Why was Eleanor Powell Too Good for Fred Astaire? (mini documentary)
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
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-"Backed Vibes Clean" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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Are the "Judgemental Lead Lines", aka "Titles" an effort of Advertising? Did this technique come through "Observation of the MS News and Social Media's examples, or a Classroom setting in the Journalism Department"?
I'm genuinely curious, see my degrees happen to include "Sociology, Journalism, and History"
(Advertising, Marketing, PR, Broadcasting, are all under the College of Journalism"
Sociology is the study of Human Behaviors in Social Interactions, + have strong interest in the collecting of data through studies, very much like Marketing.
I'm attempting to gain a clear knowing of "why this type of lead line was due to "learned or observed". (Also, where you went to school/learned and/or where you observed/which News Media Source.)
As a Sociologist, I observed, define, and diagnose, behaviors, rather than Judging the individual. This requires setting aside the Human Lower aka Ego Mind and applying the Higher Mind. (The opposite of what is presumed by News Medias applying the "Psychology of Advertising" to Lead Lines, Commentaries aka Opinion News Discussions, and shows like "Tucker Carlson".)
*The reason the Fox News Group does this is Rupert Murdoch's decision,* (having had past experience having owned and run "The Globe" a competitor of "The Enquirer") it "baits the viewer, a play to the Human Ego Mind to gain a reaction, *for the Purpose of his own private agendas, for Power and Profits.*
*His interest is ("Money more important than Standards of Journalism"), he knows and chooses to focus on the Financial/Profits, Power, Personal Gains, rather than an authentic Journalism/Press interest of providing accurate content for informing the Public in Supporting of Democracy. That requires Journalism Standards and a "Free Press".*
On the subject I don't judge Rupert Murdoch, (I may personally feel it lacks Ethics and Integrity, but that's my Personal Standard and I may not/do not expect others to all live by my Standards.)
However, I can say, the actual "application of this type of Media is very much recognized by others with the Degrees and Experience in the field of Journalism, and many certainly do Judge the choice.
I appreciate your candid reply, and hope that my inquiry provides you insight and awareness,.
Remember, it is your choice, and choice is a Freedom of the Press.
Beth
Sociologist/Behavioralist
Historian, and Writer.
@@bethbartlett5692 i
One thing would have made this even better: actual films of her dancing.
Amen
These are made up of stills. Look at Begin the Beguine etc. for free on RUclips.
@@poetcomic1 "Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell. 'Begin the Beguine' Tap dance duet" (Or the longer and 'campy' "Eleanor & Fred in part 2 of 'Begin The Beguine' ".)
Excellent. I know quite a bit about Ellie, and this one pretty much nails it.
That is an easy question to answer: she was a better dancer! Eleanor and Rita Hayworth are my two top favorite female dancers.
Correct me, if I'm wrong, but there was a 13 year age gap between Astaire and Powell. At the time of Broadway Melody 1940, Astaire was 41 and Powell was 28. Give him credit for choreographing a difficult piece and dancing toe to toe with Eleanor.
My same feelings.
@@paanne1013 👍
Eleanor was fantastic! Fred was fantastic! They BOTH had talent that 99% of humanity doesn't. Who honestly really cares which dancer was "better." They were BOTH wonderful to watch. They BOTH had terrific personalities. They BOTH deserved the accolades they got. NOTHING comes close to their talent in 2022
You betchum Red Ryder. (Little Beaver)
They both had rhythm when the music started there feet started tap tap; dancing " jiving " and twisting the night away,as it's said if you've got that rhythm get up.on that floor and tap tap tap till your feet are sore,GOD bless you Eleanor and Fred my favorite dancers ,who had that rhythm that got me hooked to dancing the night away,Rest in peace to you both amen👠👠👗👒🎩👞👞👕👖👑🎩👟👟👠👠🎼🎻🎹🎷🎺🎸👠👟🎩👑👠👠👟👟🎼🎼🎷🎷🎷💃💃😘💏☝✌💖👏
News flash! Being good doesn’t always make a person the best partner. Ginger rogers wasn’t the best dancer, she was the best partner. They complimented each other
Absolutely 💯
@@debbylou5729 I absolutely agree. Powell's style just didn't mesh well with Astaire's. Not, I think, a question of which was better than--or too good for--the other. but of did they work as a partnership? Ginger had the right rhythm, the right emotional weight (or lightness). I like Fred with Jane Powell, too, and Audrey Hepburn. Not so much with Cyd Charisse--a wonderful dancer, but too closed in as an actress.
Am I missing something? The astounding Eleanor Powell is all about movement, yet there's nothing here but stills.
Exactly.
She definitely gave Fred a good run for his money. Such a brilliant dancer and my absolute favorite. Ann Miller my second favorite dancer has a similar style.
It's great that yp rmention Ann Miller. She does not get her due as one of the All-time Greats!
Definitely and she did it in heels with a dress on!❤️♥️💕
Ann Reinking too - great dance. Fosse knew it!
@@thirabx6954 I love Ann Reinking too . Cynthia Rhodes is another favorite of mine.
