FRED ASTAIRE

It's hard for me to pick favorites, at least among his musicals, but the two you name are among those I'll watch most often. I've always wished he and Skelton had done more than just the one picture. They worked very smoothly together and seemed to have natural rapport, and something took place that was rather like the alchemy Astaire achieved with Rogers, which Katharine Hepburn described as, "He gave her class; she gave him sex." Astaire brought out Skelton's sincerity; Skelton brought out a more comically unrestrained Astaire. The combination was great fun, and their voices even blended beautifully in harmony.