Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell dance to "Begin the Beguine" in Broadway Melody of 1940.

Broadway Melody of 1940 was a American movie musical starring Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell and George Murphy. It was directed by Norman Taurog and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987), born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American film and Broadway ballroom dancer and actor. ... Eleanor Powell, left, in Broadway Melody of 1938. ... George Lloyd Murphy (July 4, 1902 - May 3, 1992) was an American dancer, actor and politician. ... Norman Taurog ( February 23, 1899 - April 7, 1981) was an American film director. ... For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ...

In the film, the three stars play dancers in New York. Astaire and Murphy dance in nightclubs, while Powell plays a major Broadway star. A love triangle emerges when the three find themselves working in the same production. This article is about the street in New York City. ...

The film is best remembered for the only on-screen pairing of Astaire and Powell, who were considered the finest movie musical dancers of their time. Astaire was reportedly slightly intimidated by Powell, as she was considered one of the few female dancers capable of out-performing Astaire. The highlight of the film is the duo's dance performance to Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine", which included a lengthy passage in which the two tap danced with no musical backing. This segment was later a highlight of the 1974 documentary That's Entertainment!. Cole Porter ( June 9, 1891 - October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. ... The Beguine is a dance, similar to a slow Rumba, that was very modestly popular in the 1930s, coming from the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, where the Martinique Beguine is a slow close dance with a roll of hips. ... Tap dance was born in the United States during the 19th century, and today is popular all around the world. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... 2004 DVD release Thats Entertainment! is a 1974 documentary released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to celebrate its 50th anniversary. ...

Other musical numbers in the film included: "I Concentrate On You", "Please Don't Monkey with Broadway", "Between You and Me", and "I've Got My Eyes on You" by Porter, as well as "All Ashore" by Roger Edens and the "Jukebox Dance" by Walter Ruick.

This was the fourth and final film in MGM's Broadway Melody series which began with the original The Broadway Melody released in 1929, and was followed by Broadway Melody of 1936 and Broadway Melody of 1938. The films were unconnected except for the use of the song "Broadway Melody" (although the 1940 entry did not feature the number), and the fact that Powell starred in three of them (playing different roles in each). A fifth Broadway Melody film was planned for release in the early 1940s, pairing Eleanor Powell with Gene Kelly, but production was cancelled at the rehearsal stage. The 1940 entry is considered Powell's last major successful film, as she would go on to appear in a succession of only moderate hits before retiring from the screen several years later. The Broadway Melody is an early musical motion picture, released on 1 February 1929. ... 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Broadway Melody of 1936 is a musical film released by MGM in 1935, despite the title. ... Broadway Melody of 1938 is a 1937 musical film, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. ... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s Years: 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Events and trends Technology First nuclear bomb First cruise missile, the V1 flying bomb and the first ballistic missile, the... Eugene Curran Kelly (born August 23, 1912 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and died February 2, 1996 in Beverly Hills, California after suffering two strokes at the age of 83), was best known as an American dancer in films, but was also an actor, singer, director and choreographer. ...

The movie is alluded to in satirist Tom Lehrer 's "George Murphy", a song about the dancer becoming a United States Senator, saying: "Think of all the musicals we have in store. / Imagine: Broadway Melody of Nineteen Eighty-Four". List of satirists below - writers, cartoonists and others known for their involvement in satire - humourous social criticism. ... Tom Lehrer in 1960. ... A contemporary dancer rehearsing in a dance studio Dance generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ...