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This is about the film. For the stage musical, see Gay Divorce.

Gaydivorcee

The Gay Divorcee.

The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 musical film based on the similarly named stage musical Gay Divorce.

Cast[]

Singing cast[]

  • Fred Astaire - Guy Holden
  • Ginger Rogers - Mimi Glossop
  • Edward Everett Horton - Egbert Fitzgerald
  • Erik Rhodes - Rodolfo Tonetti
  • Betty Grable - First Guest
  • Lillian Miles - Second Guest

Non-singing cast[]

  • Alice Brady - Aunt Hortense
  • William Austin - Cyril Glossop
  • Eric Blore - The Waiter

Plot[]

Mimi Glossop arrives in England to seek a divorce from her geologist husband Cyril, whom she has not seen for several years. Under the guidance of her domineering and much-married aunt Hortense, she consults incompetent and bumbling lawyer Egbert Fitzgerald, once a fiancé of her aunt. He arranges for her to spend a night at a seaside hotel and to be caught in an adulterous relationship, for which purpose he hires a professional co-respondent, Rodolfo Tonetti. But Egbert forgets to arrange for private detectives to "catch" the couple.

By coincidence, Guy Holden an American dancer and friend of Egbert's, who briefly met Mimi on her arrival in England, and who is now besotted with her, also arrives at the hotel, only to be mistaken by Mimi for the co-respondent she has been waiting for. While they are in Mimi's bedroom, Tonetti arrives, revealing the truth, and holds them "prisoner" to suit the plan. They contrive to escape and dance the night away.

In the morning, after several mistakes with the waiter, Cyril Glossop (William Austin) arrives at the door, so Guy hides in the next room, while Mimi and Tonetti give a show of being lovers. When Cyril does not believe them, Guy comes out and embraces Mimi in an attempt to convince him that he is her lover, but to no avail. It is an unwitting waiter who finally clears the whole thing up by revealing that Cyril himself is an adulterer, thus clearing the way for Mimi to get a divorce and marry Guy.

Musical numbers[]

  • "A Needle In a Haystack" - Guy
  • "Let's K-nock K-nees" - Egbert and First Guest
  • "Night and Day" - Guy
  • "The Continental" - Guy, Mimi, Rodolfo and Second Guest
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