The Continental (song)

1934

The Continental is a film song from the musical movie dance with me. The music was written by Con Conrad, the text was written by Herb Magidson.

Background

After the success of the dance scene of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire song Carioca in Flying Down to Rio, what the real main characters Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond stole the show, a common dance film of the two stars was inevitable. The Continental represented the climax of the film and was the most expensive to date dance scene that was to be seen in a musical film. Also contributed to the length of the dance lasted 17 minutes. However, the song was often in the shadow of Night and Day, the other Hitnummer of the film.

The Continental was the first song that won an Oscar for Best Song. The rating assigned at the Academy Awards in 1935 for the first time. Other nominations were Carioca, also in a dance scene of Astaire and Rogers, and Love in Bloom from She Loves Me Not.

The Continental became a jazz standard. The version by Maureen McGovern (1976 ) became known, the space 16 in the UK Top 40 reaching. The song was also used by Frank Sinatra (1950 ), Buddy Collette (1957) and Dick Hyman (1960 ) interpreted.