This man was so incredibly talented! I'm glad we have a few instances of him playing the piano to enjoy in addition to the dance. Amazing! And I bet he was really hard on the furniture at home!
Yes, an amazing talent, for sure. Lucky man to star and dance with all those lovely ladies over his fantastic career. Thanks so much for watching and commenting :))
I didn't know he could also play piano. One night I was watching movie with Mickey Rooney and he played a mad, and I mean MAD jazz piano number with a big band. These guys were so utterly talented. Fred was the best dancer ever. Perfection, sheer perfection. And only three cuts in this dance sequence, one in which they cut to Powell watching him.
Simple and beautiful. It is also one of the emblematic moments in Hollywood history: the greatest male dancer ever filmed is watched by the greatest female dancer. They also happen to be two of the most admirable human beings who ever achieved movie stardom.
Both brilliant in the style of dance they performed. Together they were great but somehow they didn't blend in the way he did with Hayworth or Rogers. It wasn't that she was 'good good' for him, Far from it. She was a different style of dancer, that's all.
Golden Age musicals were stiff with in-jokes, and this glorious solo is no exception. Earlier in the film, waiting for an audition, Fred's character pretended to be a juggler and was shown up by a real one. Now he demonstrates, after all, that Real Fred is no mean juggler. The setup comes from a real meeting-cute when Mervyn Leroy, head of production, sprang Ellie on Fred. She had been hiding in a recess of his office. When he began to worry aloud about her being too tall to partner him, she burst in and they stood back to back, confirming that they would look OK in duets. Notice also how early in his dance round the stage after rising from the ;piano, he gently parodies Eleanor Powell (whose character is watching him- has he already spotted her?) by twirling in the middle of a tap dance, then pressing one finger to his cheek the way Ellie often did to indicate thinking. But the big in-joke must have come from the writers. George Murphy, Fred's partner in their supposedly terrible vaudeville act, had been recruited to do the balletic lifting and supporting of Ellie because Fred was just too small and light- he rarely could hoist even Ginger, using 'hurdle lifts'. So here we have him doing the ballet moves with the girl's picture on sheet music instead.
Fred's real name was Frederick Austerlitz.Fred's father was born in the Autro-Hungarian Empire,specifically Linz,Austria. His mother was born in the United States.Astaire was his stage name. He was a very versatile entertainer.Fred was not only a singer and dancer,but an accomplished piano player. He met George Gershwin,in the 1920's,and learned from him.
You can see the shadows of the keys when he presses them. I can't prove that the sound of the piano here is what's on the soundtrack, but his hands are always in the right place, and in "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket," you see the hammers move as well. I love the long take. He insisted on those so that his dances spoke for themselves, and not for a film editor.
He was a very good piano player. He met George Gershwin when the latter worked as a 'music plugger' at Remick's; they would play together and George was fascinated with this 'slap out left hand' technique he had, telling him 'play that bit again Fred!' so he could watch how he did it. Songwriters liked him because he played and sang their works without changing or embellishing, sticking close to the melodies they had written. Fred himself wrote a song, 'Like Taking Candy From a Baby', that made the top 40 hit parade; he could also play the drums and accordion.
That's definitely him in All My Eggs in One Basket, and also here in the faster part, after he sings, when it cuts to a wider shot. I don't think he is playing during the singing part here, though it sure seems like it at first (note that his left hand isn't really doing anything after the opening bars - it's not even depressing the keys), but his right hand is miming expertly, exactly where it should be. He was a very talented pianist. It's also not impossible that while he's singing, he is playing the right hand part, and an off scene pianist is doing the left hand.
In a number designed to show Johnny Brett’s longing for Clare Bennett, Fred Astaire delightfully shows his affection for his friend, Eleanor Powell, at 3:00 when he mimes an invitation to dance, pretends to go into one of her famous spins, then puts his hand to his chin, imitating one of her signature poses, and finally feigns a flinch to a mock rebuff for the tease. The character Clare Bennett never strike’s Powell’s famous pose until the reprise of this number in the finale, nor does she spin until then, which shows that Astaire, himself, had more than a passing knowledge of EP’s films prior to choreographing this routine.
At the finish when the three are dancing together, Clare (Ellie) does the 'thoughtful finger' bit and King (Murphy) playfully pulls her arm down. It is likely that Fred choreographed this solo all by himself. Hermes Pan was still at RKO. If so, it would be another test, since contrary to PR Fred rarely designed a number without the aid of a candid, friendly critic. He passes the test with flying colors and feet. Timing is exquisite. You might infer that he had less command of the edit than at RKO, since one of his cardinal rules is broken by the cutaways to Powell in the wings. However, they are dramatically appropriate b/c the song is about her, and one of them is an amused reaction to his guying her tics. It establishes Clare as a good sport with whom the upstart Johnny can get friendly soon.
A great movie (I love George Murphy!) and a great number from it! Nothing quite like a Fred Astaire dance. Thanks so much for sharing, Jim! Have a marvelous week, my friend :))
LoveTheOConnor He was so light on his feet. Just an amazing talent (as was George Murphy and Eleanor Powell). Thank you so much for watching and commenting, Heather! Hoping that you have a marvelous week as well. Jim
Clare: That was swell, Johnny! Swell! Johnny: Oh, thanks. I was just limbering up. You know, a little workout. Clare: Yes, I know. Johnny: Gotta keep in shape. Clare: Uh-huh. Sure. I noticed you changed it a little. Johnny: Yeah. A little. Clare: King ask you to? Johnny: No, I just did it by accident, I guess. Clare: I like it better by accident.
Isnt that basically the same as all Fred & Ginger's storyline: Boy meets girl, girl doesnt like boy, boy stalks girl to a scary level and would probably be illegal now, girl finally falls for boy after a lot of continued pestering.
@@carlybishop6160 Except that it isn't the plot of Broadway Melody of 1940 at all. MGM was deliberately seeking to get away from the RKO formula, and Fred agreed. That is why the emphasis is on professional rivalry and partnership, and why this is the only Astaire film in which his character is depicted as less proficient and successful than a female dancer.
I love Fred, but he is not playing the piano. It's a pretty good acting job, but his left hand does not play any notes, and his right hand just glides back and forth.
I disagree. From what I heard, none other than George Gershwin, taught him how to play properly. They were friends. images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=george+gershwin+and+fred+astaire+playing+piano+images&fr=yhs-adk-adk_sbnt&hspart=adk&hsimp=yhs-adk_sbnt&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F36%2Feb%2F96%2F36eb968fa911c3f856ebb44dfabd218f.jpg#id=0&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F36%2Feb%2F96%2F36eb968fa911c3f856ebb44dfabd218f.jpg&action=click In old films musicians used to overdub their solos after recording the video portion anyway. It doesn't necessarily mean that he didn't play on the original overdubbed recording.
246/5000 I disagree absolutely. The synchronization is perfect between the music and the piano keys, and uses both hands. It can be seen clearly. At that time the artists were real artists. They mastered many skills, not just one, or two...
you bet your ass he was. astaire was a great pianist, apart from being an amazing drummer. most musical song numbers were dubbed, meaning he's not playing live, but it's him playing it. he played piano in several films, for example in roberta (1935), follow the fleet (1936) and let's dance (1950). the piece he plays in the latter was also composed by him.
He absolutely played, but I’m sure it was dubbed as well, as were the taps and voice. It’s just the way musicals are almost always done. For sound, editing, etc. Fun fact, Fred dubbed his own taps but the choreographer, Hermès Pan, dubbed Ginger’s taps.
