#luella gear

[citizenscreen]

Terrific behind-the-scenes shot of director Mark Sandrich and crew filming Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Ralph Bellamy, and Luella Gear in CAREFREE (1938)

#behind the scenes #fred astaire #ginger rogers #ralph bellamy #luella gear #mark sandrich #old hollywood

[addictivecontradiction]

Carefree, 1938

#comedy #musical #romance #carefree #mark sandrich #allan scott #ernest pagano #dudley nichols #hagar wilde #marian ainslee #guy endore #ginger rogers #luella gear #hattie mcdaniel #valentine

[dorawinifredread]

#Carefree #Luella Gear #Musicals

[newyorkthegoldenage]

W.C. Fields and an unidentified actress in Poppy, 1923. This was a musical with music by Stephen Jones and Arthur Samuels, book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly, additional music by John Egan, and additional songs with lyrics by Howard Dietz and Irving Caesar.

Madge Kennedy had the title role and Luella Gear was also in the cast. Fields played a character named Professor Eustace McGargle. The story, set in 1874 Connecticut, concerns a circus barker and con man, Prof. McGargle, who tries to pass off his foster daughter, Poppy, as a long-lost heiress. It turns out, of course, that Poppy really is an heiress.

It opened on September 3, 1923, and ran for a successful 346 performances, closing on June 28, 1924. It included elements of revue, including specialty numbers. Its success established Fields's comic con man persona and led to film versions, also starring Fields. The first was a silent called Sally of the Sawdust (1925), directed by D.W. Griffith, and the second was Poppy (1936).

Photo: White Studio via NYPL

#vintage New York #1920s #W.C. Fields #Poppy musical #Poppy film #Prof. McGargle #Broadway musicals #vintage Broadway #September 3 #3 September #June 28 #28 June #vintage NYC

[outoftowninac]

LOVE O’ MIKE

1916 - 1918

Love O’ Mike is a musical comedy in two acts and a prologue by Jerome Kern (music), Harry Smith (lyrics), and a book credited to Thomas Sydney (a pseudonym for Augustus Thomas and Smith’s son Sydney) with additional lyrics by Herbert Reynolds. It was originally produced by Elizabeth Marbury and Lee Shubert, staged by J.H. Benrimo. The cast featured Lawrence Grossmith (Lord Michael Kildare), Allison Bain (Mrs. Marvin), George Hassell (Bif Jackson), Clifton Webb (Alonzo Bird), Vivian Wessell (Vivian), Luella Gear (Luella) and Peggy Wood (Peggy), among others.  

The musical was formerly titled Girls Will Be Girls. It was changed to avoid confusion with another musical of the same title. Love O’ Mike was one of the script’s original titles along with Strike the Lyre.  

The musical takes place at Mrs. Marvin’s home in Bronxville, New York. 

All the girls at Mrs. Marvin’s house party fall in love with Lord Michael Kildare (the Mike of the title), but he only has eyes for Vivian. The party is marred when the butler, a sometimes second-story man, steals one young lady’s money. Then Mike takes credit for rescuing people from a local tenement fire. His bravery further mars the fun of the male members of the party, who must endure watching their girls’ adulation of Mike run out of control. With the butler, the men plot a phony rescue to counter Mike’s claims of heroics. But the two-faced butler tells Mike and the girls of the plan. 

Under the title Girls Will Be Girls, the show premiered at Philadelphia’s Lyric Theatre on November 20, 1916. In January 1917 it played the Garrick in Detroit and the Alvin in Pittsburgh. 

“All the familiar conventions associated with musical plays have been swept aside in the production of ‘Love O' Mike.’ There is no chorus, but there is a cast of sixteen principals; the music helps to develop the story and there is a freshness and spontaneity about the individual performances that aid in the appeal of the entertainment.”  ~ COURIER-NEWS

Love O’ Mike opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre (255 West 44th Street) on January 15, 1917. 

About the Venue: The Shubert Theatre was built by Lee and J.J. Shubert as tribute to their brother Sam, who died in a train crash in 1905. It has rarely been dark since opening in 1913. It is the flagship theatre of the Shubert Organization. 

