W2TCH

The Band Wagon (1953)

1953 • 1h 52m • Comedy, Music • NR
On October 3, 2026
#16216
16216th by Pulse movie online
2.8PULSEPulse MeterOur daily Pulse Meter measures public activity and popularity signals across the web.How it works →

All reviews

CinemaSerf on The Band Wagon

7/10 · Jul 16, 2024

I’ve seen countless horror movies, but it had been quite some time since something so unsettling came along as Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse and Oscar Levant appearing as babies while singing about a gun! That pretty much captures the essence of this delightfully oddball narrative. It centers on the theatrically extravagant "Cordova" (Jack Buchanan), who’s brought in to try and revitalize the flagging career of "Tony" (Astaire). He'd been feeling low for a long time, and now that he isn't anyone's favorite person anymore, he’s genuinely disheartened. Fortunately for him (and for me) his friends "Les" (Levant) and "Lily" (Nanette Fabray) aren't ready to give up on him. The complication arises when they need to find a co-star for his new show - and their choice of the rather tense "Gabrielle" (Charisse) doesn’t exactly smooth things over. In fact, she and "Tony" seem unable to tolerate being in the same space, let alone sharing a stage – so there are plenty of outbursts and dramatic moments. But it's all about the craft, dear, as his companions use the catchy tune "That's Entertainment"—a recurring theme—to help “Tony” remember that slipping on your pants is just part of being a performer. Of course, there’s no real danger here; you can pretty much guess from the start how things will resolve themselves, but the film is visually appealing and there’s a wonderful rapport between Charisse and Astaire which lets both performers shine through some excellent dancing, lighthearted humor, and fantastic songs by Schwartz and Dietz as they take their show across America. You might even want to put your toys away at night...

Source on TMDB