“I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan” October 27, 2007
Posted by Jeff in 1946 through 1960, Comden and Green, Dance, Fred Astaire, Movies, Musicals, Theater.add a comment
From The Band Wagon (1952), four Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz musical numbers for the price of (n)one …
“Nothing’s impossible, I have found …” September 4, 2007
Posted by Jeff in 1929 through WWII, Dance, Fred Astaire, Jerome Kern, Movies, Musicals.add a comment
The other best remembered dance number from Swing Time (1936), a movie originally titled Never Gonna Dance. And it certainly seems that way; here were are almost half an hour into the movie and believe it or not Fred and Ginger haven’t danced yet.
La belle, la perfectly swell romance September 2, 2007
Posted by Jeff in 1929 through WWII, Dance, Fred Astaire, Jerome Kern, Movies, Musicals.1 comment so far
From Swing Time (1936), a movie that was originally going to be named after this number — “Never Gonna Dance”. A dance to a song about not dancing, a love duet by two people who have just broken up.
And just what is a beguine? August 30, 2007
Posted by Jeff in 1929 through WWII, Dance, Fred Astaire, Movies, Musicals.6 comments
Happy birthday, Joe!
This was the last of four MGM musicals with Broadway Melody in the title, following the 1930 Oscar winner for Best Picture, today best known for the title song featured in the Singin’ In The Rain dance sequence. Unlike most such series, the last is far and away the best.
“Dancing In The Dark” August 26, 2007
Posted by Jeff in 1946 through 1960, Comden and Green, Dance, Fred Astaire, Movies, Musicals, Theater.6 comments
“I don’t think a dancer should smoke,” says Gabrielle Gerard (Cyd Charisse) to Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire) early on in The Band Wagon (1952). And, indeed, Astaire chain-smokes through the movie. But by the end, Gabrielle is in love with him — and bumming smokes off him as well.
I am a huge fan of backstage stories — my screenplay Equity is proof of that — and I can think of few as fun and as realistic as this one. With music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Howard Dietz (yes, “Dancing In The Dark” does have lyrics), the title and several songs come from the last Broadway revue Fred did with his sister Adele before she retired in 1931. And here he is, at the age of fifty-four, keeping up with dancers some of whom are less than half his age.
Subscribe to the non-blog by Email (courtesy Feedburner)
This is not my blog. 