Another look at Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly films

Fred Astaire’s 1943 musical comedy-drama “The Sky’s the Limit” received mixed reactions from critics, as did Gene Kelly’s first film after serving in World War II, 1947’s “Living in a Big Way.” But time can change perceptions. Both films, which were just released by Warner Archive on DVD, deserve a second chance. “The Sky’s the Limit” finds Astaire as a Flying Tiger pilot on leave. The best moment is when a drunken Astaire introduces the Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer standard “One for My Baby (and “One More for the Road”). Kelly didn’t want to do “Living in a Big Way,” in which he plays a veteran returning home to discover that his wife, whom he barely knows, is a snob. The comedy isn’t great, but there are three inspired musical numbers including the sweet “Fido and Me,” in which the hoofer dances with a dog.