He would never say who his favourite dance partner was...very diplomatic. And she often criticised his perfectionisn and rehearsal regime in later life ...but together Fred and Ginger were sublime. 👍❤️
"A special song and dance arrangement was created so the number could start out casually. Obviously this song has to go into a dance. This to starts out very casually he just kinda pacing, taking his time but starting a rhythm that she joins. The first part of dance could actually be done by two guys, it's a challenge dance. They kinda checking each other over, figuring out the territory. Then he is going to do a rift that she is going to match. The challenge has begun." - Larry Billman "You really can see the Hermes pan touch" - Ava Astaire McKenzie. "Now they dance together. The touch the non touch actually, is so exciting. They're waiting for him to take her in his arms and whirl her about. But no they don't. The characters at that point in the story are not ready to do that. They both have an urge to touch one another but they do not and choreography mirrors that. I'm sure Fred and Hermes figured out how to make two people dance together but not touch." - Larry Billman / From commentary by Ava Astaire McKenzie and Larry Billman.
I always liked this number, partially because of Ginger's costuming; while the gowns she normally wore were beautiful, they usually covered up her impressive footwork. Here you get to see that her dancing was just as impressive as Fred's.
Ginger looks like she is having a ball in this number. She was always gorgeous and you could see she enjoyed dancing with Fred but here she just seems to be having more of a romp than usual.
John Yohann I’ve seen class used by some people to describe modern rappers with their obnoxious jewellery but Fred’s Anderson and Shepard tailcoat And his precise mannerism, that is the Webster definition of the word.
I find this song and dance more charming every time I watch it. Ginger's reactions while Fred is singing are priceless. Her skeptical expression at 1:09 when he says he “can see the sun up high, though we’re caught in a storm,” says, “You’re just putting me on,” but as he goes on, her amused smile says, “Well, maybe I don’t mind his nonsense.” You can see her imagining cozying up to this fellow, even if she does think he might be just short of a lunatic. And then the dance tells the story of two people just getting to know and like each other. It's a "Won't you come and play?" dance. I love Fred's double takes at 1:54 when he sees that she really has followed him into the dance and is playing along, and at 2:14 when she adds her own steps and isn’t just mimicking his movements. And, of course, Irving Berlin's song and lyrics are lovely in themselves, and the dance just gets more exciting as the storm intensifies.
Ginger was an actress who learned to dance. She used her face as well as her voice. Her expressions when Fred is serenading her are more eloquent than most dialogue. As a 're-actress' she was #1 in the Hollywood of her day.
Fred Astaire is great, no doubt. But it is Miss Ginger Rogers I keep looking at whenever they dance together.....there is such grace and elegance in every swerve, such confidence and firmness in every step. Here's to the ultimate dance partners the big screen has ever seen!
This is dancing on a level that is almost impossible to attain (I cannot even imagine the amount of work that went into an Astaire/Rogers number.) I love the smile they give each other at the end. They knew they were the best, and danced in celebration of their gifts.
Even with all the other dance numbers in all the other films -- with Ginger and other women in flowing gowns -- there are none that match the synchronized perfection of this routine. The word "magical" is often thrown around but it perfectly describes what one sees and hears in "Isn't This a Lovely Day."
There's been a lot said about which partner he had was the best. Rita Hayworth was beautiful, but to me the ultimate was Ginger Rogers. She was so graceful and completely beautiful and she seemed to suit Astaire's style perfectly. Love the Art Deco set.
He was asked once, by a reporter, which was the best partner he'd had. (Pretty stupid question, actually). Diplomatically, he said Gene Kelly and although he had some be3autiful and talented partners, i.e. Rita, the best was Ginger. He'd had terrible fights with her and her stage mother, but there's no doubting the chemistry
The magic of this number comes from the multiple pauses (both in the music and dance) where the dancers freeze themselves and then magically continue once again. Lovely!
Fred-Genius. Ginger-Gorgeous. Irving Berlin-Fabulous. Put them together-Perfection. This should be made available with their other films as a cure for Depression.
I can't resist: You-Sexist. Ginger did, as she once put it, everything Fred did only she did it backwards and in heels (except for this number). So she trumps him on the genius part. She's gorgeous, but to ignore her accomplishments as a dancer and actress and only focus on her looks is sexist.
