of a tosser." Reception The Los Angeles Times called it "a silk-and-satins sex jaunt.. Raft, light on his feet but heavy on his lines, makes an ideal type pictorially for the role." The New York Times called it an "episodic story" adding "Raft is a vivid and pictorially interesting type, rather than an actor in the technical sense, and consequently he proves unequal to the full implications of the fame-hungry dancer. The exterior attractiveness which Mr. Raft brings to the rôle gives "Bolero" considerable color, nevertheless, and the film, without coming close to realizing the real possibilities of the story as an overpowering study of megalomania, does manage to be moderately entertaining." The film was a box-office hit. It was such a success, the following year, Raft and Lombard made another film with a fairly similar plot and title, Rumba. However, this was much less successful. Internationally celebrated ballroom dancers Veloz and Yolanda were hired as uncredited dance doubles and choreographers for both Bolero and Rumba. This fact was kept as a trade secret for decades. The long shots in Bolero are in fact of Veloz and Yolanda, though no indication is given that this particular dance number was one that the famed dance team ever performed as part of its own repertoire, while in Rumba, the dance steps are actually a simplified variation of a Veloz and Yolanda routine performed the previous year in the movie Many Happy Returns, starring Burns and Allen. The dance music in Rumba, however, was apparently written specifically for that movie, though no title is found in the credits. Paramount were impressed with Ray Milland, who had been cast in the role after being away from Hollywood for a while. They later offered him a long-term contract. In 1959 Raft announced he wanted to remake the film but no film resulted. Influence The dance routine was copied by Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean for their famous ice dance routine to the same music. Sally Rand's bubble dance was spoofed in Tex Avery's cartoon Hollywood Steps Out (1941). References Further reading John Douglas Eames. The Paramount Story, pub. Octopus, 1985 Radio Times Guide to Films; published by BBC Worldwide annually External links Review of film at Variety 1934 films 1930s musical drama films 1934 romantic drama films American musical drama films American romantic drama films American romantic musical films American black-and-white films Films directed by