Well I decided to go ahead with aweekly poll, I enjoyed reading everyones responses to the last one so much! Its another Fred and Ginger question, so next weeks will have to be Ginger only!
This time, the question is based upon a question suggested by jwalker, "Which is your favourite Fred and GInger Dance", well there are so so many to choose from and they're all so different that I figured it wouldnt really be faior of me to choose my favourites and restrict yours, so instead I chose romantic duets. Most of the Fred and Ginger films have them, but only one, which made the number manageable.
Again there's nothing from Flying Down to Rio as, much as I love the Carioca, it can't be considered romantic. Then every other film has its dance included except Shall We Dance. I didnt include this as the original, "They Can't Take That Away from Me" is just Freds song, and I could include the song in the poll by adding in The Barkelys of Broadway's reprise! Just as a note... by Waltz Medley from Castles, I mean the number where he arrives in uniform in Paris, and sh's all worried and he just sweeps her off her feet!
I'd love to hear from you all, Ive enabled multiple answers for those of us that cant choose an absolute favourite and want to chuck in a few! Leave a comment with what you chose and why if you've time!
I chose "Night and Day", as I love the dress, adore the song (such a beautiful melody) and I think the dance is very sensuous and therefore different to later stuff. Also chose Never gonna dance - again for the dress (which I noticesd is very similar to Night and Days when the cape is off!), the setting ( I just love the white dress on the black floor), those spins at the end and again the song. Change Partners I chose primarily for the song, which for some reason I love, and the trance like quality which I enjoy, despite not being a huge fan of the hypnotic type dance moves of the beginning. The dress is also gorgeous!
Beth xx
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You know which dance I love? 'The Missouri Waltz' in THE STORY OF VERNON AND IRENE CASTLE. When that spotlight comes down, and Fred picks Ginger up in the air and spins her around? God, I cry every time... :)
ReplyDelete...
I love your blog, by the way. :)
I'm not sure I said hello the first time I was here; but I'm also a big fan of Ginger Rogers.
From what I can tell from your profile picture, you kinda look like Rogers! :)
I have a theory that people always become fascinated by other people that sorta resemble them. As if maybe we were cut from their cloth, and by loving them, we're returned to being as close to them as possible.
STUPID BLOG ERASED MY COMMENT! Typing in Notepad first!
ReplyDeleteNext week Beth, the poll better be about favourite Ginger outfit! I AM DYING TO VOTE FOR THAT!
I voted for Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and Never Gonna Dance this week. Never Gonna Dance especially affects me. I love it!
By the way, I like what Ginger Ingenue said. The reason I started being interested in Ginger, I believe, is because there was something in her personality that I saw in my own. It made it easier to relate to her. Good theory!! I don't know if Ingenue meant just physically resembles (because I look nothing like Ginger) but I think it can apply to personality, right? :)
Lauren
Lovely survey. :)
ReplyDeleteI chose Barkleys, because (and this is probably the wrong reaction to have) it's terribly sad...their last film together, that wonderful slow number. Marvelous.
The waltz in The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle also had that same sort of appeal. Maybe I need to learn to enjoy something other than sadness in dances, haha.
Thanks, Beth - great job selecting the 'lineup' for the poll...it makes sense to use the 'romantic', 'serious' numbers, which are the most memorable.
ReplyDeleteI really like all the ones mentioned, as I guess most of us do, but for some reason, the Barkleys dance is just very special, so it gets my vote... sure, they are a bit older, and the dance routine doesn't break any new ground or is as technical as most of the others mentioned, but something about the song, the fact it is in color, the point in the movie, etc... makes it a very poignant and memorable number. I love the arrangement - I have it on the CD from the box set, and it is pretty cool to listen to it in rush hour... and I would argue that this song is their 'signature tune', since it appears in two movies, and really seems to sum up the 'Astaire/Rogers' era well - They can't that away from me, indeed.
...P.S. - Also wanted to mention that Lauren has a great survey idea for the favorite Ginger outfit - not sure if limiting it to Ginger/Fred, or to ALL Ginger movies... but I will already place a vote for the Ostrich Feathers dress in Top Hat (Cheek to Cheek) - Ginger fought WAY too hard for that dress for us not to at least put it in the top 3 or so!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a swell idea!
ReplyDeleteI voted for "Never Gonna Dance" and "Let's Face The Music and Dance". I absolutely adore Ginger's outfit in Never Gonna Dance and the Art Deco set, and it is just such a beautiful number.
I second the motion for a "favorite Ginger outfit" poll! Or, what about a favorite co-star poll? Though she had many, maybe you could limit it to the more popular ones, like Fred, Jimmy Stewart, Ray Milland, etc.
This is catchypiccolino from youtube, by the way! You've got a great blog here! :)
sadly i can take part in your awesome poll because it's been so long since i've seen these films that i cant recall what dance was in what film :(
ReplyDeleteIt appears next weeks polly will be "Best Ginger outfit" thanks to Lauren for that idea :) If anyone has particualr outfits theyd like to see included in the up to 10 I can post then please let me know!