Everytime I see a favorite clip like this -- I wish I owned some fragment of the set dressings - a chair, lamp, part of a grille -- Would be a treasured possession, for sure!
She gets to her feet and imitates his moves ins way that sort of mocks him, " I'm as good as you" she clearly was. Apparently they would rehearse to the point where he feet bled, but what accomplishment.
May 2021: I just watched TOP HAT for the first time, and when Fred and Ginger started dancing under the gazebo -- apparently their first dance scene together in this film -- with her in riding pants, it gave me a spark of joy to watch them, the sparkle of two people learning more of each other through dance.
Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you. Fred: No you can't. Ginger: Yes, I can. Fred: No, you can't. Ginger: Yes, I can. Fred: No, you can't. Ginger: Yes, I can, Yes, I can!
Absolutely gorgeous, could watch this for eternity and never get tired of it! Slightly unmotivated thinking of my own skill-level at tap-dance while watching this haha, but on the other hand we all start somewhere :) Fred and Ginger are the best!
When I was 7 (way back when) our tap dance recital was this song. Then Mama and Daddy took me to an awesome Chinese restaurant...when they were super fancy and chichi...ah, memories. That was 50 years ago.
The supreme artistry, beauty and grace displayed here is almost over-whelming. However, one thing that strikes me here is how much BOTH of them are looking down at their feet! I thought that was Verboten for Astaire.
One difference in tapping (where the feet are the focus) between Fred and his feminine counterpart, Eleanor Powell. She took her toes for granted. However, this is a pseudo-improvisation, not a ballroom set piece. As such, it makes sense for them to look down at their steps and each other's. Ditto the unorthodox, staccato arrangement of what was originally a smooth foxtrot, now garnished with those wonderfully synchronised stops and starts. Astaire and Hermes Pan always wanted dancing to move the story along and suit the emotional temp. Here we have the first stage of a courtship: Fred eager, Ginger wary. Hence the fitfulness, the 'challenge' and 'argument' aspects of the earlier part before they reach a provisional understanding and flow more together. But it's not all done and dusted romantically yet; they end side by side and smiling, not in a clinch. There is a rich dramatic intelligence at work behind these routines- not a bravura but unmotivated 'exhibition' in a club or on stage, as in so many musicals then, such as Berkeley's vagaries at Warners. Getting the mood right makes the skill more satisfying: two people on one small set suffice to wow us as much as Buzz's mad mob-handed scenes. Powell took the final step of making do without a partner. After that, musicals had to start over, with Kelly and ballet.
In those days there was no sound dubbing, the orchestra and the singing had to be done live, and low to high Fred never missed a note but when they dance I can't take my eyes off ginger.
I adore and respect talent - in the famous and the not-so-famous - I can not abide those who want to be famous - but display no talent - Fred and Ginger are the real thing.
I used to be a "professional note-taker" and often covered basic astronomy classes. One professor, when he covered the topic of parallax (which is used to find the distance to a star) always referred to the stars as "Fred" and "Ginger".
Fred was a thin baritone with a narrow range, but he had to sing in big Broadway auditoria (no mikes then). He tried to make the lyrics sound interesting so the customers would pay closer attention to them and less to his limitations. When the lyricists were such as Berlin, with his crazy street slang, the witty Ira Gershwin or the smartly risque Cole Porter, nobody cared about Fred not hitting high notes or making the chandeliers rattle. And in movies, using recorded sound, it mattered barely at all. That 'weak' voice wound up with more standards and hits written expressly for him than anybody in showbiz history.
The weather is frightening The thunder and lightning Seem to be having their way But as far as I'm concerned It's a lovely day The turn in the weather Will keep us together So I can honestly say That as far as I'm concerned It's a lovely day and everything's okay Isn't this a lovely day to be caught in the rain? You were going on your way Now you've got to remain Just as you were going Leaving me all at sea The clouds broke, they broke And oh what a break for me
Ginger was such a great actress in an era when overacting was common. Most actors/actresses were still acting like they had in silent films (way too big facial expressions) or theater (too many arm movements and speaking to the back of the room). Ginger is always natural, understated, and believable. One of the best actresses of the 30’s!
