For Ham (and anyone else) In Response To Bogey Thread

crazyeffinjetsfan · 12-19-2009, 12:55 PM

Ham's Bogart thread got me thinking of old B&W flicks and the sheer entertainment of yesteryear as compared to the majority of whats out there today, and the garbage that is being passed of as "talent".

Ham, you mentioned Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in your thread, and it brought me to a conversation (argument) I had with my Dad (whos 80) and my brother in law during Thanksgiving about Fred Astaire vs. The Nicholas Brothers.

To me, The Nicholas Brothers stand alone as the greatest dance team (duet) ever. My father thinks Astaire and Rogers are the standard.

Here's a few clips:

[url]

long island leprechaun · 12-19-2009, 03:11 PM

I think i was the one who mentioned Astaire and Rogers in Swing Time. I don't know about "greatest" as that's always treacherous... Bojangles Robinson was a great tap-dancer... as great as any. Inevitably these things are to some degree a matter of taste and style. If I remember correctly, Rogers was not Astaire's favorite partner, although she was very very good (she once quipped that everything Astaire did, she did too, but backwards). If you haven't seen the two Astaire Hayworth films I'll Never Get Rich and You Were Never Lovelier, they're worth the price of admission just for the stunning Rita Hayworth, who was a very good dancer as well. What I personally am drawn to with Astaire, despite his slight build and ungainly face, is the absolute perfection of his skill. He makes human legs seem to be weightless and capable of anything... effortlessly. He was just amazing. People who are accomplished at that level... like a Horowitz on the piano, or Heifetz playing the violin, or Barishnikov in ballet... make you love life a little more. That's saying a lot...

crazyeffinjetsfan · 12-19-2009, 03:34 PM

[QUOTE=long island leprechaun;3409455]I think i was the one who mentioned Astaire and Rogers in Swing Time. I don't know about "greatest" as that's always treacherous... Bojangles Robinson was a great tap-dancer... as great as any. Inevitably these things are to some degree a matter of taste and style. If I remember correctly, Rogers was not Astaire's favorite partner, although she was very very good (she once quipped that everything Astaire did, she did too, but backwards). If you haven't seen the two Astaire Hayworth films I'll Never Get Rich and You Were Never Lovelier, they're worth the price of admission just for the stunning Rita Hayworth, who was a very good dancer as well. What I personally am drawn to with Astaire, despite his slight build and ungainly face, is the absolute perfection of his skill. He makes human legs seem to be weightless and capable of anything... effortlessly. He was just amazing. People who are accomplished at that level... like a Horowitz on the piano, or Heifetz playing the violin, or Barishnikov in ballet... make you love life a little more. That's saying a lot...[/QUOTE]

First things first, Rita Hayworth is one of the absolute true beauties of any generation....

Second, if you watched the Stormy Weather clip, Fred Astaire once called this performance "the greatest dance number ever filmed."

High praise.

The great thing about the old films and tecnology was that you couldn't hide talent, or the lack thereof....I saw a documentary on The Nicholas Brothers many years ago and Gregory Hines said that the directors would just put the camera on the brothers and just let them go....There was no need to edit clips and frame their heads, then cut to the mid-section or cut to the feet in order to make them appear better, they were just that good....To me, it always looked as if they were dancing on ice.

crazyeffinjetsfan · 12-19-2009, 05:00 PM

[QUOTE=Green Jets & Ham;3409560]You are correct, sir

Fred Astaire had a number of great partners, including the lovely Cyd Charisse, but there was only one dancer who was so good she had even Fred Astaire intimidated, and that was the great [B]Eleanor Powell[/B]

[URL]

long island leprechaun · 12-19-2009, 08:10 PM

[QUOTE=Green Jets & Ham;3409560]You are correct, sir

Fred Astaire had a number of great partners, including the lovely Cyd Charisse, but there was only one dancer who was so good she had even Fred Astaire intimidated, and that was the great [B]Eleanor Powell[/B]

[URL="

crazyeffinjetsfan · 12-19-2009, 08:23 PM

[QUOTE=long island leprechaun;3409766]Great stuff. And yes, I wouldn't forget Cyd Charisse. She was right up there among the women in Hollywood who I had unclean fantasies.... the legs of a goddess....[/QUOTE]

Gotta agree with you there LIL....Some pair of getaway sticks:

[IMG]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e268/crazyeffinjetsfan/cyd_charisse_01.jpg[/IMG]

long island leprechaun · 12-19-2009, 09:17 PM

[QUOTE=crazyeffinjetsfan;3409773]Gotta agree with you there LIL....Some pair of getaway sticks:

[IMG]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e268/crazyeffinjetsfan/cyd_charisse_01.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

I prefer to think of her like this:

[IMG]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1lc3z65u6EE/SFg2vMLRchI/AAAAAAAAF9E/WlWsPd-3q2w/s400/175008~Cyd-Charisse-Posters.jpg[/IMG]