"’Love O’ Mike' is an excellent musical comedy for a pair of beginners, but when that has been said there remains little else that may be stated its favor. With due consideration for their youth and Inexperience, the piece is still disappointing because they had such excellent advisers.” ~ NEW YORK HERALD

The musical transferred to Maxine Elliott’s Theatre (109 West 39th Street) on March 19, 1917 and played there until June 30, 1917.  

About the Venue: Lee Shubert sold actress Maxine Elliott the land for this theatre in exchange for fifty-percent interest in it - making Elliott one of the only female managers. It was leased to the Federal Theatre in 1936. In 1941, it became a radio station and, later, a television studio. In 1956, Elliott's heirs sold her share to the Shuberts, who then sold the property. It was demolished in 1960.

After taking the summer months off, the musical re-opened on August 27, 1917 at the Casino Theatre (1404 Broadway at 39th Street). Laurence Grossmith was replaced by Max Leeds, but much of the original cast remained. This relaunch would technically be kicking off a new theatre season.  It played there until September 29, 1917. 

About the Venue: Built for light musicals and operetta, the Casino showed mostly "polite vaudeville" starting in 1892. In 1903 the Shuberts acquired the lease. A 1905 a fire necessitated much reconstruction. In February of 1930, the theatre was demolished to make room for the expanding garment district. 

The total run over all three theatres was 233 performances. After Broadway, the play decamped to Newark before moving to Buffalo and Boston. 

The play toured extensively and eventually made its way to Atlantic City. 

Love O’ Mike opened in Atlantic City on May 20, 1918 at B.F. Keith’s Garden Pier Theatre.  The tour finally wrapped up in June 1918, 19 months after its first performance in Philadelphia. 

#Love O' Mike #Jerome Kern #Shubert #Garden pier Theatre #Atlantic City #Peggy Wood #Laurence Grosssmith #George Hassell #Clifton Webb #Musical #Broadway Musical #Musical Comedy #Girls Will Be Girls #Shubert Theatre #Casino Theatre #Maxine Elliott's Theatre

[erstwhile-punk-guerito]

#carefree #fred astaire #ginger rogers #ralph bellamy #luella gear #jack carson #clarence kolb #franklin pangborn #mark sandrich #1938

[letterboxd-loggd]

Phffft (1954) Mark Robson

January 16th 2022

#phffft #1954 #mark robson #judy holliday #jack lemmon #jack carson #kim novak #luella gear #donald curtis #merry anders

[travsd]

Getting Into Luella Gear

Getting Into Luella Gear

Looks a little like Evelyn Nesbitt here! Comedienne Luella Gear (1897-1980) wasn’t in vaudeville but she worked with so many who were that she seems a veteran by proxy. She was almost entirely a creature of the Broadway stage, having begun performing there when she was 20. Her screen appearances are few and far between; movie buffs are most likely to know her from the Fred and Ginger musical…

View On WordPress

#Luella Gear

[oldhollywoodholla]

Movies I saw in 2017

↳ Carefree (1938)

#Carefree #*2017 #Fred Astaire #Ginger Rogers #Ralph Bellamy #Luella Gear #Clarence Kolb #Jack Carson

[busterverse]

Non-MGM Monday

We are huge fans of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, so last night we watched RKO's Carefree (1938), about psychologist Tony Flagg (Fred) who falls in love with radio singer Amanda Cooper (Ginger), who happens to be attached to some other poor fella Steve (played by Ralph Bellamy).

Carefree contains a couple of wacky, protracted comedic scenes where Ginger, under the influence of anasthesia or hypnosis, runs wild through the streets of New York.  The direction and timing, especially Ginger’s, were superb.  

I said, 'This stuff has Buster's trademark.  Did he run over to RKO one lunch hour and orchestrate these scenes?'

Amanda Cooper: You've heard of Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf?

Tony Flagg: Yes, I have.

Amanda Cooper: Well, that's what I dreamed about.

Tony Flagg: You dreamed you were Little Red Riding Hood?

Amanda Cooper: No, I was the wolf.

