Arguments as to who was Fred's best dance partner will rage forever but for me no-one could get anywhere near Ginger. The sheer emotion that she shows throughout this sequence is astonishingly amazing, it brings a tear to the eye. On top of that she was so stunningly beautiful.
And oh, that fabulous gown. Gown...because it was more than just a dress. I think this was the one with the weights sewn into sleeves and hem, which belted him mercilessly as it swung. And, without a lining, her perfect shape showed beneath its folds.
He said, being discreet about the answer, that Gene Kelly was. But I don't believe that. He also said it was Rita Hayworth. But more likely it was a combination of partners, each with an input. The one he was scared of was Eleanor Powell. But she was more into tap while he was far more creative and artistic. She was just awesome to watch.
Yes. Each of Astaire's ballets with different partners are gems unto themselves. I've always felt Lucille Bremer's partnering with Astaire "Limehouse Blues" showed without doubt she was equal to all his dancing "wives."
From the other comments, that gown was weighted at sleeves and hem (and kept hitting Fred!). But yes, I love it too. And the fact that it's slightly see-through, of course!
Ginger definitely is the best of all of Fred's dancing partners. Not only a truly great dancer but also a beauty that includes an accessible personality. As the song says, "She'd be so nice to come home to."
The evening shots in 30s movies had a unique glow and subtle sparkle that was magical. Exactly the escape that people needed when they were struggling to survive the Depression. If only movie makers today understood the importance of emphasizing the positive in difficult times. We are sinking under the weight of negativity in today's so-called entertainment.
Imagine if it had been on nitrate film stock, with its special lustre! (Sadly you won't, as the stuff is flammable, and degrades into an explosive lump, but I can dream!)
Should be millions watching this. It’s just magical. I don’t think we can appreciate how this felt to contemporary audiences whose lives often had little magic in them. This is transcendant
Ginger is totally captivating (as ever) and the gorgeous dress is quite risque for the period. Astaire and Rogers movies will live forever for their grace, fun and the glimpse back into a bygone age. Simply beautiful work.
Recuerdos del ayer. Hermosos y bellos recuerdos de cuando era una niña y veía a ñado de mi papá todas ñas peliculas de Fred Aster. Su canto sus danzas, hacían que mi corazón danzara tambien. Hoy a través de éste video, vuelvo a vivir bellos recuerdos. Y a ellos grandes artístas , bailarines y cantantes, gracias por su atte en la pantalla. Felicidades
How lucky are we that Astaire & Rogers came along when they did & not 30 years earlier, when they wouldnt have been captured on film, or 30 years later, when they wouldnt have been appreciated?
OMG...such perfection...look at the way the dress clings to her body as she dances...listen to the agony and beauty in the song...Haven't we ALL been there??
"niente sarà più come prima", sospesi nei ruggenti anni '30, il punto più alto degli USA, tanta eleganza in muscia e cinema. Che meraviglia e che nostalgia!
I remember back to when I was 3 or 4 when our parents danced and sang like this and times were calmer i miss my all my family who have passed and mostly my mom who teach us to sing and dance like this. She made sure my children would be exposed to this and we spent many hours teaching my children how music and dance brings us together and now my great grand daughter Catherine Abbygail Hendricks is following in my mom, daughter (who was in the Performing Arts ) 2 sisters Diane and Denise) and my brother (Marlons ) footsteps.🥰
2:04 in his autobiography, Fred said that Ginger’s heavy sleeves whacked him in the face right here, but it was also the best take so they left it in the film
The trivia history goes that Rogers' metallic thread gown had weights in the sleeves and hem to make the skirt wind and unwind; the dress was unintentionally difficult to perform in because its flared sleeves hit Astaire across the face IN THE FIRST TAKE- and after many re-shoots trying to cover it up, they ended up printing that first take (we have to assume that was apparently the best performance of the dance, but you can see the sleeves brush across Astaire's face).
Find me a US sailor who could do this in his spare time! Any sort of sailor! (There was Fred, at his age and stage, playing a gumchewing US gob, on shore leave, something he was far too old to carry off). But, this was the beautiful gown that had weights sewn into the hem and sleeves to make it move. Which belted him around the legs, leaving bruises everywhere. Sleeves, too. He learned to dodge the swinging hem, and you can see him doing that, arching away as she turned. But so gloriously beautiful.
The dress weighed 25 lbs - and Ginger herself only weighed 105lbs, and Fred 135. She's carrying 1/4 of her own body weight and making it look effortless.
This song is about the commitment it takes to actually be, mutually, in love. Love is always a crapshoot, but thank heavens some people believe in it. So many people feel unloved, think they can't "find" it. Often they are simply afraid of it, and so continually miss out because they don't "see" it standing right before them. If you let it in, the dance can be ecstatic, and last for years.
I saw this clip early this morning, before my day started, I want it set the toll for a great day cancel that to see such beauty, elegance and grace in motion… Amazing… Gorgeous🎉
Fabulous! Just one tiny imperfection: when she throws away her handkerchief at 2:02, it should have floated all the way off screen and not been seen on the floor like a used cleaning rag for the entire dance.
2:05 to 2:07 During the first take, Rogers's dress, which was heavily weighted so as to achieve a controlled swirling action, her sleeve hit Astaire in the face midway through the routine, though the effect is barely discernible. He nonetheless selected this take out of twenty overall for the final picture.
Браво. Браво. Браво. Спасибо вам большое за прекрасное видео и Танцы Шедевр очень Красивое Исполнение Танца Великолепное и Изящное в Этой прекрасной пары. Талант Послан Богом Им. Благодарю вас за Прекрасную Музыку и Видео Чудесное смотреть здорово. Благодарю вас. Всего вам доброго и хорошего в жизни.
In an interview Ginger said that they had to work into the early hours in the morning to get this dance sequence right….she also said that her feet became bloody but like the trouper that she was she continued to dance. The gown is in the Smithsonian and can’t be displayed because of the age the weight of the beads would cause the thread to disintegrate. It is nice to know it survived….the black satin dress Rita Hayworth wore in Gilda was worn by Demi Moore to the opening of a Planet Hollywood Restaurant in the early 1990’s.
I know you wrote this a month ago, but I thought you'd like to know this dress is now in the Smithsonian, along with Ginger's dress from the "Piccolino" number in "Top Hat." The "Let's Face the Music" gown is gray.
Was it a coincidence that a popular song with these lyrics should have debuted so shortly before the outbreak of the greatest global conflict of the twentieth century?
One _shot_, certainly, after the cut at 1:47 (which is before they really get dancing). How many goes they had at it, goodness knows! (Well, I expect some true fans do.) Others say 20 but they used the first take anyway. (Maybe Fred's bruises [from the dress] were showing on later ones!)
There's only one cut in the whole clip (at 1:47), and that's before the dancing really starts. Fascinating how that dress moves. (Yes, I've read the comments about it weighing 25 pounds with the weights, and Ginger only being 105 pounds.)
Just been reading about how the dress was fully beaded and weighed over 25 pounds. They had to adjust the dance to accommodate the way it carried on moving and in the first spin with her hands over her head you can see the sleeves hit Fred in the face and he winces.
According to Wikipedia, they did 20 takes, but then used the first one. "During the first take, Ginger's dress, which was heavily weighted so as to achieve a controlled swirling action, hit Astaire in the face midway through the routine, though the effect is barely discernible. He nonetheless selected this take out of twenty overall for the final picture."
