Fred Astaire & Eleanor Powell - Jukebox Dance (1940)

From Broadway Melody of 1940, Here is Jukebox Dance - music by Walter Ruick, danced by Eleanor Powell and Fred Astaire. Powell later said this number was her favorite out of all her filmed dances.

[@JESthree5734]

2024 and they are still a joy for us to watch. Thanks for posting!

[@jerrera45]

This was the kind of movie I grew up with as a kid. Oh, how I miss those days.

[@songsmith31a]

A pair of immortal "hoofers" doing what they did best. Thank heavens for film and the images it has preserved for the generations to enjoy via KZbin.

[@normanbell718]

Two of the greatest dancers of all time.

[@poetcomic1]

What an awful day and yet I'm sitting here watching this and smiling and smiling.

[@graceannemorgan1035]

I'm smiling too God bless you.

[@olgamountain9904]

@@graceannemorgan1035 Me too, honey.

[@vanguard9067]

I hope you’ve had many wonderful days during the past five years, and wishing you many more.

[@kenpatton8761]

We‘ll probably never see the likes of this again sadly….Thankfully we have the video to remind us of just how AWESOME we can be!

[@billschild5802]

Eleanor Powell was one of the best tap dancers of her time , Just amazing .

[@jan2889]

Love her!!!🙏🏻🤗

[@jan2889]

Such talent!!!👍💯🤗

[@virghammer1]

“of her time?!”- Try (w/ all due respect; OF ALL TIME !

[@rmcfete]

Of all time . Fayard Nicholas called her not just the best tap dancer but the best dancer man or woman period. He aught to know

[@balok63a40]

@@rmcfete If I were a cynic, I'd say that there's a reason that Fred Astaire never danced with her again after "Broadway Melody of 1940."

[@lizaelliott6862]

Eleanor Powell is so crisp with her dancing. There's no one else like her!

[@tpg1164]

Wow, she's so confident...plus...OMG...great legs!!!

[@egeo03]

Powell is amazing. Not many dancers that could match Astaire beat for beat, with all his subtleties

[@militarymom6690]

egeo03 you said it - it was his subtleties that made him great (and the fact that he made it look effortless) but Eleanor matches his subtleties effortlessly. Eleanor’s dancing appeared as if she was just out for an evening stroll - and when the number ended you are like ‘Wait, what just happened?’😍

[@longjohnsilver7986]

It´s my privilege to watch slomething like this

[@dominicromano1611]

She was incredible.

[@sleeper600]

Agreed. Begin the Beguine dance is fabulous. This one is a small perfect gem. Both Fred and Eleanor nailed it. He had grace and flair, she had an athletic and artistic ease that was outstanding in this number. One of my favorites. Short and very sweet. Makes me want to try harder in everything I do.

[@sleeper600]

I just watched this again. Truly "amazing" Eleanor Powell. Poetry in motion.

[@AuntieMamie]

I can’t get enough of this. Thank you. Immaterial who can out dance whom.

[@normanriggs848]

All I can say is.......THANK YOU!!!

[@mfb3042]

Fred Astaire seems less "chunky" and not coming from his hips quietly. Eleanor Powell is perfect every moment with an intensity that created perfection every moment. Both amazing to watch.

[@sintagmasquare1857]

Powell may have been a fabulous tap dancer but Astaire expresses the dance with this whole body and thats what makes him so exciting to watch.

[@kayincat]

That's why I love to watch him tap. His upper body remained loose and free.

[@granand]

If you want to see her express with whole body, then you must see Elenor with Gracie in Honolulu, you will fall in love with her.

[@rhetta3504]

@@kayincat I totally agree ...I can watch him for hours!!!!!!

[@pollutionfreeplanet]

It's like some wonderful, magical machine of perfection running in well-oiled balance.

[@lindaeasley4336]

Fred Astaire said years later that he was intimidated by Eleanor and that she danced in a mannish way . Clearly he was not used to dancing with a woman who did not let him be the lead , or who did not prance around daintily like a flower . Eleanor was, whom many saw as the greatest tapper , a take no prisoners , give it 110% kind of dancer

[@esmeephillips5888]

She said that after BM40 she felt 'like the Wreck of the Hesperus', and that she was always wiped out when a picture wrapped. This time she was diagnosed with gallstones after collapsing while at a Jeanette MacDonald concert. She contracted a fever during surgery, her temp went to 108, and when her friend Alice Faye visited the hospital Ellie did not know her. For several days her life was in the balance, and for some months she had to rest up. Her next picture did not appear for more than a year. The crisis made her more determined to get on and then get out, once her extended contract expired in 1943. The layoff was a blessing in disguise. It produced her greatest feats of imagination, virtuosity and courage, such as 'Fascinating Rhythm' and the Western Rope Dance.

