Blue Skies [VHS]
It's a flimsy excuse to romp through more than two dozen Irving Berlin songs, butBlue Skiesis good fun nonetheless (and one of the top-grossing films of 1946). Bing Crosby is a restless nightclub entrepreneur, Fred Astaire his Broadway buddy, Joan Caulfield the woman they both want. Ignore the plot and enjoy the numbers, especially Astaire's marvelous "Puttin' on the Ritz," which is breathtaking even before multiple images of Fred are introduced dancing in a row (who needs CGI, anyway?). Bing and Fred flash great showbiz chutzpah in "A Couple of Song and Dance Men," which wonderfully captures the appeal of both stars:  Fred's heavenly precision, and Bing's "can-you-believe-they're-payin'-me-for-this?" sense of play.--Robert Horton