Bert Kalmar (Fred Astaire), danseur et prestidigitateur, doit abandonner la scène après une mauvaise fracture du genou. C’est sa rencontre avec un pianiste inconnu, Harry Ruby (Red Skelton), qui va lui permettre de remonter la pente. De cette rencontre, naît une amitié sincère ponctuée de hauts et de bas qui débouche, après dix années de collaboration, sur la création d’une chanson « Three Little Words ».
Madariaga "The Centaur" (Pomeroy Cannon), a harsh but popular Argentine landowner, has a German son-in-law whom he dislikes and a French one whose family he openly favors. He is particularly fond of his grandson Julio (Rudolph Valentino), with whom he often carouses at seedy dives in the Boca district of Buenos Aires. In one of these bars, the movie's famous tango sequence occurs. A man and a woman (Beatrice Dominguez) are dancing the tango. Julio strides up and asks to cut in. The woman stares at Julio alluringly. The man brushes him off, and they resume dancing. Julio then challenges the man and strikes him, knocking him into some tables and out of the scene. Julio and the woman then dance a dramatic version of the tango that brings cheers from the people in the establishment. Following the dance, the woman sits on Julio's lap. Madariaga then slides to the floor, drunk. The woman laughs at Madariaga. Julio casts her aside in scorn and helps his grandfather home.
Josh and Dinah Barkley (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) are a husband-and-wife musical comedy team at the peak of their careers. After finishing a new show, Dinah meets serious French playwright Jacques Pierre Barredout (Jacques François), who suggests that Dinah should take up dramatic acting. Dinah tries to keep the suggestion a secret from Josh, but when he finally discovers Dinah hiding a script for Jacques' new show from him, the couple splits up.
In the heyday of vaudeville, on the verge of America's entrance into World War I, two talented performers, Jo Hayden (Judy Garland) and Harry Palmer (Gene Kelly), set their sights on playing the Palace Theatre on Broadway, the epitome of vaudeville success, and marrying immediately after.
A Beverly Hills school teacher by day, Kevin Laird (J. Eddie Peck), journeys at night to a warehouse in East L.A, where a group of barrio kids gather to dance the lambada.
Former teen salsa champion Bruce Garrett (Nick Frost) is now an engineer. Bruce gave up dancing after he was brutally bullied by older boys. When he finds out that his new boss, Julia, (Rashida Jones) is passionate about salsa dancing, he decides that the only way he can win her over is by re-mastering the art of dance. He seeks out his old teacher Ron (Ian McShane), who forces him to confront the reasons he quit dancing in the first place. He struggles with low self-esteem, as well as a bullying coworker and rival, Drew (Chris O'Dowd), who constantly dominates the attention of their boss Julia who they're both interested in seducing. With the help of his salsa classmates, teacher, and his former dancing partner, his sister Sam (Olivia Colman), Bruce gets up the courage to relearn all his 'rusty' dance steps and to recapture his lost "corazón" (heart), not only for the dance but for his life. When ready, his friends convince him to enter the local nightclub's salsa dance competition, with the idea that he'll invite Julia to be his dance partner. But when he goes round to hers to ask her out to the dance, he is tricked into believing that he's interrupting an intimate evening she's spending with Drew, so leaves before asking, disillusioned. Julia, meanwhile, discovers what Drew is up to and outright rejects his advances, then kicks him out whilst threatening his position at work. Julia follows Bruce to the nightclub, where he's been doing quite well with his old partner (his sister) and an old routine, and is about to enter the final heat/round of the competition. When he notices Julia had followed him to the club, he's elated and finally plucks up the courage to ask her to dance. They dance the last round of the competition, where Bruce goes on to lose the competition, but regains his true self and finally wins the girl.
The story sees brother and sister Tom and Ellen Bowen as stars of a show Every Night at Seven, a Broadway success. They are persuaded to take the show to London, capitalizing on an imminent royal wedding.
Tommy (Mickey Rooney) et ses deux amis, Ray (Ray McDonald) et Hammy (Richard Quine), rêvent de devenir des vedettes de music-hall à Broadway, mais le succès ne leur sourit pas : le spectacle qu'ils donnent chaque jour se déroule dans un petit restaurant italien et non pas sur la scène d'un prestigieux théâtre. D'ailleurs faute de clients, le restaurateur, peiné, doit les renvoyer...
Le jeune et riche Danny Churchill ne s'intéresse qu'aux filles, au vin et à la musique. Qu'à cela ne tienne, son père décide de l'envoyer dans un établissement scolaire strict où aucune présence féminine n'est tolérée. Mais la rencontre du jeune homme avec la dénommée Ginger Gray va changer la donne.
Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby), Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire), and Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale) have a musical act popular in the New York City nightlife scene. On Christmas Eve, Jim prepares to give his last performance as part of the act before marrying Lila and retiring with her to a farm in Connecticut. At the last minute, Lila decides she is not ready to stop performing, and that she has fallen in love with Ted. She tells Jim that she will stay on as Ted's dancing partner. While heartbroken, Jim follows through with his plan and bids the act goodbye.
Stage and screen star Tony Hunter, a veteran of musical comedy, is concerned that his career might be in decline. His good friends Lester and Lily Marton have written a stage show that they believe is perfect for his comeback.
Jimmy Connors, a student at Riverwood High School, also plays the drums in the school band, but dreams of playing in a dance band. He and his "pal" Mary Holden sell the school principal the idea of forming the band and putting on a dance. The principal is initially doubtful, but then agrees to buy the first ticket. The event is a success and the school's debt for the instruments in paid off.
Jane Falbury (Judy Garland) is a farm owner whose actress sister Abigail (Gloria DeHaven) arrives at the family farm with her theater troupe. They need a place to rehearse, and Jane and her housekeeper Esme (Marjorie Main) reluctantly agree to let them use their barn. The actors and actresses, including the director Joe Ross (Gene Kelly), repay her hospitality by doing chores around the farm. Although Joe is engaged to Abigail, he begins to fall in love with Jane after Abigail leaves him in an angry fit. Similarly, although Jane is engaged to Orville (Eddie Bracken), she falls in love with Joe.
In 1921 vaudeville performer Joe Moran (Charles Winninger) announces the birth of a son; but after the advent of talking pictures in 1928, vaudeville fails. His son Mickey Moran (Mickey Rooney) writes songs, and Patsy Barton (Judy Garland) sings "Good Morning." Mickey sells the song for $100. He gives Patsy his pin and kisses her. Mickey learns that his parents Joe and Florrie (Grace Hayes) are going on the road without the children, and he disagrees. Patsy and Molly Moran (Betty Jaynes) sing "You Are My Lucky Star" and "Broadway Rhythm," but Joe says no to their going. So Mickey proposes the kids put on a show, and Don Brice (Douglas McPhail) sings "Babes in Arms" as they march and make a bonfire. Joe dismisses Mickey.
An American dancer, Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire) comes to London to star in a show produced by the bumbling Horace Hardwick (Edward Everett Horton). While practicing a tap dance routine in his hotel bedroom, he awakens Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers) on the floor below. She storms upstairs to complain, whereupon Jerry falls hopelessly in love with her and proceeds to pursue her all over London.