One of the best of the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musicals, TOP HAT centers on a typical mistaken-identity plot, with wealthy Dale Tremont (Rogers), on holiday in London and Venice, assuming that American entertainer Jerry Travers (Astaire) is the husband of her friend Madge (Helen Broderick) — who’s actually the wife of Jerry’s business manager Horace Hardwick (Edward Everett Horton). Complicating matters is Dale’s jealous suitor Beddini (Erik Rhodes), whose motto is “For the woman the kiss — for the man the sword.” The charisma of the stars, the chemistry of the supporting players, the white-telephone art direction of Van Nest Polglaise, the superlative choreography by Astaire and Hermes Pan, and the effervescent direction of Mark Sandrich all combine to make TOP HAT a winner. (All Movie)

“Because we are bound by gravity and the limitations of our bodies, because we live in a world where the news is often bad and the prospects disturbing, there is a need for another world somewhere, a world where Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers live.” (Roger Ebert)