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
Chucho's Steps Good" is a nod to Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine" and George Gershwin's "Lady Be Good". American musicals were a part of Valdés's childhood, and "Begin the Beguine" became a favorite song of his. The track "New Orleans" is a homage to the musical Marsalis family. Valdés's relationship with, Ellis Marsalis, the Marsalis patriarch goes back to 1979. In October 2010 Wynton Marsalis travelled to Havana for a week-long series of shows with an aim of easing Cuba – United States relations. "Yansa" was inspired by the Yoruba religion, specifically a call to the deity Orisha, the track is highlighted