My 10 Favourite Fred Astaire Dances
"Can't sing. Can't act. Balding. Can dance a little." Thus the now famous evaluation of the studio after Fred Astaire's initial Hollywood screen test. Reportedly Astaire insisted that the studio report had read: "Can't act. Slightly bald. Also dances." Despite this negative verdict he got his debut role in 1933 in the MGM film Dancing Lady dancing opposite Joan Crawford. And so his screen career began which would span decades. Though he would also appear in non-dancing roles, his main body of work would be musical films, 31 in total.
Fred Astaire is regarded by many as the greatest dancer of all time. He is also well known among non-classic film lovers, although it wouldn't surprise me if you get a lot of blank stares when you mention his name with the younger generations. Astaire refused to be bound by the rules of a specific dance form and his outlaw style (as he calls his own dancing style) is a mix of tap, ballroom, jazz, swing, classical dance, et cetera.
“Some people seem to think that good dancers are born, but all the good dancers I have known are taught or trained.”
Fred Astaire is regarded by many as the greatest dancer of all time. He is also well known among non-classic film lovers, although it wouldn't surprise me if you get a lot of blank stares when you mention his name with the younger generations. Astaire refused to be bound by the rules of a specific dance form and his outlaw style (as he calls his own dancing style) is a mix of tap, ballroom, jazz, swing, classical dance, et cetera.
Astaire is the epitome of class and elegance and his dance movements are graceful and smooth. He dances light on his feet and makes it look easy and relaxed as if his dance steps are improvised on the spot. Yet it is a well-known fact that he was an extremely hard worker, a perfectionist and very demanding of himself, and he worked out his dance routines meticulously and rehearsed them for hours on end. We can only be grateful for this perfectionism because his dances are a joy to behold and many generations to come will take pleasure in them.
This August I'm mainly watching musicals (due to the Filmoteca special). The Astaire films I've already watched this month are Royal Wedding, The Band Wagon, Flying Down to Rio, Funny Face, Dancing Lady, Three Little Words and Second Chorus. I thought it would be nice to name my favourite Astaire dance numbers here by way of a top 10 list.
My absolute favourite Astaire dance numbers are all duets. I can watch the following over and over again:
This August I'm mainly watching musicals (due to the Filmoteca special). The Astaire films I've already watched this month are Royal Wedding, The Band Wagon, Flying Down to Rio, Funny Face, Dancing Lady, Three Little Words and Second Chorus. I thought it would be nice to name my favourite Astaire dance numbers here by way of a top 10 list.
My absolute favourite Astaire dance numbers are all duets. I can watch the following over and over again:
1. I'll Be Hard to Handle from Roberta (with Ginger Rogers)
2. Bouncin' The Blues from The Barkleys of Broadway (with Ginger Rogers)
3. Dancing in the Dark from The Band Wagon (with Cyd Charisse)
4. Girl Hunt Ballet from The Band Wagon (with Cyd Charisse)
5. All of You from Silk Stockings (with Cyd Charisse)
6. The Shorty George from You Were Never Lovelier (with Rita Hayworth)
7. Begin the Beguine from Broadway Melody of 1940 (with Eleanor Powell)
If I would only be allowed to list 7 favourite dance numbers, these are the ones. (The dance numbers are ranked in no particular order.) I love many of Astaire's duets with Ginger but I like the pair best together when they are playful. And they don't get more playful than during the wonderful I'll Be Hard to Handle. It's really my all-time favourite of their dance numbers, followed closely by Bouncin' The Blues.
Though I love Ginger (and not just her dancing but I also love her as a comedienne), Cyd Charisse is my favourite female dancer. There are three dance numbers with Fred Astaire that I love a lot. And I mean, a lót! Girl Hunt Ballet is sexy and noirish, Dancing in the Dark is beautiful and oh so romantic, and the second part of All of You is sweet and playful (I like the second up-tempo part better than the first slow part). If I would have to choose between the three numbers, it would be difficult because they are all so different and unique. But I recently watched The Band Wagon at the film theater and I had tears in my eyes seeing Dancing in the Dark on the big screen. I was overcome with emotions by the beautiful dance and music, so if you would twist my arm and make me choose, I would say Dancing in the Dark.
