The final scene of “The Barkleys of Broadway” resolves the film’s central conflict through Josh and Dinah Barkley’s reconciliation during an elegant dance sequence. After Josh impersonates the playwright Jacques to secretly congratulate Dinah on her successful opening night performance in the play “The Young Sarah,” she discovers his deception when the real Jacques arrives at her dressing room. Josh’s confession and her subsequent forgiveness set the stage for their reunion—both as a couple and as a professional dancing team.
The scene is anchored by a stunning pas de deux performed to “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” a George and Ira Gershwin composition that transforms their personal resolution into a declaration of artistic partnership. The ending works because it acknowledges the emotional stakes that have driven the entire narrative: Dinah’s need to establish herself as a solo performer, Josh’s inability to accept their separation, and their underlying dependency on each other as dancers. Rather than simply reuniting them for a kiss, director Charles Walters choreographed a return to what they do best together—dancing. The final image, where Dinah suggestively crooks her finger for Josh to come closer before the scene fades on their embrace, captures both the playfulness of their relationship and its fundamental romanticism.
Table of Contents
- How Josh’s Deception Reveals the Heart of Their Story
- The Pas de Deux and the Gershwin Standard
- The Significance of Filming in Technicolor
- The Psychology Behind the Ending’s Emotional Resolution
- The Production Context and Astaire’s Personal Honor
- Why the Setting Matters
- The Lasting Image and Its Cinematic Legacy
How Josh’s Deception Reveals the Heart of Their Story
Josh’s impersonation of playwright Jacques isn’t a mere plot device; it’s the culmination of his desperate attempts to remain relevant in Dinah’s new solo career. Throughout the film, Josh has struggled with Dinah’s decision to perform independently, and this final act of deception represents his last attempt to maintain control over her success narrative. By pretending to be Jacques, he’s literally inserting himself into her moment of triumph, unable to simply let her shine alone. The deception also mirrors the couple’s deeper problem: they’ve built their entire relationship and career on togetherness, so Dinah’s solo ambitions feel like a personal rejection to Josh. His willingness to lie—to pretend to be someone he’s not—suggests how far he’ll go to recapture their previous dynamic.
When Dinah discovers the truth, her angry confrontation with Josh forces him to finally articulate his true feelings. The scene shifts from manipulation to honesty, which becomes the foundation for their genuine reconciliation. What makes this resolution particularly effective is that it doesn’t ask Dinah to abandon her solo career aspirations. Instead, Josh learns to celebrate her success without needing to be the one who orchestrated it. His genuine congratulations, offered without pretense in his apartment, represents his acceptance of a new kind of partnership—one where they can still dance together without that dancing being the totality of their identities.
The Pas de Deux and the Gershwin Standard
“They Can’t Take That Away from Me” is a deceptively simple song choice that carries considerable weight. Originally written for the 1937 Astaire-Rogers film “Shall We Dance,” its reappearance in “The Barkleys of Broadway” (1949) creates a through-line connecting Astaire and Rogers’ most iconic partnership to this, their final collaboration. The song’s lyrics—about memories and experiences that remain unshakeable—speak directly to the permanence of what Josh and Dinah have shared, regardless of any temporary separation. The choreography for this sequence abandons the tap dancing that Astaire is famous for, replacing it with ballroom movement that feels more intimate and romantic. This decision is crucial because it signals a maturation of their partnership; they’re not performing flashy entertainment for an audience but rather engaging in a deeply personal expression of reconnection.
The described “loveliest pas de deux ever filmed” suggests a fluidity and grace that emphasizes their compatibility as dancers rather than their technical prowess. One limitation of the ending dance is that it might seem to undermine Dinah’s entire journey toward independence. A viewer might reasonably question whether she’s simply surrendered her solo aspirations to reunite with Josh on stage. However, the scene’s framing—where Dinah initiates the physical intimacy with that suggestive finger crook—suggests she’s choosing this reunion from a position of strength, not capitulation. She’s had her solo success; this dance is a voluntary return to partnership.
The Significance of Filming in Technicolor
“The Barkleys of Broadway” holds a unique distinction: it’s the tenth and final film Astaire and Rogers made together, and notably, it’s the only one shot in color. This technological advancement changed how their dancing was perceived and preserved. The Technicolor process made the choreography and their costumes more vivid and dynamic than previous black-and-white films, allowing viewers to see every nuance of movement and expression more clearly. The final dance sequence, rendered in full color, showcases the elegance of their ballroom technique in ways their earlier films couldn’t.
