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Post by Lucky Dan on Feb 10, 2023 2:56:49 GMT
Fred and Judy and Irving Berlin |
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Post by I Love Melvin on Feb 13, 2023 13:26:10 GMT
This number is a beaut. It's not much of a "dance" number considering it's Fred Astaire, but that's fine because I can't take my eyes off their faces; they seem to be having the greatest time. Supposedly Judy had to push Fred a little to dirty himself up to that extent but you can tell they both understand how well it's paying off.
Fred and Judy were supposed to reteam for Royal Wedding (1951) but Jane Powell ended up doing the role after MGM lost patience with Judy (again). Every time I see this number with Fred and Jane (which I admit stands up beautifully on its own) I have to wonder what it might have been with Fred and Judy, given the brilliance of what they did with "A Couple of Swells".
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Post by I Love Melvin on Feb 28, 2023 22:11:45 GMT
I have no idea how this came about but I just ran into it and thought of this thread. A flash mob of two, apparently. BRAVO!
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Post by dianedebuda on Feb 28, 2023 22:50:44 GMT
Some flash mobs are really fun. I think these 2 did a pretty good job. The passer-bys didn't seem to treat the show as too much out of the ordinary. 🤨😆
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Post by I Love Melvin on Apr 3, 2023 13:39:14 GMT
I thought this would go best here. It's another example of Fred stepping outside of his comfort zone to accomodate his female partner, letting her show herself to her best advantage. This time it's ball-of-fire Kay Thompson and Fred is good-naturedly downplaying his own skill set to let her feature hers. I love the goofy goatee and the fact that he's holding onto that guitar for dear life, letting all the grand gestures be hers. Fred was no fool; he knew that if she looked good...and she was bound to...he'd look good too.
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Post by I Love Melvin on Apr 3, 2023 13:58:18 GMT
For "fun Fred", there's this cute number he did with George Burns and Gracie Allen in Damsel in Distress (1937). We think of Fred now as the Dance Boss, but there was a time when he was just breaking into movies himself and wasn't the only center of attention, when he maybe felt freer to cut up, before the need for such perfection set in. Love the socks, Fred.
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Post by Fading Fast on Apr 3, 2023 15:28:13 GMT
For "fun Fred", there's this cute number he did with George Burns and Gracie Allen in Damsel in Distress (1937). We think of Fred now as the Dance Boss, but there was a time when he was just breaking into movies himself and wasn't the only center of attention, when he maybe felt freer to cut up, before the need for such perfection set in. Love the socks, Fred. |
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Post by I Love Melvin on Jun 10, 2023 12:55:59 GMT
Dan's thread (Where are you, Dan?) seemed like the best place for this adorably silly number from Paramount's Let's Dance (1950). You probably couldn't have found two more different performing styles on the planet at the time, but Fred and Betty Hutton actually accommodated each other really well here. Again, Fred is loosening up beautifully for comic effect. "Oh, Them Dudes". It's really dumb stuff, but this is high-class entertainment.
And I'll throw in this song and dance (mostly song) number as well, "Tunnel of Love". This is a film which has sort of fallen by the wayside, which is too bad because there's a lot to look at.
And, rather than bounce back and forth between threads, I'll post this solo Fred Astaire number from the same film. Because the film is lesser-known, so is this number. The movie is available in its entirety on YouTube; interestingly, Betty Hutton gets top billing, probably because she's the Paramount contract star.
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Post by I Love Melvin on Oct 23, 2023 13:08:38 GMT
Since this thread seems to be highlighting "silly" Fred, I thought I'd throw in this number from Blue Skies (1946) with Bing Crosby, who liked to go the silly route himself. They made a good team and were later slated to do White Christmas (1954) together but Fred didn't like the script and dropped out, which is too bad because the script was later almost entirely rewritten when Danny Kaye came on board. They do a couple of iffy caricatures, so roll your eyes if you need to, but it's nice seeing someone else bring out the ham in Fred, who knew just what to do.
And, again, I miss having Lucky Dan around. Hopefully, there's nothing serious but if there is or was, God bless.
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