Bonus points: Both Fred and Buster were vaudevillians.  Luella Gear, who plays Aunt Cora, made her film debut in 1917, the same year as Buster.

It’s a fun movie.  Watch it.  And…Yeah.  Comparison time.

#Buster Keaton #Six Degrees of Busteration #rko #fred astaire #ginger rogers #comedy #Old Hollywood #Black and white film #musical #comparison time #the comedic genius that is keaton

[citizenscreen]

Ginger Rogers, Ralph Bellamy, Fred Astaire, and Luella Gear on the RKO lot during the making of CAREFREE in 1938.

#ginger rogers #ralph bellamy #fred astaire #luella gear

[dorawinifredread]

#Carefree #Ginger Rogers #Fred Astaire #Luella Gear #Musicals

[marvella15]

Astaire & Rogers Rewatch Part 8: Carefree

• Ah Carefree. Another film with a lot of weird, extraneous crap in it that detracts from what we’re all actually here for: Astaire and Rogers together and dancing. 

• Surprisingly, this odd movie has a song and dance I especially like, “Change Partners.” It also has the first on-screen romantic kiss between Astaire and Rogers. But we’ll get to that. 

• Our character/actors: Dr. Tony Flagg (Fred Astaire), Amanda (Ginger Rogers), Stephen (Ralph Bellamy), Cora (Luella Gear)

• I’m not up on Ralph Bellamy’s filmography but in every movie I’ve ever seen him in, he’s the guy who loses the girl to the bigger male star. 

• Now I’m no expert but it seems like if your fiancé breaks off your engagement three times, there might be some actual issues in your relationship. And I don’t think those issues boil down to just “the girl I like won’t marry me.”

• For the first time in one of these films, Astaire’s character isn’t a dancer or musician by profession. He’s a psychiatrist… who used to be a dancer. Gotta have some reason why he’s so dang elegant and talented. 

Not a fan of his notes on a patient that indicate she’s a “typical pampered female” who doesn’t need a doctor but rather “a good spanking.” 

Right after this, he describes Amanda, whom he hasn’t met, in very unflattering terms, including that she probably doesn’t have a brain. Here’s a diagnosis, Dr. Flagg. You’re a misogynist. 

Already we can see some issues with Carefree. 1938 may have been a different time but nothing about Astaire’s character is charming, kind, or anything we’d want Rogers to be paired with.

• I do like that as usual Rogers’ character doesn’t stand for any crap. She doesn’t give one single eff about his questions or his attempts to chat with her and then she storms out. 

• Astaire spent two weeks rehearsing the golf solo (aka "Since They Turned 'Loch Lomond' into Swing"), during which he did a thousand swings. The actual number took two and a half days to film. 

Surely it helped that he was an avid golfer already. In addition to horse racing, it was one of his favorites hobbies. 

It goes without saying that he hits a golf ball better in the midst of a dance than I could on a driving range. 

It also probably goes without saying that the only reason Tony does this number is because his ego is insulted by Amanda. 

• Rogers looks particularly fab in her shorts during the bicycle scenes. 

• Amanda begins to warm up to Tony after seeing he has talents besides psychoanalysis and insulting women he hasn’t met. But she only truly starts to like him after he makes an idiot of himself by crashing his bike into a bush. 

• Cora thinks that Tony sent her a gigolo?? And she’s totally on board with it?? And she drinks something this random man (who we know is Tony’s assistant) hands her???

• “I Used to be Color Blind” has a lot of potential that it doesn’t live up to imo. As you might guess by the song and the way the scene is filmed, this sequence was supposed to be in color. But, depending on who you ask, either the studio felt it was too expensive or the color tests looked horrible so it was scrapped. Either way, it’s a shame. Audiences had to wait over ten years to see Astaire and Rogers dancing in color.

• I’m also not wild about the slow motion, which seems a bit goofy. However, it does let us better appreciate the talent and mastery of Astaire and Rogers. For example, when he lifts her in a spin, her feet don’t touch the ground again for a while and they both make it seem effortless. 

