This Only Happens in the Movies

"This Only Happens In The Movies" is a song written by Alan Menken and one of five songs intended for the unproduced prequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Who Discovered Roger Rabbit. In 2008, it found life when it was recorded by Broadway actress  Kerry Butler  in her debut album, Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust, a collection of covers of her favorite Disney songs.

Plot
It was originally going to be sung early in the film, in a scene where Roger Rabbit and his friend arrive in Hollywood and are hired as waiters for a grand party to celebrate the town's biggest producer's new movie musical. The producer asks the stars of the film, a duo that pays homage to Fred Astraire and Ginger Rogers, to perform his favorite number, This Only Happens In The Movies. The actor is a drunk who cannot perform, but Roger's friend accepts the offer, having had a longtime crush on the actress, by stepping forward and says that he has memorized the entire routine after seeing one of the team's previous films multiple times. The actress is not too sure about this, but the crowd insists that she does it, so the two perform the number.

Roger's friend turns out to be even better than the actor himself. By the end of the song, they fall in love with each other "at first sight" in a way that can "only happen in the movies". They gaze into each other's eyes and the crowd holds its breath, but Roger ruins the moment by causing mayhem.

Lyrics
''This only happens in the movies Life's not this perfect off the screen Stars never gleem so bright Nights never seem so right Except in the movies that I've seen''

''Fate doesn't work like in the movies Love never enters right on cue Strangers don't meet like this And get swept off their feet like this The way movies always say they do''

''Somehow this moon is too enchanting Somehow this moment's too ideal Somehow this moonlight we're enthralled to Is all too unreal''

''For this only happens in the movies So this can only be pretend But if this is my chance The prelude to a new romance Let's hope that it has a happy end''

A Hollywood platnium stardust happy-end