ReplyDeleteBeth xx
are these outfits only from her pictures with Fred? because the dress at the end of The Major and the Minor is to die for, also the Jenny costume from Lady in the Dark.
ReplyDelete...As my 'alternate' choice, Never Gonna Dance - Ginger goes thru the ringer on that one, bleeding in her shoes and everything, giving 110 percent as usual... it is a well-thought out scene, with great music, emotion and intensity.
ReplyDelete...Artman - you didn't hear this from me, but a certain popular website specializing in 'broadcasting' video clips pretty much has full versions of each of the routines mentioned... allows for a 'Cliff Note' analysis, if you will (I actually went and checked a few out in this manner to help my voting...)
Sorry - have to comment on Maggie's reference to 'Major and the Minor' - I concur - I LOVE how Ginger looks at the end, when she is 'standing at the station' in the white dress / hat... when she turns to look at him...wowzers, she is beautiful there... in fact, she was stunning in EVERY scene where she wasn't 'Su-Su' or 'Mom' towards the end (those scenes are cute, tho)... my only issue is those scenes were few and far between... but it IS the Major and the MINOR, after all...
ReplyDeleteYeah next weeks poll is all of Ginger, not just Ginger and Fred, Major and Minor end outfit duly noted! Of course the Saga of Jenny too :)
ReplyDeleteOK... Y'all are WAY ahead of me, but I FINALLY watched Lady in the Dark, courtesy of our friends who want us to 'broadcast ourselves'... first of all, the 'Jenny scene' was priceless, as she kinda went into 'Roxie' mode - just too cool to describe - and it's neat to finally match some of the photos of her with the actual movie sequences...yep, that dress should be a 'top fiver', no doubt.. the scene itself seemed a bit out of place, but, hey - it's a dream sequence, right? and I guess it kinda ties in a lot of the plot...honestly, I will have to watch it a few more times to 'really' tie in everything. The shifts from 'dramatic' to 'fantasy' to 'comedy' take a few viewings to finally 'get' - similar to 'Once Upon a Honeymoon', where the gears shift radically from the very funny 'measurements' scene to (somewhat later) being held temporarily in a concentration camp.
ReplyDeleteBut, the final analysis is that I did enjoy LITD, primarily because it was 'wall-to-wall Ginger' - nary a scene without her, which what is and what should always be (paraphrasing Zep - sorry).
One thing I DID figure out 5 minutes in was that she would end up with Ray Miland (he ALWAYS ends up with her...that lucky so-and-so...) - but it was an interesting trip getting to the end. Probably not in my top 5 as of YET, but things change...
Being one of those indecisive people I could only narrow down my favorites to four.
ReplyDelete1) Night & Day: Frankly, I can't really say why I love this dance so much. Everything about it is beautiful. From Fred and Ginger right down to the seashore in the background - or even the chairs at the tables! It's a magical setting, a magical dance, and magical dancers. Who wouldn't adore it?
2) Cheek to Cheek: Astaire may not have liked her dress, but I think it's beautiful. Admittedly, I could never bring myself to wear a dress with feathers on it, but for Ginger it works perfectly. It accentuated her every movement, and I honestly think that the number wouldn't have been as dramatic and beautiful without it. To think that they tried to make her wear the dress from Night & Day again! I loved that dress, too, but it just wouldn't have fitted in with not only the number but the mood, Dale's character, the setting, or the plot. Somehow, it just doesn't look like something that Betelli would have designed.
3) Never Gonna Dance: I love the way that this number moves along the story. It's a fantastically sad and desperate way for Lucky to try to win Penny back, and everything in the number works together perfectly to reveal what the characters are feeling.
4) Change Partners: because I think its spellbinding. Amanda and Tony are two of my favorite characters from the Astaire/Rogers movies. Change Partners is another number that has a shade of despair. I always feel like crying when Ralph Bellamy shows up and breaks the spell! Back to why I chose the dance: Ginger is so convincing! She actually looks like she's in a trance. The setting is a little bit less elaborate than some of their other romantic numbers, but that doesn't make it any less meaningful in my opinion.
Now I want to say something that goes for all of these dances: I love all of the songs, all of the costumes, all of the settings, and every little bit of the choreography. I think it's wonderful that Ginger socked Fred in Night & Day, I thrill every time Fred lifts her up and twirls her around in Cheek to Cheek, those last few moments at the top of the stairs in Never Gonna Dance are absolutely fabulous (this is only added to by the fact the her feet were bleeding: Ginger really was a trooper!), and Change Partners entrances me every time.
Some people just look at Ginger as though she were a doll that people dressed and Fred guided about the dance floor. I think that she was a beautiful dancer who could match him tap for tap, and she stole the show while doing so. One of the most wonderful things about Ginger Rogers is not just that she danced divinely: it was that she acted divinely while dancing.
