Just as all good things must come to an end, so too must all bad things (even Trump’s evil rule will run out of recourseΒ eventually — e.g., the fat lady’s last aria at the opera seems to go on forever; will it end short of becoming a hoarse opera?). What it all a-mounts to is….
Meanwhile, back at the ranch , we bid happy trails to “bad” actors not named Trump, and end our HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN AGE series with a roundup of some of the era’s great song & dance stars, starting with this incomparable pair whose magic outlasted their time:
When it comes to high-energy dancing, no one outshined Gene Kelly. Here he is in THE PIRATE (1948), clowning around with the fabulous Nicholas Brothers:
I do have one regret about this retrospective: so many musical stars, so little time and wherewithal for them all. Perhaps, as time goes by, I will use a favorite star’s birthday as an occasion to do an occasional post.
In closing (speaking of when A STAR IS BORN), if ever someone was born to be one, it’s this star-crossed girl/woman with whom we bring down the curtain on this series:
It didn’t hurt (quoting from A SMITHSONIAN SALUTE TO THE AMERICAN MUSICAL) that “Astaire and Rogers worked with the finest composers of their day. Of their ten films together, one featured music by Cole Porter, two by Jerome Kern, one by George and Ira Gershwin, and three by Irvine Berlin.” Throw in great directors and supporting casts, and it’s no wonder there was movie magic!
Ginger spoke in an interview about that particular dance. Fred insisted on perfection, and as usual, doing it in one take. She said that by the time this scene was done as he liked it there was blood in her shoes. She also said, as she had before and would again, that she got paid less and did everything he did in heels and backward.
Fred was indeed a perfectionist. Quoting from the book I mentioned in my earlier reply to calmkate, “the roller skating sequence in SHALL WE DANCE, for example, was shot 30 times, and the Never Gonna Dance number from SWING TIME was done in forty-eight takes.” As for Ginger, “I had plenty of input in our routines and got to be known as the ‘button finder’….the one who puts the last word or finishing touch on a scene.” So I don’t blame her for complaining “that she got paid less.”
Although Ginger “did everything he did in heels and backward,” the one thing she didn’t do as well was sing. Irving Berlin said, “I’d rather have Fred Astaire introduce one of my songs than any other singer I know — not because he has a great voice, but because his delivery and diction are so good that he can put over a song like nobody else.”
Amazing tributes, all, but the one for Judy Garland is amazing. To see all those films in one clip is a little mind-blowing. She was certainly prolific!
Thank you for the Like, David Thompson. I tried to check out your blog, but when I click the link, I get a blank screen. Before I approve your comment, kindly advise if your blog is not operational for some reason.
mistermuse
12:00 am on June 10, 2017 Permalink
| Reply Tags: Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe, Blues In The Night, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Dorothy Dandridge, Grand Canyon, Judy Garland ( 14 ), music ( 134 ), Nicholas Brothers, nostalgia ( 4 ), railroads, Sun Valley Serenade, trains, Union Pacific Railroad, Vienna Waltz
All my life I have been thrilled by the names of famous trains. The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul, the Train Bleu rushing through the night to the Riviera, the Flying Scotsman and the Brighton Belle rolling north and south from London, the Twentieth Century Limited, the Santa Fe Chief and Super Chief crossing the vast continent of America — these were magical names to people of my generation, but on a dark November evening in 1963 the rather dingy train awaiting us in the Zurich station offered no interest until, at a second glance, I noticed that under the grime it bore a name in letters which had once been of polished brass — the Wiener Waltzer [Vienna Waltz]! My spirits rose. How charming, how romantic and how right, I thought, for I was on my way to Vienna to play the part of Johann Strauss in a picture.
–Brian Aherne, English-American actor (1902-86)
I, too,Β have long beenΒ fascinated by trains — probably since the ageΒ of 12, when IΒ traveled with my family by train from Cincinnati to Mexico City.Β Perhaps my most vivid memory of that trip:Β the elegant dining car,Β lined on each side of the aisleΒ with tables covered byΒ immaculate white tablecloths topped by spotless linens and tableware, at which we would sit like ‘bigΒ wheels’ eating leisurelyΒ mealsΒ as the scenery rolled by. “Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer”Β — likeΒ the oldΒ song,Β now echoing back over time.
