Bobby Banas and The Nitty Gritty
July 11, 2020 2:41 PM Subscribe
On the Judy Garland show (1964), six dancers do their thing to Shirley Ellis's The The Nitty Gritty (gif) (longer version). One is Bobby Banas, who would dance in West Side Story, appear in Mary Poppins and Down and Out in Beverley Hills, dance The Leopard in Get Smart, would kiss Marilyn Monroe, and dance again to Bill Haley and his Comets.
That first link made my radar years ago. Clicked again just now while I was listening to Pulled Up by the Talking Heads and it was synced up perfectly. Pretty, pretty cool. Thanks.
posted by badbobbycase at 2:49 PM on July 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by badbobbycase at 2:49 PM on July 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
Hot damn that man can move. It's like he knows the steps and is doing them accurately, but his body is so filled with funk it spills over in every movement. It's especially fun to check in with the other dancers and see how stiff they are in comparison. He's like a drunken master of dancing.
posted by erinfern at 5:05 PM on July 11, 2020 [15 favorites]
posted by erinfern at 5:05 PM on July 11, 2020 [15 favorites]
wow
posted by PinkMoose at 6:12 PM on July 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by PinkMoose at 6:12 PM on July 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
This is a delight! I could watch clips of his dancing all day. According to his wikipedia page, he also choreographed the Nitty Gritty dance.
posted by diamondsky at 6:33 PM on July 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by diamondsky at 6:33 PM on July 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
Here's a fun little interview with Bobby Banas that includes a story about the Marilyn Monroe clip.
posted by diamondsky at 6:40 PM on July 11, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by diamondsky at 6:40 PM on July 11, 2020 [6 favorites]
Who Put the Dexedrine in Mr. Banas' Ovaltine?
posted by not_on_display at 10:24 PM on July 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by not_on_display at 10:24 PM on July 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
“I’m a professional Rosarian now, taking care of people’s roses”
Everything about this man makes me smile!
posted by Jellybean_Slybun at 11:36 PM on July 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
Everything about this man makes me smile!
posted by Jellybean_Slybun at 11:36 PM on July 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
One of the things a like about seeing old footage like this on Youtube is when one of the commentors identifies a friend or relative. In this case "Hotrod Hog" tells us the blonde dancer top left was his mother. This footage was shot at a time when there would have been little expectation of the TV audience ever seeing a show again if they missed its live performance. So it is great that we are seeing this not only again - but after the lifetime of many of the performers.
(I saw this great extract of Barbara Lynn singing "What'd I say" today - a commentor flags her as her grandma.)
posted by rongorongo at 3:52 AM on July 12, 2020 [5 favorites]
(I saw this great extract of Barbara Lynn singing "What'd I say" today - a commentor flags her as her grandma.)
posted by rongorongo at 3:52 AM on July 12, 2020 [5 favorites]
Man, I've been obsessing about that guy in the Bill Haley clip for years. Never fails to lift my spirits. Glad to find out who he is. Great post!
posted by Modest House at 6:16 AM on July 12, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by Modest House at 6:16 AM on July 12, 2020 [4 favorites]
I couldn't pick him out of the chimney sweeps, but that led me to this breakdown of the scene, and a better understanding of how great those dancers were.
posted by MtDewd at 7:27 AM on July 12, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by MtDewd at 7:27 AM on July 12, 2020 [7 favorites]
Welcome back, Wordshore. Nice post.
posted by Bella Donna at 8:52 AM on July 12, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by Bella Donna at 8:52 AM on July 12, 2020 [4 favorites]
Bobby is so damn stylish in the Nitty Gritty. The other two male dancers don’t stand a chance.
posted by Bella Donna at 9:05 AM on July 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Bella Donna at 9:05 AM on July 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
A talented guy - also, The Judy Garland Show hosted by Peter Lawford with a dancer twice as animated and fluid as the others is a Saturday Night Live sketch waiting to happen.
posted by lon_star at 2:17 PM on July 12, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by lon_star at 2:17 PM on July 12, 2020 [2 favorites]
> The Judy Garland Show hosted by Peter Lawford with a dancer twice as animated and fluid as the others is a Saturday Night Live sketch waiting to happen.
Your dream came fractionally true in 2016, when a young Jon Rudnitsky stole the show from Ariana Grande's surprisingly spot-on portrayal of Ms. Garland. Unfortunately, the clip was "Cut For Time" because of a poorly-placed joke at the end of the sketch by Taran Killam, who was fired immediately. However, the real work had been done, and Jon Rudnitsky's career was launched so far into the stratosphere that unfortunately nobody ever heard from him again. Until now.
I'm not_on_display; thank you for watching MetaFilter Remembers Memorable Memories.
posted by not_on_display at 5:20 PM on July 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Your dream came fractionally true in 2016, when a young Jon Rudnitsky stole the show from Ariana Grande's surprisingly spot-on portrayal of Ms. Garland. Unfortunately, the clip was "Cut For Time" because of a poorly-placed joke at the end of the sketch by Taran Killam, who was fired immediately. However, the real work had been done, and Jon Rudnitsky's career was launched so far into the stratosphere that unfortunately nobody ever heard from him again. Until now.
I'm not_on_display; thank you for watching MetaFilter Remembers Memorable Memories.
posted by not_on_display at 5:20 PM on July 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
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Good post, Wordshore! I'd seen the Nitty Gritty clip, but didn't know anything about the lead dancer.
posted by Mogur at 2:46 PM on July 11, 2020 [4 favorites]