Prehistoric Man

Ann Miller, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, Betty Garrett dancing to Prehistoric Man from On The Town
No copyright infringement intended

[@outspokenfreespirit]

she is so pretty. what a gorgeous outfit

[@esmeephillips5888]

The costume department was under orders to keep one part of Miller's anatomy front and center. Guess which?

[@peterberry5186]

The movement and speed in the last 10 seconds of this routine are phenomenal! Truly phenomenal.

[@norwalkian]

No joke. That was one hard working and vivacious woman.

[@esmeephillips5888]

You can almost swallow that '500 taps a minute' publicity nonsense.

[@jackanthony976]

@@esmeephillips5888 In later interviews Miss Miller claimed she had increased it to 1,000 taps a minute!!

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@jackanthony976 I saw a comment on one of her clips from somebody who saw her rehearsing a show on tour (Des Moines, was it?) and said she had jingle taps on her heels to double the sounds. Ann once did a publicity stunt when she outpaced a lady typist who hit the keys 500 times a minute, so that appears proven, though men can go over 1,000. Anyhow it's flim flam- speed is not of the essence in making an art out of a dance style. The old-timers who did challenges were not judged on velocity, and nor was Master Juba. Savion Glover is fast but does too little above the waist to hold one's attention, like these young troupes of stompers in talent shows. We need more Paul Draper and less Ruby Keeler🤔

[@ironbutterflyasmr4111]

Ann Miller is bloody brilliant...x

[@TralfazConstruction]

Without a doubt!

[@kapuso7kapamilya2]

One of all-time best and greatest musical movies that was shot in studio and in some beautiful landmarks in New York City was 1949 MGM's On The Town. At the Museum of Anthropological History Ms Ann Miller and her co-stars had blithely performed their fabulous and wacky number of Edens/Green/Comden's Prehistoric Man.Ms Miller had alluringly exhibited her amazing talent in her famous rapid-fire and vigorous tap-dancing. Her Helen Rose-designed outfit was simply-divine and apt for her beauty.

[@cherylcooper388]

Ann Miller was a fabulous dancer, beauty, actress just epitomized the meaning of an all round entertainer. Stars like this lady only come around once in a lifetime. I was lucky enough to see her live on stage w/Mickey Rooney in upstate NY. They were fabulous together, there was true magic taking place on that stage. Miss that kind of talent which actually originated w/vaudeville.

[@reneastle8447]

The Retro Decade Revival Project is gonna bring it all back for sure.

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

Enjoyed it a great deal. In an interview I watched recently on YT, Ann Miller confided in rehearsal she banged into the dinosaur skeleton, knocking down several 'bones.' She showed an out-take. A crew worked into the night to put the dinosaur bits back together.

[@kennethgoin628]

Even the greats are only human!

[@mimif.9447]

One of my all time favorite movies! And this is the best performance in the movie. Ann Miller! What a gorgeous and talented woman 😍

[@davidallen508]

Thanks to the effervescent Annie,this has to be the highlight of the movie.Justice has finally been done and the underrated Ann Miller is at last fully acknowledged,by millions,as one of filmdom’s greatest assets.Her talent,beauty and personality make us happy 😃.

[@maya8443]

Always lady Miller still the scene. I have seen only a few performers who have the ability to stop people and lead them to just watch. She looks stunning with that dress looks beautiful on her.

[@kennethgoin628]

Who... but Ann Miller.... can effortlessly throw in a perfectly timed "hey you!" whistle in the middle of a dance routine??? It may have been dubbed in but if it was, they did a great job making it look authentic! She will always be one of my favorites!

[@evasivefox7287]

Lets be real. Everything in this routine was 100% dubbed in. It looked good (and convincing to a 1949 crowd) though, I'll agree.

[@babbaruff1045]

Gene was a really great comedy actor 👏👏👏👏👏

[@AJ-ld5mv]

YAAAAASSSSS it's rare that he's in the same scene as a dancer and he's not dancing! But he's hilarious and they all did such a AWESOME job on this scene and this movie

[@StelleSouza]

This movie is very charming, I love it

[@TralfazConstruction]

You're so right about that. I watch it every two months or so.