On the wall near where I sit as I write this post, hangs a large 1966 calendarΒ published by the Union Pacific Railroad (“Road of the Domeliners”). Above each month is a color photoΒ of a scene which is presumablyΒ within viewing or dreaming distance of a Domeliner: Sun Valley, Idaho; Morro Bay, California; Heceta Head Lighthouse, Oregon; Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona; a covered bridge somewhere in northern California;Β and so on. A lot of water hasΒ flowedΒ under the bridge in 51 years.
But the handwriting was already on the wall forΒ iconicΒ streamliners in America by 1966. Numbered wereΒ the days of suchΒ storied trains as theΒ CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO and railroads likeΒ THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND THE SANTA FE. Sad to say,Β the newΒ kid on the track,Β AMTRAC,Β would lack theirΒ imagery….not to mention, their soundtrack songs from filmsΒ such asΒ SUN VALLEY SERENADE (1941) and THE HARVEY GIRLS (1946):
Those were the days, my friend. Clickety-clack, echoing back. It’s enough to give one the….
NOTE: I will be taking a one-post break. Until my next post on June 20, keep your dreamsΒ intact and yourΒ hopes on track.
ah that brought back a few memories … here we have The Ghan and a few others that cross our vast arid interior … hadn’t realised you had a posting schedule, enjoy your break π
Thanks, Don — that’s an Ellington classic. If I had time, I could probably find a dozen old train songs on Youtube. Here’s one from a 1948 Irving Berlin musical (EASTER PARADE) starring two legendary performers:
Love the dining car nostalgia! It’s too bad we do not have a more extensive passenger train network in this country. Especially since the airline experience has gone down the tubes. In the old days they used to sing about the romance of air travel (“Flying Down to Rio”)–but no more!!
Thanks, Linnet. Your comment leads me to a connection which, unlike today’s airline experience, is easy to make for those of us who are fans of old movies: Fred Astaire appeared in both FLYING DOWN TO RIO (1933) – – his first pairing with Ginger Rogers — and 15 years later in EASTER PARADE with Judy Garland (see the “When That Midnight Choo Choo Leaves For Alabam” clip above).
You know, Atchison and Topeka are nearby Dee and me. Been there many times. Ridden the train out of Emporia many times (a railroad center in its day–the William Allen White era). Got caught in a blizzard once trying to get to KC and catch my flight to Washington D.C. to process through National Red Cross HQ for Germany. And I saw the Orient Express in Germany once, but didn’t ride on it. Rode others. Don’t overlook βFolsom Prison Blues,β by Johnny Cash. And βCity of New Orleans,β by Steve Goodman. On and on. Thanks for the memories!
You’re welcome, Mark. What a thrill it would’ve been to ride on the Orient Express, made legendary by Agatha Christie’s novel MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (I wonder if there has ever been a real murder on the Orient Express?)!
Love “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash, but the “Blues in the Night” clip is a much better fit for this post because of the train lyrics (“Now the rain’s a-fallin’ / Hear the train a-callin’, whoo-ee! / Hear that lonesome whistle blowin’ ‘cross the trestle, whoo-ee / A-whoo-ee-Ah-whoo-ee, ol’ clickety-clack’s a-echoin’ back / The blues in the night”).
I think it’s a close call:
I hear the train a comin’ rollin’ round the bend…/While a train keeps a rollin’ on down to San Antone…/When I hear that whistle blowin’ I hang my head and I cry/Well I’ll bet there’s rich folks eatin’ in some fancy dining car…/Well if they freed me from this prison if that railroad train was mine/Bet I’d move it on a little farther down the line/Far from Folsom Prison that’s where I long to stay/Then I’d let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away.
You’re right, Mark — Johnny Cash was a great one. I have “Folsom Prison Blues” on LP but hadn’t played it in a long time — I should’ve listened to it again before my previous comment….but, even though it’s a close call, I think I still would’ve used “Blues in the Night” because of the film clip I chose.
calmkate 4:07 am on November 13, 2019 Permalink |
what a joyful collection of viewing, thanks Mr M!
