Greetings from VKMfanHuey!!!

Welcome to the Gingerology blog for the 1935 RKO film, Roberta!!!

This was the third pairing of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire...and their partnership really hits stride here, as they workout "I'll Be Hard To Handle" and glide through the beauty of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". The setting is at Roberta's, the top fashion shop in Paris - and concerns one of the designers there, Stephanie (Irene Dunne), and her budding romance with John Kent (Randolph Scott), the nephew of the lady currently running Roberta's, Aunt Minnie (Helen Westley). When Minnie passes away, John assumes the role of running the shop, but is not quite up to the task...but Stephanie should be. With help from John's musical bud Huck Haines (Astaire) and the 'Pseudo Countess Scharwenka', a.k.a. Lizzie Gatz (Rogers), who also just happens to be Huck's 'old gal' from Indiana, Stephanie might make be able to salvage the shop...and her relationship with John.

Please note the 'menu' above, which has various information regarding the film; to the right (just below the Gingerology link) there are additional links regarding the film.

Please feel free to leave a comment with any general info, links, pics, or just to say hi!

...And be sure to check out our 'main' site, Gingerology - just click on the Ginger pic to the right. There you'll find a list of ALL of Ginger Rogers' films; click on any one, and you will be directed to a 'dedicated' blog about that film (not unlike this blog).

Keep It Gingery, y'all!

VKMfanHuey

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The Huey Treatment - March 19, 2013

ALLLLLLright, y'all...here we go.... the overall 'theme' which kinda jumped out to me for this one concerns itself with the fact that Ginger's character, Tanka Scharwenka, seems quite smitten with the big dude, John Dent, who reminds her of a former flame which she just can't shake... and, in our 'alternate plot', let's refer to Tanka as 'Queen Scharwenka', who is indeed the Queen of all she surveys... hey, these things always center around Ginger anyway, right?

...look, Missy, I saw him FIRST!!!


...why hello there, loyal subject...


...you remind me of a cabana boy I once had...


...do you mind if a refer to you as "My Sweet Baby Huey?"


...and Huey used to love it when I ran my fingers thru his mop like so...


...Oh mum, I just met the most gnarly fellow today! Maybe we can do an 'arranged courtship' or whatever...I can do that as Queen, right? Otherwise, what's the point of this Queen gig?


...hope he knows the Lindy...


...or the Twirl...


...heck, I'd settle for the Harlem Shake... UAB-style, of course...


...all visitors to Queen Scharwenka's must kiss her Royal Digits...


...ummm-hmmm..."Royal Digits", eh?


...WOAH! hold it there, Casper!


...I thought you were someone else...


...That's funny, I was thinking the same thing about YOU, "Queenie"...


...look, Ginger...I know you've got all these folks 'round here in "Insert-name-here-land" snookered into thinking you're of the lineage of "King Whatever", thus the rightful heir to the throne... but you'll always be Feathers to me, babe!


...Well, how 'bout YOU stifle with your half-truths and conjectures, Frederick... ...it just so happens I'm in the DAR...lineage of George Washington, ya know... anyway...they need SOMEONE to clue them in on how to run a railroad... ...actually, Lela runs all the financial and management end, and I just deal with PR stuff...


...speaking of which, I've got an appointment to get to...but don't worry about your standing in society here, Freddie...


...I'll hold a special ceremony and dub thee "Sir Freakus"...


...It's good to be dancing wit' ya again, Ginge...


...yeah, I missed it - that dude in my last film was too busy scarfing down donuts and getting everyone arrested...


...so, what have you and the Pan-Man cooked up for routines for this particular photoplay?


...well, maybe a bit of two-step... a whirling dervish or two... with a little dipsee-doo dunkaroo thrown in for good measure...


...and then, there's the big finish with the Lambada...you know, the 'Forbidden Dance'...


...um...do whaaaat?


...alright Rufus, as assistant to the Queen, you need to make sure this joint meets the standards I demand for my presence...


...first of all, there must be fire extinguishers every 50 feet or so...sufficient emergency illumination at the main paths of egress...all exit doors readily accessible...


...hey, you're reverting into the 'Finishing School' routine...


...but, all of that DOES make sense...I guess that's why you're the Queen...


...nevah forgit it, Chester...


...this place lacks...ambiance...it's just a...big...white...SET...


...you two fellers need to hash this predicament out...amongst yourselves...


...Ginger thinks...these two will never figure this out...


...I just wish that big Huey-like fella would show up again...


...but, he can't dance worth a flip...also very Huey-like...


...wonder if Freddie could teach him a few steps...


...eh, he can't even win an argument with cousin Vinny here...


...guess I'll just have to make an executive decision regarding this scene...


...Excuse me, Your Highness...this person is NOT cooperating at all...


...I suggest we make him DANCE!


...hey, Jim-Bob! There's someone here to SEEEE you!


...why helllll-ohhh (think Ginger answering the phone as Susan Applegate in the scene w/Lela...)...


...my my MY, you remind me of the Hu-ster... save for the slick-back hair deal...Hu had that dashing 'Bowl-Cut' style which I prefer...


...but the question is, can he SWIM?


...er, I think what Queenie is trying to convey to you is...would you like to join us for dinner tonight at the Royal Hootenanny?