• Soooo the Kiss. I know I’ve been banging the kiss kiss kiss drum for a few movies now. But this almost isn’t that satisfying? Now, I would say that this could’ve been intentional on Astaire’s part since he (and maybe his wife?) was the one opposed to any on-screen clinches and preferred the romance and intimacy to be in the dances. But, Astaire wasn’t comfortable with even this finished product, according to both his account and Rogers’. The slow-motion made what was really just a peck on the lips seem like much more, which he felt made up for all of the kisses he hadn’t given her in their previous films. So it seems unlikely he had any hand in intentionally making it unsatisfying. 

More likely, it’s that of all of the scenes, songs, dances, and movies for a kiss to happen, this isn’t the one I would’ve picked. A peck on the lips during “The Continental” would’ve been perfect, or a delicate kiss after “Cheek to Cheek” or a passionate one after “Never Gonna Dance.” Just a few places I wish we’d seen a kiss rather than (or in addition to) here.

All of that said, I will say that there’s something very fitting that in the scene Rogers is the one to lean up and kiss him rather than him being the proactive one. That’s very fitting for their off-screen dynamic too where he was far more shy and reserved. And I do like that it’s clearly an intimate kiss, as evidenced by the way she wraps her arms around his back. 

• Two years before she would win her historic Oscar, Hattie McDaniel appears in Carefree in an uncredited role as a maid.

• When Amanda next meets with Tony, she is conflicted about telling him about her dream where she was very clearly in love with him and not boring old Steve. Her sweater conveys her struggle. It has arrows piercing an embroidered heart over her actual heart. 

• Amanda’s invented dream is insane but who hasn’t made up ridiculous excuses to stay around their crush? But kids, don’t go so far as being put under anesthesia. 

• The whole period where Amanda is still drugged and acting weird is absolutely something I typically skip, even though Rogers does a good job with the slapstick.

• “The Yam” harkens back to previous numbers like “The Piccolino” or “The Continental.” Even though it feels almost a bit outdated at this point, it’s a fun, upbeat number in an otherwise somewhat dull film. 

• I like that Astaire drops the acting after a few seconds. He’s just himself for most of this dance and looks like he’s having the most fun he has at any point in this movie. Rogers is also all smiles and looks marvelous. 

• I also like that they dance around so much of the lodge and use much of the scenery as part of the number. 

• Some fun lyrics:

“I didn’t come to do the Charleston” - Rogers got her start in entertainment by winning a Charleston contest when she was 14.

“I didn’t come to ball the jack” - Five years later, Judy Garland will perform a superb number called “Ballin’ the Jack” in For Me and My Gal with a promising new musical star: Gene Kelly. 

• Gotta give it up for the EIGHT times they do the move where his leg is up on the table and she leaps over it. 

• She is undoubtedly whispering something to him when they start to slow dance. 

• Rogers is a really wonderful actress. She does a stellar job when Amanda tells Tony she’s actually in love with him.

• Look, I get that Tony’s trying to find a way out of a situation wherein his friend’s fiancé has fallen in love with him and plans to break it off with his friend, but telling Amanda she’s imagining her feelings is pretty crappy of him. Hypnotizing her so she’ll hate him and marry Steve instead is pretty stupid. 

But once again, Rogers does a fab job in this scene. Hypnotized or not, she’s obviously devastated and cries even while pretending to be in a trance. 

• “Kiss her, you dope!” is what I’ve been saying for seven movies. 

• Some light gun violence humor here in 1938.

• I assume it’s an in-joke that the judge’s last name is Travers, which was the last name of Astaire’s character in Gay Divorcee.

• We already knew Steve was hapless trash but refusing to allow Amanda to choose her own future and instead leaving her hypnotized and getting a restraining order against his friend to prevent Tony and Amanda from ever getting together is a new low.

• Unsurprisingly, the most enduring song from this film is “Change Partners,” which was nominated for an Oscar. It’s also one of my favorites and frequently gets stuck in my head. 

• At least Steve’s stupidity is used against him. Tony literally sings exactly what he’s going to do (“I’ll tell the waiter to tell him he’s wanted on the telephone”) and yet Steve still falls for it. 