[@dillspitzen]

Maybe his ego was dented because she‘s basically as tall as him? 😁

[@traciejohnson7802]

As I recall Fred's quote was that "she put em down like a man", which was a huge compliment in his day.

[@iCyclone]

Brilliant. The both of them.

[@mercydarwin9349]

Why would anyone dislike this!!! ITS GOLD!!!

[@johnbenford9956]

Fred Astaire : "The only woman I couldn't outdance".

[@sirpoopalot6420]

@@beautygirl9981 Fred b.1899 Ann b.1923. In 1948 there was a 25 yr. difference. He was 49; she was 25. Both were better singers than Eleanor. I don't know who was faster:ELEANOR POWELL or ANN MILLER?

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@beautygirl9981 That was more to do with another of Moaning Minnie's hangups, his partners' height. He made Ann Miller wear flats for their token turn as a couple. Poor Ann, always behind the eight ball- never given star billing, never had a film built round her, constantly conscripted to shore up movies headlining people who were often less proficient.

[@paulbrewer2374]

@@sirpoopalot6420 In 1985, I played trombone in the pit orchestra for the touring Broadway show, "Sugar Babies." It starred Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller. They were both 65 years old at the time. I was astounded at how strong and accomplished Ann still was as a dancer. When I mentioned this to one of the cast members, he told me that Ann worked at staying limbered up throughout the day, every day. Case in point: I remember getting to the orchestra pit very early one day. As I made my way to the pit, I could hear someone tap dancing on the stage. When I looked up from the pit I saw who it was. It was Ann dressed in a bath robe and with a towel on her head. "Now I know why Ann is still so good," I thought to myself: Lifelong dedication to her art."

[@sirpoopalot6420]

@@paulbrewer2374 Wow! EVERYTHING you said was fascinating: a glimpse behind the scenes!

[@exhibitit724]

Yessss

[@ronfarbman8124]

Some one wrote about Eleanor was one of the best...NO...is the best dancer of all time, never to be equaled. Fred #1 male, Eleanor #1 female. There is no argument.

[@lovetheoldies100]

Great -both just great!

[@elijahhaswings1588]

She was such a natural dancer. She learned ballet, then took up tap as a teen. Plus, she was so acrobatic. She was amazing and classy.

[@Mike-yg8ig]

I just realized something about myself. I've been around for a while, been a huge sports fan since 1966. But my favorite athlete of all time is Bianca Andreescu. Been watching Eleanor Powell tonight and loving it. I realized that I am really impressed by the physicality of some women. I've just realized that in recent years. They possess such beauty in their athleticism that man just can't have. They just blow me away.

[@esmeephillips5888]

If you appreciate athletic dancing, watch the last minute of Eleanor Powell's 'Fascinating Rhythm'.

[@Mike-yg8ig]

@@esmeephillips5888 I think I've seen that but I will look it up again, thanks.

[@andyscorner101]

Technically Eleanor is a better dancer and the only one Fred was afraid of. She outshined him in every dance scene. She was a gracious and devout lady who emanated nothing but class in everything she said and did. RIP Eleanor and TY.

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

On the other hand, I think Astaire could work magic with partners. Powell often outshone her partners, but it's hard to think of anyone who looked bad with Fred. Even here, he seems to tease a little extra ... well, call it sweetness out of Eleanor.

[@HariSeldon913]

I certainly love Eleanor, but I think it's only fair to mention that she was still in her 20's here while Fred had just hit the plus side of 40. Yes, Astaire could move better in his 70's than I could in my 20's, but for two greats like these, the 13 1/2 years may have made a difference.

