Daddy Long Legs

A garish and overlong Astaire musical somewhat reminiscent of 'Yolanda and the Thief' of considerable historical interest as the film that teamed him with Leslie Caron; while any film benefits from the presence of Thelma Ritter. It's a measure of just how long ago this all was that ingenues Caron and Terry Moore are now both in their nineties.

Fred Astaire as an American corporate shareholder with interest in numerous companies who, while on a trip to France, becomes enchanted from afar by an 18-year-old orphan and decides to sponsor her; she enrolls at college in Massachusetts, and dreams of who her benefactor is. Remake of both a 1919 Mary Pickford silent and a Janet Gaynor comedy from 1931 shows a fashionably plush, sassy style in its fantasy sequences; however, director Jean Negulesco isn't able to pick up the pace, and the rest of the film is bogged down by talk and a plot that seems constructed by-the-numbers. Leslie Caron, still doing the orphan routine, looks more than ready to graduate, but she's delightful dancing with Astaire. In these musical moments, the film takes flight and becomes a 1950s fashion-magazine come to life. ** from ****

On a trip to France, millionaire Jervis Pendleton sees an 18 year old girl (Leslie Caron) in an orphanage. Enchanted with her, but mindful of the difference in their ages, he sponsors her to college in New England. Is this a creepy story? In a way, yes, because you have a much older man with a woman who is barely an adult. The movie plays it off early on, with Astaire's character completely forgetting about the girl for two years until reminded by his staff. Clearly he is not out to pursue her in a creepy way. And yet, this is a romance. Although the film is towards the end of Astaire's dancing career (he did "Funny Face" after this but not much else), it is still fun of the great songs and dances he was known for. If I had to decide, I would say Astaire was the all-time dance master, with Gene Kelly a distant second.

'Daddy Long-Legs', previously filmed silent with Mary Pickford and once more in the 1930s, gets the musical treatment here as the story of the millionaire and the orphan he sponsors gets a Technicolor, Cinemascope, Johnny Mercer update. Fred Astaire, at 55, is a little old for his role as stick-in-the-mud business whizz Jervis Pendleton, but hey, this is Hollywood. And his interest in, and subsequent wooing of, the French girl Julie Andre (played with charm and wit by Leslie Caron) is helped a lot by the fact that the two stars do not actually share screen time until nearly halfway through the film! With scintillating choreography for both Astaire and Caron, those wonderful songs, and support from Fred Clark, Thelma Ritter, and Terry Moore, 'Daddy Long Legs' is an excellent musical just balancing on the cusp of classic musical vs rock n roll.

Leslie Caron elevates this film with her charm, her pleasant French accent and innocence. The movie also is bright and colorful and features a lot of dance with The Master: Fred Astaire. For me, the bad side was it wasn't the kind of dancing from Astaire that I always liked: tap. For those who prefer the '50s dance style, this movie will be super. Caron also does a few ballet numbers. She plays an 18-year-old which was a little unrealistic because she doesn't look that young, although I think she was only around 24. Astaire, even though he was in his mid '50s, the same year as the movie, was still agile and very talented. The dialog is very dated, especially with the college girls of the day. Even though I don't own it, I am glad to see this is out on DVD. The formatted-to-TV VHS picture cuts off a lot of the colorful dance scenery, so the disc is a "must" over the tape.

How terribly sad that during such a delightful and romantic film, Fred Astaire was mourning the death of his wife. "Daddy Long Legs" is a sweet film with an utterly charming performance, in words and dance, by Leslie Caron, and Astaire's usual high-class, debonair, energetic work. Thelma Ritter and Larry Keating give fantastic support, and in looking over the cast list, I see that a future dance partner of Astaire's, the wonderful Barrie Chase, is an uncredited dancer. My only complaint is that the movie is on the long side, with the final dance being not only terribly long, but just one dance sequence too many. The highlight of the film for me was definitely "Sluefoot." A fantastic number! I noticed one hilarious comment about an "uncredited appearance by Cary Grant." I remember my mom telling me how much Ray Anthony resembled Grant - I guess she was right!

Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron were such marvelous dancing partners in 1955's Daddy Longlegs. The story line is wonderful. Astaire "adopts" a young Parisian orphan and pays for her college tuition. Throughout the years, she writes in gratitude but he chooses to ignore the letters. Fred Clark and Thelma Ritter, two veteran movie pros, gave terrific support as workers under Astaire. The sentimental Ritter, as Alice, is able to bring the two together and the film takes on a new meaning until Caron discovers that Astaire has been her benefactor. As romance blossoms, we're happy to see that Clark and Ritter have romantic designs on each other as well. The dance sequences have never been better. Both Astaire and Carone show their gracefulness. Fred even knew how to put-over "Something's Got To Give."