Swing Time 2

A little more on Swing Time. And Bill Robinson. According to Wikipedia, Robinson coined the term "copacetic" and once danced backwards from Columbus Circle to 44th Street. He was in his sixties at the time. He is also reported as speaking out "against being stereotyped by Hollywood." It would be interesting to know his reaction to Astaire's homage to him in Swing Time.

Eric Blore appears in Swing Time as the manager of a dancing school where Astaire first dances with Rogers - who teaches at the school. In the same year he made Swing Time, Blore appeared in Picadilly Jim - based on the Wodehouse novel. He apparently appears as a butler - his quintessential (right word?) role. A recent film version of this novel was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival this spring and is apparently scheduled for release later this year. Blore, unfortunately, does not appear in Astaire's Damsel in Distress. He appeared in six other films in 1937 - including Shall We Dance with Astaire and Rogers. Perhaps he was too busy to fit Damsel in. I think Damsel is a wonderful picture but it would have benefitted from Blore's presence. By the way, who knew that Damsel was first made into a picture in 1919?