- DancingWannabe
Thanks for your post Dancing Wannabe, it was very very interesting and I agree with every word you said about Ginger and what made her special! :)
ReplyDelete(This is the person formerly known as DancingWannabe speaking.)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Ginger outfit is the dark one with the arrows piercing the hear (from Carefree). If you put that one in the poll I would definitely vote for it!
Thanks for writing this blog, Beth. I found it a couple of days ago and I think it's wonderful. I've only recently discovered Ginger, but I'm already a fan. She was an amazing woman who needs to be remembered and celebrated.
Welcome, AC - I like that dress on her as well - and if I am not crazy, I think I remember seeing a picture of her SOMEWHERE in the same style dress, with the hearts and arrows, but the dress was white, or at least a 'light' color. So, something tells me she liked that dress design, too!
ReplyDeleteP.S. - Sounds like you are a big 'Carefree' fan - I think a lot of us on here are - it is one of the 'underrated' Ginger/Fred movies... her role is quite different (as is Fred's) than the prior movies, which is great for her to 'expand' into comedic avenues more - love her 'slapstick' stuff in there - and of course, as usual, she looks breathtaking. :-)
ReplyDeletejwalker, I am a big fan of Carefree. I knew that I loved it before I even saw the movie. After all, the premise itself is wonderful, and the way that it is presented is even better.
ReplyDeleteGinger really shone in Carefree. Both as an actress and a beauty.
If you ever do see that picture again please tell me where! I'd love it see her wearing another dress like the heart/arrows one.
hrmmm I'll have to investigate the heart dress alternative! I'm struggling to keep the blog updated this weeek which is why the new poll isnt posted, I thought it needed pictures of the outfits to help voters, which in several cases means finding the movie and making a decent screen shot!! Have no fear though it will be here (by Sunday at the latest as my dance competition ends saturday!) I'm glad you came across my blog AC! Welcome to the GInger family :D
ReplyDeleteOh man-- I totally forgot the hearts and arrows outfit. My favorite of all time-- I second (or was it third?) that option. Even today that dress would be hip. :)
ReplyDeleteok... let it be written, let it be known that I may just BE crazy... I looked over all the VKM pix I have, thinking for sure it was among them - found a few with the black one she wore in the movie, but no 'alternate color' for the Heart and Arrows dress... sorry - maybe I dreamed it up or something... imagine that...me dreaming of Ginger...:-)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, second the 'welcome' to AC! Great to be able to talk with more fellow VKM fans!
...speaking of which, I just finished watching "GoldDiggers of 1933" on TCM - pretty funny and entertaining overall, despite 'lack of Ginger' - of course it all kinda goes a bit downhill after 'We're in the Money'... Ginger's role is peripheral at best, and then she is being run off each time by the Trixie lady for trying to 'steal' her old fellow away... just don't see Ginger being that desparate for a 'Sugar Daddy'... but whatever - it is an interesting movie, even with the lack of Ginger... Joan Blondell is actually kinda cute, so that helps the film, too.
Ruby Keeler is just not that great, but not going to get into that - we know how things went down with that arrangement (check out Ginger's book)... sorry if there are any fans of hers reading this, but I kinda laughed when the fellow introducing the movie said we were about to see "Ruby Keeler's interpretation of tap dancing"... sorry, to me that was just funny.
OK - enough bashing - I really am not into that much - it eats into the Ginger discussion, which is what it's all about here!
(BTW - have I broken the 'longest coment' record with this one? YAY!!!)
I'm a Keeler fan, but that is pretty funny.
ReplyDeleteYou're right though-- Gold Diggers of 1933 needs more Ginger. Then again, I know I'm biased...I think every movie would be better with more Ginger, even the movies she wasn't in. :)
Well, sorry Juliette for the Keeler bash - I mean, she made a lot of movies, too, and was quite popular, cute and talented - I give her credit for that, since ultimately, either 'ya got it or ya don't' - but IMHO just frankly paled in comparison to Ginger...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, to me it's kinda weird that 'We're in the Money' is done right off the bat - it kinda seems that it should be more in the 'center' of things, if not the end...of course the big number at the end is hard to move from the 'finale' spot, but...I guess 'Money' gives the movie a great 'jump start'... I think that the way Ginger is featured in it, tho, it leads you to think she is a main character for the rest of the movie... maybe that is the problem... or am I just overanalyzing it a bit much?
Haha, no problem...golly, I don't like her half as much as Ginger.
ReplyDeleteNo, I think you're absolutely right to think of it that way. :)
Just found this blog, and I am so glad that someone took the time to create a blog to the beautiful and talented Ginger Rogers.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite dance (and dress) are from Night and Day, the gay divorcee. It's such a romantic and beautiful dance, and Ginger looks like an angel.
Okay, yet again I'm branching off and picking my own favorite. I love "Bouncin the Blues" from Barkleys of Broadway. But If I have to pick one of these I pick "Never Gonna Dance". The sets, the dress, the song - gorgeous but I think it might be that we all know how much work went into that number.
ReplyDelete(Haha look at me responding 6 months after the initial post!)