• For the third(?) time in this film, Rogers must pretend to be in a trance, this time dancing to Astaire’s hypnotic hands. But not long in, she clearly breaks through a bit because she becomes more of a participant. She grabs his hand when it’s on her waist and melts into his arms when they embrace. 

• “Change Partners” as a dance is incredibly intimate. That’s not so unusual for Astaire and Rogers’ romantic duets but it’s a tad unusual in this particular film where, despite that kiss, they’ve hardly had any romantic interactions. And yet in this dance, they are frequently very close together, his lips hover near hers more than once, and it’s all very slow. In fact, they very nearly kiss a few times. To me it’s further proof that as long-awaited as the earlier kiss was, there were and are better places for it, such as right here.

• Amanda really gets a raw deal. Sure she gets to marry the man she actually loves. But in the process, she nearly shoots him and others, gets arrested, is subjected to a variety of psychological experiments, and then gets punched in the face on her wedding day. 

• During this rewatch I’ve been surprised how much I’ve enjoyed certain films I don’t watch as much, like Gay Divorcee, but Carefree is pretty much how I remember it. Very little worth rewatching, except “The Yam” and “Change Partners.”

• Up next is the last RKO production Astaire and Rogers made and the end of their partnership… for now. It’s The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.

#ginger rogers #fred astaire #carefree #classic hollywood #old hollywood #astaire and rogers rewatch

[ghosthunthq]

The Bones in the Acid 2

By: @sprghosthunter

Prompt:  crime investigation AU

“What?! You promised me a DNA sample!” Mai shouted over the phone. She slammed her hand down onto her desk and groaned into the phone, “I thought you were the best at this kind of stuff!” 

“If you would give me a moment to explain,” Oliver’s tone was stern. “There was a lab accident with one of my interns, and the remains were damaged. They are far more fragile, and no longer viable to provide a reasonable sample.”

“Could you get a partial sample? Anything?!”

“Maybe…but I have had no success thus far. If they hadn’t been doused in acid originally, perhaps I might have been able to get…something by now.”

Rubbing her palm over her face, Mai mumbled, “Well…what else can you get for me? Can’t you figure out where he grew up, based on chemicals or something?”

“I am currently examining the isotopes, but given the damage to the bones I can’t guarantee that I will find anything helpful. I did, however, find one thing of interest.”

“Oh?” Mai’s tone changed and she tilted her head, “You did? Well, what is it?”

“There is a nick in his lower left mandible, where his carotid artery should have been.”

Mai slouched back into her chair, “So, his throat was slashed?”

“Yes. I’m also in the process of figuring out what, exactly, created the wound.”

“A knife… obviously…”

She could hear Oliver rolling his eyes over the phone. “Yes…I’m trying to determine what components are in the steel, as well as the shape of the blade. It will narrow your search for a murder weapon.”

“Well, call me back as soon as you find out!”

…line break…

Holding the mandible with gloved hands, Oliver frowned. He had been staring at it for a while, determined to find something he hadn’t yet seen. As he rotated the bone in his hand his cell phone began to ring. He ignored it, as Oliver didn’t care to break his focus. Shortly after the phone ceased its ringing, it began again, much to Oliver’s dismay.

Sighing, Oliver reached into his pocket and answered it, expecting that Mai had called to exchange new information.

“Yes?”

“Has your brother called you this week?” It was Luella. Oliver glanced at his watch and frowned. It was nine in the evening. He had lost track of time again…

Oliver blinked before continuing with his examination, “No.”

“He hasn’t called me. He always calls me on Tuesdays.”

“It’s possible he forgot. Gene is rather irresponsible at times.”

“Noll! Truly, I’m worried! He’s not answering his phone! Or his email!”

Annoyed, the anthropologist set down the remains. He held his phone between his shoulder and ear as he removed his beige gloves.

“I’ll go and check on him then…” Oliver was certain it would be a waste of his time.

…line break…

He gaped as the gears in his mind turned. With a tentative step, Oliver entered the ransacked flat. The floorboards creaked with each step he took and his fingers tightened around the phone in his grasp. He couldn’t find the will to dial for help, not that anybody needed it.

