Tonight's Movie: The Gay Divorcee (1934) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

Some films are like old friends, welcome each and every time you see them, and such is the case with THE GAY DIVORCEE (1934).

I grew up watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in THE GAY DIVORCEE with my mother on local television. As a teenager I saw it theatrically at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Bing Theater, and after a few decades was able to see it on a big screen again at the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival.

Of course, I also owned it on DVD, which enabled me to share the movie with my own children. And now I've happily revisited it again thanks to the beautiful new Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray which will be officially released next week, on March 31, 2026.

The plot, from a story and screenplay concocted by a host of writers -- in turn based on a play -- is a lightweight trifle about Mimi (Rogers), who plans to engineer a divorce from her husband (William Austin) by using a paid "co-respondent," Rodolfo Tonetti (Erik Rhodes). Tonetti and Mimi will fake infidelity in order to force her husband's hand to agree to a divorce.

Mimi mistakes Guy (Astaire), a dancer she'd met on a ship, for Tonetti, and oh my, do things get complicated, in the funniest ways.

The plot really doesn't matter a whole lot; as a child I found it a little confusing, with parts of the story sailing right over my head, but I still loved the movie.

What matters is Fred, Ginger, the giddy character actors (Eric Blore! Edward Everett Horton! Alice Brady!), the gorgeous Art Deco sets, the Walter Plunkett gowns, the music, and the dances. Oh, the dances!

The numbers are all enjoyable, but the climactic "The Continental" is especially beautiful to watch; Fred and Ginger have their big dance, and then there's a marvelous extended sequence with the chorus, whose black and white costumes swirl as they dance in Berkeley-esque patterns.

I've always wondered why Ginger, who begins the lengthy number with a song, doesn't return to sing again later in the number; instead a completely different singer, Lillian Miles, jumps into the action. That part is a little strange, but since Guy and Mimi were hiding from Tonetti around that time, maybe that's the excuse.

But no matter, the entire "Continental" is simply spectacular. There's also the "Night and Day" dance duet, and Fred also has a couple solos, including "A Needle in a Haystack," spread over the film. Horton has a fun comedic dance number with Betty Grable, who would also turn up in Fred and Ginger's FOLLOW THE FLEET (1936) a couple years later.

THE GAY DIVORCEE runs 107 sprightly minutes. It was directed by Mark Sandrich and filmed in black and white by David Abel.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray print is from a 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative. It looks great, particularly for a film of this vintage. Sound quality is also excellent.

Plentiful disc extras consist of the trailer; the cartoons I LIKE MOUNTAIN MUSIC (1933) and SHAKE YOUR POWDER PUFF (1934); the 21-minute short ART TROUBLE (1934) and the 32-minute short MASKS AND MEMORIES (1934), which stars Lillian Roth; a radio promo broadcast along with a 28-minute Screen Guild Playhouse radio production from 1944 starring Frank Sinatra, Gloria DeHaven and Edward Everett Horton; and a song selection menu for quick access to the musical numbers.

THE GAY DIVORCEE is a must for anyone who loves classic films.

Previous reviews of Astaire-Rogers films: FLYING DOWN TO RIO (1933), SWING TIME (1936), SHALL WE DANCE (1937).

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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