By virtue of Cole Porter's marvellous score (“Begin the Beguine,” “I Concentrate on You,” etc.), elaborately and elegantly translated into dance terms by Fred Astaire, Broadway Melody of 1940 transcends the usual backstage story and MGM sumptuosity it inherited from its predecessors. The New York Times called it “much more convincingly Broadway, and much more than usually melodious.... Mr. Astaire's arabesques seem even more fascinatingly intricate than ever before.” George Murphy plays Astaire's loyal partner of dance hall days, and Broadway Melody veteran Eleanor Powell, formerly a soloist herself, here concentrates on Fred but holds her own in the most ambitious of hoofing.