Memorable Musical Numbers

 

Yesterday, I had the “Which song won the Oscar” and I have remembered to write the answer here! …Finally! So Three Coins In The Fountain”  won the Oscar…yuck. “the Man That Got Away” was nominated and “ When You’re In Love” from Seven Brides was not even nominated! This last musical won for best score so you would think it would have been  nominated for a best song, but, it wasn’t. When I think about “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers” I immediately thought of that gob-smacking barn dance sequence and it made me think of the musicals I love. I decided to think of musical numbers that just left me in awe of the dance  and chose the 3 that came into my head right away.

1. TOP HAT: THE CHEEK TO CHEEK NUMBER-1935

This is considered one of their best films from the very white Art Deco Venice to the great dance numbers culminating in this famous “Cheek To Cheek” number. Fred Astaire, along with his friend and choreographer partner, Hermes Pan, would work out all the dance moves. Enter Ginger who was taught all her dance moves by Hermes Pan before she and Fred would finally dance on screen. Fred was known as a perfectionist and a worrier about everything where his sister, Adele, and first dance partner,  called him “Moaning Minnie”. For this dance, Ginger had a certain look she wanted for her dress which included many feathers. Sadly, the dress started to shed the many feathers onto Astaire’s dapper top Hat and Tails. He wanted that dress gone and Ginger would not budge (Thank God) so the dress went back to the drawing board where each feather was individually sewed on. Thank heavens because this dress works in this highly charged, romantic scene.  In the end, Fred gave Ginger a new nickname, Feathers..lol. I was left in tears when I saw this dance number and have watched this number many times over the years. 

2. COVER GIRL:  THE ALTER EGO DANCE.-1944

This is a great musical that has gone under the radar today which should not happen to such a golden musical. It stars Gene Kelly, Rita Hayworth and Phil Silvers as 3 friends in Brooklyn. Gene owns a club and Rita is a chorus girl who loves Danny McGuire( Gene), but Gene is a bit blind to the fact that this stunningly beautiful, talented girlfriend is in love with him ( um..he must be blind…deaf and beyond stupid). Enter a dashing older man who is involved in Broadway, who sees Rita and is stunned because she is the spitting image of a girl he loved and almost married. It turns out, this was her grandmom, and he wishes to make her a star on Broadway. All that Gene has to do is say, “Stay with me!” but he does not want to stay in her way, so she leaves and becomes a star. What happens next? Well, you have to see the film. I loved how wonderful the 3 leads worked together but I was stunned by an amazing dance number Gene did…with himself. Danny is frustrated and not sure what to do with his girlfriend leaving. He ends up dancing with a ghostlike image of himself. There is no A.I., Kelly had to dance this number twice and the one was superimposed onto the other film. Kelly had to match his footwork, spins, twirls etc.. to the T. This was the first musical where Kelly was given the keys to do all his own choreography and it worked out beautifully. He and Stanley Donen, an oft collaborator, worked out the dance scenes. 

3. SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS: THE BARN RAISING DANCE-1954

I know I showcased this dance ( and the Cheek to Cheek #) before, but this just thrilled me when I first saw this dance number that brought in some acrobatic wowzers that left me wondering how can they do this!? When I rented it on VHS( remember this), I re-round the tape 3 times just to watch this number. This musical is based on the Rape of the Sabine Women, but much sweeter. Howard Keel is the oldest brother who all live up in the mountains. He comes to town for supplies and to find a wife and he finds her in the feisty cook, Jane Powell. She agrees to marry him and they venture back up to the mountains. Her dreams are dashed when she sees how horrible the cabin looks and how uncouth his 6 brothers are. She cleans everything up, including the brothers. They all go to a barn raising dance and they become enamoured with 6 girls who have suitors already. As winter encroaches, the love-stricken boys decide to steal the girls and bring them up to their mountain abode. They are successful, with an avalanche blocking them from going back to town and the townsfolk unable to get the girls back. The girls are not happy that they have been forcibly brought to the men’s home, but they soon realize that they are falling in love with the men. This is a dum rollicking musical with the dance sequences choreographed by Michael Kidd. The Barn raising sequence is a tour de force of dancing, strength and acrobatic feats done by the brothers. Tommy Rall, Marc Platt, Jacques D’Ambroise, and Russ Tamblyn played brothers and Julie Newmar, Virginia Gibson and Ruta Lee were the gals. You know Julie Newmar best as Catwoman from the TV show, “Batman”. Julie is in the purple dress just so you know. 

Which musical number wowed you when you first saw it. 

FYI- “ Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep” from White Christmas; “ The High and the Mighty” from the movie with the same name and “ Hold My Hand” from Susan Slept Here were the other 3 nominated songs from 1944.