4 Great Movies Starring Ginger Rogers..and Not Fred Astaire
A multi-talented performer, actress Ginger Rogers was best known for her dance partnership with Fred Astaire in the 1930s. In fact, Rogers was often kept in Astaire's shadow even though the pair received co-billing and struggled to receive her fair share of the profits. Still, she was still able to break out on her own, but at first was only given light comedy movies. Rogers eventually received her due as a dramatic actress by winning the Academy Award and went on to become one of the silver screen's most beloved actresses.
Adapted from the play by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman, Stage Door was a showbiz comedy that allowed Rogers to take her first true steps toward becoming a star on her own right. The film featured Katharine Hepburn as Terry Randall, a young woman from a wealthy family who aspires to be a stage actress—not unlike Hepburn herself. Determined to make it on her own, Terry moves into a boarding house overflowing with wannabe Broadway actresses, including the sassy Jean (Rogers), whose quest for stardom leads her to cross paths with a carnal-minded producer. Though top-billed by Hepburn, Rogers stood out from a cast that also included Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, and Ann Miller in demonstrating her acting bona fides.
Having long been typecast as Fred Astaire's dance part or a lightweight comedienne, Rogers defied the critics with her Oscar-winning performance in Sam Wood's melodramaKitty Foyle. Rogers played the titular role of Kitty, a working-class girl out to fulfill her dreams who's romanced by the son (Dennis Morgan) of a wealthy family. Even though she falls for a poor doctor (James Craig), she decides to marry the wealthy man instead, only to run afoul of his family. She leaves her husband while pregnant and suffers the heartbreak of a still-born child, but in the end chooses love over money. Wood's casting of Rogers was a brilliant stroke and led her to winning the Academy Award for Best Actress.
A comedy of errors directed by first-timer Billy Wilder, The Major and the Minor walked a tightrope with its Lolita-like storyline. Rogers starred as Susan Applegate, a young broke woman living in New York City who decides to return home to Iowa. However, she's unable to afford a full-priced train ticket and poses as an 12-year-old girl in order to get a discounted rate. On the train, she's found out by the conductors and takes refuge with an army officer (Ray Milland), who all but adopts the "little girl" and keeps her from harm. Rogers wide-eyed innocence was put to perfect use by Wilder, who managed to keep the premise in the realm of being tasteful.
Already a bona fide star, Rogers turned in a shining dramatic performance in this moving melodrama directed by William Dieterle. I'll Be Seeing You starred Rogers as Mary Marshall, a woman convicted of manslaughter after killing her aggressive boss in an effort to defend herself. Mary is given an 10-day furlough to visit family during the Christmas holiday and on the train home meets a damaged war veteran (Joseph Cotten) just released from the VA psych ward. The pair quickly hit it off, though at first Mary keeps her situation to herself. But as they fall in love, Mary decides to tell him the truth so that both can find a way to reconcile themselves. Both Rogers and Cotten delivered winning performances, but it was Rogers' restrained against-type turn that really solidified her standing as a dramatic actress.
1. 'Stage Door' – 1937
Adapted from the play by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman, Stage Door was a showbiz comedy that allowed Rogers to take her first true steps toward becoming a star on her own right. The film featured Katharine Hepburn as Terry Randall, a young woman from a wealthy family who aspires to be a stage actress—not unlike Hepburn herself. Determined to make it on her own, Terry moves into a boarding house overflowing with wannabe Broadway actresses, including the sassy Jean (Rogers), whose quest for stardom leads her to cross paths with a carnal-minded producer. Though top-billed by Hepburn, Rogers stood out from a cast that also included Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, and Ann Miller in demonstrating her acting bona fides.
2. 'Kitty Foyle' – 1940
Having long been typecast as Fred Astaire's dance part or a lightweight comedienne, Rogers defied the critics with her Oscar-winning performance in Sam Wood's melodramaKitty Foyle. Rogers played the titular role of Kitty, a working-class girl out to fulfill her dreams who's romanced by the son (Dennis Morgan) of a wealthy family. Even though she falls for a poor doctor (James Craig), she decides to marry the wealthy man instead, only to run afoul of his family. She leaves her husband while pregnant and suffers the heartbreak of a still-born child, but in the end chooses love over money. Wood's casting of Rogers was a brilliant stroke and led her to winning the Academy Award for Best Actress.
3. 'The Major and the Minor' – 1942
A comedy of errors directed by first-timer Billy Wilder, The Major and the Minor walked a tightrope with its Lolita-like storyline. Rogers starred as Susan Applegate, a young broke woman living in New York City who decides to return home to Iowa. However, she's unable to afford a full-priced train ticket and poses as an 12-year-old girl in order to get a discounted rate. On the train, she's found out by the conductors and takes refuge with an army officer (Ray Milland), who all but adopts the "little girl" and keeps her from harm. Rogers wide-eyed innocence was put to perfect use by Wilder, who managed to keep the premise in the realm of being tasteful.
4. 'I'll Be Seeing You' – 1944
Already a bona fide star, Rogers turned in a shining dramatic performance in this moving melodrama directed by William Dieterle. I'll Be Seeing You starred Rogers as Mary Marshall, a woman convicted of manslaughter after killing her aggressive boss in an effort to defend herself. Mary is given an 10-day furlough to visit family during the Christmas holiday and on the train home meets a damaged war veteran (Joseph Cotten) just released from the VA psych ward. The pair quickly hit it off, though at first Mary keeps her situation to herself. But as they fall in love, Mary decides to tell him the truth so that both can find a way to reconcile themselves. Both Rogers and Cotten delivered winning performances, but it was Rogers' restrained against-type turn that really solidified her standing as a dramatic actress.