You Were Never Lovelier

A remake of an Argentine film, YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER was a follow-up to the 1942 hit YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH, and reteamed Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. Hayworth proved once again to be a stunning dancer in musical numbers such as "Shorty George" and "I'm Old Fashioned," a sensuous moonlit duet with Astaire, enhanced by Xavier Cugat and his orchestra. Astaire and Hayworth spent days rehearsing each number, but it was difficult to find sufficient rehearsal space on Columbia's stages, so the studio rented a funeral parlor at a nearby Hollywood cemetery for rehearsals. Jerome Kern's score received an Academy Award® nomination as did "Dearly Beloved" by Kern and Johnny Mercer for Best Song. The film was also nominated for Best Sound. Hayworth wanted to do her own singing, but her voice was dubbed by Nan Wynn, a well-kept secret at the time.