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
The Great Songs from "My Fair Lady" and Other Broadway Hits go into national release. This is further buttressed with a half dozen top tunes from other Broadway shows." Songs from "My Fair Lady": "Begin the Beguine" had its most successful chart performance as an instrumental recording by Artie Shaw & His Orchestra that spent six weeks at number one in 1938, sold one million copies, and returned to the charts in 1942, peaking at number 20. "Where or When" had two separate trips to the top five: Hal Kemp & His Orchestra spent a week with the song at number one that same year with Bob Allen on vocal, and