Top Hat

Top Hat is a 1935 Screwball Comedy Musical starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and is often cited as the most successful production in their joint career.

Jerry Travis (Astaire) is an American dancer who comes to London to star in a show produced by his friend, Horace Hardwick. There's a mix up at their hotel and they move to a larger suite and share it. During the night Jerry begins to loudly sing and dance about how he loves to sing and dance, disturbing Dale Tremont (Rogers) in the room below. Horace goes to talk to the management after their room is phoned and Dale confronts Jerry in the room upstairs, only for him to become instantly infatuated with her. She leaves angry and Jerry silently serenades her to sleep with a sand dance. In the morning, Dale goes to the front desk to find out the name of the man in the room above her and they say it's Horace Hardwick, the husband of Dale's friend, Madge.

Hilarity Ensues as Dale continues to mistake Jerry for Horace, as he continues to win her admirations. Then it turns out that Madge has been trying to set up Dale and Jerry for a while.

Digitally remastered versions of the films have been released to DVD over the years and a stage production toured the UK in 2011, which received positive reviews. The production is planned to go to Broadway in the US in mid-2012.

Tropes:

• Actor Allusion: The song Let's Face The Music And Dance was added to stage production, which had been in another film Astaire and Berlin had worked on.
• Adaptation Expansion: Several more songs were added to the stage production. All of them were songs by Irving Berlin, who had written the music for the original film.
• Amusing Injuries: Horace putting a cooked steak on his black-eye.
• Bad Habits: Bates disguises himself as a priest. He's the one who marries Dale and Alberto, which makes the marriage void.
• Beef Bandage: After Horace receives a black eye from Madge (due to another miscommunication), Jerry suggests a steak. Nobody told the waiter it was for a wound and not for dinner.
• Camp Gay: The director Jerry asks for advice on women.
• Chew Toy: Horace
• The Cover Changes the Meaning: In the original Sandman dance routine, the song is played as slightly romantic but still as a comedy. In the stage production they play up the romantic aspect as high as possible.
• Dance of Romance: Cheek To Cheek
• Deconfirmed Bachelor: Jerry, but he changes his mind for Dale.
• Disguised in Drag: One of Bates many disguises.
• Fake American: Jerry is played by Tom Chambers (British) in the stage production.
• Fake Nationality: Alberto Beddini (Italian) was played by American actor, Erik Rhodes, in the film.
  • Alberto was played by Ricardo Afonso in the stage production, who is Portuguese.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: One of Dale's dresses is covered with feathers.
• Funetik Aksent: Alberto Beddini
• Henpecked Husband: Horace
• Hopeless Suitor: Alberto Beddini, but he does get to marry her. Then it turns out it didn't count.
• Irrelevant Act Opener: The opening sequence is part of a fictional show starring Jerry.
• The Jeeves: Bates, Horace's valet.
• Love Triangle: Alberto and Jerry both love Dale, who is far too confused.
• Mistaken for Cheating: Dale believes Jerry is trying to have an affair with her. Of course, he isn't even married.
• Mistaken Identity: The entire premise of the story.
• The Musical Musical
• Pimped-Out Dress: Dale's feather dress
• Pretty in Mink: Dale has a white ermine coat.
• Romantic Runner-Up: Alberto Beddini
• Serenade Your Lover: The Sandman dance, Isn't This A Lovely Day and Cheek To Cheek.
• Shown Their Work: The sets of the stage production are exact copies of the film sets.
• Those Two Actors: Astaire and Rogers
• Title Drop: During the song Top Hat, White Tie And Tails.
• Will They or Won't They?: They do, eventually.
• Your Cheating Heart: Straight with Horace, who did (sort of) have an affair but Madge and him have an open relationship.