The lighting and color palette emphasize the romance of the moment, with Dinah’s costume and the stage setting creating a visual harmony that would have been impossible in monochrome. This was significant not just artistically but culturally; color film was still relatively novel in 1949, and using it for Astaire and Rogers’ farewell performance felt like Hollywood honoring their legacy with its most advanced technology. The decision to film their final collaboration in color also meant that modern audiences can experience these performances with clarity that preserves every detail. Unlike some of their earlier works that have faded or deteriorated over decades, “The Barkleys of Broadway” remains visually striking, which has contributed to its enduring appreciation among film historians and dance enthusiasts.
The Psychology Behind the Ending’s Emotional Resolution
The final scene works because it doesn’t ask either character to completely sacrifice their position. Josh doesn’t demand that Dinah abandon her solo career; Dinah doesn’t insist that Josh remain relegated to the sidelines. Instead, they meet in the middle through dance, which is the language they both understand most fluently. This is why the ending feels earned rather than forced—the reconciliation happens through their shared artistic practice, not through dialogue or conventional romantic gestures. The crook of Dinah’s finger in the final image carries symbolic weight.
It’s a gesture of agency and invitation, not submission. She’s not waiting for Josh to make the grand gesture; she’s calling him to her. This small physical detail transforms the entire meaning of their reunion from “Josh wins Dinah back” to “Dinah chooses Josh as her dancing partner again.” The distinction matters because it preserves her character arc even as it completes the romantic narrative. A limitation of this ending is that it glosses over the practical complications of their reunion. Does Josh have other career prospects? Will Dinah’s solo reputation suffer if she returns to being “one half of a dancing couple”? The film doesn’t address these questions, instead trusting that the beauty of their reconciliation is sufficient. For a viewer seeking more concrete resolution to these career questions, the ending may feel slightly incomplete, though its emotional logic is undeniable.
The Production Context and Astaire’s Personal Honor
“The Barkleys of Broadway” was filmed between August and October of 1948, and the production achieved something remarkable: it brought Astaire and Rogers back together for what everyone knew would be their final film. The significance of this reunion was underscored when Astaire received an honorary Academy Award during production, presented by Rogers herself. This wasn’t just a professional reunion; it was a coronation of one of Hollywood’s greatest partnerships. Ginger Rogers had not originally been cast in the film; Judy Garland was the first choice for the role of Dinah. Garland’s unavailability became the catalyst for Rogers’ return to the role she’d made famous with Astaire.
This casting change meant that the film became not just a new project but a definitive statement about Astaire and Rogers’ legacy together. There’s an irony in the fact that a replacement casting decision produced what many consider the perfect capstone to their partnership. The budget of $2.2 million and box office return of $4.4 million represented a substantial investment in nostalgia and star power. The studio was banking on the audience’s affection for Astaire and Rogers as a team, and that bet paid off commercially. The financial success of the film validated the decision to bring them back together, though it also meant the ending carried heightened pressure—it had to satisfy audiences who had been watching this team for over a decade.
Why the Setting Matters
The final scene takes place partly in Dinah’s dressing room and partly in Josh’s apartment, representing the two worlds they’ve inhabited separately. Dinah’s dressing room is her space of solo achievement, where she receives congratulations on her performance in “The Young Sarah.” Josh’s apartment is the intimate space of their personal relationship, away from the theater and the demands of performance. By moving from her professional space to his personal one, the scene traces a journey from career conflict to personal reconciliation.
The theater setting earlier in the scene also matters; it places their reconciliation within the context of live performance and artistic expression. This isn’t a resolution that happens in isolation; it happens in and around the spaces where they’ve built their reputations. The final dance sequence takes place on a stage set, completing a circle where their personal and professional lives merge seamlessly.
The Lasting Image and Its Cinematic Legacy
The final image—Dinah’s suggestive finger crook and their fading embrace—became iconic enough to be referenced and remembered by film historians for decades. It’s a moment of pure cinema, where gesture communicates what words cannot. The fade to black on their embrace suggests both intimacy and a sense of closure; this is where their story ends, in a moment of physical and emotional connection that transcends dialogue.
This ending achieved something remarkable for a 1949 film: it treated the female character’s desire and agency as central to the resolution. Dinah isn’t rescued or won back; she makes the active choice to invite Josh closer. For audiences watching in 1949, this would have registered as both romantic and surprisingly progressive—a woman claiming her right to choose her partner and her career simultaneously. The film premiered at Loew’s State Theatre in New York on May 4, 1949, and audiences responded to that ending with the recognition that they were witnessing a significant moment in cinema history, a farewell to one of Hollywood’s greatest teams.
- —