Fred only made two films with Rita Hayworth, You Were Never Lovelier and You'll Never Get Rich. He said that one could teach Rita a complicated number (in terms of choreography) in the morning and she would have it mastered after lunch. The Shorty George is a great number, uplifting and wonderfully choreographed, and Hayworth impresses with her dancing.
Cole Porters' Begin the Beguine from Broadway Melody of 1940 is another dance masterpiece. This is the only film Eleanor Powell made with Fred Astaire. It's the first film Astaire made after a string of musicals with Ginger. Eleanor is a perfect dancing match for Astaire and her dancing skills are in no way inferior to his. They dance on a black mirrored floor against a starlit background, both in white costumes, and this stunning sequence was taken in one single take. It's truly amazing!
7 is a funny number for a list so I will include three more dance numbers to make it a top 10 list. I had the difficult task to choose from all the other wonderful dance numbers Fred Astaire did but fortunately Wikipedia has a helpful list of Astaire's solo and partnered dances (here).
Astaire made a total of 10 films with Ginger Rogers and in these films had many dance duets with her. Apart from my two fave dance numbers with Rogers already mentioned above, I also favour the following duet, definitely worthy of a ranking in my top 10 list. This is another of their playful duets and I love the song as well.
2. Bouncin' The Blues from The Barkleys of Broadway (with Ginger Rogers)
3. Dancing in the Dark from The Band Wagon (with Cyd Charisse)
4. Girl Hunt Ballet from The Band Wagon (with Cyd Charisse)
5. All of You from Silk Stockings (with Cyd Charisse)
6. The Shorty George from You Were Never Lovelier (with Rita Hayworth)
7. Begin the Beguine from Broadway Melody of 1940 (with Eleanor Powell)
If I would only be allowed to list 7 favourite dance numbers, these are the ones. (The dance numbers are ranked in no particular order.) I love many of Astaire's duets with Ginger but I like the pair best together when they are playful. And they don't get more playful than during the wonderful I'll Be Hard to Handle. It's really my all-time favourite of their dance numbers, followed closely by Bouncin' The Blues.
Though I love Ginger (and not just her dancing but I also love her as a comedienne), Cyd Charisse is my favourite female dancer. There are three dance numbers with Fred Astaire that I love a lot. And I mean, a lót! Girl Hunt Ballet is sexy and noirish, Dancing in the Dark is beautiful and oh so romantic, and the second part of All of You is sweet and playful (I like the second up-tempo part better than the first slow part). If I would have to choose between the three numbers, it would be difficult because they are all so different and unique. But I recently watched The Band Wagon at the film theater and I had tears in my eyes seeing Dancing in the Dark on the big screen. I was overcome with emotions by the beautiful dance and music, so if you would twist my arm and make me choose, I would say Dancing in the Dark.
Fred only made two films with Rita Hayworth, You Were Never Lovelier and You'll Never Get Rich. He said that one could teach Rita a complicated number (in terms of choreography) in the morning and she would have it mastered after lunch. The Shorty George is a great number, uplifting and wonderfully choreographed, and Hayworth impresses with her dancing.
Cole Porters' Begin the Beguine from Broadway Melody of 1940 is another dance masterpiece. This is the only film Eleanor Powell made with Fred Astaire. It's the first film Astaire made after a string of musicals with Ginger. Eleanor is a perfect dancing match for Astaire and her dancing skills are in no way inferior to his. They dance on a black mirrored floor against a starlit background, both in white costumes, and this stunning sequence was taken in one single take. It's truly amazing!
7 is a funny number for a list so I will include three more dance numbers to make it a top 10 list. I had the difficult task to choose from all the other wonderful dance numbers Fred Astaire did but fortunately Wikipedia has a helpful list of Astaire's solo and partnered dances (here).
Astaire made a total of 10 films with Ginger Rogers and in these films had many dance duets with her. Apart from my two fave dance numbers with Rogers already mentioned above, I also favour the following duet, definitely worthy of a ranking in my top 10 list. This is another of their playful duets and I love the song as well.
