NR | 1 h 17 min | Romance, Drama, Comedy | 1935
Ginger Rogers is famous for her song and dance musicals with Fred Astaire that started in the early 1930s. During that time, Rogers also made several nonmusical films at RKO Radio Pictures with other co-stars. One of these was the well-known “Stage Door” from 1937, but she showed her serious acting skills two years earlier in “Romance in Manhattan.”
An Immigrant’s Tale
The story starts when Karel Novak (Lederer), a young Czechoslovakian farmer, immigrates to the United States. Upon arriving in New York, he is devastated to learn that the immigration fee has been raised from $50, which he saved after years of work, to $200. With only $58 to his name and no luck convincing the authorities to let him get a job, Novak is put on a steamer back to Europe. Refusing to forego his dream of becoming an American, he jumps overboard.
Novak loses his wallet while swimming to shore, so he finds himself wandering around New York City at night with no money, no food, and no friends. When he sees a group of chorus girls leave their break to go back to rehearsal, he is too famished to resist stealing a donut. One of the dancers, Sylvia Dennis (Rogers), catches him, but she can tell that he’s poor and starving. She welcomes him, offers him more food, and brings him back to her apartment, not realizing that he is an illegal immigrant.
Dennis supports her younger brother, Frank (Jimmy Butler), who sometimes skips school to sell papers and help the family budget. However, Dennis is concerned that the welfare society will place Frank in an institution if they think she isn’t caring for him properly.
Wanting to help Novak get back on his feet, Dennis gives him some blankets so he can sleep on the apartment building’s roof, and Frank helps him get a job selling papers. Novak is desperate to earn $200 before the authorities discover him, since he wants to stay in America if only to be with Dennis.
The actor who played Karel Novak, Francis Lederer, was born in Prague, which was then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire but is now in the Czech Republic. He came from a poor Jewish family but fell in love with the theater as a young boy. After gaining fame in Europe and then England, he came to Broadway for a show in 1932 and decided to stay in the United States because of the Nazi Party’s rise. His story is similar to Novak’s, whose burning desire to become an American may also have been motivated by trouble in Europe.
A Touching Story
Even in this early performance, Rogers shows that she is a talented, dramatic actress when the part demands it, as well as a charming leading lady. Although we see her briefly in one dance rehearsal, this film shows that she didn’t need to dance to be an entertaining cast member.“Romance in Manhattan” is a short film, but it contains a very deep and developed story. Within its first few minutes, we are very emotionally involved with Novak’s plight. It’s clear that this man is very serious about becoming an American. He studied English and saved his money for years in Czechoslovakia so he could be an American citizen. All he wants is the chance to work hard and prove himself.
This character’s passionate pursuit of the American dream is an inspiring reminder for us all. As he says, “Here, everybody can get ahead and climb to the height he dreams of. There’s opportunity here!”
