Fred and Ginger in Technicolor: The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)
By 1949, musicals were in a bit of a slump. MGM had been churning out song and dance movies like Good News and Anchors Aweigh through World War II, largely due to the star power of Gene Kelly and Judy Garland, but nothing compared to the glittering productions of the 1930s. At the same time, Fred Astaire's career was reaching its second peak. After retiring briefly in 1946, he replaced an injured Gene Kelly in 1948's Easter Parade and quickly became MGM's musical star of choice. The smash success of Easter Parade led the studio to re-team Fred and co-star Judy Garland in The Barkleys of Broadway. Sadly, by this point in her career, Judy was already struggling with addiction and her mental health was too unstable for her to work regularly. After a few rehearsals for the Barkleys , she was forced to drop out. The studio scrambled to find a replacement who could act, sing, and dance alongside Fred Astaire, and was reminded of a telegram they&