited) 401: 393:(uncredited) 392: 384:(uncredited) 383: 338:Fred Astaire 325: 317: 313: 309: 301: 299:want a job. 297: 290: 278:World War II 275: 247: 235: 215:Flying Tiger 199:Harold Arlen 191:Fred Astaire 181: 180: 179: 138:Running time 115:Release date 99:(uncredited) 87:Roland Gross 63:Fred Astaire 1031:Rich People 1023:Paris Bound 927:Bad Company 783:Barnaby Lee 551:January 25, 502:Holiday Inn 414:Development 400:as officer 356:Robert Ryan 344:Joan Leslie 305:snake dance 195:Joan Leslie 174:$ 2,185,000 67:Joan Leslie 49:Produced by 39:Directed by 33:Film poster 1222:1943 films 1216:Categories 943:White Mice 526:References 515:Box office 409:Production 374:Eric Blore 231:Eric Blore 171:Box office 142:89 minutes 126:1943-09-02 935:Headlines 510:Reception 166:$ 871,000 83:Edited by 1159:Virginia 951:Atta Boy 887:Free Air 671:AllMovie 483:in 1942. 239:standard 155:Language 93:Music by 59:Starring 1055:Rebound 1039:Holiday 701:at the 685:at the 582:Variety 276:During 256:, for " 187:musical 158:English 147:Country 124: ( 1202:(1946) 1194:(1943) 1186:(1943) 1178:(1941) 1170:(1941) 1162:(1941) 1154:(1940) 1151:Safari 1146:(1939) 1138:(1939) 1130:(1937) 1122:(1937) 1114:(1936) 1106:(1936) 1098:(1935) 1090:(1935) 1082:(1933) 1074:(1932) 1066:(1932) 1058:(1931) 1050:(1931) 1042:(1930) 1034:(1929) 1026:(1929) 1018:(1928) 1010:(1928) 1002:(1928) 994:(1928) 986:(1927) 978:(1927) 970:(1927) 962:(1927) 954:(1926) 946:(1926) 938:(1925) 930:(1925) 922:(1924) 914:(1924) 906:(1923) 898:(1923) 890:(1922) 882:(1921) 874:(1921) 866:(1921) 858:(1921) 850:(1920) 842:(1920) 834:(1920) 826:(1919) 818:(1917) 810:(1917) 802:(1917) 794:(1917) 786:(1917) 778:(1917) 656:  634:  163:Budget 531:Notes 459:both 429:Music 250:Oscar 831:Babs 654:IMDb 632:ISBN 553:2024 463:and 331:Cast 272:Plot 252:for 193:and 719:at 669:at 652:at 282:ace 260:". 1218:: 561:^ 268:. 754:e 747:t 740:v 555:. 438:" 319:" 241:" 128:)

Index


Edward H. Griffith
David Hempstead
Fred Astaire
Joan Leslie
Russell Metty
Roland Gross
Leigh Harline
RKO Radio Pictures
musical
Fred Astaire
Joan Leslie
Harold Arlen
Johnny Mercer
Edward H. Griffith
RKO Radio Pictures
Flying Tiger
Robert T. Smith
Army Air Forces
Robert Benchley
Eric Blore
standard
One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
Oscar
Best Original Song
My Shining Hour
Leigh Harline
Academy Award for Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)
World War II
ace

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