Open thread 7/5/21
Fred Astaire could play the piano well, could sing with a bit of Bing Crosby’s vibe on the low notes, and of course we know he could dance up a storm. Ginger Rogers was – IMHO – his best ever partner. When I was a kid they used to show their movies over and over on TV, and my favorite was “Follow the Fleet”:
That was awesome — with a little Three Stooges physical humor blended in! Did not know he could play piano that well either.
But there wasn’t any vulgar or profane language in the movie. How good could they have been?
Couldn’t help noticing Fred’s obvious enjoyment of a cigarette at the beginning of the clip: Today’s FDA has a (lengthy) word for him (and his counterparts in the other branches of the military):
https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/health-information/tobacco-use-military-danger-those-who-keep-us-safe
Safety über alles: what would we do without the Nanny State?
Since this is an open thread, if you are interested in a great book on storms, here it is:
http://www.mikesmithenterprisesblog.com/2021/05/thank-you-homer-hickam.html
“No dancer can watch Fred Astaire and not know that we all should have been in another business.”
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Yep, Astaire and Rogers were the best; they made it look so easy; grace, charm, fluidity, class. The best.
“But there wasn’t any vulgar or profane language in the movie. How good could they have been?” Al Catraz
There has been an interesting rise in the family-friendly comedian biz.
https://justthenews.com/nation/culture/satat-dry-bar-comedy-working-clean-new-counterculture
If you like the idea, The Studio C (based in Utah) puts up videos that are hilarious.
Some LDS humor in a few sketches, but mostly general viewing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUbVeDDKa0Y
The Complete Airplane Sketches
https://www.youtube.com/user/BYUTelevision
Season 10 Opener
Former NBA player Royce White has a 14-minute clip today on Steve Bannon’s War Room:
https://rumble.com/vjg6sd-pro-athlete-calls-nike-and-lebron-james-to-task.html
In the video, Royce calls out Lebron James, the NBA, and the “corporatacracy.” He is clearly well spoken.
Royce was a high school basketball star in Minnesota, and played at the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University. At 6 feet 8 inches, he was adept at and would play, all 5 positions. As one of the best college players his sophomore year, he declared for the NBA draft. It was clear he had the talent (probably still has) to play in the NBA, but less clear that his mental health issues might keep him out of the league (like fear of flying).
In the NCAA tournament that year at Iowa State, after defeating Connecticut in the first round, they played Kentucky. I think the final score shows a 16 point loss, but it was closer than that, the outcome in doubt. That was the first game Royce fouled out, but Kentucky, which would go on to win the NCAA, had probably 3-4 players similar to Royce athletically. As I recall, he distinguished himself as the best player on the court.
Here is the Wikipedia page on Royce:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royce_White
Man, is that fun!
So goofy!
One of the most beautiful songs ever, “The Way You Look Tonight”, won the Oscar after being sung by Fred to Ginger in the 1936 movie “Swing Time”. This clip from the movie is humorous but also touchingly romantic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIW_Ah0wg-w&t=98s
“Couldn’t help noticing Fred’s obvious enjoyment of a cigarette at the beginning of the clip” – PA Cat
Connie Willis wrote a hilarious (can I say that twice in the same thread?) book, which included, as a minor character, a dude whose job was editing old movies to clip out the newly-problematic parts, including smoking and drinking. In the process, he discovers that some of those scenes were there for a reason, which had nothing to do with the smoke or drink themselves.
A Goodreads reviewer:
“Not science fiction but rather fiction about science, akin to the distinction between a girlfriend and a friend that’s a girl. And like the difference between a platonic and an amorous relationship, this book is fun without too many complications.
It’s about trend analysis, meaning a sociological study of fads, and chaos theory and how they interrelate. It’s also well written, chatty and a light, enjoyable read.”
Any more would be a spoiler, but you can find some here if you want.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24985.Bellwether
PA Cat, AesopFan:
I was a fan of the show, “Sons of Anarchy,” about a NorCal motorcycle gang. Nonstop sex, drugs, violence and cursing. (But the show’s arc was modeled on Hamlet, so clearly it was educational.)