[@mja91352]

Overstated

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@daveconleyportfolio5192 Very true. Astaire and Pan were dedicated to the cultivation and display of female talent. No actress or dancer who worked with them came away feeling they had not benefited from the experience, even if they cried and bled and said they could not handle the discipline. But Eleanor Powell was more in the line of expressive, masterly soloists such as Isadora Duncan and Leni Riefenstahl. The conventions of musical romances obliged her to dance with men too, but her forte was solitary performance. As such, she obtained from Hollywood a degree of control that no dancer has ever surpassed. Her chutzpah in holding MGM and Mayer to ransom as a young woman of 22, with only one brief screen performance behind her, is as remarkable as the footage she gave Mayer once he had the sense to trust her.

[@TheAnn2shoes]

I never get tired of watching her, she was simply amazing.

[@chrisj.plamondon1828]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Masterpiece! "WOW!!" Incredible tap number, absolutely perfect!❤❤

[@fosbury68]

That step at 2:39 and 3:10 where he is "leading", but she is actually doing the work, spinning him around on his one foot, is just charming - and poetic at the same time.

[@similer5987]

Simply. Amazing.

[@annecohen8927]

Fred and Eleanor, perfect match made in heaven. Two legends!

[@robertmudrow8034]

Take the speed to 50% and look at the two spins from 2:50. She "arrives" before him both times. And her timing is right.

[@davetoffen7944]

a singular talent...I love her ❤

[@beetle21]

I cant stop watching it!

[@annerood2703]

This is a great dance overshadowed by the Begin the Beguine epic number featured at the end of this film. Thanks for sharing.

[@jamesryan6008]

Eleanor Powell said this was her favorite dance from this movie.

[@swarze]

Absolutely, totally agree with you Anne. This is a gem that was indeed overshadowed by the Begin the Beguine number.

[@sirpoopalot6420]

@@jamesryan6008 I concur. I tape recorded it. With just the melody and tap rhythms the imagination runs wild. Not so much "Begin". I heard them on vinyl before I saw.

[@chrissawyer1502]

Wow!....Fantastic!

[@jacksonfairbanks5186]

Fred And Eleanor sure do make it look effortless😍

[@denisgriffiths70]

Total perfection wow

[@AnnaKarkowskaVirtuoso]

Thank you so much for sharing their amazing talent and pure virtuosity !

[@jeffsatterfield6842]

The best of the best. Those who say, "Ginger could do everything Fred could do, backwards" are wrong in every way. Eleanor could do everything Fred could do--and more!

[@Hibernicus1968]

@Brazilian Atlantis Agreed. But look through the comments of absolutely EVERY video on KZbin showing Astaire and Rogers, and there are legions of "Ginger did everything he did backwards and in high heels!" comments. She couldn't, really. Look at... oh their dance number in "Swing Time" just to take one example -- even I, a total non-dancer can see Fred's steps are far more precise and intricate. Ginger just couldn't keep up, as a dancer, but she did well enough. Ginger was Astaire's most memorable partner because she complimented him well on the dance floor -- despite her lack of dance training, she learned to dance pretty well; and because she had real chemistry with him on screen, as an actor and a dancer. But the truth is Fred danced with any number of far more accomplished and skilled dancers, technically speaking -- Eleanor Powell, Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron. Ginger was a great partner for Fred, and in truth she had more acting talent than he did. But she wasn't a better dancer, and I wish people would put that trite old saying to bed.

[@maya8443]

Is an overstated quote and far from being true. Ginger was an okay dancer and quick learner but that was basically all, it was Fred the one with the talent.

[@maya8443]

@@Hibernicus1968 - I agree, don't forget the second best tap dancer of the golden era, Ann Miller!

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

@Blind Brazilian Tex Atlantis And anyone who doesn't think Fred Astaire could slip on a pair of heels and also do the number backwards is kidding themselves.

[@patricias5122]

Fred could almost do everything Eleanor could do

[@MissLilRedRooster]

Powell is just so superbly clean technically. Astaire is as always his smooth self and I think connects better with the audience, but he really couldn't beat her technically.

[@esmeephillips5888]

Ellie was the soul of truthfulness, so there is no reason to doubt a story she told Fayard Nicholas about when this movie wrapped. Fred was off by himself, brooding in a corner. She asked him what was wrong- hadn't they both enjoyed making the picture? He answered: 'Yes, we had fun, but I don't want to work with you any more. You made me work too hard.' From the most notorious workaholic in Hollywood, that is some compliment.