But Ginger and Fred are just sheer magic … no couple have ever created the ease and charm that they exuded on screen! My forever heros π
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mistermuse 10:54 am on November 13, 2019 Permalink |
It didn’t hurt (quoting from A SMITHSONIAN SALUTE TO THE AMERICAN MUSICAL) that “Astaire and Rogers worked with the finest composers of their day. Of their ten films together, one featured music by Cole Porter, two by Jerome Kern, one by George and Ira Gershwin, and three by Irvine Berlin.” Throw in great directors and supporting casts, and it’s no wonder there was movie magic!
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calmkate 6:15 pm on November 13, 2019 Permalink
that would certainly help and their stage settings add to the majesty but they had class and talent by the ton!
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Yeah, Another Blogger 9:27 am on November 13, 2019 Permalink |
Have you seen the new movie Judy? I liked it very much. It focuses on the final months of her life.
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mistermuse 11:01 am on November 13, 2019 Permalink |
Haven’t seen it, but saw snippets and an interview with the star on TV. Thanks for your comment.
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Ashley 1:51 pm on November 13, 2019 Permalink |
This has been a great series and you should be congratulated for putting it all together.
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mistermuse 3:28 pm on November 13, 2019 Permalink |
Many thanks, Ashley….and I even managed to cast a few aspersions at Trump in the bargain.
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Rosaliene Bacchus 3:39 pm on November 13, 2019 Permalink |
I could watch Fred & Ginger and Gene Kelly dance all day long! They brought joy to my tumultous young life.
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mistermuse 6:34 pm on November 13, 2019 Permalink |
To bring joy to a “tumultuous young life” — as Ira Gershwin wrote and Gene Kelly sang (in AN AMERICAN IN PARIS), “Who could ask for anything more?”
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Rivergirl 8:52 pm on November 13, 2019 Permalink |
The Nicholas Brothers! That goes back…
π
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mistermuse 11:31 pm on November 13, 2019 Permalink |
They go way back, but they lived long — especially the older brother, who died in 2006 at age 91.
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mlrover 8:53 am on November 15, 2019 Permalink |
Ginger spoke in an interview about that particular dance. Fred insisted on perfection, and as usual, doing it in one take. She said that by the time this scene was done as he liked it there was blood in her shoes. She also said, as she had before and would again, that she got paid less and did everything he did in heels and backward.
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mistermuse 1:28 pm on November 15, 2019 Permalink |
Fred was indeed a perfectionist. Quoting from the book I mentioned in my earlier reply to calmkate, “the roller skating sequence in SHALL WE DANCE, for example, was shot 30 times, and the Never Gonna Dance number from SWING TIME was done in forty-eight takes.” As for Ginger, “I had plenty of input in our routines and got to be known as the ‘button finder’….the one who puts the last word or finishing touch on a scene.” So I don’t blame her for complaining “that she got paid less.”
Although Ginger “did everything he did in heels and backward,” the one thing she didn’t do as well was sing. Irving Berlin said, “I’d rather have Fred Astaire introduce one of my songs than any other singer I know — not because he has a great voice, but because his delivery and diction are so good that he can put over a song like nobody else.”
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David Thompson 9:00 pm on December 6, 2019 Permalink
I grew up, will h my mother’s influence ..with this era. I am richer for the experience.
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Elizabeth 1:40 pm on November 15, 2019 Permalink |
I loved this series. Thanks for all the time and thoughtfulness you put into it.
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mistermuse 3:29 pm on November 15, 2019 Permalink |
It was absolutely my pleasure, Elizabeth. Thank you for appreciating it.
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Silver Screenings 12:22 am on November 17, 2019 Permalink |
Amazing tributes, all, but the one for Judy Garland is amazing. To see all those films in one clip is a little mind-blowing. She was certainly prolific!
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mistermuse 1:50 am on November 17, 2019 Permalink |
I’m glad you singled out the Garland clip for special mention — it was an unexpected find, and probably my favorite in this series.
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mistermuse 10:12 pm on December 6, 2019 Permalink |
Thank you for the Like, David Thompson. I tried to check out your blog, but when I click the link, I get a blank screen. Before I approve your comment, kindly advise if your blog is not operational for some reason.
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