[@AJ-ld5mv]

@@TralfazConstruction good for you

[@shaquilleoatmeal7080]

It's disgustingly ignorant and racist

[@amandawhiteley6737]

This musical with Leonard Bernstein music is excellent. I have this on a vinyl record, now looking for the DVD on this. Good old proper show, more on this pls. ❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😊😊😊

[@RJS1974]

Love me some Ann Miller. They don’t make them like that anymore.

[@RJS1974]

Poor Frank tho. He looks like he’d rather be in Reno playing blackjack. He’s clearly not a dancer.

[@maya8443]

ha, good one!

[@brycevo]

This is so great Beautiful music, amazing dance, and the museum looks so visually interesting to match

[@znmnky13]

One of my favorites movie musical ever!

[@sharoncarter4086]

Smashing movie, amazing dancing, and fabulous songs. My favourite musical 🎶 xxxxxxx

[@David-sv7by]

I remember seeing "On the Town" at a film club at Southampton University (England) on a big screen about 25 years ago. The performers never stopped dancing or singing a brilliant tour de force of a movie. Brilliant.

[@sirorblegasse-payne2944]

Jules Munshin is my hero!

[@AJ-ld5mv]

Cool 😎

[@joannehines7806]

Everyone was so classy, elegant, well-dressed, athletic, beautiful & multi-talented!! When men were men & women were women!! 💘 Creativity & originality were at an all-time in Hollywood then!! Legendary & unforgettable!!! 💃 👡

[@rogermaes6001]

One of the funniest musical numbers I ever saw in one of the best musical films I ever saw : "On the Town". Ann Miller is, as usual, a beautiful dame and a beathtaking dancer ! Thanks for sharing this. ❤🖤 🖤❤

[@timhowley9197]

Ann miller was one of the greats. A great singer and a fantastic dancer. What legs.

[@TheMicksterdee]

My favourite dance routine in any musical. The combination of choreography and camerawork is supreme!

[@maya8443]

So true!

[@maya8443]

Have to give it to Ann, she had two of the greatest as her chorus dancers Kelly and Sinatra.

[@hebneh]

I'm always amused by these lyrics that were a tad risque for Hollywood when this film was made: "Bear skin, bear skin...I really love bear skin" and "I really love tom-toms", the latter sung with a flourish of shoulder- and bosom-shaking by Ann.

[@jackanthony976]

If you think these lyrics were a tad risqué for a 1949 Hollywood film, you should have seen the lyrics to this song before the censors stepped in. If you read a book about Arthur Freed musicals you will get more detail.

[@hebneh]

One lyric change due to censorship was “Lots of guys are hot for me”, which became “Some guys care a lot for me...”

[@CJ-hz1uj]

hebneh wonder what the lyric for “prehistoric Dick” was before they changed it?

[@aztiff]

I know right? @@CJ-hz1uj

[@jackcohen4931]

@Allison Mccoy "new york new york is a wonderful town "instead of" new york new york it's a hellava town" as well.

[@jaymesguy239]

Everyone in this number was silly...except Ann, who was fabulous, as usual.

[@lrn_news9171]

Frank Sinatra must have hated it lmao

[@perthliner5142]

Twitter Twitter He Never Had Twitter

[@suzieQ195]

The leggy Ann Miller... fantastic dancer!

[@HeyouCrow]

Part of this week's 'SiP_2020' *viewing., Ann, *spoke brilliantly at 'Rose Theatre site' eVt 🇬🇧, @ career moVies especially 'On The Town'. *Piece due Upload 📹 soon*

[@ThePirateburke86]

I thought the Navy would be like this... nobody sang or danced :/

[@coreycox2345]

This is hideous and funny at the same time. We cant deny it's our history. I once read that the biggest collectors of iconic racist relics are black people.

[@lfader]

😂🤣👍🇺🇸

[@esmeephillips5888]

Yeah, 'Follow the Fleet' and 'Born to Dance' were much truer to life. The Navy was caught with its bell-bottoms down at Pearl in November 1941 because it was rehearsing a big production number;-)

[@shishiwakamaru4]

Really, cause my rdc taught us how to dance.

[@AuthorTess]

I can tell you from experience that Anthropology grad school never came close either

[@roxy5588]

I love this movie!! :)

[@Vintagegal82]

It’s Ann Miller time 😉🍻

[@constantreader8760]

Love the way she makes Sinatra back off at 00:35. A force of nature. Catch her as Coco in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive

[@janpi27800]

absolument magnifique !!!