[@sirpoopalot6420]

@@esmeephillips5888 They execute 2 spins at 2:51 yet she keeps her arms more folded while he has his out (more work or E is involved). It gives the ILLUSION of her going slower than his "dazzling" speed, but 1st spin she actually completes before him! 2nd spin perfectly matched rotational speed but the illusion remains (more energy expenditure on his part though). Could it also be his bigger hands are more visible and she's wearing darker clothing? P.S.I have time on my hands.

[@WakandaBabe]

As a former dancer, I totally agree. You can see that when he dances with her, he dances to 'keep up' with her level. It's not that he wasn't a good dancer; he was a good dancer. But there is something about Eleanor Powell's dancing that makes it seem (although it's very subtle) that he has to really work when he dances with her. RIP to both of them.

[@xaviotesharris891]

I think Powell is the only other dance partner he had besides Judy Garland who took the focus off of him and his dazzling artistry. I can't not watch Eleanor or Judy when they dancing with him.

[@RONALD511]

legend ALL his life....Great Dancer

[@a35362]

Oh, if only I could hear some music and do a complicated, perfectly choreographed three minute dance routine at the drop of a... quarter!

[@donsaunders1598]

hey yeah--it was a nickel in those days!

[@SalsaAdam]

Yeah, but actually that's 5 days rehearsing and shooting for 2 of the best dancers on the planet. Doing it - pretty tough. Doing it well - really tough. Making it look easy - only for the best.

[@ryano.5149]

@@SalsaAdam I took tap lessons for a while. My teacher and I got about halfway through this one before I had to stop lessons for scheduling reasons. (Life, amirite?) Eleanor in the recording: "Simple!" My teacher and I while out of breath: "My ass!!!"

[@stephenmason1028]

I love watching her hair just flying riot when she does a spin. She literally throws everything she's got into them.

[@andyguy0610]

The understatement of the year when she says "It's simple" lol

[@stevenspaziani9159]

Poetry in motion.

[@noahthomas5563]

To be frank I could never decide witch of these awesome dancers is better. Both of them seem to at the peak of their game!

[@militarymom6690]

I think I like them together more in this number than in The Beguine - but both are a pleasure to watch!🙂🌷

[@stonerrocky]

A lot of hard work to make this look effortless!

[@AN-xe5ly]

Quelle magie! Un concentré de bonne humeur 😉

[@colinglen4505]

I've come to the conclusion that I much prefer tap duets ..this one if superb...oh, and freds suit is very smart too. : )

[@Muswell]

A PHENOMENAL routine. ... As is, of course, the finale Begin the Beguine, but I prefer this. Wonderful.

[@rangersasc]

Class

[@rahmounileila6878]

Eleanor powell n est pas la reine des claquettes elle est juste la diva incontestée de ce genre l incommensurable talent de ces prestations nous transpose dans un univers irréel et merveilleux

[@elephantintheroom5678]

She is so technically perfect...yet he is just so much more expressive and interesting to watch. The way he uses his arms is so much more artistic.

[@sherrybirchall8677]

I am amazed that she does that in heels! 😍

[@clivem24]

Not one ounce of effort was required ! Such perfection

[@bobbernfield4102]

There are no words to describe the talent Ellie and Fred possessed during their careers. In this number, I was entertained beyond words at the corny dialogue (corny nice) and unbelievable choreography. I have heard that Ellie was mostly responsible for the creative side of the dancing in this film and I can see in this number that it must be true. Fred being slung around the floor by an obviously very strong female partner? I can just imagine that the schoolmarm was as strong behind the scenes as she was onscreen.

[@gothcat54]

When I was in the Theater Dept. at college back in 72', I REALLY started getting into the films from the 30's and 40's with both Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers AND Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell! I had SUCH a crush on both Ginger and Eleanor! Both gorgeous, and both incredible dancers!

[@esmeephillips5888]

Eleanor's son Peter Ford said she had the lion's share of the choreographic input. It was tough for Fred. He no longer had Hermes Pan and Mark Sandrich to bounce ideas off, and he was a newbie at MGM, the biggest studio, which regarded Radio as an upstart outfit. Fred's and Ginger's last two films had lost money whereas Ellie's were profitable- at a time (according to Ann Miller) when Mayer, battling the suits in New York, desperately needed hits. Fred still did not know if he could become a Gingerless solo attraction; Ellie had proved she was one. So the power balance was in her favor. One senses that the script of BM40 reflected that: it was the only time Fred portrayed an aspirant to fame, smitten by an established star. Maybe all this is why he was so stand-offish in the first weeks of rehearsal, until Ellie broke down his reserve.

