Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (Columbia, 1942), directed by William A. Seiter, reunites the likely pair of Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth in another fun-filled musical supported by Adolphe Menjou and Xavier Cugat conducting his conga playing orchestra the South American way.Set in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Robert Davis (Fred Astaire) is introduced as a New York dancer with a weakness for gambling. He loses his entire fortune at the racetrack where the horse he bets on comes in dead last. Next stop: the Acuna Hotel to audition for a dancing job. Entering the office of business tycoon, Eduardo Acuna (Adolphe Menjoe), Davis encounters New York band-leader Xavier Cugat hired to play at the forthcoming wedding of Acuna's eldest daughter Julia (Catherine Craig). Acuna and his wife, Delfina (Barbara Brown), parents of four grown daughters, tend to follow the family tradition of having his younger daughters, Maria (Rita Hayworth), Cecy (Leslie Brooks) and Lita (Adele Mara) marry in the order of their ages. With Julia the first in line, it is Maria's turn to follow, but Maria attempts on breaking the tradition considering how she not much interested in getting married, nor had a crush on any man since she was fifteen. This causing friction for Maria's two younger sisters who are very much in love and wanting to marry their prospective beaus (Larry Parks and Stanley Brown). At the wedding ceremony, Robert encounters Maria, whom he prefers to as a girl with a "personality like the inside of a refrigerator." At the advise of Maria's godmother, Aunt Maria (Isobel Elsom), Eduardo creates an imaginary lover for his daughter, hoping that writing her love letters (with his left hand) and sending orchids might get her interested in a possible romance. Things don't go exactly as planned for Acuna when Maria mistakes her secret admirer for Robert, the dancer Acuna strongly dislikes.With tunes by Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer, songs include: "Chiu-Chiu" (by Nicanor Molinare) sung by Lina Romay and the Xavier Cugat Orchestra; "Dearly Beloved" (sung by Fred Astaire); "Wedding in the Spring" (sung by Leslie Brooks and Adele Mara); "Dearly Beloved" (Sung by Rita Hayworth/voice dubbed by Nan Wynn); Audition Dance (danced by Astaire, conducted by Cugat and Orchestra); "I'm Old-Fashioned" (sung by Rita Hayworth, danced by Hayworth and Astaire); "Shorty-George" (Sung by Astaire, danced by Astaire and Hayworth); "Wedding in the Spring" (sung by Lina Romay/ chorus); "You Were Never Lovelier" (sung by Astaire); "O.C.C.T.C., Comma" (sung by messenger boys); "O.C.C.T.C. Comma" (Conducted by Xavier Cugat); and "You Were Never Lovelier" (danced by Astaire and Hayworth). As much as the Kern songs aren't quite as legendary as those from stage and screen adaptations of SHOW BOAT, it all succeeds with Astaire and Hayworth dancing.Considering the movie title might suggest an attractive model in a fashion show finale, the screenplay by Delmar Daves, Ernest Pagano and Michael Fessier has that old-fashioned quality of comedy of errors, love hate relationships that have become the Fred Astaire movie formula. Certainly the best of its kind and an improvement over Fred and Rita's initial pairing of YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH (1941), YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER might have, or could have been the movie to have paved the way for a whole series of Astaire and Hayworth musicals of the forties. Naturally, history didn't repeat itself in the similar pattern of the highly successful Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers partnership in nine musicals for RKO Radio (1933-1939). The possibility of Astaire and Hayworth teaming in other similar suggestive titles as YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME or YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION might have been ideal, considering the fine chemistry there was between them. YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER, their second and last, turns out to be an excellent way to end their brief partnership on the motion picture screen.Others in the cast are Gus Schilling as Fernando, personal secretary to Acuna, and third cousin on his wife's side; Douglas Leavitt (Juan Castro); and Kathleen Howard (Grandma Acuna), and Kirk Alyn (The Groom).Distributed to home video in the 1980s, and broadcast on numerous cable stations over the years, especially Turner Classic Movies and Get-TV (after 2014), YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER, available on DVD, should still be of great satisfaction for fans of either Astaire and Hayworth or both. (***1/2)

