Top Hat

Snubbed: Fred Astaire 

Dir. Mark Sandrich. 1935, U.S. 101 mins. 35mm print courtesy of Library of Congress. With Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Erik Rhodes, Eric Blore. There’s an amusing irony to the fact that Fred Astaire was only nominated for a competitive acting Oscar once, and it was for...The Towering Inferno. Though in the 1930s he had been one of the biggest stars in the world, the debonair tap dancer from Omaha was the kind of performer whose entire act was premised upon the veneer of effortlessness. Though his lack of Oscar appreciation is perhaps no surprise, watching one of his greatest musicals, such as the endlessly witty dazzler Top Hat, is to be constantly reminded of his myriad gifts as an onscreen presence: not just his legendary abilities on his feet but also his alacrity with screwball comedy and unparalleled sensual chemistry with Rogers. Featuring the heavenly “Cheek to Cheek,” Top Hat, the biggest hit of Astaire and Rogers’s films together, might be the apex of Astaire’s charms. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.