Finally, after shaking his initial sense of shock, Oliver pocketed the mobile device. Directly ahead, he observed shattered glass at the base of the mint-tinted wall. Oliver knelt down before the shards. He pulled a photo of his brother and himself from the jagged rubble and frowned. 

Had… There been… Was there a fight…?

Oliver continued his investigation of the flat, photo in hand. The television in the living room was lying on the floor, portions of the screen surrounding it. The sectional had also been overturned, navy fabric torn to shreds, and the coffee table was snapped in two. 

“Gene… you idiot…” Noll hissed, reaching for the bedroom door, “You better be here…”

But when Oliver opened the door he was greeted by another mess. A broken mirror hung on the far side of the room, offering Oliver a partial reflection. The mattress laid beneath a mangled bed frame, flaunting a number of its internal springs. Clothes were strewn about, and the blinds had been violently ripped from the window.

Among all the damage was no sign of Gene.

…line break…

Mai raced up the stairs of the complex as her team loaded equipment into the elevator. She had been at home, nursing a cup of hot chocolate when Oliver gave her a call. He had been silent while she demanded information, and once he spoke to her, he explained that he needed a team out at Gene’s apartment. The reasoning behind Oliver’s request had Mai dressed and in a car within minutes.

Gene was missing.

As Mai conquered the third flight of stairs, she encountered Oliver in the hall. He was squatting by an open door, staring down. In his hands was a crumpled photograph.

“Naru…?” She was surprised by his vulnerable appearance.

The scientist was quick to stand and compose himself. His expression, as almost always, was vague as he looked at Mai. However, the sapphire coloring of his eyes shone brightly, allowing for a glimpse past his facade. 

“Oh… Naru…” Mai whispered. She moved to hug him, offer some sort of comfort, but he shifted back, away from her.

“I was unable to find his wallet. I assume it was taken… Do you think your team can track his account?”

Mai frowned. Of course they could… and they would… but… Mai knew Oliver would have known that.

“You… think it’s a robbery gone wrong?” She bit her lip.

Oliver shrugged, “I don’t know… but that’s how it appears, minus the fact I was unable to find any traces of blood.” He tossed the small light he had been keeping in his pocket to Mai. 

Mai almost burst, but she restrained herself. He had gone through the crime scene! Without anyone else!

“I’m going back to the lab…” He walked past her. “I want to try and confirm my suspicion.”

Her face drained of all color as she recalled what she had said that morning. The description Oliver gave of the poor man they had discovered… they were similar to Oliver, which meant… it wasn’t impossible for them to belong to Gene.

“Wait!” Mai grabbed onto his sleeve. Oliver glanced at her. “We don’t have the evidence to-”

“We very well might,” Oliver interrupted. “I’m going back now to find out.” He gently removed his arm from Mai’s grasp and continued walking. When her hand latched onto him again, he sighed.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

Mai released him in an instant, obviously hurt by his offered condolence. She tightened her jaw and raised her hand, ready to slap him. Before Mai could smack her hand against his cheek, she stopped. Her fingers curled into her palm and she turned away from Oliver. 

The damned idiot…

“Here…” Oliver placed a hand on Mai’s shoulder. When she faced him, he placed the picture he had been holding into her breast pocket. “You should be the one to have this.”

Unable to fully understand, Mai stepped away and wrenched the gloss print from her pocket. After observing it, she bared her teeth and spun on her heel, prepared to tell Oliver off for being such a moron, but he was already gone.

#Ghost Hunt #GHW2020 #GHHQ #sprghosthunter #crime investivation AU #submission

[disappointingyet]

Carefree

Director Mark Sandrich Stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Ralph Bellamy, Luella Gear, Jack Carson USA 1938 1hr 22mins Black & white 

Utterly charming Fred & Ginger outing

It feels like someone at RKO said, ‘Can we do a movie set mostly in a psychiatrist’s office and a country club?’ And because these were the glory days of the studio system, the writers went away and came up with a delightful confection making the most of both those sets. 