8. Isn't This a Lovely Day (To Be Caught In the Rain) from Top Hat (with Ginger Rogers)
I recently saw The Belle of New York, and though the film itself is not really great, it features some wonderful dance numbers and one of the duets with Vera-Ellen is marvellous.
9. A Bride's Wedding Day Song (Currier And Ives) from The Belle of New York, the summer edition sequence (with Vera-Ellen)
This dance number is an exciting piece of work. A mix of waltz and tap dance with intricate steps, it's an absolute joy to watch. I have seen the film only once but have watched this sequence over and over again. It's sparkling, full of joy and style, the leads' costumes are wonderful as well, and this dance made me appreciate Vera-Ellen's dancing skills and versatility even more.
It's a good thing that I limited myself to a top 10 list and I decided to make it easier for myself and to pick a solo number for the last open spot. Even though I prefer Astaire's duets, his solo pieces are great too and I think my favourite one is the solo number, dancing on the sand, from The Belle of New York.
There are two different versions of this number. The producers requested the dance to be reshot with classier clothes since Astaire's outfit in the first version wasn't worthy of his style. The two versions were shown side by side in split screen in That's Entertainment! III (1994) to show how uncanny Astaire's precision and timing was. I love this dance routine!
Since I haven't seen all the Astaire musicals yet (i.e. Ziegfeld Follies, Daddy Long Legs, You’ll Never Get Rich, Yolanda and the Thief, The Sky's the Limit, Let’s Dance and Finian's Rainbow), there is a possibility that they feature dance numbers that will become favourites.
Also, there are of course many other dances (from musicals seen) that are wonderful and worth mentioning and didn't make the top 10 list. So here are some honorary mentions:
*Waltz In Swing Time from Swing Time (with Ginger Rogers)
*The Piccolino from Top Hat (with Ginger Rogers)
*Let Yourself Go from Follow the Fleet (with Ginger Rogers)
*The Yam from Carefree (with Ginger Rogers)
*Jukebox Dance (Italian Cafe Routine) from Broadway Melody of 1940 (with Eleanor Powell)
*Jukebox Dance (Italian Cafe Routine) from Broadway Melody of 1940 (with Eleanor Powell)
*Baby Doll from The Belle of New York (with Vera-Ellen)
*Mr. And Mrs. Hoofer At Home from Three Little Words (with Vera-Ellen)
*Mr. And Mrs. Hoofer At Home from Three Little Words (with Vera-Ellen)
*You're Easy To Dance With from Holiday Inn (with Virginia Dale)
*How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been A Liar All My Life from Royal Wedding (with Jane Powell)
*I Ain't Hep To That Step But I'll Dig It from Second Chorus (with Paulette Goddard)
*You're All The World To Me from Royal Wedding (solo)
*Sunday Jumps from Royal Wedding (solo)
*I Ain't Hep To That Step But I'll Dig It from Second Chorus (with Paulette Goddard)
*You're All The World To Me from Royal Wedding (solo)
*Sunday Jumps from Royal Wedding (solo)
Hopefully I will find some time soon to watch the rest of the Astaire musicals. See you at the next monthly round-up!
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*Fred Astaire with choreographer Hermes Pan, 1934;
*Swing Time (1936) with Fred Astaire singing The Way You Look Tonight;
*Roberta (1935) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing I'll Be Hard to Handle;
*The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing Bouncin' The Blues;
*The Band Wagon (1953) with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse dancing Dancing in the Dark;
*The Band Wagon (1953) with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse dancing Girl Hunt Ballet;
*Silk Stockings (1957) with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse dancing All of You;
*You Were Never Lovelier (1942) with Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth dancing The Shorty George;
*Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940) with Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell dancing Begin the Beguine;
*Top Hat (1935) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing Isn't This a Lovely Day (To Be Caught In the Rain);
*The Belle of New York (1952) with Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen dancing A Bride's Wedding Day Song (Currier And Ives), the summer edition sequence; (2 gifs)
*The Belle of New York (1952) with Fred Astaire dancing I Wanna Be A Dancin' Man;
*Top Hat (1935) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing The Piccolino;
*Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940) with Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell dancing Jukebox Dance (Italian Cafe Routine).
ALL GIFS in this post made by yours truly!