Beautiful Dynamite June 17, 2008 2:58 PM Subscribe
Cyd Charisse passed away today at 86. Part of the MGM Golden Age, she first started out in minor roles usually as a dancer (1:52). It wasn't until the Gotta Dance routine with Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain did she begin to get meatier roles.
-The Girl Hunt and Dancing in the Dark with Fred Astaire in The Band Wagon
(There is a fantastic parody by Steve Martin and Gilda Radner of the Dancing in the Dark routine that I cannot find.)
-Opposite Gene Kelly in Brigadoon (Also fun to watch for ridiculous Scottish accents)
-Her "makeover" solo and The Red Blues number in Silk Stockings
-Janet Jackson (and her family) was such a fan of MGM movies, Cyd and other MGM stars were featured in her music video, Alright (3:00)
One of the reasons I loved Cyd Charisse so much was because she wasn't a tap dancer. She was so different from the other women Astaire and Kelly were partnered with. She had incredible grace and control and the two guys got to exhibit a different style when dancing with her. I think that's why I enjoy the Leslie Caron pairings as well. posted by spec80 at 3:01 PM on June 17
Ah buggery. I always make a point of fast forwarding through the dream sequence in Singin In The Rain because it reminds me that Kelly should have stuck to hoofing and a little less with the camera-action. That being said, whenever I need to see dancing done like it should be done, I watch the whole sequence like its own little short film. Knocks me on my ass every time.
Not to mention the best pair of pins in the business. posted by Jofus at 4:03 PM on June 17
Singing in the Rain was the first pre-recorded Videocassette I ever purchased. She was an integral part of one of the finest movies ever. Dance on, Homegirl.
When she made that impossibly long slide across the subway floor to hug the leg of Fred Astaire in The Girl Hunt Ballet, I fell in love with her, forever. posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:25 PM on June 17
I used to want to dance like her when I grew up, and then I found out just how hard it was to make it look so easy. And then I broke my back. So much for that.
Yeah. Seeing Gotta Dance with Cyd Charisse when I was ten years old was like getting hit on the head with a cast iron skillet that had "HETEROSEXUAL" engraved on it.
Cyd Charisse performed at a theatre where I worked summers as a high schooler. Though I never met her, word among those who met her was that she was a real class act.
As someone who works in the entertainment industry, she uttered one of my favorite lines in one of my favorite movies, The Band Wagon.
After a hellish rehearsal for a hellish show, she and Fred Astaire go on a carriage ride through Central Park. They marvel at the grass, trees, and other people and she says, "And to think, this has all been here while we've been shut up in our little sweatbox of the arts!"
She was amazing. The "Singin' in the Rain" sequence has got to be the most erotic dance sequence ever committed to celluloid. posted by essexjan at 11:31 PM on June 17
If it's wrong for a girl to make oddly randy and mournful wolfy noises about a deceased 86 year old professional woman, older than her grandmother, I DON'T WANNA BE RIGHT. Awooooooooooooooo! posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:52 PM on June 17 [3 favorites]
Man, that Janet Jackson "Alright" video was my induction to a lot of different cultural throwbacks! posted by autodidact at 2:33 AM on June 18
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Man, that's sad, when I first saw that singing in the rain scene as a preteen I spent months trying to perfect dancing like she did - I wanted that dress, that hair and those legs and above all the complete control she had. I failed. posted by dabitch at 6:22 AM on June 18
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posted by spec80 at 3:01 PM on June 17