Broadway Melody of 1940

Broadway Melody of 1940 is a 1940 MGM movie musical starring Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell and George Murphy. It was directed by Norman Taurog and features music by Cole Porter, including Begin the Beguine.

Johnny Brett Fred Astaire and King Shaw George Murphy are a dance team so down on their luck theyre working in a dance hall for no money. Meanwhile, Clare Bennett Eleanor Powell is a big Broadway star. Owing to a case of mistaken identity, Shaw is offered the chance to be Clares dancing partner in a new Broadway show, while it was really Johnnys dancing that producer Bob Casey Frank Morgan saw and wanted. The partnership breaks up, but Johnny sticks around to help out Shaw, who lets his newfound success go to his head. Clare eventually realizes that Johnny, and not Shaw, is the better dancer, and she falls in love after having lunch with him. When Shaw gets drunk on opening night, Johnny steps in and saves the show with a brilliant performance, though he lets King think he did it himself. Clare later tells Shaw the truth. Just before the next show, Clare discovers Shaw drunk and Johnny becomes the permanent replacement. After the show, they find out that King was pretending to be drunk so that Johnny would get the job. Broadway Melody of 1940 was based on a story by Jack McGowan and Dore Schary. Schary would go on to be head of production 1948 and then president 1951 of MGM until 1956. The film was originally planned to be shot in Technicolor, but because of the unsettled state of Europe due to World War II, MGM decided to stick to black and white. ........

Source: Wikipedia