[@impassable]

Ann never ceases to amaze...

[@AJ-ld5mv]

@@impassable yaaaaasssss she is so fast and she is also super beautiful ❤️

[@lrn_news9171]

That finale was fucking amazing. She was a phenomenal dancer.

[@mariar7434]

she was unbelievable.. I can’t even walk up the stairs properly😂

[@sharonf106]

Amazing dancer.

[@ShawnWilsonPrime]

Three sailors and a cab driver walk into a museum...

[@maya8443]

Sounds like the beginning of a bar joke, the possibility of these diverse group of people sharing something in common.

[@kennethgoin628]

That is a clever take on it! Lmao! Hilarious!

[@ovolactoporkchoppo]

Although there is something vaguely distressing about the "unga-wanga" interpretation of tribal dancing, if you can stomach it, Ann Miller dances her taps off. There's tapping, and there's tap dancing. Her larger body movement is broad, smooth and effortless, while her tapping is sharp and precise. Catch the little jump at 4:02 - genius!

[@porflepopnecker4376]

There's nothing even vaguely "distressing" about this.

[@lfader]

@@porflepopnecker4376 thankyou.👍 All this critiquing ruins everything!! Ann Miller is AWESOME 💥💖✨

[@candilubk]

I agree. The message does not age well at all, but if you just focus on just the dance - freakin fantastic!

[@tonjaraye]

I agree: it’s really the only bit of this movie that I don’t like. But I’ve always loved this movie for its dancing and the rest of the songs.

[@zeenobrow3416]

I think that, vocally, this is Ann Miller's best song.

[@RJS1974]

VoiceofRain It’s a really hard song to sing, too. The phrasing is intricate and some of the lyrics are not very melodic.

[@maya8443]

@@RJS1974 - true, she had great voice. She was the full package, very talented lady.

[@lrn_news9171]

@@maya8443 Nothing special about her voice but she could sing yeah

[@rockerred1000]

Yeah, singing to some quite unusual chords. Dropped fifths, diminished sevenths and such.

[@ShawnWilsonPrime]

music curator: that was fantastic guys. Could you not do a number with the priceless historical artifacts tho?

[@DukeJon1969]

Ann Miller was amazing in this scene

[@poetcomic1]

Silly, wonderful number and educational too!

[@karmallama4686]

Anne miller. The fastest feet around

[@Wolfsky9]

A fun romp, filmed in NYC. Music by Betty Comden / Adolph Green, with Choreography by Kelly & Hermes Pan. --------------------WolfSky9, 71 y/o

[@marylovesfrank]

Applause!

[@FosterWKrupp]

Who is here after watching Exterminate All the Brutes?

[@irenakaczmarek]

Super , że film został poprawiony i jest teraz dobrej jakości. Nie wiem tylko kto to zrobił? Czy ktoś prywatnie czy yutubie?pozdrawiam ⚘️

[@chefjared1617]

Fuck all them this doc got me mad lol

[@daniellefrank007]

And theres Edna Babish in the back 😆

[@brunogreco8572]

Favolosi.

[@MeowyMakes]

where can I find sheet music to this song? I wanna use it for an audition

[@1manfactory]

a little too silly in the middle... but fantastic tapp dancing.... gosh, i love old hollywood musicals.

[@porflepopnecker4376]

It's supposed to be silly, and delightfully so.

[@brucer9572]

Jules Munshin is my hero.

[@Randylewus1958]

She is a fantastic tap daancer

[@4ortyorty3rd24]

I pray to God That when a black person does something that rubs you guys the wrong way y’all blatantly ignore it and admire the dance moves instead

[@JonathonWoodgate]

Ok, who the hell froze Victor Mature??

[@WillCamx]

I recorded this for my mother back in the early 90's and after seeing this scene I spent hours trying to think who the caveman statue reminded me of. Then it suddenly came to me. Victor Mature!

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@WillCamx Well, he was in 'One Million Years BC'...

[@cindykincade589]

Bahahaha!

[@Rogue.Templar30]

Ann Miller.... hoooooooooooowold is she??? The ladies of Hollywood could take lessons from her on appeal.

[@zeenobrow3416]

Shawn Roche She's been dead since 2004, dude.

[@garymacmillan6401]

The whole threatens to jump from the screen.

