Fred Astaire’s seemingly effortless grace and sophisticated elegance lit up the screen for more than forty years, and it was this film which set him on that path.  It was such a big event that Halliwell’s whole family got involved:

‘…the whole family, on the crest of the wave of enthusiasm for the dazzling footwork of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, queued at the Queen’s for Top Hat and sat most of it through twice.  My imitations henceforth included the wounded but threatening tones of Eric Blore as the eccentric manservant Bates, and the dithering of Edward Everett Horton, one of the most accomplished and professional figures in the history of Hollywood comedy.’

But it was Fred they really came to watch, and his routine for ‘Top Hat, White Tie and Tails’ would become a screen legend:

‘This is the image that made Fred a star and stuck with him all through his career, that of the cheerful, elegant man about town, lighting up the city with his optimism, delighting with the precision of his movement, setting an example for the world.  No number on film is more exhilarating – unless it be Fred’s own ‘Putting on the Ritz’ from Blue Skies.’

The magic of the movies was clearly in evidence:

‘Top Hat mostly takes place in a Venice which could never exist outside a sound stage: they might as well have called it Oz.  Every structure in sight seems to be composed of white marble… reality has been banished, even colour would be an intrusion, for this is a gleaming monochrome world…’

The supporting cast of Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore and Helen Broderick complete the ensemble:

‘While the picture lasts, and they all cavort around these elegant surroundings in their optimistic way, looking innocent and decorative, we welcome them as friendly relics from an age that never was.’

Fred’s career would take many twists and turns over the next forty years, but it was these musicals he would be best known for:

‘…the films in which he was teamed with Ginger Rogers have a magic all their own.’