Posted on 05/16/2022 9:37:08 AM PDT by Kaslin
Amen!!!!
While the “Puttin’ on the Ritz” piece perfectly merged the throbbing dynamism of a big-band gallop with synchronized human athleticism and grace, I’ve never been so mesmerized by a dance interlude as I am every time I see Fred and Cyd “Dancing in the Dark” in the Band Wagon film.
My jaw is on the floor in wonderment each time I watch it.
Think ‘Singing in the Rain’. Fred had a long talk with a 19 year-old Debbie Reynolds About putting in the effort to be great. She was ready to quit as I read.
Fred Astaire had the gift of being able to make his dance partners look amazing...including the time he danced with a hat stand!
Ginger made more than the hat stand, legend has it.
Don’t recall the name of the movie - but he was hitting golf balls while dancing - unreal - no gimmick photography- shot after shot - solid and down the middle
That disparaging old joke about Ginger doing what Fred did backwards and in heels was patently unfair. Astaire was a genius.
Fred Astaire may have developed his work ethic in vaudeville where he started. There, you either stood out, or you and your family starved, literally.
“Ginger made more than the hat stand, legend has it.”
The hat stand was the better dancer.
Ginger did everything Fred did. But backwards. In heels.
I’ve never been so mesmerized by a dance interlude as I am every time I see Fred and Cyd “Dancing in the Dark” in the Band Wagon film.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My hubby’s favorite dance sequence. (Of course it has nothing to do with Cyd Charisse’s beauty.)
Actually, this is false. For one thing, Fred was the leader in every dance. He made her dancing look much better than it would have looked otherwise. He forced her to nearly the level of perfection he achieved naturally.
Cyd does have it goin on, doesn’t she? What a magnificent and talented woman! The moves she did with Gene Kelly are not to be missed.
How about tap dancing on roller skates?
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rcRwvVg68FM
Donald O’Connor
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jiuwrB652F8
“Don’t recall the name of the movie - but he was hitting golf balls while dancing - unreal - no gimmick photography- shot after shot - solid and down the middle“
- That was in “Carefree”, one of my favorite movies.
Yes! - the way he just spins, comes back to the tee and swings without really taking aim… and he nails a PERFECT drive EVERY time!
I bet he could’ve been a golf pro too if he wanted to.
I liked Rita Hayworth better, her father ran a dance studio and she’d been dancing for many years before she met Fred. Sadly, she drank too much and couldn’t keep it up.
Fred Astaire’s fabulous dance to “Smooth Operator” was outstanding. Michael Jackson did an updated version in color based on Fred’s moves. Astaire said the Michael did it better.
I watch Smooth Operator at least once a year on YouTube. Both versions. Prefer Michael’s. He was a crazy pedo, but I put that aside when I watch that video. He died soon after he made the vid. I was at my daughter’s house when Michael’s death was announced and we both cried. She was, in her youth, a professional dancer, now a staid sheriff’s wife.
Steve Martin and Gilda radner back when SNL used to be comedy...
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=940bcf38d8b4abe651501197f591d9626c0849a1702860eb628345fe88acd55cJmltdHM9MTY1MjcyMjY1MCZpZ3VpZD0wMGFkNzFkZi1mODhhLTRjZmQtOTJiNS02MjZmY2VmNmQ5OWImaW5zaWQ9NTQ0Mg&ptn=3&fclid=dc384933-d53e-11ec-9d3d-f1eeb1db5d47&u=a1L3ZpZGVvcy9zZWFyY2g_cT1TdGV2ZStNYXJ0aW4rR2lsZGErUmFkbmVyK0RhbmNpbmcraW4rdGhlK2Rhcmsmdmlldz1kZXRhaWwmbWlkPTE3RDNCNDBBRkJGRTRCODE4NDlDMTdEM0I0MEFGQkZFNEI4MTg0OUMmRk9STT1WSVJF&ntb=1
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