...GRRRR...I don't LIKE 'hootenannies'...


...oh, wait a minute...it's just NANNIES which I dislike...you see, there was this...incident...which affected me as a young child...a nanny I had took me to a Star Trek convention...no, wait a minute...that's not right...er, where's my script?


...Look, Buster, don't you get it? I'm the Queen Bee 'round these parts!


...you know, curtsey and bow stuff...Beefeaters...as well as a few vegans here and there...


...I'll let you drive the Royal Duesenberg... er... right...well then...see ya round, you goofy lunkhead...


...great that you decided to show up for the soiree, Jimmy-Bob-Billy-Joe...


...er...have we met?...


...why does this always happen, Freddie? I guess the doofus likes the soprano types...


...Irene does have quite a presence...so if she's happy with the cat, so let it be done...


...well, you'd always be comparing him to Hu anyway, which he could never stack up to...so maybe it's better this way...


...er, you know, I'm pretty unfettered currently...


...yeah, right...say hey to Phyllis for me... ...see, here's what I don't get... isn't the Queen ALWAYS supposed to get her way? Even the Queen of Podunkia?


...sigh... oh, well... I like what you and Vinny did with the curtains... how many Naugas gave their hides to patch that slop together?


...And that reminds me, as Queen, I get to pick out all the costumes for these photoplays...which means more sleeves with fuzzy varmint hides integrated in them...


...you know, they make furs for dudes now...


...as well as ostrich-feather peacoats...that would be GRAND on you, Fredrick... I think I'll talk to Irene about whipping up one for you... er, not THIS Irene, but THAT Irene... heck, I may even contract it out to Orry-Kelly...although I've never understood if that's one person, or two, or the name of a company...or an anagram for something...


...That's right...the QUEEN! Now, listen, we need the following...you better jot this down, Kilroy...We need the wool from 40 specially trained Ecuadorian Mountain Llamas, 6 Venezuelan Red Llamas, 142 Mexican Whooping Llamas, 14 North Chilean Guanacos (closely related to the llama), 76,000 Battery Llamas from 'Llama-Fresh' Farms, LTD. (near Paraguay)... as well as the down from a typical colony of African Swallows...


...nice work, Freddie...that should be all wrapped up in a couple of years or so...


...meanwhile, let's get back to the issue at hand...how do I win back 'Bizarro-Huey' from the clutches of that Dunne woman?...





...I think YOU need to talk to the doofus and try to explain to him the magnitude of the situation... it's not every day that the Queen of Bucksnort is pining for you...


...I mean, y'all were FRAT BROTHERS, fer cryin' out loud! You STILL whine about the paddle grip he used at your initiation ritual...


...Fred, if you see Moose, please give him this...


...a 'cease-and-desist' order?


...er, may I be so bold as to inquire?


...I think we better go hash this out in the Royal bonus room, y'all...


...so he ends up being a gooberhead, eh? AAAARGH! DON'T get me started, sister!


...well, this picture DEFINITELY shows big man doing the foxtrot with one Ms. Ruby Keeler...


...mind you, a HORRENDOUS foxtrot... just look at that awkward footwork... deplorable!


...your'e totally right, Freddie, how can I POSSIBLY be hooked up with a stumblebum like THIS? Let Keeler have him! 


...well, it's Goodnight, Irene...now, if only I were in Ruby's red slippers...


...well, I'll just bide my time...


...I mean, he has to see her tap dance SOMEtime, right? He'll come stumbling back to me in short order...



...and there's the stinky face again...


...ya gotta love these Barcoloungers, Freddie!


...y'know, in the final analysis, it just would never work out with Homer and I... Like Irene, there's NO way I can be caught dead with a feller who can't trip the light fantastic...or even the light mediocre...


...well, I guess that just leaves you and me, right, Freddie? Well, there's still Phyllis to contend with, of course... ...we could get her a nice cushy desk job upstate and hook her up with a strong, silent type...like Harold Lloyd... I can do all that as Queen, right?


...well, anyway, you'd make a fine King of Slobovia...just a nice guy and quite the dancer!


...I'd even let you do select all the costumes for our routines...with no feathers...PROMISE...


...but you know, Huey just LOVED that feather dress I wore... I just wish he could DANCE... his repertoire of moves consists of the 'Bump', the 'Macarena', and the 'Gangham Style' routine, whatever the heck THAT is...


...If he could just waltz...a BASIC waltz...all would have been perfect....er...


...I'm comparing you to Hu again, aren't I? ...


yes...yes you are... ...as for the offer to the throne via divorce proceedings, thank you, but I must gracefully decline... Phyllis requires daily foot massages...but I'm sure you'll find your Huey-like lunkhead, nay, even the elusive Huey HIMSELF, somewhere out in the far reaches of this desolate quagmire you reign over... Godspeed to you, Queen Scharwenka!

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...well, sometimes these endings are not as easy as they should be...but hopefully overall this was an interesting 'treatment' of the caps... That Hu feller sounds QUITE interesting, no?

I will add ALL of the caps from Roberta into the Roberta blog HERE ...sometime in the very near future... I'll note on G-ology, as well as FaceBook...

Until Then,

Keep It GINGERY, Y'all!!!

Hu
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