The Continental (song) as a duet with Graham Preskett on "The Steve Howe Album" in 1979. The Continental (song) "The Continental" is a song written by Con Conrad with lyrics by Herb Magidson, and was introduced by Ginger Rogers in the 1934 film, "The Gay Divorcee". "The Continental" was the first song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Major record hits at the time of introduction included Jolly Coburn and Leo Reisman. In 1952 Harry James released a recording on the album "Hollywood's Best" (Columbia B-319 and CL-6224) with Rosemary Clooney on vocals. A later version by Maureen McGovern reached
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Vaudeville, partnering with his older sister, Adele. He made his first movie in 1933, taking on a small role in the movie "Dancing Lady" starring Clark Gable and Joan Crawford. Rogers made her first appearance in a 1929 movie short, then made feature Pre-Code movies with Warner Brothers Pictures such as "42nd Street" and "Gold Diggers of 1933". Astaire and Rogers made their first pairing in a movie in 1933, "Flying Down to Rio", in which they had supporting roles; the main star was Dolores Del Rio. The film, released late in 1933, earned worldwide rentals of $1.5 million.