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Post by gottamatch on Jan 17, 2010 17:12:55 GMT -5
So I've been working on this video for months and finally finished the thing. I was inspired by Barbra's version of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and thought I'd have to do a YouTube video of Fred and Ginger before someone else did. I got a bit sidetracked by school in the process, but I'm pretty happy with the end result. Enjoy: or: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvXRj1b9SxoJess
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Post by charliesgirl7681 on Jan 17, 2010 20:17:48 GMT -5
This is great! Thanks. I'm curious about Ginger and am starting her bio, I just watched my first Astair/Rogers movie last week. Thanks for sharing.
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Post by gottamatch on Jan 17, 2010 23:25:20 GMT -5
Ooh, exciting! Which movie did you watch? The first one I ever saw was Shall We Dance.
Jess
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Post by charliesgirl7681 on Jan 18, 2010 9:29:31 GMT -5
Top Hat! I loved it. I tried to watch Swing Time but 1/2 is muted on Ytube so I stopped
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Post by CrazyForKate on Jan 18, 2010 11:19:23 GMT -5
Ooh, terrific! Love those two.
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Post by gottamatch on Jan 18, 2010 18:29:34 GMT -5
Thaanks CFK!! I adore Top Hat. But I LOVE Swing Time even more! Shaaaame it stopped on you. Hopefully the person uploads the rest. That's probably my favourite of their films. At least you got to see the begining cute part where she's 'teaching' him how to dance. That's one of the film's highlights.
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Post by Judy on Jan 18, 2010 20:58:19 GMT -5
Thaanks CFK!! I adore Top Hat. But I LOVE Swing Time even more! Shaaaame it stopped on you. Hopefully the person uploads the rest. That's probably my favourite of their films. At least you got to see the begining cute part where she's 'teaching' him how to dance. That's one of the film's highlights. SWINGTIME's my favorite Fred/Ginger movie. Love it. Another George Stevens gem.
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Post by gottamatch on Jan 19, 2010 0:21:02 GMT -5
Ooh another Swing Time fan Judy! Isn't it just brilliant. Fans of the pair always seem to talk about Top Hat being their best (no relevance to you seeing it first Charliesgirl - just coincidence), and I do like that movie but I always felt Ginger's role wasn't strong enough in Top Hat. She was really great when she got the great comic material like Swing Time.
Jess
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Post by charliesgirl7681 on Jan 19, 2010 9:51:06 GMT -5
I like Top Hat but what I saw of Swingtime I liked better. All too often it seems Ginger gets swept aside and Fred gets the spot light. I have also been watching a few of Ginger's non musical movies. Monkey Buisness, The Bachelor Mother, Vivacious Lady, and The Major and the Minor. She is truly great it. It is a shame that she is not known for these movies.
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Post by Judy on Jan 19, 2010 11:12:58 GMT -5
Ooh another Swing Time fan Judy! Isn't it just brilliant. Fans of the pair always seem to talk about Top Hat being their best (no relevance to you seeing it first Charliesgirl - just coincidence), and I do like that movie but I always felt Ginger's role wasn't strong enough in Top Hat. She was really great when she got the great comic material like Swing Time. Jess Well, Mark Sandrich, who directed, I'd guess, 5 or 6 of theirs was fine, but he weren't no Stevens. At least in my opinion. I find the story generally better - though the plots are usually a comedy of errors anyway - I think they are the most connected in this one, the dance numbers are divine - from "Pick Yourself Up" to "Waltz in Swing Time" to the sensational "Never Gonna Dance," which is one of my favorite dance numbers on film - ever. Everything just works in it, and it's one of the movies that contributes to my view that Stevens belongs right up there with Ford, Hawkes, Wyler, Cukor, et al as one of American film's most truly gifted directors.
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Post by gottamatch on Jan 20, 2010 4:59:28 GMT -5
Judy, "Never Gonna Dance" is probably my favourite Fred / Ginger dance. Ginger's dance ability really gets a run for its money in the dance and anyone who thinks that all she did was what Fred Astaire did but backwards and in heels was certainly proved wrong in that number! Absolute BRILLIANCE. "Oh, I'm left without my penny.." so want to watch that right now!
CFK, I ADORE those Ginger films. I LOVE Monkey Business and Bachelor Mother but my FAVOURITE Ginger film is I'll Be Seeing You. Oscar worthy in my opinion. Brilliant perfomance by both leads (Joseph Cotton I think). Shirley Temple was pretty good in it too. I also wish she was more known for being a serious actress. I think people forget she won an Oscar for Kitty Foyle and just remember her for her dancing. Brilliant as it was, Berkeleys of Broadway was a great art imitating life work of theirs, so reflective of what really happened. Ginger trying to work away from those roles with Fred into serious dramatic roles and all. It was a great end to their 10 picture partnership. Wait till you see it! It's one of my favourites because Ginger's role is a bit meatier, a bit more 'real' seeming (although most F&G fans will tell you its their least favourite. I think its the whole colour thing?).
