BABY YOU KNOCK ME OUT
One of the delightful features of It's Always Fair Weather, the 1955 sequel to the 1949 hit movie On the Town, is Cyd Charisse. Both movies were directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donan, written by Betty Comden and Adolf Green. The sequel was not as successful even though it included this fantastic Cyd Charisse choreography as well as the charming tap dance solo Gene Kelly did on roller-skates (bonus clip at the end of the article).
Cyd's solo is called Baby You Knock Me Out as she totally blows away the guys boxing at Stillman's Gym. Just the sight of a bunch of sweaty prizefighters dancing around Charisse is worth the price of admittance. But Charisse herself could not be more gorgeous or fantastic playing a businesswoman with an encyclopedic knowledge of boxing statistics. May I just say that she certainly does knock them out. (By the way, one of the older boxers in the gym is Gus Mecurio, father of Strictly Ballroom's star Paul Mecurio.)
Cyd's solo is called Baby You Knock Me Out as she totally blows away the guys boxing at Stillman's Gym. Just the sight of a bunch of sweaty prizefighters dancing around Charisse is worth the price of admittance. But Charisse herself could not be more gorgeous or fantastic playing a businesswoman with an encyclopedic knowledge of boxing statistics. May I just say that she certainly does knock them out. (By the way, one of the older boxers in the gym is Gus Mecurio, father of Strictly Ballroom's star Paul Mecurio.)
Click above to watch Baby You Knock Me Out.
The earlier of the 2 movies, On the Town was about the 24 hour shore leave of 3 sailors, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munchin as they meet girls in Manhattan, Vera Ellen, Betty Garrett and Ann Miller. In the movie, the 3 wartime buddies agree to meet again in the same bar in 10 years. 10 years later It's Always Fair Weather takes over. The ladies disappear to be replaced by Cyd Charisse and Dolores Gray and the guys magically change to Gene Kelly, Michael Kidd and Dan Daily.
If you haven't seen On the Town you really should. It is one of the very best Hollywood musicals full of color, wonderful music and the very best dancing. Among the fantastic dances in the movie is Ann Miller falling in love with a replica of ancient man. Hysterical and totally fantastic.
If you haven't seen On the Town you really should. It is one of the very best Hollywood musicals full of color, wonderful music and the very best dancing. Among the fantastic dances in the movie is Ann Miller falling in love with a replica of ancient man. Hysterical and totally fantastic.
One of the interesting things to me about Cyd Charisse is how she was costumed in most of her movies. Compare her film wardrobe to Ginger Rogers'. Cyd's movies were made in the 1950s while Ginger Rogers' were made in the 1930s. Almost all of Cyd's costumes were basically street clothes. You see it in the boxing dance as she wears a straight skirt with some extra flair along with a matching sweater. The same was true for the beautiful but simple duet that Fred Astaire and Cyd did to Dancing in the Dark from The Band Wagon. Ginger Rogers on the other hand had the most gorgeous costumes. Take for example the feather creation she wore in Dancing Cheek to Cheek from Top Hat as you can see from the photo comparisons here:
Dancing in the Dark
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Dancing Cheek to Cheek
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Cyd Charisse partnered with both Fred Astaire (The Band Wagon and Silk Stockings) and Gene Kelly (Singing' in the Rain, It's Always Fair Weather and Brigadoon). Her husband of many years, Tony Martin, says that he could always tell who she had been rehearsing with when she came home at night. If she was black and blue it was Kelly. If she didn't have a mark on her it was Astaire. Her career took place during the waning years of the Hollywood musical, unfortunately. Even though she was in fairly few movies, she made a memorable and striking contribution to American dance. There will never be another Cyd Charisse.
Gene Kelly on roller skates.
Here is a bonus! The wonderful Gene Kelly tap dance on roller skates from the It's Always Fair Weather. Kelly filmed it using his everyday skates. He was the ultimate athlete as he executes the most difficult and dangerous moves brilliantly, all along exuding his characteristic charm. This film was one of the later films that Kelly made in Hollywood. Invitation to the Dance filmed the following year was his last musical. That movie was his ultimate dream. It was all dance with no dialog in 3 vignettes, one of those being Sinbad the Sailor, the revolutionary dance he created where he danced with cartoon characters. Made in 1956 while Kelly lived in Europe (after his wife was blacklisted during the McCarthy era), it was not the artistic success he imagined. If you are a Kelly aficionado (who isn't?) it is well worth watching.
Click above to Watch Gene Kelly on roller skates.