The Sky's the Limit Reviews

An ordinary musical comedy, THE SKY'S THE LIMIT paired Fred Astaire with a new dancing partner, Joan Leslie, who surprised audiences with her terpsichorean skills, although her singing voice was looped by Sally Sweetland. Astaire is Fred Atwell, a WW II flyboy hero who, wishing to avoid the limelight, skips out on a 10-day stateside fund-raising tour and, posing as an ordinary civilian, hangs out in New York City. There he falls for Joan Manion (Leslie), gung-ho magazine photographer who yearns for a battlefront assignment and doesn't think much of Fred, believing him to be shirking his patriotic duty. Refusing to reveal his real identity, Fred begins a musical campaign to win Joan's heart, giving the duo an opportunity to do a bit of lively footwork, though most of the routines are lackluster--hardly up to the standards Astaire had established with Ginger Rogers in his prior RKO outings. Leigh Harline's musical direction and "My Shining Hour" (sung by Leslie, then reprised by Leslie, Astaire) were nominated for Oscars, but "One for My Baby" (Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer) was the song that became a standard. One other song was "I've Got a Lot in Common with You."