fine classic movie musical--BRAVO, CROSBY AND ASTAIRE !!!
Blue Skies is a fantastic cavalcade of song and dance numbers--even if it is held together by the thinnest plot I've ever seen in any movie! The convincing acting held my attention all the way; and the musical numbers are sublime! We get Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire singing and dancing up a storm. The plot (or action, since the plot is so thin) moves along at a good pace, too.

The action begins back in the 1920s when Jed Potter (Fred Astaire) has his eyes on a beautiful chorus girl named Mary O'Hara (Joan Caulfield). However, Joan isn't truly all that interested in Jed--she much prefers the company the Jed's buddy Johnny Adams (Bing Crosby). The two men vie for Joan's attention and her hand in marriage; and along the way we are treated to upwards of two dozen magnificent musical numbers.

Over time, Mary and Johnny do finally wed--much to the chagrin of Jed Potter. Nevertheless, there's still one major fly in the ointment for Johnny and Mary: Johnny isn't very "stabile;" he likes to bet on the horses and he always winds up having to sell his nightclub business to pay debts and then he starts over in a new city--dragging Mary along with him. Mary tolerates this until a child is born; at this point when she insists that Johnny stay put and not leave for another city their marriage does get have considerable trouble.

Meanwhile, look for a subplot between Johnny's right hand man Tony (Billy De Wolfe) and his girlfriend Nita Nova (Olga San Juan). Tony also does a number of his own that, while not the best in the movie, does reflect his fine talents as an actor.

Of course, from here the story line could still go anywhere. What happens between Mary and Johnny--will they be able to stay together or will they divorce? Even if they split up, will it be forever--or will Mary finally break down and marry Jed who still loves her after all? No plot spoilers here, folks--you'll just have to watch the movie to find out!

I said the plot was razor thin--and believe it or not I've told you most of it except for a spoiler or two. This is one movie you watch for the musical numbers. It's fantastic to see Fred Astaire dance--especially in the scene that has miniature Fred Astaires on the screen dancing behind him! Bing sings beautiful number after number; and I loved every minute of it.

Blue Skies is best viewed as a musical with just enough of a plot to get the musical numbers on the screen. I highly recommend this classic movie musical for fans of this genre; and people who like Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire will never be disappointed.

A great and classic film!
This is a beatifully done film. Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby are reunited in it. The costumes are beautiful. The acting isn't the best, but the songs are very good. It's entertaining and colorful, like every good musical shoud be.

"Puttin On The Ritz" is amazing... but...
Bing sings and Fred treads in this sketchily-plotted musical, which pits Astaire and Crosby against one another, rivals for the hand of the blonde, domestically-minded Joan Caulfield. This frothy postwar frolic has a wild Techncolor exuberance, with crazy explosions all over the pastel-lined spectrum (and an odd tilt towards purple). The sad thing, though, is that this isn't a very good movie -- the plot is razor thin, barely a hint of an excuse to stage a bunch of great (and lesser) Irving Berlin tunes. Some numbers fall flat (and Billy DeWolfe's interminable, painfully unfunny drag routine brings the movie to a screeching halt)... Still, Astaire's killer performance on "Puttin' On The Ritz" is the stuff that legends are made of: as he's angelically hoofing his heart out, a curtain parts behind him, revealing a phalanx of distant, miniature Astaires, keeping time with the big guy. A technical and aesthetic triumph! This flick might be worth it for that routine alone, although Bing gets in some choice vocal performances as well. A dud scriptwise, but it still has two of the greatest performers of the 20th Century, both still at their peak.

Worth watching for one dance number...
Fred's Putting On The Ritz absolutely makes the movie. Without it, the movie would be forgettable but that dance routine is my favorite of all Astaire's efforts. Amazing!

Lazy
Mummified Bing Crosby musical from the mid-forties, when the old groaner would amble off the golf course and walk through another tailor-made vehicle without raising a sweat. Adding to the atmosphere of torpor is the laziness of the composer, Irving Berlin -- he trots out dozens of his old hits, while his new originals are totally forgettable. Fred Astaire was a late addition to the cast, which may explain his having the worst role of his entire career -- that of a seedy also-ran playboy who ends up crippled for life after a drunken fall. If That's Entertainment to you, help yourself.