The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle is a 1939 American biographical musical comedy film directed by H.C. Potter. The film stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edna May Oliver, and Walter Brennan. It is based on two books written by Irene Castle: My Husband and My Memories of Vernon Castle. The movie was adapted by Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Yost, and Richard Sherman. This was the ninth and final film that Astaire and Rogers made together for RKO. Their last movie together was The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), produced by MGM.

Plot

The film follows Irene Foote, a young American dancer, who persuades Vernon Castle, a British performer from New York, to leave his career in physical comedy and instead pursue elegant ballroom dancing.

Their opportunity arrives when they are stuck in Paris with their friend, Walter Ashe, and have no money. They attract the attention of a powerful agent named Maggie Sutton, who helps them get a chance to perform at the famous Café de Paris. There, they quickly become very famous. After gaining popularity across Europe, the Castles return to the United States and achieve the same level of success. Their fame and wealth grow to levels never seen before just before World War I begins.

When World War I starts, Vernon returns to Britain and joins the Royal Flying Corps. Meanwhile, Irene creates movies to support the war effort. However, Vernon dies in a training accident, leaving Irene to continue on her own.

Production

Irene Castle served as an advisor for this film and often disagreed with the director about costume details and changes made to the story. She was very surprised to learn that white actor Walter Brennan would play the role of Walter, a loyal servant, because the real Walter was Black.

This film has several unique features: the characters are more realistic than those in typical Astaire-Rogers films, there are no funny scenes usually provided by actors like Edward Everett Horton, Victor Moore, or Helen Broderick, it is the only Astaire-Rogers musical that tells a true story, the only one involving Oscar Hammerstein II, the only Astaire-Rogers musical with a sad ending, and the only one where Astaire’s character dies.

Reception

The film was popular in the United States, earning $1,120,000. It also earned $705,000 in other countries. However, because of high expenses, the company RKO reported the film as having a loss of $50,000.