| The Sky's the Limit | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:The-skys-the-limit-movie-poster-md.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Edward H. Griffith |
| Produced by | David Hempstead |
| Starring | Fred Astaire Joan Leslie |
| Cinematography | Russell Metty |
| Edited by | Roland Gross |
| Music by | Leigh Harline (uncredited) |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $871,000[2] |
| Box office | $2,185,000[2] |
The Sky's The Limit is a 1943 romantic musical comedy film starring Fred Astaire and Joan Leslie, with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The film was directed by Edward H. Griffith, and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Astaire plays a Flying Tiger pilot on leave. Robert T. Smith, a real former Flying Tiger pilot on leave before joining the Army Air Forces, was the technical adviser on the film. The comedy is provided by Robert Benchley — his second appearance in an Astaire picture — and Eric Blore, a stalwart from the early Astaire-Rogers pictures.
The film was an unusual departure for Astaire, one which caused some consternation among film critics and fans at the time,[citation needed] though not enough to prevent the film from doing well. Aside from the dancing – which contains the famous solo performance to the standard "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)", described by Astaire as "the best song specially written for me" – the script provided him with his first opportunity to act in a serious dramatic role, and one with which his acting abilities, sometimes disparaged, appear to cope.[citation needed]
Arlen and Mercer were nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song, for "My Shining Hour". Leigh Harline was nominated for the Academy Award for Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture).
- ^ "The Sky's the Limit: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ a b RKO Film Grosses, 1929-1951: the C. J. Tevlin ledger