Broadway Melody of 1940 Broadway Melody of 1940 Broadway Melody of 1940 is a 1940 MGM film musical starring Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell and George Murphy. It was directed by Norman Taurog and features music by Cole Porter, including "Begin the Beguine". The film was the fourth and final entry in MGM's "Broadway Melody" series of films, and is notable for being the only on-screen pairing of Astaire and Powell, who were considered the finest film musical dancers of their time. Johnny Brett (Fred Astaire) and King Shaw (George Murphy) are a dance team so down on their luck they're working in a dance
Hollywood Romance the lyrics were included on the back cover. The song name checks a number of classic era Hollywood movies such as "King Kong", "Last Tango in Paris", "The African Queen", "Citizen Kane" and "Tarzan", as well as the popular song "Begin the Beguine", written by Cole Porter that Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell danced to in the musical film "Broadway Melody of 1940". "Hollywood Romance" was influenced by de Paul's move to California in the late 1970s to be with the actor James Coburn. The B-side to the "Hollywood Romance" single was a blues song that de Paul co-wrote with