12-19-2009, 12:55 PM	#1
crazyeffinjetsfan feels like his head is in a popcorn machine. All League Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Middlesex County, NJ Posts: 3,306	For Ham (and anyone else) In Response To Bogey Thread Ham's Bogart thread got me thinking of old B&W flicks and the sheer entertainment of yesteryear as compared to the majority of whats out there today, and the garbage that is being passed of as "talent". Ham, you mentioned Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in your thread, and it brought me to a conversation (argument) I had with my Dad (whos 80) and my brother in law during Thanksgiving about Fred Astaire vs. The Nicholas Brothers. To me, The Nicholas Brothers stand alone as the greatest dance team (duet) ever. My father thinks Astaire and Rogers are the standard. Here's a few clips: [url]

12-19-2009, 03:34 PM	#3
crazyeffinjetsfan feels like his head is in a popcorn machine. All League Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Middlesex County, NJ Posts: 3,306	[QUOTE=long island leprechaun;3409455]I think i was the one who mentioned Astaire and Rogers in Swing Time. I don't know about "greatest" as that's always treacherous... Bojangles Robinson was a great tap-dancer... as great as any. Inevitably these things are to some degree a matter of taste and style. If I remember correctly, Rogers was not Astaire's favorite partner, although she was very very good (she once quipped that everything Astaire did, she did too, but backwards). If you haven't seen the two Astaire Hayworth films I'll Never Get Rich and You Were Never Lovelier, they're worth the price of admission just for the stunning Rita Hayworth, who was a very good dancer as well. What I personally am drawn to with Astaire, despite his slight build and ungainly face, is the absolute perfection of his skill. He makes human legs seem to be weightless and capable of anything... effortlessly. He was just amazing. People who are accomplished at that level... like a Horowitz on the piano, or Heifetz playing the violin, or Barishnikov in ballet... make you love life a little more. That's saying a lot...[/QUOTE] First things first, Rita Hayworth is one of the absolute true beauties of any generation.... Second, if you watched the Stormy Weather clip, Fred Astaire once called this performance "the greatest dance number ever filmed." High praise. The great thing about the old films and tecnology was that you couldn't hide talent, or the lack thereof....I saw a documentary on The Nicholas Brothers many years ago and Gregory Hines said that the directors would just put the camera on the brothers and just let them go....There was no need to edit clips and frame their heads, then cut to the mid-section or cut to the feet in order to make them appear better, they were just that good....To me, it always looked as if they were dancing on ice. Last edited by crazyeffinjetsfan; 12-19-2009 at 03:37 PM.

12-19-2009, 03:11 PM	#2
long island leprechaun Don't mess with Angel Eyes. All Pro Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: greenwich village, NYC Posts: 7,477	I think i was the one who mentioned Astaire and Rogers in Swing Time. I don't know about "greatest" as that's always treacherous... Bojangles Robinson was a great tap-dancer... as great as any. Inevitably these things are to some degree a matter of taste and style. If I remember correctly, Rogers was not Astaire's favorite partner, although she was very very good (she once quipped that everything Astaire did, she did too, but backwards). If you haven't seen the two Astaire Hayworth films I'll Never Get Rich and You Were Never Lovelier, they're worth the price of admission just for the stunning Rita Hayworth, who was a very good dancer as well. What I personally am drawn to with Astaire, despite his slight build and ungainly face, is the absolute perfection of his skill. He makes human legs seem to be weightless and capable of anything... effortlessly. He was just amazing. People who are accomplished at that level... like a Horowitz on the piano, or Heifetz playing the violin, or Barishnikov in ballet... make you love life a little more. That's saying a lot...

12-19-2009, 05:00 PM	#4
crazyeffinjetsfan feels like his head is in a popcorn machine. All League Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Middlesex County, NJ Posts: 3,306	[QUOTE=Green Jets & Ham;3409560]You are correct, sir Fred Astaire had a number of great partners, including the lovely Cyd Charisse, but there was only one dancer who was so good she had even Fred Astaire intimidated, and that was the great [B]Eleanor Powell[/B] [URL]

12-19-2009, 08:10 PM	#5
long island leprechaun Don't mess with Angel Eyes. All Pro Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: greenwich village, NYC Posts: 7,477	[QUOTE=Green Jets & Ham;3409560]You are correct, sir Fred Astaire had a number of great partners, including the lovely Cyd Charisse, but there was only one dancer who was so good she had even Fred Astaire intimidated, and that was the great [B]Eleanor Powell[/B] [URL="

12-19-2009, 08:23 PM	#6
crazyeffinjetsfan feels like his head is in a popcorn machine. All League Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Middlesex County, NJ Posts: 3,306	[QUOTE=long island leprechaun;3409766]Great stuff. And yes, I wouldn't forget Cyd Charisse. She was right up there among the women in Hollywood who I had unclean fantasies.... the legs of a goddess....[/QUOTE] Gotta agree with you there LIL....Some pair of getaway sticks: [IMG]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e268/crazyeffinjetsfan/cyd_charisse_01.jpg[/IMG]

12-19-2009, 09:17 PM	#7
long island leprechaun Don't mess with Angel Eyes. All Pro Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: greenwich village, NYC Posts: 7,477	[QUOTE=crazyeffinjetsfan;3409773]Gotta agree with you there LIL....Some pair of getaway sticks: [IMG]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e268/crazyeffinjetsfan/cyd_charisse_01.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] I prefer to think of her like this: [IMG]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1lc3z65u6EE/SFg2vMLRchI/AAAAAAAAF9E/WlWsPd-3q2w/s400/175008~Cyd-Charisse-Posters.jpg[/IMG]