Whatever its actual origins, we have a story that starts with Steve (Ralph Bellamy), who spends an awful lot of his time at the country club, troubled because his fiancée Amanda is being indecisive about actually marrying him. So he asks his chum Tony, a psychoanalyst, if he can help. This is questionable ethically – not being sure if you want to get married doesn’t strike me as a legit mental health issue (Tony does at one point mention he has more urgent patients) – but also seems disastrous for Steve because Amanda is played by Ginger Rogers and Tony by Fred Astaire, so we know where this is going.

Along the way, the film will make full use of the comedy potential of the variety of (mostly rather dodgy) psychiatric interventions (dream-inducing food, anaesthetic, hypnosis) Tony tries on Amanda, along with assorted things that can happen at a country club.

While there are moments in earlier Astaire-Rogers movies that have you waiting for the dancing to come along, Carefree stands up as a screwball comedy. Compare this with the first of the duo’s movies – The Gay Divorce – and you’ll see how far Astaire has come as an actor: he’s supremely confident in a way he wasn’t before. Rogers is reliably terrific, and as usual there’s first-rate support. Luella Gear gets many of the best lines as Amanda’s Aunt Cora, who takes a shine to Tony’s physically imposing and up-for-any-crazy-scheme assistant Connors (Jack Carson). 

So oddly enough, the song-and-dance stuff is a bit secondary. This is not the finest assembly of Irving Berlin tunes you will come across, and there isn’t a particularly memorable showpiece dance for our stars together. The dance number most likely to crop up in clip collections is a Fred solo with golf club and multiple golf balls. Even here, the comedy is being served: there is a good payoff after Astaire has finished his fancy footwork.

Which isn’t to say there isn’t some good singing and some superlative dancing – of course it’s there. But at this point the RKO team, notably but not only director Mark Sandrich and his stars, were in a perfect groove, the whole thing feels effortlessly entertaining.

#fred and ginger #fred astaire #ginger rogers

[sparkkappa]

Luella Beaumont - Assassin

QQQAB

Attribute: Man Traits: Female, Humanoid, Servant, Weak to Enuma Elish Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Tricks of the Trade - B      A unique skill that provides Luella with a seemingly bottomless bag. In addition to the blades stored within, she seems to have an item or tool for almost any situation. Furthermore, she is able to store new items in there, though the extent of this effect is unknown. It is also unknown if living beings can survive within.

Mark of the Phantom - A      A skill that allows Luella to mark an individual. The mark is invisible to all her, and is undetectable to any who lack a high amount of magical affinity. Even as such, the mage must be actively looking to find it. While the target is marked, Luella is able to tell where they are at all times, alongside some basic stats. Such information includes activity(Eating, sleeping, etc), heartbeat, and health(notifying her of any illnesses and the like.)

Golden Rule - B      A skill derived from a thief who spent her life successfully robbing the rich, she seems to be able to find money where others would see only worthless junk. She is also able to evaluate the true worth of most objects, though this skill appears to be especially strong when it comes to works of art. When presented with such works, she is able to immediately tell what is real and what is a forgery.

Presence Concealment - A+      A phantom that was never seen while she was alive, some believed she was nothing but an urban legend. To make matters worse, she has an unassuming appearance, finding it easy to blend into a crowd or be hard to notice. All this combines to allow her to sneak around unnoticed by just about anyone until she attacks.

Independent Action - C      For a short period of time, Luella is able to break away from her master. Due to the low amount of mana needed to sustain her, she is able to stay away for longer than one with this skill rank normally would, though doing anything strenuous proves to weaken her greatly. A skill best used to allow her to investigate or set traps.

Strength: E Endurance: D Agility: EX Mana: A Luck: E Noble Phantasm: B

Noble Phantasm - Phantom's Scheming: [Raid from the Shadows]

[Luella jumps backwards, phasing into the shadows. Soon after, whispers and murmurs can be heard from all around as the area grows darker. Glowing eyes appear, staring down anyone caught within, while the targets begin to softly glow. A figure resembling Luella steps closer, easily destroyed in a single blow. Another follows out from somewhere else, and more continue to walk forth, getting faster each time. All at once, they swarm over everyone, seeming to do no damage. As the darkness fades, Luella reappears, stuffing the enemy's weapons or gear into her bag, and escaping.]