[@DavidWhite-rr9em]

Fred Astaire is the master

[@Pauline-wu4ej]

so brilliant!

[@meissnerflux]

That's really something.

[@BobVeldkamp-l9l]

I'm almost 70 and this was 📺 fare on the weekends

[@timbuktu8069]

Perfect meets perfect.

[@katharinedalton839]

I don't think Fred, who was such a perfectionist, knew how to take a partner that could so easily keep up with him, tap for tap. Ginger moved so well with him, they made a great dancing duo, but, although she had natural talent, she really couldn't outshine him as a soloist. I've always heard how gracious and shy he was, but I think, when it came to dancing, his ego was substantial, and he didn't want be challenged by his co-star. Didn't want to be possibly out done by a woman.

[@esmeephillips5888]

Potentially the conjuncture of such distinctive talents could have led to sterile rivalry, as in another 1939 release: WC Fields and Mae West in 'My Little Chickadee'. But Fred and Ellie were pros, not showoffs, They worked out a modus vivendi which resulted in as varied and accomplished a showcase for their abilities as one could ask. Honor and inspiration were satisfied by one collaboration as far as Fred was concerned, but what a harvest! BM40 is the richest treasure trove of Terpsichore ever filmed- as one critic wrote, 'a kind of summit meeting'.

[@JoseLuisGonzalez-dp7qf]

Vaina pa`buena!!! recuerdos que tengo sugeridos de mi padre para este tipo de arte y por mi aceptados... Excelente recordatorio!!!

[@jazminsilva3168]

so cool

[@mesube22]

This scene has so many gems. (1) when she says: Amazing (2) Her cute face/nose while she's talking. (3)When she walks away to show him the step. "so sexy" (4) Her cute laugh after they finish. I guess I should mention her dancing. THE GOAT!!! ☺

[@News2morrow]

Wikipedia makes mention that Eleanor Powell has said that this was her favorite dance routine she did on film.

[@esmeephillips5888]

In 1936, still new in Hollywood, Eleanor Powell said she had already been urged to link up with Fred Astaire, but doubted it would happen: “Lots of fans have written to ask if we were going to be teamed. He is of course the greatest dancer of them all. But I don’t think we would be a good team. Our style of dancing is totally different. Fred is very aerial and covers a lot of space, while I dance close to the ground…. Fred wouldn’t dance with me. He’d know we could never be a team because we are utterly different.” Three years later, however, they were together- but in a scenario where Fred (who has been seen marveling at her from the back of a Broadway theater) confesses he can't master one of her steps, and she encourages him to try. The scriptwriters knew what they were about.

[@maya8443]

Good story, thanks for sharing! They're awesome. I love the "begin the beguinue" dance is pure perfection.

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@maya8443 AFAIK Ellie was the only actress who was written into a backstage screenplay as being more famous than Fred's character's, and by implication more gifted. At the finale, instead of the usual two-shot of 'getting the girl', she appears between Fred and George Murphy as if they are her courtiers. Musicals are hives of in-jokery, and I suspect the writers could not help riffing off Fred's fear that he would be upstaged for once... which he was, and as he admitted to Hermes Pan when he saw the final cut. I don't want to adjudicate between two nonpareils, but it seems clear that the MGM executives' early fears about EP being too 'dominant' or 'aggressive' (by the male/female criteria of the day) were well founded. Nobody, but nobody, could flourish in Eleanor's blinding light except as a supporting cavalier- as Murphy was, magnificently, in 'I'm Feeling Like a Million' and 'Between You and Me'. Fred was always one of a pair, and people wanted to see what he would bring out in his latest girl. Ellie 'opened' her pictures alone.

[@chattyroz2934]

He just wanted an excuse to dance with her (in the scene). It couldn't more obvious.

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@chattyroz2934 In the story, Clare has come upon Johnny cavorting around with her picture and compact in 'I've Got My Eyes on You', so I guess she wants to try him out too.

[@msmedved_]

Eekkss that was amazing !!

[@JustSoLeopard]

A beautiful woman who can dance like that... yes, please

[@Wanderer123]

Like the dress... and everything else...

[@Wanderer123]

Thanks for HQ uploading!

