Die-hard Fred Astaire fans and die-hard Bing Crosby fans are probably going to do what I did: watch Blue Skies. There won't be anything I can say to talk you out of it, because that's what die-hard fans do! So go ahead and rent it, get it over with, and then go rent a good movie.
I have no idea if Billy De Wolfe had a terrible sense of humor or if he was forced to do ridiculous things on camera, but whoever was responsible for his lengthy, unfunny scenes in this movie should have been banned from Hollywood. He has a ten-minute segment where he dresses in drag and pretends to be a drunk, old lady. I fast-forwarded it but kept my eye on the running time. Most of the songs, Billy or not, lasted far too long, tacking on extra verses simply to annoy the audience. In one of the only cute songs "Song and Dance Man", in which Bing is the song and Fred is the dance, the song keeps going when it should have stopped and the two regress to a vaudeville banana peel act where they give impersonations. Folks, keep your fast-forward button handy.
Now, if all the songs were cut out, the story is a little interesting. Joan Caufield starts out as a chorus girl in Fred Astaire's dance show. He keeps pursuing her, but she's heard rumors about the women who succumb to his charms so she resists. Then, when she finally lets him take her out for a drink, he inadvertently introduces her to his friend Bing Crosby. Fred's a bit of a cad in the beginning, so Joan starts to fall for Bing's charms. Sounds good, especially since Fred doesn't get to play a stud muffin very often, but the love triangle quickly becomes disappointing. First one's a jerk, then the other, then the other, then the other. Why are we rooting for her to end up with anyone?
And, if that's not enough to convince you Blue Skies is a bad movie, the entire movie is narrated by Fred as he performs a radio program. How is it suspenseful when it keeps cutting back to him in a booth? It really isn't, since he tells us the ending at the beginning of the movie. Still, I guarantee nothing I said will convince you, so go ahead and watch it.
I have no idea if Billy De Wolfe had a terrible sense of humor or if he was forced to do ridiculous things on camera, but whoever was responsible for his lengthy, unfunny scenes in this movie should have been banned from Hollywood. He has a ten-minute segment where he dresses in drag and pretends to be a drunk, old lady. I fast-forwarded it but kept my eye on the running time. Most of the songs, Billy or not, lasted far too long, tacking on extra verses simply to annoy the audience. In one of the only cute songs "Song and Dance Man", in which Bing is the song and Fred is the dance, the song keeps going when it should have stopped and the two regress to a vaudeville banana peel act where they give impersonations. Folks, keep your fast-forward button handy.
Now, if all the songs were cut out, the story is a little interesting. Joan Caufield starts out as a chorus girl in Fred Astaire's dance show. He keeps pursuing her, but she's heard rumors about the women who succumb to his charms so she resists. Then, when she finally lets him take her out for a drink, he inadvertently introduces her to his friend Bing Crosby. Fred's a bit of a cad in the beginning, so Joan starts to fall for Bing's charms. Sounds good, especially since Fred doesn't get to play a stud muffin very often, but the love triangle quickly becomes disappointing. First one's a jerk, then the other, then the other, then the other. Why are we rooting for her to end up with anyone?
And, if that's not enough to convince you Blue Skies is a bad movie, the entire movie is narrated by Fred as he performs a radio program. How is it suspenseful when it keeps cutting back to him in a booth? It really isn't, since he tells us the ending at the beginning of the movie. Still, I guarantee nothing I said will convince you, so go ahead and watch it.