Fred Astaire in Second Chorus Musical

Fred Astaire and Burgess Meredith play college trumpet players Danny O'Neill and Hank Taylor in Second Chorus. These two guys are rivals in their band, and also compete for the affections of band manager Ellen Miller (portrayed by Paulette Goddard).

Artie Shaw (portrayed by Artie Shaw himself) persuades Ellen Miller to become his secretary. Second Chorus chronicles the efforts of Danny O'Neill and Hank Taylor to join up with Artie Shaw's band, and to win the heart of Ellen Miller.

Fred Astaire enjoyed a lengthy career on stage and in film as a dancer, actor, singer and choreographer. He's well known for his dancing and acting partnership with Ginger Rogers. Astaire's Hollywood musical credits include films such as Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, Swing Time, Flying Down to Rio, Easter Parade, Shall We Dance, and The Barkleys of Broadway. Fred Astaire is listed as fifth on the American Film Institute's list of the top 25 male American Screen Legends.

Actor Burgess Meredith also has a filmography that spans several decades. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his roles in two films, Rocky and The Day of the Locust.

Paulette Goddard was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in a 1943 film, So Proudly We Hail!. She appeared on Broadway as a Ziegfeld Girl, and starred in Paramount films in the 1940s.

Second Chorus was directed by H.C. Potter, whose credits include noted films such as The Farmer's Daughter and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. Boris Morros produced Second Chorus, which was distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Second Chorus features some toe-tapping music written for the movie by Hal Borne and Artie Shaw in collaboration with lyricist Johnny Mercer, and also showcases standards such as Sweet Sue by Victor Young and Sugar by Marceo Pinkard.

Shaw and Mercer wrote Love of My Life for Second Chorus, and the piece received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. Artie Shaw's band is featured in an extended piece, Concerto For Clarinet, that Shaw composed for Second Chorus. The band is also featured in Everything's Jumping.

Fred Astaire and Paulette Goddard are featured in a song and dance duet, I Ain't Hep To That Step But I'll Dig It. Astaire's dancing is also in the spotlight in Russian Cafe Number and Hoe Down The Bayou/Poor Mr. Chisholm.