[@vincentjohnflorio]

I'm no dance expert but the way her line of action shows the forces at work on her body is as pure as I've ever seen. Like it looks like her body is just draped over energy. It *feels* good to see. Also holy shoot, how do you do that in heels without stripping your ankles right out of the socket?

[@manuellima5004]

Que perfeição !!!!

[@markallen8226]

Fred Astaire said she was the greatest dancer. Reading her son, Peter Ford's book, 'Glenn Ford A Life,' and Glenn's serial philandering was sad. All she wanted was a stable family life. Even Clark Gable couldn't woo her with his present to her in the form of a 1936 Packard. Talented, amazing lady.

[@johnburborough8616]

Nothing beats this even Rita

[@vidhead85]

I wish they'd have done more numbers together. Eleanor Powell it feels like she challenges him and is very bold, confident and fun with her numbers I know we talk abput Ginger Rogers a lot w Astaire, but Powell is his equal if not his superior in this. I feel like I'm seeing a mirror when they dance together

[@isaiahthomas7695]

Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell were the dawn of things to come for MGM

[@esmeephillips5888]

Yes. It was Fred's first experience of Culver City apart from his guest spot with Joan Crawford in 'Dancing Lady', and though he freelanced or professed to have quit, after BM4O he kept being drawn back to MGM. Thanks to Ellie, Nelson and Jeanette, it had become the Mecca of song and dance on screen, soon to have three powerhouse producers- Cummings, Freed and Pasternak- competing to please Mayer. Irving Thalberg had looked down on musicals. LB loved them and was prepared to override his olde-worlde preferences by letting his subordinates experiment in every direction. Eleanor Powell was central to Metro's embrace of the genre. She showed in 'Born to Dance' how a film built round a solo dancer could, as Mayer said, 'create a new star'. Even Thalberg had raved over the steps she demonstrated for the finale as Cole Porter played the piano in Mayer's office. The two moguls were sick of playing second fiddle in the genre to Paramount, Warner and the upstart RKO, Fred's home. They threw all they had got at 'Born to Dance' and it worked. Powell became the most consistently profitable performer Metro had nurtured. Fred and Gene Kelly tussled over the baton when she retired. They kept the MGM musical on top for 15 years more. It is Hollywood's most illustrious and enduring achievement.

[@juandelgadorosa3105]

Cute❤

[@chuckfrost5624]

Whatever, " IT" WAS, Eleanor had it. Beauty,style, and the wholesome girl next door look.

[@tcrossfranco]

Lov❤e Elenore Powell...

[@Melons-vg8dq]

In couples dancing the man leads but she was just so outstanding

[@lagunamoonstudios2316]

She had nice legs, too!

[@jfcurran5484]

They made each other better.

[@ElaineSamuela]

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

[@michaelsimonds4032]

That's entertainment!

[@janettucker3196]

Fred Astaire was compared unfavorably to his sister Adele in his early years in show business. He was just a lad. That kind of public criticism of a young person is totally unfair, yet it may have led to his perfectionism. It also gives reason for his issue with Eleanor. Perhaps it's like when the irritant piece of sand creates the pearl. And Fred Astaire was a an incomparable jewel of all time.

[@esmeephillips5888]

When the Astaires were young, a vaudeville manager reported that Adele was good 'but the boy can do nothing'.

[@jerzykowalski2520]

Wow, they made a great couple. I wish they could have married in real life.

[@SunnyAquamarine2]

She's so thin, and that dress really highlights it. Lovely.

[@elizabethgreen8596]

E was a far better dancer. So inspirational, I want to get up snd do it with them. There is nothing like this today ...nowhere. The energy just bursts out of the screen. Truly wonderful. 80yrs old and its still fresh.😀

[@tdbob]

Personally, I think Fred uses his arms and hands more effectively than Eleanor. Otherwise, they're fabulous.

[@granand]

if it is tap dancing why use arms and hands more effectively, as Fred says, he has to cope up with world's best. Both a talented couple and none of today's dancers come close. there is class in these moves and the way they behaved.

[@jessfrankel5212]

Intimidation or not, Eleanor was simply great and Astaire definitely respected her. She wasn't the fastest dancer around...Ann Miller was a bit quicker, IMO, but Eleanor made it look effortless. Note how Astaire never looks at her feet. He did with his other partners, just to make sure they were in synch. Eleanor could out-dance him and he knew it. She was that good, and I loved Ann Miller, too.

