Shall We Dance (1937 film) their musicals since "The Gay Divorcee" (1934) – contributed to their least profitable picture to date. Astaire was no stranger to the Gershwins, having headlined, with his sister Adele, two Gershwin Broadway shows: "Lady Be Good!" in 1924 and "Funny Face" in 1927. George Gershwin also accompanied the pair on piano in a set of recordings in 1926. Rogers first came to Hollywood's attention when she appeared in the Gershwins' 1930 stage musical "Girl Crazy". "Shall We Dance" was named at the suggestion of Vincente Minnelli, who was a friend of the Gershwins. Minnelli originally suggested "Shall We Dance?" with
Fred Astaire was to deeply affect the careers of both artists. Astaire was always on the lookout for new steps on the circuit and was starting to demonstrate his ceaseless quest for novelty and perfection. The Astaires broke into Broadway in 1917 with "Over the Top", a patriotic revue, and performed for U.S. and Allied troops at this time as well. The Astaires followed up with several more shows, and of their work in "The Passing Show of 1918," Heywood Broun wrote: "In an evening in which there was an abundance of good dancing, Fred Astaire stood out ... He and his