[@emanuelrojas2]

I don't think the museum manager would apreciate people touching the exhibits

[@AJ-ld5mv]

LOL

[@hebneh]

Or destroying them.

[@randywhite3947]

Or dancing

[@lizaelliott6862]

I love Ann Miller but this number has always freaked me out.

[@maya8443]

Might I ask why?

[@fanorama1]

damn, she was FAAAAAASSSSSTTTTT!!!

[@dominickeefe2454]

Museum lady can move

[@frankcarter7146]

Well, DAAAAAMN...

[@shanevanc]

In my book best ever! Musical. Virtuosic, and sexy! Even the Nickolas bros couldn't bring the legs

[@charleskeefer3043]

Glowing haerpu

[@YujiroHanmaaaa]

1:53 Best 😂

[@terrywright7470]

Is it just my imagination (or wishful thinking) but does anyone else think that the prehistoric man statue is the very image of Victor Mature?

[@esmeephillips5888]

I reckon he looks like Jules Munshin, and that Munshin was mugging to bring that out. Mature was chunkier and had that odd pained expression one also sees in Van Johnson.

[@DukeJon1969]

Looks Iike Dean Martin's stockier older brother

[@rhythmictiger]

@2:29 looks like it probably hurt a little!

[@Mike-dk7wj]

Fantastic routine from this great pathfinding musical. Blasphemy for some to say it, but improved upon Leonard Bernstein's fine original stage show by replacing many of his esoteric songs with more approachable and earthy numbers. And of course there was this wonderful cast. More than just a superb musical a genuine classic of American cinema.

[@Dikin-Baus]

!!!

[@tracymcmillan1466]

Where's Vera-Ellen?

[@kagillogly]

They haven't found her yet. Most of the film is Gene Kelly trying to track her down.

[@TralfazConstruction]

@@kagillogly Yes. The search still gives me twinges of anxiety. I believe that carried over from the first time I saw On the Town (1949) decades ago.

[@edoardozampetti4601]

who is the drummer ?

[@aztiff]

I do not generally like Hollywood musicals at ALL, When TCM runs one I go elsewhere. This one is the exception. On the Town I could watch twice a week.

[@doreensarcone4346]

Filler - please tell me you love Desk Set... And The Ghost & Mrs Muir!!!

[@lrn_news9171]

Why? What's the big difference between this musical and others of the same era?

[@honeypeaches7736]

Is it just me who loses it at 0:35? 😂

[@jmart222]

Honey Peaches i can’t keep it together either 😂

[@44032]

The statue looks like Victor Mature.

[@thenobullshtchannel8768]

Europeans did educate 👍🏻

[@stevebarnhard845]

i am in love with her all of her especially those legs

[@WillScarlet16]

Beating on tom-toms... Mmmm....

[@brucer9572]

Jules Munshin. There's a guy who shoulda never died of a heart attack in his fifties.

[@AJ-ld5mv]

He was very good at acting

[@gotisc]

Say what you want about Sylvester Stallone, but he plays a pretty convincing wax statue.

[@rockerred1000]

Fascinating. Gene Kelly was profoundly influenced by the West African rhythm being heard in his world for the first time, and incorporated it in his filmed dancing in sly, subversive ways. Even this clip that trades in childish mockery coexists with the artifacts instead of enacting triumphalist narratives. You can imagine that the characters would be delighted to jam with real dancers from world cultures. (A few years later Michael Jackson did exactly that, explicitly, in his much-underrated Black or White video, and nobody accused him of cultural appropriation.)

[@andyharman3022]

"Lighten up, Francis." You're doing well reciting your cultural Marxist catechism. Was making a PC comment on a KZbin video that everybody else is making positive comments about an assignment from your Sociology 101 prof?

[@girlunfettered468]

유인원이라면서 아메리카원주민들 복식이나 아프리카원주민 문화유산 둥당거리는건 눈쌀찌푸려지는데 앤 밀러 탭은 미친듯 사람능력치 벗어난것같음

[@chewtag]

the industrial revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race

[@lrn_news9171]

I'm kinda glad I can sit here and watch youtube videos like this aren't you?

[@andyharman3022]

You would prefer, perhaps, to live in prehistoric circumstances so that you have kill the bear and eat it before it kills and eats you?

[@reworbmada]

Ann Miller was a brilliant artist. The best of the best. But "ooga booga"? Really? With a single exception from 2 years ago, no-one seems to notice what's wrong here. Pro tip: it's NOT the statue of Victor Mature.

[@66smithra]

Put a sock in it soy boy. Don’t watch if you’re offended and start taking some testosterone.

[@PrinceApollo117]

Anyone here from Exterminate all The Brutes

[@4ortyorty3rd24]

Y’all fucking kidding Lol

[@barbieayanna]

What Movie Is This ?

[@naomiseiden793]

Ayanna Moseby it's called On The Town

[@harponercam]

En The Town

[@taniahumenuk583]

Ayanna Moseby on the town!!

[@robertk6640]

Ayanna Moseby On The Town

[@jland12]

A fine celebration of ethnic diversity!

[@Wolfsky9]

Those ARE some serious legs on the amazing Ms Miller, but I'll still take Eleanor Powell, or Cyd Charisse ! -------------------------WolfSky9

[@maya8443]

I don't see Std moving her feet like Ann did, Mrs. Powell most definitely but she retired way too soon. Lady Miller took her career very far and did many great work. I never seemed to understand why even comment if you can't appreciate things for what they're.

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@maya8443 Cyd was not a tapper. But she inspired Fred Astaire to head further down the ballet trail, and she was strong enough to give Gene Kelly a game, oozing sophisticated sultriness. Her place in the canon is assured.

[@maya8443]

@@esmeephillips5888 l know she was more like the classical dancer.

[@steelsolider95]

Racism

[@pammajidy9487]

betty garret didn't get her due, she could have been bigger.

[@markmcdonald4781]

Jesus. A colonial wet dream.

[@10INTM]

So you see cave man tropes and immediately think non-whites. Got it.

[@markmcdonald4781]

@@10INTM Not the cave man theme. Nor are the themes/decor on display from prehistoric man.

[@10INTM]

@@markmcdonald4781 Why don't you name the exact cultures being depicted then. They ARE in a museum after all and adjacent to plenty of other exhibits they can extract props and instruments from.

[@markmcdonald4781]

@@10INTM Dude that's the point, it's a depiction of several cultures. The subtext being non-European, colonized peoples are like cavemen. It's a common theme from the time and I don't know why you're dying on this hill.

[@10INTM]

@@markmcdonald4781 Which cultures? And is it stuff from before recorded history anyway? What fun prehistoric stuff is NOT off-limits then from your associations? YOU are the one making the racist association because you are being a white supremacist in the literal sense. (Do you do the I'm-speaking-on-your-behalf thing as well?) And what does "European" prehistoric stuff look like? They _didn't_ descend from people using drums, animal skins, spears, etc? A lot of that stuff is just fictional approximation of what prehistoric customs could've looked like.

[@krisjay1558]

i watched, I didn't find any racism using the traditional definition of racism.

[@BerndSchnabl]

yikes ... what a cringe fest

[@ElementDaEmcee]

I know this was cool back then and I can appreciate Ann's talent but this is racist af. Jesus christ....

[@rossjohnstone4689]

They even showed this on the HBO sho "Exterminate all the brutes"

[@tkps5079]

I think sometimes we have to look at intention too.

[@66smithra]

Loosen up and stop being so sensitive.

[@ElementDaEmcee]

@@66smithra I’m not being sensitive. I understand the times and As I mentioned Anne was truly amazing but at the end of the day it’s racist as hell. Your response says enough about u

[@ElementDaEmcee]

@@tkps5079 what do you think the intention was here?

[@robertd.carver6240]

An obvious knockoff of Cole Porter's "Find Me a Primitive Man!"

[@esmeephillips5888]

Like 'Make 'Em Laugh' imitating 'Be a Clown'. Cole was good-humored about such 'tributes'.

[@jacobpolasky5246]

racist

[@sabe2052]

What the hell how?? This is an iconic movie

[@porflepopnecker4376]

YOU'RE the one who's racist.

[@bzeishaj]

They just meant the whole native american "tribal sounds"

[@JohnJ469]

The thing is that there are no references to native Americans or the like. With cave paintings on the wall and the song about "Prehistoric Man". You simply cannot be "racist" towards a basically unknown people who lived in Europe 100,000 years ago. Sorry Jacob, but you really are an idiot.

[@Linz86]

What? LOL. The world has gone mad.