George Gerswhin reference in Jane Austen #Emma adaptation

"Emma Approved" is an adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma" set in 21st Century America where Emma is cast as a matchmaker/lifestyle coach.


The Harriet Smith character in the "Plus One, Minus One" episode

makes a reference to the George Gershwin song "They Can't Take that away from Me" written for the Astaire Rogers film "Shall We Dance":

There's possibly a bit of deliberate or inadvertent misdirection in this scene:

Harriet Smith: I read this book in high school containing love letters written by different presidents. I was thinking we could print out copies and put them on tables for your guests to read.
Caroline Lee: I'm sorry, I thought we were discussing the music?
Harriet Smith: Then we have the DJ play songs inspired by the letters. For example, Roosevelt letters to his wife were all about the little things: her smile, the way she slept, her laugh.
Emma Woodhouse: Romantic, go on
Smith: Then we dedicate a song from Teddy to Alice, and we play the Gershwins' "They Can't Take that away from Me." A classic.

When I thought of Gershwin music and the Roosevelts, I immediately thought of Franklin and Eleanor, since they were in the White House when the song was composed. However, the Democrat Roosevelts had more of a business versus romantic relationship.


Obviously, Theodore Roosevelt possessed a more romantic attachment to his wife than his cousin, Franklin, did to his:

'The light has gone out of my life' – Theodore Roosevelt's diary entry, Feb. 14, 1884, the day his wife & mother died. pic.twitter.com/vGPwLXjtXI

— History In Pictures (@HistoryInPix) May 21, 2017

On the topic of mashing up classics with new adaptations, a youtuber pointed out that the choreography to another Gershwin song from the same film "They All Laughed" could be synched up, if you squinted, to Stromae - <<Tous Les Mêmes>>

#ThingsILearnedOnYoutube you can synch up Astaire & Rogers "They All Laughed" dance w/ Stromae - Tous Les Mêmes @meadabawdy pic.twitter.com/CFkFRBJRnD

— 🎼AdagioForStrings🎻 (@adagioforstring) January 20, 2017

Unfortunately, the exact video Helen P referenced has been taken down due to copyright violations (those evil greedy corporations :-)

The best I can figure, Stromae's song synchs up from the start of Fred dancing about 2:42 mark:




Warning, the Stromae video depicts godless heathen behavior, so you might have to say 10 Hail Marys after watching it:





And, finally, a reprise of "They Can't Take that away from Me" this time sung by Billie Holiday: