Like Singing in the Rain, The Band Wagon is an irresistably charming and complex musical about the making of a musical. Asserting that “The world's a stage, and the stage is a world--of entertainment,” Minnelli creates an entirely artificial, expressionistic world of color and exquisite “outdoor” sets, while the script, written by Comden and Green, sparkles with quick wit and satirical reminders of reality. The story is a kind of Pirandellian comedy about a middle-aged hoofer (Fred Astaire at age 53) in his last ditch attempt to revive a wilting career by starring in a pretentious Broadway version of the Faust legend concocted by a Comden and Green-like team (played by Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant) and a prima ballerina (ex-ballerina Cyd Charisse). Eventually they oust Faust and produce a knockout musical that provides the film's famous “Girl Hunt Ballet,” a spoof of lurid Mickey Spillane novels. Astaire and Charisse are magnetic from their first duet, “Dancing in the Dark” in Central Park, and the film's other musical numbers include “That's Entertainment,” and “By Myself.”