"born to dance"
May. 13th, 2020 04:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lauradi7dwWe were alerted by my tap teacher that TCM was showing movies that all had tap dancing in them on Monday. I set up to record several that we had not seen, including the documentary "No maps on my taps," which is homework, sort of - it will be discussed in next week's class.
We turned the TV on in time for "Good morning" in "Singing in the Rain." I had seen part of "Kiss Me Kate," but oddly had not remembered that there were two tap numbers early on. Certainly recognized Ann Miller, but not Tommy Rall. Had heard of Bob Fosse, but his dancing wasn't distinguishable from the other Bianca suitors.
I don't know what going to the movies was like during the Depression. although it's hard to imagine that all those movies with rich people were relatable. "Born to Dance" (1936), had a few rich people, but most of the cast seemed to be sailors or aspiring Broadway dancers. Or both, sequentially (Buddy Ebsen). Eleanor Powell sure could dance. James Stewart managed what he had to do, dancing a little, singing "Easy to Love," pining. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that two movies in a row featured music by Cole Porter, even though they were filmed almost twenty years apart. Stewart had only been in two movies before 1936, but was in nine that year. The only mention of the Depression was the fact that two of the main characters had met at a dance marathon four years before. There was some jaw-dropping stuff, both plot-wise and just visually. We stared in amazed recognition at a short scene featuring Helen Troy as unnamed phone operator that we think must have been the inspiration for Lily Tomlin's Laugh-in character Ernestine. We looked at each other, stunned. She didn't snort or say "one ringy dingy" but something about her speaking style and small mannerisms immediately called LT to mind.
We turned the TV on in time for "Good morning" in "Singing in the Rain." I had seen part of "Kiss Me Kate," but oddly had not remembered that there were two tap numbers early on. Certainly recognized Ann Miller, but not Tommy Rall. Had heard of Bob Fosse, but his dancing wasn't distinguishable from the other Bianca suitors.
I don't know what going to the movies was like during the Depression. although it's hard to imagine that all those movies with rich people were relatable. "Born to Dance" (1936), had a few rich people, but most of the cast seemed to be sailors or aspiring Broadway dancers. Or both, sequentially (Buddy Ebsen). Eleanor Powell sure could dance. James Stewart managed what he had to do, dancing a little, singing "Easy to Love," pining. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that two movies in a row featured music by Cole Porter, even though they were filmed almost twenty years apart. Stewart had only been in two movies before 1936, but was in nine that year. The only mention of the Depression was the fact that two of the main characters had met at a dance marathon four years before. There was some jaw-dropping stuff, both plot-wise and just visually. We stared in amazed recognition at a short scene featuring Helen Troy as unnamed phone operator that we think must have been the inspiration for Lily Tomlin's Laugh-in character Ernestine. We looked at each other, stunned. She didn't snort or say "one ringy dingy" but something about her speaking style and small mannerisms immediately called LT to mind.
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Date: 2020-05-13 10:07 pm (UTC)I saw Kiss Me, Kate and I think forgot or did not notice at the time that Tommy Rall was in it. I associate him permanently and favorably with the barn-raising dance in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954).
"Born to Dance" (1936), had a few rich people, but most of the cast seemed to be sailors or aspiring Broadway dancers. Or both, sequentially (Buddy Ebsen).
I adored Born to Dance when