October 15, 1938—Seabiscuit is America's sweetheart. Howard Hughes is working on a top-secret aviation device. Bette Davis's "Jezebel" is still playing at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. And right across from the Roosevelt Hotel, at Hollywood's infamous South Seas Club (owned by gangster Eddie Valentine), Clark Gable and W.C. Fields bump shoulders with swashbuckling ladies' man Neville Sinclair, star of the recent hit "Wings of Honor", who is pulling out all the stops to sweep a young starlet named Jenny Blake off her feet.

A 16-piece orchestra tricked out in white dinner jackets sits behind a streamlined stage with a moat of crystal clear water. In the center of the stage, an enormous pearlescent art-deco clamshell slowly opens to reveal glamour-draped songbird Melora Hardin, who glides up to the microphone and begins to sing.

The song? A dreamy rendition of Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine". The elegance is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

Okay, so none of this really happened. If you haven't already guessed, it's actually a scene from The Rocketeer. As the script was being finished back in the early 1990s, the scene called for a blend of romance, humor and sophistication, so naturally Cole Porter came to mind.

In fact, whenever Hollywood needs that particular mix, it seems Porter is always the man to whom they turn. And why not? Few songwriters get you in the mood for playful, smart, hanky-panky better than ol' man Cole.

With De-Lovely—Irwin Winkler's new take on the life, times and tunes of this celebrated songsmith—opening this month, we here at Port Halcyon thought we'd get comfortable, loosen our bowtie, kick off our dress shoes and recline here on the Persian carpet with a well-made old-fashioned and reminisce about some of our favorite Cole Porter moments on the silver screen. In addition to the one mentioned above, here are 11 memorable Porter moments—and the folks who had the honor of vocalizing them—in no particular order:

1. Barbara Streisand and Ryan O'Neal
Streisand casually sings "You're the Top" over the opening credits of Warner Bros. What's Up Doc?, the priceless screwball comedy by Peter Bogdonavich. Later during the closing credits, she's joined by co-star O'Neal in a silly yet sophisticated reprise.

2. Roy Rogers
Rogers warbles "Don't Fence Me In" in the 1945 movie of the same name, which just might be his best film ever. And with a young and sassy Dale Evans, the irrepressible Gabby Hayes and the Sons of the Pioneers, what more could anyone want from a 40s western?

3. Jeanne Cagney
The offbeat The Time of Your Life (by Hellzapoppin director H.C. Potter) was somewhat of a pet project for James Cagney and includes a scene with his sister Jeanne singing "What Is This Thing called Love?" Maybe it's just me, but for some reason, Jeanne Cagney has always reminded me just a little bit of Madonna. A fever-dream of a film that's worth a look.

4. Ron Randell
Though he plays the part of Cole Porter in the prologue of the 1953 version of Kiss Me, Kate, Randell doesn't really do any singing—but it's still a Cole Porter moment. Since Randell is over 20 years younger than Porter is in real life (even if you set the clock back to when he was writing the play), it doesn‘t make a lot of sense, but it doesn't matter once Ann Miller shows up and starts belting out "Too Darn Hot"—even better when it's in 3-D.

5. Bobby Short
Quintessential New Yorker (and Café Carlyle fixture) Short sings "I Happen to Like New York" during the opening credits of Woody Allen's engaging throwback to vintage Hollywood movie mysteries, Manhattan Murder Mystery. And thank your lucky stars that Woody's ensuing divorce resulted in Diane Keaton getting the part meant for Mia Farrow!

6. Kate Capshaw
Capshaw does a smashing job singing "Anything Goes"—in Chinese, no less—at Shanghai's Club Obi Wan during the very promising opening sequence of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But once that little Chinese kid shows up, the whole thing's over.

7. Maggie Smith and Diana Rigg
Agatha Christie's novel Evil Under the Sun comes to life in this loopy 1982 film of the same name, which features Smith and Rigg giving catty dialogue the royal treatment as well as doing a delightful impromptu version of "You're the Top" during a cocktail party. Look closely and you'll spy Cole Porter's name on the guest register at the hotel!

8. Cary Grant
Grant does a decent job mimicking the off-stage version of the great man himself in the 1946 film Night and Day, the none-too-historical (but oh-so Hollywood) version of Porter's life from his days at Yale to, well, 1946. Not exactly known for his singing, Grant does it anyway—for three Porter tunes, including "Bull Dog." Grant was the first (of three) to portray Porter onscreen.

9. Cybil Shepherd, Madeleine Kahn, Eileen Brennan, Duilio Del Prete and Burt Reynolds
Okay, it's not exactly a moment, more like a jaw-dropping two hours. Singing live before the camera, Shepherd and company fracture any number of Porter's best tunes in the notorious At Long Last Love, the second Bogdonavich film on this list (at the opposite end of the spectrum). Yes, this unlikely cast of singers stinks—and yet those wonderful lyrics somehow rise above it all like a champagne bubble.

10. Gene Kelly
Kelly sings "Be a Clown" and dances with legendary brothers Harold and Fayard Nicholas in the curious 1948 Vincent Minelli swashbuckler, The Pirate. Kelly had to fight with MGM to have the Nicholas Brothers included in this film, and even after MGM agreed, several exhibitors in the south edited the sequence out themselves when it played at their theaters.

11. Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop
In Red Hot and Blue, the 1990 television special tribute to Cole Porter, Debbie and Iggy bring "Well, Did You Evah!" effortlessly into the modern age and offer undeniable evidence that Porter's songs truly are timeless.

So what do you think? Got a favorite scene from a film that owes it success to Cole Porter? Port Halcyon would love to here from you. In the meantime, we'll tell Underwood to "Make It Another Old-Fashioned, Please". (Hey, at least we didn't list the "Love for Sale" scene from Bride of Chucky.)