A remake of an Argentine film 'the Gay Senorita , YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER was a follow-up to the 1942 hit You'll Never Get Rich , and marked the last screen pairing of Astaire and Hayworth. In YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER, she proves once again to be a stunning dancer, especially in 'shorty George and I m Old Fashioned, a sensuous moonlit duet with Astaire that is the high point of the film. LikeAstaire, Hayworth was a perfectionist and they spent days going over each number. It was difficult to find sufficient rehearsal space on Columbia's stages, so the studio rented a funeral parlor at a nearby Hollywood cemetery. Every time a funeral came through, rehearsals would stop until the last of the mourners had left! Their perfectionism paid off, however, in elegant and precise dance sequences. The score received an Academy Award(r) nomination, along with nominations for Best Sound and BestSong ( Dearly Beloved ) by Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer. Hayworth wanted to do her own singing, but her voice was dubbed by Nan Wynna well-kept secret at the time. Nevertheless, Hayworth has goneon record saying that YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER was the favorite of all her films, second only to You'll Never Get Rich .

Average Customer Review: ( 34 customer reviews )
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A little note about the plot, it's another one of those stories driven by mistaken identities that incessantly frustrate the audience and makes them wonder "Why won't anybody speak up?", but somehow the magnificent cast manages to pull it off quite well. The story does not lag, but moves along at a good pace. Anyway, it does make way for some delightful musical numbers such as Astaire's unforgettable solo for Acuna in Acuna's office (preluded by Astaire declaring "I hate dancing, but you're gonna watch me dance and you're gonna like it. Hit it, boys!"), Astaire and Hayworth dancing to "I'm Old-Fashioned" in the garden and to "Shorty George" later on during a rehearsal. These two prove that they are in excellent form and have left us a truly satisfying film. If you're a die-hard, Astaire/Rogers fanatic, you'll still like this film. "You Were Never Lovelier" definitely has more substance than the old RKO films. The only regret I have about these two is that Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth should have made more films together.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

Entertaining and fun to watchMar 03, 2001
By nymph_150
Musicals were very popular back in the 40's and this one is no exception. Flawless dancing and singing from beginning to end. The plot goes like this: Rita Hayworth's father wants his daughter to cheer up and starts sending her love letters, pretending he's a young man who is interested in her. Confussion follows and Fred Astaire, who works for Rita's father, is mistaken for the one writing the love letters. The trouble is, he soon finds himself falling in love with the young woman. Get this film on a cold, rainy day and it will brighten up your life!

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