Yolanda and the Thief (1945)

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Fred Astaire tries to con a sheltered heiress by posing as her guardian angel in Yolanda and the Thief, a Vincente Minnelli musical spectacular that features an extended surreal dance number of the type he will perfect in An American in Paris. And also Astaire playing the harp. I didn't know he could play the harp! In the cast, I like Mildred Natwick as the talkative aunt, she gets all the best lines. Quite naturally, the intrigue requires Astaire's soul to be in jeopardy, especially as he gets closer to his mark and - all together now - falls in love with her. But like the colorful fictional South American country where this all takes place, we're looking at an idyll. Can this world really be wicked enough to let the heiress hung out to dry? No, of course not. So it's a bit of fun, the only thing really missing is a memorable song or two. Alas, there's little to recommend on that front. It even makes me disconnect during the dance numbers. 3 years 7 months ago