Old Movies

[birdguy 3,994]

Most of my evenings are spent watching old movies on TCM.  Last night Anchors Aweigh with Gene Kelly and a very young Frank Sinatra.

I got to thinking who was the better dancer, Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire?  For ballroom dancing my pick would be Fred Astaire.  But for athletic ability and innovate dancing I would pick Gene Kelly hands down.

Watching these old movies make me feel good.  I don't have much of a connection to the current culture but I when I watch old movies I reconnect to a culture I'm familiar with. 

But the sad part is almost all the adults playing in these movies are dead now.  And the children in them are either dead or in their 70s and 80s.

I'm not criticizing the current culture.  I'm just saying it passed me by some time ago when wearing torn jeans with holes in them and displaying near obscenities on T-Shirts were fashionable.

Noel

 

 

[W2DR 1,867]

I'll go with Fred Astaire as the overall best of those two. But (there is always one of those) maybe even better is Ginger Rogers. She could do everything Astaire could do...and she could do it backwards.

[Mike A 357]

... and in high heels.

[Fielder 3,904]

There goes Susie's date right out the door...

 

[Tim_Capps 479]

Fred was the best dancer. He and his sister were already international stars of stage before he got roped into movies by RKO, vowing never to become half of another "dance couple." Fate had other plans, which partly accounts for their sometimes chilly personal relationship. As much as it pains me to admit, Fred was a lot better dancer than Ginger, who made up for it with hard work and athleticism. Not that she wasn't fantastic, but she couldn't match Fred step-for-step and she has to fudge some of the numbers. Why doesn't anyone notice? Because her job was to make it look like the most ecstatic experience a woman could have was to dance with a sort of funny-looking guy in a toupee and tuxedo. Ginger was an Oscar-winning actress first and foremost. And boy, did she sell it! The only woman that was Fred's match as a hoofer was pile-driver tappista Eleanor Powell. He made (I believe) one movie with her and complained that "she dances like a man."

An autographed picture of Ginger Rogers gazes down upon every flight I take. Ah, Ginger. You don't care if my landing is lousy or even if--as I just did--I crash into the Amazon rain forest due to poor fuel planning. (Still working out the burn rate on the CLS DC-10.)

Follow the Fleet is a cute Navy picture with Ginger and Fred with some great numbers. (You don't watch them for the plot.)

Here's a picture of young Ginger with the man who would become her fiance, aviation and film pioneer Howard Hughes. Ginger learned of HH's unusual extracurricular activity and found him in a hospital after a serious car wreck, and threw every piece of jewelry he had ever given her into his face.

[spilok 1,140]

Had a wonderful afternoon yesterday (Sunday) watching "Meet me in St. Louis" with Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brian and so many other wonderful cast members (1944).

Stan

[birdguy 3,994]

That's a great movie Stan.  Judy Garland singing 'Ding Ding Ding Went the Trolley' and Margaret Obrien's Halloween adventure and Ma Ma trying to get Pa Pa baptized.  I watch it whenever it's on the schedule.

Noel