Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

They were cast in supporting roles, with fifth and fourth billing, respectively, but their performance in the "Carioca" number was the highlight of the film,[2] and RKO Radio Pictures was eager to capitalize on their popularity.

In Roberta, which featured the song "I Won't Dance", Astaire and Rogers received second and third billing, respectively, behind Irene Dunne.

[3] Follow the Fleet boasted another Irving Berlin score, which featured the vignette "Let's Face the Music and Dance".

Swing Time spawned the Oscar-winning song "The Way You Look Tonight", written by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, which Astaire sang to Rogers.

[9] Shall We Dance had the first Hollywood score by the brothers George and Ira Gershwin, and included the song "They Can't Take That Away from Me".

[11] Carefree marked a departure from their on-screen formula, featuring Astaire in a role unlike his usual typecast persona, as well as less emphasis on the musical elements.

[11] Carefree was originally supposed to include sequences shot in Technicolor, but RKO considered the cost prohibitive, so it was filmed in black and white.

[10] This movie features an Irving Berlin musical score with only four songs, the fewest in any Astaire and Rogers film.

Due to the high cost and low profit of the most recent Astaire-Rogers vehicles, along with the stars' mutual desire to branch out, RKO announced the end of the on-screen partnership.

[13][14] Rogers had long been keen to pursue more dramatic roles, which she successfully managed after the end of her collaboration with Astaire.

[19] In 1950, Rogers presented an honorary Academy Award to Astaire "for his unique artistry and his contributions to the technique of musical pictures.

"[20] Throughout the 1950s, Rogers' film career declined, and she began to focus more on Broadway roles; she received great acclaim for her portrayals of the title characters in Mame and Hello, Dolly!.