Comments on: Rita Hayworth is Stayin' Alive

Rita Hayworth is Stayin' Alive

flex — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:27:36 -0800

Rita Hayworth is Stayin' Alive

Rita Hayworth was born on October 17th, 1918.* Rita Hayworth, Tragic Princess from The Hairpin's "Scandals of Classic Hollywood" series (previously)

By: orange swan

orange swan — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:49:42 -0800

Rita's also the Dancing Queen. But those legendary dancers are all Footloose. Incidentally, it was Rita Hayworth, not Ginger Rogers, who was Fred Astaire's favourite dance partner.

By: helmutdog

helmutdog — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:57:57 -0800

I was already to get all hatey on this - but damned if I was not charmed to pieces. Oh Rita, I definitely blame Mame. Is there a modern equivalent to Rita Hayworth? I think not.

By: xingcat

xingcat — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:00:15 -0800

This is really well-done, and it makes me wish for a great modern dance movie.

By: Malice

Malice — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:17:30 -0800

I was watching that and I thought, "Man, Jessica Rabbit looks a lot like Rita Hayworth." Then I looked it up and apparently Jessica Rabbit is a mix of Rita Hayworth and Veronica Lake. /random

By: dances_with_sneetches

dances_with_sneetches — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:35:27 -0800

As for Astaire's favorite dance partner I don't believe he ever said Rita Hayworth. He was generally coy about it. In That's Entertainment he said Gene Kelly. I believe he also said he was his own favorite. Although this citation is Wikipedia, it fits about my memory of the story.

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:39:59 -0800

Not that there was ever any doubt, but I, for one, am certain that Rita Hayworth is, alas, not stayin' alive because I have seen a slice of her brain. It was not in her head at the time. The great lady died of complications related to Alzheimer's disease, and she or her family had arranged for her brain to be "donated to science." About 15 years ago, a good friend of mine had a job at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in the Bronx, where he worked in the Alzheimer's research lab. One day, when I visited him there, he opened the freezer and showed me one of the samples they were working on: a cross-section of the brain of none other than Miss Rita Hayworth herself. It's the closest I've ever gotten to the internal organs of a famous person.

By: MonkeyToes

MonkeyToes — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:26:10 -0800

Frank Langella Remembers His Rita Hayworth. "Now, almost 40 years after I faded from her life, there she is in black and white on my television screen. And the camera's lie is actually welcome and soothing. Her beauty is staggering. Her sultry voice, her body, the way she moves close to a man, the sway of her hips as she drunkenly belts out "Put the Blame on Mame," stop time and obliterate what had been our reality. Her acting is honest and true. A thoroughbred, desperate to be taken seriously, cursed with a divine beauty, who could not find a man to desire that beauty as only a part of the whole woman."

By: wrapper

wrapper — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:42:32 -0800

Best video ever.

By: radwolf76

radwolf76 — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 19:29:56 -0800

Speaking about Astaire, this thread reminded me to go watch the fan edit version of Smooth Criminal featuring him, Cyd Charisse, and Leslie Caron.

By: Samizdata

Samizdata — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 20:43:02 -0800

Pretty damnably amusing. I had a half grin on my face the whole time. Much needed amusement after a long night at work.

By: scody

scody — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 20:48:57 -0800

I have developed a killer girl-crush on Rita Hayworth over the years; I don't think I can name another woman with such (seemingly) effortless, exuberant, exultant beauty. I only wish she had experienced the same lasting joy in her personal life to match the joy she still brings on screen.

By: roger ackroyd

roger ackroyd — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 20:57:08 -0800

On the flip side, I just felt a frisson of heterosexuality. Please excuse me, I'm off to watch The Fall Guy and Magnum P.I. until things get back to normal.

By: Samizdata

Samizdata — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:01:13 -0800

radwolf76: "Speaking about Astaire, this thread reminded me to go watch the fan edit version of Smooth Criminal featuring him, Cyd Charisse, and Leslie Caron." Thanks for the reminder! I had forgotten about that one over the years!

By: googly

googly — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:04:11 -0800

Rita Hayworth, to Fred Astaire: 'That's pretty good. Now try it in heels and a tight skirt.'

By: pdxpogo

pdxpogo — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:12:35 -0800

... going backwards

By: roger ackroyd

roger ackroyd — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:29:28 -0800

That Hairpin link is fantastic, btw.

By: PareidoliaticBoy

PareidoliaticBoy — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 22:40:53 -0800

This the quote I've heard about Fred Astaire ... "Sure he was great, but don't forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did backwards...and in high heels!" -- Bob Thaves

By: bardophile

bardophile — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 04:21:04 -0800

That Hairpin article is really great.

By: Grlnxtdr

Grlnxtdr — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:47:48 -0800

Oh, my word. I loved That. Mixing together all the things I love. Dancing, music, old movies. If you're really enjoying your dance and dancing partner, that smile is never fake. Thanks, flex, that made my day.

By: mightygodking

mightygodking — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 07:38:05 -0800

This is really well-done, and it makes me wish for a great modern dance movie. The Step Up films have average acting and basically one plot for all the movies, but the dancing in them is off-the-charts great.

By: IAmBroom

IAmBroom — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 08:20:18 -0800

PareidoliaticBoy: This the quote I've heard about Fred Astaire ... "Sure he was great, but don't forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did backwards...and in high heels!" -- Bob Thaves

You know, I'm really sick of hearing this tired joke. Ginger Rogers didn't do everything he did. Maybe Gene Kelly could have, but really - no one else comes close. There's nothing that limits women from being first-rate dancers; in addition to Rogers, there's Charisse, Caron, Graham, Moreno... and Hayworth. Ginger wasn't Astaire's better. She wasn't his equal. She was his peer. We don't have to prove she's better; that's a lame insecurity.

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 08:32:49 -0800

I agree wholeheartedly, IAmBroom. It *is* a lame insecurity - that's nicely put. Rogers was a good dancer but Astaire was a great dancer. She was at no disadvantage; she just wasn't as gifted as her partner. You're also right that only Gene Kelly was Astaire's equal.

By: mule98J

mule98J — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:21:19 -0800

Cyd Charisse had legs, and she knew how to use them....

By: mumimor

mumimor — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:41:30 -0800

Rita seems so natural compared to the others - to me she is something special

By: PareidoliaticBoy

PareidoliaticBoy — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:23:38 -0800

We don't have to prove she's better; that's a lame insecurity. I have no "lame insecurities" about anything. I actually know nothing about dancing, and really don't much care about it. I was responding to the quotes above; as language-use, apt phrasing, and wry observations are things that I do care about. But, I guess I stand corrected, then. So, I'll be sure to comment here even less frequently than I already do; now that I know how worthless those observations are. Thanks for enlightening me.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:28:43 -0800

On the flip side, I just felt a frisson of heterosexuality We need 500ccs of Young Gary Cooper stat!