Second Chorus

http://www.renaud-bray.com

http://www.renaud-bray.com

By the time producer Boris Morros was putting all the pieces together to prepare shooting on Second Chorus, he could rightfully feel that he had come a long way. Morros had been a Hollywood stalwart for a decade, having become well known for the lush, melodious scores he composed for the first of the Hop-A-Long Cassidy series of Westerns. By 1939, he had produced the only hit comedy Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy ever made for anyone other than Hal Roach, their classic Flying Deuces. (Morros knew a good thing when he had it, and he stayed out of the way, letting Stan Laurel make the film he wanted to make.) That success at R-K-O led to this top flight Paramount musical from 1941, Second Chorus.To say Second Chorus featured a first class cast was certainly an understatement. Fred Astaire was at the pinnacle of his success, and Paulette Goddard had just run a close second to Vivien Leigh for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. And, Artie Shaw had finally overtaken Benny Goodman to officially win the title of the King of Swing (think U2 of 1941). This picture had it all. And, Shaw composed the music.A marvelously delightful 1930's style song and dance spectacular, the likes of which would be wiped away by the December bombing of Pearl Harbor, Second Chorus finds Fred as a struggling bandleader chased by a collection agent - Paulette. She serves the papers, he chases her. She wangles him an audition with Artie Shaw, which Burgess Meredith hilariously sabotages. A rich sugar daddy (the marvelous Charles Butterworth) smoothes things over with Artie, and through it all, Fred and Paulette dance and sing. For what more could you ask?