@@obsocky779 I agree. In fact I think Miller was the better of the two, but most Powell fanatics strongly disagree. That's okay.
she was more atletic than Fred
Astaire said about her, “ she really put’em down like a man, no ricky-ticky-sissy stuff for Ellie. She really knocked out a tap dance in a class by herself.”
She wasn't 'too good', she was simply different. She was more athletic where he was graceful and elegant.
Excellent point. Their styles were very different.
She was too good
A woman of great integrity and character.
Thank you for sharing a video on the wonderful Eleanor Powell. As co-author on a biography book coming out on her next year from University Press of Kentucky (both of us knew Eleanor in the last years of her life), I wanted to offer a few corrections. You said she started dancing at three different ages, but she started at age six. She went to New York in October of 1927, not 1929. She actually made her first appearance on film in 1930 in "Queen High" where she briefly danced in a scene with Ginger Rogers. MGM did not cancel her contract, but she herself asked for release, and left the studio months before the term ended. She never dated Sid Luft. He and his mother were family friends from when she lived in Crestwood, NY. There is much misinformation online about Eleanor, but we hope to rectify that with the book.
It's kind of irrelevant whether MGM cancelled her contract or if she asked to be released from it. The simple fact is she had a VERY short window of fame -- from 1936-1940 -- then pretty much downhill from there. Yes, she was an amazing dancer, especially technically, but unfortunately she had no warmth, little chemistry or spark on screen like other stars with longer careers...
I look forward to your book. What’s the title?
@@chrisb7087 It's "Eleanor Powell: Born to Dance"
@@DDumbrille Thanks for your comments. We will agree to disagree with whether she had warmth or spark on screen. You are entitled to your own opinions. My comments were merely to correct some biographical statments in the narrative.
@@paulabroussard1824 Thanks. :)
Eleanor Powell was the greatest all around dancer in Hollywood history. That's my opinion.
I disagree. I say in all of world history ! LOL.
That's not an opinion. That's a fact!
You and I share the same opinion. I could watch her endlessly.
Mine too! I’ve watched Begin the Beguine with Astaire over 100 times. Incredible.
Anche la mia... +++brava Eleanor di Ginger Rogers
Eleanor Powell was - without question - the finest-and-best tap-dancer in Hollywood. I adore Ginger, but *she* was also a superb actress and singer, whereas Eleanor Powell was a tap-dancer supreme, and just that ! Gerry George.
Eleanor Powell wasn't "too good" for Astaire.....but she was without question his equal.....In heels no less.
I've seen lots of clips of Ms Powell, starting with a clip from the 'That's Entertainment' series you mention, in which a split screen was used to show the camera view of Powell dancing 'Fascinating Rhythm' and a wide-shot of the scenery being moved around to allow close-ups as the dance progressed. I've since seen many other RUclips videos of Ms Powell dancing as a solo star, with Fred Astaire, at a poolside ('Ship Ahoy', in which she dances on tables and leaps over the water), and even dancing with a pet terrier! Always impeccable. Many thanks, as always, for yet another excellent biography!
Please post since this excerpt shows -0- dancing clips.
I thought that she and Fred Astaire in "Begin the Beguine" were fabulous and have
always been regretful they didn't do more together. I think the 2 of them and the Nicholas
Brothers were the best dancers of all time.
She was a one person dancer, no warmth with Fred, good and all that she was she hardly smiles with him, not like the chemistery with Fred and Ginger. Ginget always laughing and smiling whilst dancing with Astaire and it showed. Apparently after the Beguine scene they didnt make any more scenes together because of lack of chemistery between them on dance floor.
@@Jenifer_G Agreed. Powell was far better skilled as a single dancer, and with Astaire or others in pairs dancing she appeared stifled until segments of dancing apart where she could improv. Rogers was more skilled and light on her feet in pairs dancing. Find all such talk of ranking tedious and counter to the sense of awe we should feel toward these dance greats.
Agreed. Fred is said to have commented in an interview that he didn't like dancing with Powell because, although he admired her skill, it frightened him.
I couldn't take my eyes off of her in Begin the Beguine.
When you mentioned the best dancers of all time, you forgot to mention Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, and Ginger Rogers.
