LEWISTON – The classic movie musical “Top Hat,” starring song-and-dance icons Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, will be featured in a free public showing at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library.

An informal discussion of the film will follow, facilitated by local film buff Jeffrey Bedard. An assistant in the LPL Reference Department, Bedard was invited to present the program as a kind of “appetizer” for a course he is teaching for Lewiston Adult Education titled “Shall We Dance? A Review of Films by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.”

“Top Hat” is recognized as the most popular of Astaire’s and Rogers’ many joint movie productions. Its “Cheek to Cheek” dance routine, performed to the Irving Berlin hit of the same name, set a new standard for on-screen romance, while its title song, “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails,” spotlighted Astaire as a true tap master.

Other song-and-dance numbers include “No Strings,” in which Astaire extols the joys of bachelorhood, and “Isn’t This a Lovely Day (to be Caught in the Rain)?,” where Rogers finally succumbs to Astaire’s flirtations when the two take refuge in a gazebo during a downpour.

Bedard has collected a number of tidbits about the film and its stars, which he will share at the screening. A long-time enthusiast of entertainment and classic cinema, Bedard said he is looking forward to this opportunity to “explore the history of Astaire’s and Rogers’ partnership, the artistry and innovation of their dances and the duo’s impact on popular culture both then and now.”

More information on the library event is available by calling the LPL Reference Desk at 784-0135, ext. 210. Bedard’s Astaire/Rogers film review course will meet weekly at Lewiston High School from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays for five weeks beginning Oct. 3. For more information call the Lewiston Adult Education office at 795-4141.