Kurt Sutter, the show creator and chief writer, was asked if he had trouble getting approval for the scripts. He said, yes. They had to be careful about helmets and seat-belts!
huxley – SMH.
Wikipedia:
“Follow the Fleet is a 1936 American RKO musical comedy film with a nautical theme starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their fifth collaboration as dance partners. It also features Randolph Scott, Harriet Hilliard, and Astrid Allwyn, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Lucille Ball and Betty Grable also appear, in supporting roles. The film was directed by Mark Sandrich with script by Allan Scott and Dwight Taylor based on the 1922 play Shore Leave by Hubert Osborne.”
Can’t leave this thread without quoting Ronald Reagan’s tribute to Ginger (with whom he sometimes costarred, but not dancing and singing).
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/ginger-rogers-obituary?pid=178593564
In 1986, Reagan commented: “Her male counterpart got the lion’s share of publicity but Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did and did it with high heels on and did it backwards.”
Not always true, but often enough, although it didn’t really apply to the clip from “Follow the Fleet” – which was delightful (and even de-lovely).
That was by Cole Porter instead of Irving Berlin, and here’s Ella Fitzgerald singing it in 1956.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_W20SimGL4
Ginger said this about her life’s work, quoted from the obituary:
“We made happy pictures that people enjoyed seeing,” she said in the mid-1960s, “not the kind that audiences have to go through a trauma to see nowadays.”
@Huxley:
“Kurt Sutter, the show creator and chief writer, was asked if he had trouble getting approval for the scripts. He said, yes. They had to be careful about helmets and seat-belts!”
Obviously not pre-code!
Pre-code talkies are an interesting topic for another day.
Zaphod:
I checked out of “Sons of Anarchy” when the Queen Gertrude character murdered the Ophelia character with a barbecue fork to the base of her skull.
A minor deviation from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
@Huxley:
That’s deeply forked for us Normies who just want to Grill. Quotidian happening in the G R R Martin household, maybe.
}}} In 1986, Reagan commented: “Her male counterpart got the lion’s share of publicity but Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did and did it with high heels on and did it backwards.”
I knew this one was going to come up. I believe Gene Siskel is also attributed to it — perhaps one was quoting the other.
Unfortunately, it’s false.
There were many times when Ginger was casually spun off to the side, as Fred took over and did something solo that Ginger could not touch.
Now, I will grant (thanks, Neo!) that the Nicholas Brothers could keep up with him, and perhaps do even better… but Ginger was simply not as good as Fred for some steps.
Here, you get both the brothers AND Cab Calloway…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8yGGtVKrD8
LOL
In 1986, Reagan commented: “Her male counterpart got the lion’s share of publicity but Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did and did it with high heels on and did it backwards.”
IIRC, the tiresome Ellen Goodman said that. Ellen Goodman being Ellen Goodman, it’s a reasonable wager she cribbed off someone else.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WUhhKELUxB0
I like this one with Rita Hayworth. They are having so much fun. It looks effortless, but we know it’s not.
Yep, the Nicholas Bros were amazing and how they did what they did and not break their legs or destroy their knees is a mystery.
But their style of dance was very different than that of Astaire (and his various partners).
Astaire exuded class. polish, sophistication and seeming lack of effort when he danced, while the Nicholas Bros demonstrated extreme athleticism and energy along with their talent.
Even Gene Kelly’s style, IMHO, was more on the “muscular” and athletic style.
Though there were “better” tappers than Astaire, nobody could match his combination of skills and the seeming ease with which he performed.
He was one in a million; unmatched.
Slightly off topic, watching this clip illustrates why no one can film a decent dance number anymore.
Note how the camera hardly moves during the act. Whether it’s Fred playing, or Fred and Ginger singing, or the two dancing, the camera stays mostly still and lets you see them. A modern director would have three or four cameras going during the number, at weird angles, and would constantly cut from one to the other. No shot would last more than three seconds.
You’d see closeups, you’d see overheads, you’d see body parts. What you wouldn’t see is two people singing and dancing.
Stephen St. Onge:
Well, as for overhead shots, long ago there was Busby Berkeley:
neo:
Eeek! The coronavirus!