Why was the supposed location of this delightful musical romantic comedy in Argentina, when minimal effort is made to convince the audience that it actually takes place there? This was the era of FDR's 'good neighbor policy', to try to keep Latin American countries(and especially Argentina)from siding with the Fascists in WWII. Film studios were pressured to include some films supposedly located in Latin countries, featuring some Latin musical performers. Fox had done or would do several prominent musicals toward this goal, including 'Down Argentine Way". Unfortunately, the latter backfired and was banned in Argentina, as the Argentine brass didn't like the phony attempt to characterize themselves. I guess the studio brass of this film learned that lesson and made little attempt to convince that they were actually in Argentina, aside from Cugat's orchestra, and Rita's partial Latin heritage. But, according to the script, Cugat's bunch are actually from NYC, along with Astaire's character!Yes, the screen play is pretty hokey and corny all around, but apparently the brass were hoping this would mostly add to the appeal. On the whole, it's quite fun. The complicated relationships that develop between the principals is quite entertaining. The frequent heated exchanges between the dictatorial Adolphe Menjou(el groucho) as the old fashioned father of a house full of debutant daughters, and Fred(jumping jack), as the broke vacationing hoofer Bob Davis, or Menjou's greeter, Fernando(court jester)(Gus Schilling), are priceless. Rita(refrigerator princess) or the other main characters are sometimes included. Menjou's role as 'Father knows best' is really the centerpiece of the screen play. We see why, given a good script, Menjou was such a good scene stealer. Perhaps you can't take his frequent shouting down at others, but this was an effective part of the comedy for me.Rita, at age 24, is pretty and vivacious, but sometimes acts almost mannequin-like, with a manufactured-looking big smile. Apparently, this was intended. In many other scenes, her acting is fine, as she alternatively discourages or encourages Fred's interest in her. Fred, at nearly twice her age and looking it, is actually playing someone more her supposed age(probably about 20). But his other striking attributes apparently more than compensated for this.Excusing the decision to film this in B&W, rather than color, on wartime financial limits doesn't ring true to me. This same year, Rita starred in the Fox Technicolor musical "My Gal Sal". The year before, she costarred in the Fox Technicolor "Blood and Sand". In '44, Columbia finally filmed Rita-starring "Cover Girl" in Technicolor. Lacking competition from TV in this era, I think most studios, including MGM, were depending on the quality of their stars, music and scripts, in most cases, to attract audiences. The Kerns and Mercer score is not very memorable. But then, dancing , rather then singing, was supposed to be the forte of this film. I thought the title song was weak. I'm surprised the film wasn't titled "Dearly Beloved". soloed by both Fred and Rita. It also fits in with the love letters sent by Menjou's character to daughter Maria(Rita).Cugat's orchestra included a sizable chorus, lead by cute, personable, Lina Romay, who got a few solo or duet segments. They are featured in 4 numbers. Lina was a NYC-bred Latino, who sometimes was included as an actress or singer in films. For a version of "Chui, Chui", featured in this film, where she solos the entire number, see You Tube. Leslie Brooks and Adele Mara, as Rita's slightly younger sisters, are OK and pretty, and get to sing one number together. They and Lina would live much longer and presumably happier lives than Rita, whose star shown much brighter for some years to come. Barbara Brown was also well cast as Menjou's wife and foil, infamous for her supposedly harmless derringer converted into a cigarette lighter.Fred gets to dance around Menjou's office, including on the furniture, during his unofficial audition for a spot in Menjou's nightclub. Later, Fred and Rita do a light romantic dance sequence on the family patio to the memorable "I'm Old Fashioned". Then, they dance more vigorously to "The Shorty George", which incorporates elements of jive and tap dancing. The finale begins with a Cugat band serenade outside Rita's window, followed by Fred's arrival as a knight-in-shining-armor on horse, in supposed mimicry of Rita's one time heartthrob: Luckinbaugh. This is followed by another Fred + Rita romantic dance, to the title song, and ends with their first kiss.After leaving RKO and Ginger, Fred was paired on film with quite a few leading ladies: some famous dancers, others not. It's not real surprising that he apparently found Rita his favorite dance partner, nor that she considered this her favorite film. This was also the year that Fred costarred with Bing in that classic musical extravaganza "Holiday Inn", which unfortunately overshadowed this film, although, again, unforgivably shot in B&W.

YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER is a sweet love story. I love Fred Astaire with Rita Hayworth, and her domineering father played by Adolphe Menjou. It has a terrific supporting cast, too. I actually own this movie, and I don't usually buy them unless I really like them! The dancing is not what you see when Astaire is with Ginger Rogers, but I just seemed to gel with it somehow anyway. It has a special air of romance, and Hayworth is not only beautiful, but also she's captivating as an actress. I'm not a huge musical fan, but this is one of my few major exceptions. It has more story and romance than just dance numbers every few minutes, or at least it seems that way. I highly recommend this film to fans of these performers or of the comedy-drama-romance type of musicals.

After watching the Fred and Ginger series numerous times, I was sure that I would never find a pairing that could equal them.Well, I was wrong - VERY wrong.What I longed for after watching this movie were move Rita and Fred movies, and unfortunately there is only one other that isn't quite as good.Naturally the storyline is thin and predictable, but that's not what we watch musicals for - especially not those with Fred Astaire. And Rita's dancing ability compliments his, even without her grabbing her dress.The only thing that I found irritating and superfluous was the part played by Xavier Cugat. It seems like the studio spent a lot of money on a name where a good studio orchestra would have sufficed.Anyway, the movie is warm and wonderful, and Fred's charm in the ending scenes is enough to make your heart melt, along with the great Fred/Rita kiss at the end.I'm glad he finally threw away his inhibitions and was able to get past those ridiculous, frozen-armed monster hugs he'd do with Ginger, and ended this movie in the adult way intended.This is a film definitely worth seeing and enjoying more than once.