The Band Wagon

A lavish, enduring backstage musical from Vincente Minnelli, The Band Wagon tells the tale of Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire who was 54 at the time) a multi-talented but aging movie star who heads for the Great White Way in hopes of bolstering his flagging career. His two talented pals in New York are only too happy to help out by writing him a dazzling play. Unfortunately, for a lot of reasons, including the fact that there is great tension between Tony and his leggy co-star Gabrielle Gerard (Cyd Charisse) because she thinks him too old and he thinks her too tall, the production bombs. Fortunately this only inspires the cast and crew to work even harder until they eventually succeed beyond their wildest dreams. Some of the most memorable songs include: "Dancing in the Dark," "Triplets," and "That's Entertainment.", Fred Astaire plays a film star who just happens to be an ace hoofer to boot, but who is now going through what showbiz types call a dry patch success-wise. His friends (Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray) dream up a new musical vehicle for him, but when it's initially poorly received, the team have their work cut out trying to improve the production to pull in the crowds before the show is axed.