ending?

I agree; it was odd. I was having a great time throughout the film, and at the end I was scratching my head a bit. Great film, though.

"Thank you for a lovely evening."

What didn't make sense? I thought it made fine sense. It wasn't one of the most amazing endings, but I can't see what was so hard to understand about it.

I want to be alone... ~Garbo~

It took me a while to "figure" it out.
Penny realized that she was just being silly by marrying Romero. And the fact that Lucky did something like taking Romero's pants is just like a final "C'mon, Penny, what are you doing? You know you love me."

Romero knew he was getting Penny on the rebound. Might as well laugh, as cry.



You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.

Ahem. What about this movie makes sense? Lucky's never losing at gambling unless he wanted to makes sense? Winning and losing the orchestra three times makes sense? Lucky giving up someone he loves because he's "engaged" to someone he knew for one week makes sense? A smart woman like Penny marrying Romero even though she knows Lucky's engagement is off makes sense?

C'mon - this movie isn't to be taken seriously on any level. Think of it like a porn flick - the story is fluff around the main event - the musical numbers and the incredible dancing of Fred Astaire. It's just silly fun.

What you missed about the ending:

Aliens abducted Romero and implanted him with a shape-shifting device in his pants. Then, Fred Astaire rapes Ginger Rogers, who takes out the entire night club with an uzi, while druglord Mendoza meets with a corrupt Senator. The entire scene ends with explosions and nudity, acts of homosexuality, and stupid people vying for first prize of in a "reality" based contest where they are humilated by people with even less talent.

Now, THAT makes sense.

What didn't make sense? The device of the pants? The fact that every single person ended up in a fit of uncontrollable laughter? Romero's easy-going acceptance of his loss of his fiancee to Lucky? My guess is that Pan Berman, the series' regular director, may have done it a little differently (e.g., let some of the characters gradually enter the laugh-a-thon), but George Stevens appears to like the "all laughing" or "all crying" finale.

I guess a guy without his pants is always funny, and it made Ricardo look like an okay guy, unlike Ralph Bellamy in Carefree, who was a bit of a jerk....

I thought that Helen Broderick's laughter was justified. After all, as Penny's older friend, she had seen Penny change her mind several times about Lucky...and in this regard, the plot as more twists in it than the the California Coastal Highway. The underlying problem of course, is that Lucky does not know his own mind...until it's too late....i.e. until Penny chooses the band leader....setting up Fred and Ginger's great dance of parting.

BTW...Unlike all the other Astaire Roger's films, this movie,(and Carefrree), are the only two movies where Fred does not truly know his own feelings towards Ginger.

In the Steven's plot, Fred loses his pants in the beginning of the movie...when his dance team sabotage his marriage, a mis-alliance...then he loses his pants when gambling....and finally Metaxa , the "bad guy" loses his pants, at his wedding to Penny. In effect, the movie is symetrical...both mis-alliances are thwarted through laughter....and the lost pants gag....one at the beginning and one at the end of the film.

It works for me...but I understand if it doesn't work for everyone. Perhaps the problem that this movie is so rich with meanings...and that the denoument comes on the heals of one of the greatest (and most emotional) filmed dances of all time...Astaire and Roger's "Never Gonna Dance". There's hardly enough time to catch one's breath, before Lucky finds out that his fiance does not intend to marry him...and the laughter begins.

Metaxa's performance could have be more nuanced....When Penny sees the rising laughter, Stevens makes several cuts of her reactions...first rigidity...then not knowing whether to laugh or remain stubborn...and finally, her face melts into animated laughter. Perhaps...and I'm not really sure of this... Metaxa's face could have likewise shown an evolution from anger to acceptance. As it is, he turns out not to have been a total ogre...since he accepts Penny's decision to marry Lucky...as the sun comes out through the snow storm.

I agree with all who think that this is one of the most wonderful films ever made....as John Mueller says; "in the history of the universe". I think, the plot is this film is pretty believable and strong really...and the dancing is a gift to humanity from whatever source of grace one believes.