Easter Parade (film)

Easter Parade
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharles Walters
Screenplay bySidney Sheldon
Frances Goodrich
Albert Hackett
Story byFrances Goodrich
Albert Hackett
Produced byArthur Freed
StarringJudy Garland
Fred Astaire
Peter Lawford
Ann Miller
CinematographyHarry Stradling
Edited byAlbert Akst
Music byScore:
Johnny Green
Roger Edens
Songs and Music:
Irving Berlin
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byLoew's, Inc.
Release date
  • June 30, 1948 (1948-06-30)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,655,000[1][2]
Box office$6.8 million [1]

Easter Parade is a 1948 American Technicolor musical film starring Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Peter Lawford, and Ann Miller. The film contains some of Astaire's and Garland's best-known songs, including "Easter Parade", "Steppin' Out with My Baby", and "We're a Couple of Swells", all by Irving Berlin.

Gene Kelly was originally cast opposite Garland, but broke his ankle.[3] The part was then offered to Astaire, who had retired two years earlier. Very eager to work again, Astaire consulted Kelly about the offer, and Kelly supported his decision to take the role. Garland and Astaire were a successful team, and Astaire was restored to his status as a top MGM star.

A critical and commercial success, Easter Parade was the highest-grossing musical film of 1948, and the second-highest grossing MGM musical of the 1940s, after Meet Me in St. Louis.

  1. ^ a b The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. ^ "109-Million Investment by H'wood In Current Technicolor Features". Variety. February 18, 1948. p. 7. Retrieved April 1, 2018. Negative costs for completed Technicolor on the major lots amount to $55,900,000 distributed as follows: ...and "Easter Parade," $3,000,000.
  3. ^ "Easter Parade". www.tcm.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2021.