Jess
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Post by Judy on Jan 20, 2010 22:09:40 GMT -5
Judy, "Never Gonna Dance" is probably my favourite Fred / Ginger dance. Ginger's dance ability really gets a run for its money in the dance and anyone who thinks that all she did was what Fred Astaire did but backwards and in heels was certainly proved wrong in that number! Absolute BRILLIANCE. "Oh, I'm left without my penny.." so want to watch that right now! CFK, I ADORE those Ginger films. I LOVE Monkey Business and Bachelor Mother but my FAVOURITE Ginger film is I'll Be Seeing You. Oscar worthy in my opinion. Brilliant perfomance by both leads (Joseph Cotton I think). Shirley Temple was pretty good in it too. I also wish she was more known for being a serious actress. I think people forget she won an Oscar for Kitty Foyle and just remember her for her dancing. Brilliant as it was, Berkeleys of Broadway was a great art imitating life work of theirs, so reflective of what really happened. Ginger trying to work away from those roles with Fred into serious dramatic roles and all. It was a great end to their 10 picture partnership. Wait till you see it! It's one of my favourites because Ginger's role is a bit meatier, a bit more 'real' seeming (although most F&G fans will tell you its their least favourite. I think its the whole colour thing?). Jess I love The Barkleys of Broadway, too, even though most critics don't favor it. I love backstage stories - especially when they're written by stage people. I have a different view of her dramatic career and its ultimate importance visavis her musical/light comedy career, but I won't go into that so as not to upset anyone. Better to tell you my brush with Ginger story. No big deal but fun to remember. In 1977, Mary Martin and Ethel Merman did a concert together at the Broadway Theatre called TOGETHER ON BROADWAY. I adored them so went to see it. Actually, I adored Mary Martin, having seen her in THE SOUND OF MUSIC when I was around six. I had never seen Merman on stage and only knew her by legend and her appearances on the Tonight Show or with Merv Griffin. And the sound of her brassy voice over the old, tinny TV speakers made it sound brassier still and always left me wondering what all the fuss was about. Seeing her that night turned me entirely around. She was an animal of the stage and that's where she belonged. And she was tremendous. That's the only way I can describe her power and stage presence. (I saw her a few years later at Carnegie Hall and she remained tremendous.) I loved Walter Kerr's review of the evening - I THINK it must have been Kerr - when he said that Martin was the smoke and Merman was the fire. Truer words were never spoken. It was a real theatrical event. But I digress....There were millions of people in the street piling into the theatre and someone pushed me into a short woman to my left. I turned to apologize for bumping into her and found myself gazing into the eyes of Ginger Rogers who was all heavy makeup, too blonde hair, sequins and something feathery around her neck as I recall. But it was Ginger-effing-Rogers and a stream of movie memories passed through my head in that one instant. She was very pleasant and smiled and excused me, saying she understood. And then I turned around and we headed like cattle into the theatre. This was a show that is burned in my memory as one of the most exciting evenings I've ever spent in the theatre - before or since. Anwyay, that's my brush with Ginger story.
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Post by farewellamanda on Jan 21, 2010 15:04:04 GMT -5
I was raised on Ginger! I think I loved her before anyone else, at the age of about 4.
My FAVORITE of the ten is The Barkleys. I've seen it hundreds of times---totally wore out a VHS. I love all of their movies, but Shall We Dance is my least favorite. I also really, really love The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle---a terrific and underrated film.
I love Ginger in comedy, but feel a little stretched when watching her in dramatic roles. She is a woman of many, many talents, though. And I'm fiercely loyal to her because of the direct, huge and lasting impact she made on my life. It is because of my grandmother and FrednGinger that I love old movies---and what would I be without this part of me?
I enjoy Ginger in Bachelor Mother, Stage Door (natch!), The Major and the Minor---and I LOVE Tender Comrade. Have to be in the mood for Kitty Foyle. Roxie Hart is lots of fun!
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Post by CrazyForKate on Jan 21, 2010 15:55:59 GMT -5
That's a great story Judy. Totally envious. I personally prefer Fred to Ginger. He was excellent in On the Beach. As for Miss Rogers, Monkey Business and The Major and The Minor were fun (though the latter was a bit...weird). Her autobiography's interesting too. I've only seen Top Hat and Shall We Dance from the two of them. Bad film fan
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Post by gottamatch on Jan 21, 2010 16:24:12 GMT -5
Judy, WOW! I must have read your story 4 times to fully take it in. How exciting! What was Miss Rogers doing rubbing shoulders with the public crowds!? Too bad you weren't able to talk to her for a little longer, long enough to get her autograph or something - but I can only imagine the crowds and more importantly, her rush. Did she have an entourage? Oh, and I can absolutely invision her outfit as you described haaaaaa so Ginger in the 1970s. What was with her, sequins and feathers, I'll never know.
CFK, it took me many years to see all of the pair's films. They simily would not show / release them in Australia (I say Aus because generally you can always get stuff on Amazon, but for a young teen without a credit card and a conversion rate that is rediculously high it's a bit of a stretch).
I also adore Fred but have not seen On the Beach. If it's a dramatic role, I don't think I've seen him in anything but a musical lol I have The Major and the Minor on DVD and although I like parts of it, I do agree, it was a bit on the strange side. I think watching it in our times just makes the whole story.. wrong? I guess it would have had more innocence and charm back in the day..
Farewellamanda and Judy, it is SO nice to hear more people actually admit to liking Barkleys (whoa, did I spell it wrong. I always think it's said Ba, but spelled weirdly, like with an extra 'e' lol) anywhoo.. I also love backstage stories. Judy, I'm sure you would also have loved Easter Parade with that in mind. And, how could you upset anyone on this board lol I really liked Ginger's performance in Stage Door, that kind of half dramatic half comedy type performance. Again, a backstage story.
P.s. Can someone explain Stage Door Canteen to me? Still to this day I haven't watched the whole thing. I bought it thinking it was a Kate movie lol it was not to be. I assumed it was the sequel to Stage Door haha
Jess
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