Your Movie Library
Cast
- Fred AstaireTony Hunter
- Cyd CharisseGabrielle Gerard
- Oscar LevantLester Marton
- Nanette FabrayLily Marton
- Jack BuchananJeffrey Cordova
- James MitchellPaul Byrd
- Robert GistHal
- Ava GardnerAva Gardner (uncredited)
- Don BeddoeProducer (uncredited)
- Henry CordenOrchestra Leader (uncredited)
Recommendations
- 100
New York Post
Sorry, the beloved Singin’ in the Rain isn’t the finest of the legendary MGM musicals. For my money, it’s a close second to The Band Wagon, which has better music, better dances, better direction, more lavish sets and costumes and a wittier script (by the same writers). - 100
TV Guide Magazine
Seamlessly directed by Vincente Minnelli, The Band Wagon is one of the finest musicals ever made. Playing its hackneyed story with tongue firmly in cheek, it simultaneously reflects upon the musical genre, satirizes its conventions and delivers marvelous entertainment. - 100
Chicago Sun-Times
Singin' in the Rain is a comedy, but The Band Wagon has a note of melancholy along with its smiles, a sadness always present among Broadway veterans, who have seen more failure than success, who know the show always closes and that the backstage family breaks up and returns to the limbo of auditions and out-of-town tryouts. - 100
The Guardian
The more you look at it, the more perfect it seems. Hollywood doesn't make films like this now because public taste has changed. But it's doubtful if they could anyway. - 100
The New York Times
Joined with the equally nimble talents of Fred Astaire. Jack Buchanan and Cyd Charisse and some tunes from the sterling repertory of Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, this literate and witty combination herein delivers a show that respectfully bids for recognition as one of the best musical films ever made. - 88
Chicago Reader
For many, this 1953 feature represents the height of the American musical. - 80
Empire
A perfect backstage musical. - 70
Variety
Astaire, as the film star, shows his ability with a song and dance character.
