Swing Time (1936)

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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

George Stevens

Writer:

Howard Lindsay, Allan Scott, Erwin Gelsey

Release Date:

Sep 4, 1936

Runtime:

1hr 43m

Synopsis

Roguish gambler/dancer "Lucky" Garnett is challenged by his fiance's father to come up with $25,000 to prove he's worthy of her hand. But after he falls in love with a dance instructor, Lucky'll do anything to keep from earning the bucks.

Cast

  • Fred Astaire
  • Ginger Rogers
  • Victor Moore
  • Helen Broderick
  • Eric Blore
  • Betty Furness
  • Georges Metaxa
  • William Bailey
  • Harry Bernard
  • William A. Boardway

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.6
33.6K
27.2K
6.7K
RATINGS 70 FANS
3.6
  • Sep 7, 2012

    Fred Astaire randomly appearing in blackface is like a close friend slapping you in the face with his cock.

    1.2K Likes
    val dav
    val dav
    Mar 16, 2018

    “Oh, Fred’s getting his makeup ready for the next dance routine! Oh. Oh no.”

    911 Likes
    mattheweg
    mattheweg
    Oct 21, 2018

    One of my favorite sad loser things to do—although to me it doesn’t feel sad at all—is to put on a Fred Astaire movie right as I go to sleep, and drift in and out to those familiar sounds, until I eventually fall asleep. You can be sure that somewhere along the line I will…

    175 Likes
    Anna Imhof 🌸
    Anna Imhof 🌸
  •
    Jul 11, 2020

    fred astaire performing an entire number in blackface and then singing a song about how he’s never gonna dance again...maybe that’s for the best bby boo 😘

    174 Likes
    eely
    eely
    Aug 12, 2025

    I come to a Fred Astaire flick expecting to enjoy the whimsy of dance not to be assaulted by blackface 👎 not cool Fred

    166 Likes
    Anna🍓
    Anna🍓
    Jan 1, 2019

    I loved this movie, but not surprisingly Werner Herzog does a better job than I could explaining why this is one of his favorite films: “There's a fantastic scene of Fred Astaire dancing with his own shadow. He's exposed to a wall, and he actually casts three…

    158 Likes
    Channing Pomeroy
    Channing Pomeroy
  •
    Aug 30, 2019

    Yeah, all these Fred and Ginger movies are pretty much the same, except this one has the added distinction of being “The Fred and Ginger Movie (With Blackface!)”.

    153 Likes
    sarah
    sarah
    Jun 6, 2026

    Directed by George Stevens, this musical comedy blends romance, humor, and spectacular dance sequences into one of the most charming films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Astaire plays "Lucky" Garnett, a gambler and dancer who heads to New York to earn money for his…

    136 Likes
    André G. 🇵🇹
    André G. 🇵🇹
    May 6, 2025

    Sure there’s a little blackface but there’s also the most gorgeous Art Deco sets paired with amazing Ginger dresses, technical camera wizardry for 1936 and the greatest batch of songs in a Fred and Ginger movie culminating in “Never Gonna Dance” which is not only their…

    124 Likes
    JayShmoney
    JayShmoney
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Top Reviews
  • CvptvinHowdy
    CvptvinHowdy liked
    Swing Time

    Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were great in this and the 2 side characters as well. The dance numbers were incredible too. The romance in the film didn't really get me engaged with their characters, though. Maybe next time it’ll click better and I’ll end up loving it. We’ll see.

    2M
View More Popular Swing Time Reviews on Queue

Atom Users Reviews

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Metacritic

91
metacritic
Based on 16 Critics
6.3

USER SCORE (4)

Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Reviews
100

What Fred and Ginger had together, and what no other team has ever had in the same way, was a joy of performance. They were so good, and they knew they were so good, that they danced in celebration of their gifts.

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Metacritic review by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
70

The plot is never permitted to weigh upon the shoulders of the cast; of comedy there is a generous portion; of romance the lightest sprinkling; of dancing, in solo, duet and ensemble, a brisk and debonair allotment.

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Metacritic review by Frank S. Nugent
Frank S. Nugent
The New York Times
See All Critic Reviews on Metacritic.com

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is Swing Time (1936) (1936)?
The movie is 1hr 43min long.
What's Swing Time (1936) (1936) about?
Roguish gambler/dancer "Lucky" Garnett is challenged by his fiance's father to come up with $25,000 to prove he's worthy of her hand. But after he falls in love with a dance instructor, Lucky'll do anything to keep from earning the bucks.
Who's the cast of Swing Time (1936) (1936)?
  • Fred Astaire as Lucky Garnett
  • Ginger Rogers as Penny Carroll
  • Victor Moore as Pop Cardetti
  • Helen Broderick as Mabel Anderson
  • Eric Blore as Gordon
  • Betty Furness as Margaret Watson
  • Georges Metaxa as Ricky Romero
  • William Bailey as Roulette Player
  • Harry Bernard as Second Stagehand
  • William A. Boardway as Nightclub Patron
Who's the director behind Swing Time (1936) (1936)?
George Stevens directed Swing Time (1936) (1936).