Bolero starring George Raft and Carole Lombard was released on February 23, 1934. Best remembered for the tour-de-force performance to Ravel’s “Bolero”, this movie had several musical numbers including a tango to a piece written for George called “Raftero”.
Though Carole had never performed as a dancer, her athleticism made it possible to keep up with George, a famed dancer before becoming a Hollywood actor. Charm, charisma and sensational dancing helped make Bolero a box office success toward the end of the Pre-Code era.
Though brief, this clip shows the chemistry between the stars that carried over into real life. According to George, “She had one of the sexiest, most sensational figures I’ve ever seen in my life.” In his final filmed interview in 1980, he said Carole was his favorite leading lady. That’s high praise considering the impressive list of his other co-stars.
When Lombard was once asked who Hollywood’s greatest lover was, she replied that it was Raft. Drawing an incredulous response, Carole added, “or did you just mean on the screen?” For context, she was married to Clark Gable when she said that.
Bolero is available at my YouTube channel, https://tinyurl.com/GeorgeRaftFilms or from the movies link on the GeorgeRaft.com homepage.