[@esmeephillips5888]

The price Ann paid for tapping speed was that she could not turn or spin as much or as neatly as Eleanor or Vera-Ellen. The basis of their styles was classical ballet, but Ann refused to take it as a youngster. OTOH Cyd Charisse and Leslie Caron were ballerinas who never needed to master tap bc it was going out of fashion when they went to Hollywood. Ellie said this was her favorite film number. It combines tap with spinning- her forte in ballet. It is very definitely a challenge dance for Fred, who like Ann had disdained classical ballet and indeed ridiculed it in 'Shall We Dance'. He had to learn on the job bc musicals, esp. MGM's, were responding to the broadening of public taste from the late 1930s. Symphonic music became more popular- e.g. in "100 Men and a Girl' and 'Fantasia'. BM40 set Fred on a new post-Ginger path which culminated in 'Dancing in the Dark' in 'The Band Wagon'.

[@wbmstr24]

ha, no crotch grabbing, no fat (fake or real) asses in the camera, no political protests b.s. , just pure talent and dancing...take note all you jlo fans or beyonce lovers, this is what real talent looks like.....

[@conlagrime]

You are absolutely right! Sadly, you're preaching to the choir my friend.....A couple of years ago, my teen daughter and I surfed the channels. We stopped on one of those so called music channels. There was Beyonce shaking her fat ass with two other fat asses. They were shaking their brain buckets to the audience non stop. The music sucked. The lyrics sucked and Beyonce sucked. My daughter was disgusted by all of it. This is what the kids listen to and watch? Today's culture in the arts is a desolate place...society does not cultivate to reach for the stars. To reach for true greatness. It's all vanity and shallow. Creativity to the lowest denominator. Minimalist music. Two or three chord progression guitar crap that would make Gershwin or Loesser turn in their graves. Computer software for the musically motivated. Software to correct someone's singing off pitch. Software that allows one who hasn't any skills in music to string sound bites together thereby "Composing" their own ideas. They haven't a clue. I think of Sammy Nestico or Quincy Jones. These guys paid their dues time and again. Thank God for the recording studio, otherwise we would not have the great music that great composers, lyricist, musicians and singers gave us.......Sorry for the long winded rant and rave.....

[@wbmstr24]

ive grown older and grayer and i'll be damned if dad wasnt right, i love this music and this whole era of true entertainers who actually worked at their craft and perfected it....

[@Diathero]

You two are griping about mainstream popular music as if that's a fair comparison to the dancing in classic movies. Have you never watched Broadway musicals, operas, ballets or Riverdance? You act like there's no talent out there these days, yet neither of you mention those. You are comparing corrupt mainstream popular music to the dancing in a 1940s movie? Do either of you love/respect Elvis Presley? If so, that's hypocrisy. Not only did he not write his own songs, but his dancing? Neither of you are complaining about him and I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy his stuff, but he was a recording artist in mainstream music and you're comparing a couple of today's artists to Astaire and Powell while not saying anything about Presley? "His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines that coincided with the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, made him enormously popular-and controversial." I mean, HELLO?

[@swarze]

Thank you Brandon Hutchcroft! Broadway performers are highly skilled, well trained, passionate performers who put it out there 8 times a week. And to be fair, Mr. Tomasic et all, this is not a live performance. This is an utterly brilliant routine danced by two of the best in the business ON FILM! Astaire and Powell both worked in live theatre in the early parts of their careers, so I've no doubt they could do this live just as brilliantly. But to completely ignore the wonderful performers who work on Broadway just shows me that you have probably never been to a Broadway show, because if you had, you would recognize at once that Broadway performers worked for years on dance, voice, and acting and have gotten onto the Broadway stage, which is no small feat considering how many excellent, young, well-trained artists arrive in New York every day to get cast in a Broadway show, and how most of them don't make it.

[@bogdanmiha1466]

+swarze salut din România unic Fred aster dansator de excepție

[@BBBYpsi]

Even the Nicholas brothers said she was the best. Not just tap dancer but best dancer period

[@jamesryan6008]

Eleanor Powell said this was her favorite dance.

[@clivem24]

I mean it's only 84 years old!

[@creditorclass6513]

I'm very interested in her..as of yesterday lol. I'm convinced that these dancers were on a level above Michael Jackson who basically incorporated Astair into his previous established moves to become a legend.

[@Wigfield84]

For people who know tap, what is that step he’s trying to learn called?