I think the reason she was not Fred's favorite for himself might be a little more complicated that the explanation offered by the narrator (that she was too good for him and that she would have diminished his dancing). In all partner dance, whether ballet, ballroom, swing, or whatever, the physicality of the dancers (actual height, frame size, and limb length/proportion) as well as quality of movement, styling and musical interpretation, have to complement each other. I have watched her a lot over the years and I have watched his other partners and the leading Hollywood dancers of that era. Not only was she a little too tall for him (at 5/6"), but she was very athletic and aggressive in her style. He was much more refined, graceful, balletic, and smooth/fluid in his style. I think there are other pieces too to what Fred meant by saying that she danced like a man. I think it is not so much that she would have made him not look good, but that her style did not compliment his. I think part of the reason is that if you watch her upper body, ie., torso, spine, upper back and shoulders, it is very straight, up and down, at least in her solo tap work. She is not bending in the back and using her upper back and shoulders to create roundedness and angles. The roundness and give and softness in the lady's upper body as well as how she uses her arms and hands is what creates the feminimity in the female dancer. This would be true in many styles, whether ballet, ballroom, jazz or tap. If you study Ginger and Rita, by contrast, you will see what I mean. They create a lot of curved lines with their torso, esp. upper back and shoulders and their use of their arms and hands is very feminine. Also, Eleanor stays very flat, ie., facing the camera straight on and is is not turning herself horizontally to be on an angle toward the camera nor vertically, not bending at different points through the torso. Angles is always softer on the eye for stage and camera than facing flat. So, all this straightness gives a less feminine impression (and less interesting as far as her torso, although she always the fire in the legs and feet) and is therefore more masculine. (In art in general, straight lines are usually associated with the masculine and the curved line is generally more associated with the feminine.) I personally think they are very well matched for tap and love them together in that. But you can see as soon as she steps into the ballroom world (for the slow part of Begin the Beguine, for example) she is no where near as comfortable and that I think killed the "chemistry" for their dancing the adagio stuff together.
For those reasons, as well as her overall power, athleticism, and attack, especially when his style was so soft and relaxed esp. with his ballroom, yes, of course, he would be over-powered by her and therefore she would not be the best partner for him. If someone had worked with her on upper body and how to soften it in the slow dances, she may have been able to over-come some of those pieces and it might have worked out for them to have more complementarity with each other on screen.
Just my two cents as someone watching dance and watching dance on film for a long time. Love them both, though. Most dancers of all disciplines agree he is the best dancer of any discipline for all time. And surely, she is one of the best tap dancers of all time and one of the best female dancers of any discipline of all time. I have loved watching both of them since I was a child.
but he danced with cyd charisse? who was also 5’6, but i guess cyd had a more feminine style.
While your analysis of feminine style is spot on, one could also make the argument that Powell's "rigid posture" style is more fundamentally sound in teaching advanced dancers in many popular forms including ballet, ballroom, salsa, and Irish dance.
I believe that is worth 25 cents!
What an excellent and interesting post! Thank you. I love Fred-n-Ginger best of all his partnerships (haven''t seen all his films, because some are hard to get hold of, for me, anyway). One reason is that Ginger is a good actress and very versatile in her dancing/partnership. She can tap; she can glide, she can convey falling in love, screwball comedy, wistfulness, physical exhilaration ... And, as an actress, she has an effortless charm--you either have that or you don't. I'd compare the way she sinks down on the bench at the end of "Night and Day," the way she floats up into the twirls in the big number in "Carefree," the way she can stroll so nonchalantly and elegantly in "Pick Yourself Up,," her roller-skating, the wonderful humor of the "error"-filled "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket," and any number of other dances with a variety of moods, steps, emotions. Also, she's not a bad singer! Like Fred, she knows how to put a song over.
Thanks for your analysis of masculine and feminine characteristics of dancers, I really did learn some things, and understand better why Eleanor was not a good match for Fred.
It makes me wonder how Eleanor Powell would have matched up with the athleticism of Gene Kelly.
if you've seen her dance..all this is academic...she was freaking wonderful....
Many tried to copy her but NONE came close. She was THE BEST.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt!!!
I believe I've seen all her dance and tap films and she was an amazing dancer, I loved seeing this lady dance! And what an amazingly, wonderful face she had, it was a face that bespoke not only beauty, but Trust and Innocence! Yes, hard to pull off, but hers did! Glad you remembered hers, thank you! ❤
I think she was the greatest dancer ever. She also had the most beautiful smile.
I agree...but overall, her beauty quotient was not really there..she was physically better than average of course, but not really able to meet the stringent Hollywood standards of beauty. She was pretty sexy, but in a rather dominant, masculine way...not the right look for Astaire.
Totally agree.
Very interesting observation.
@@curbozerboomer1773 I agree with you about Eleanor Powell being too masculine for Fred Astaire - Ginger Rogers was "softer" (in a good way).
She and Astaire were so good!😎!
What a great talent Eleanor Power had.
Back in the mid 70's I was friends with Peter Ford, Eleanor's son. One day he had a small party for her and screened one of her films. She was extremely friendly and down to earth and I remember how she told how in dancing in films, when they got the take they wanted, she would have to go into a sound studio where she would have to redo the scene to synch it in with the film.
Fun fact: She had the same phone number as Dineyland but with a different area code so she used to get a lot of wrong numbers meant for them and eventually had to change her number.
My mom when she was young was a big fan of Eleanor Powell and wrote her a fan letter. The amazing thing was that Ms. Powell actually sent her an actual reply. She even gave my mom a special code to put on the outside of her envelopes so that any other letters she sent Ms. Powell would go directly to the person that handled her mail. They became pen pals! She even invited my mom to NYC to meet her but my mom wasn't able to. My mom always said that Eleanor was the best dancer 💃 of all Fred Astaire's partners (Ginger Rogers was a better comedian.) . She was a class act!
@@LSOK38 - After the original That's Entertainment movie in 1974, a local Los Angeles old movie twin theater (The Gary Theater on Santa Monica Blvd) not only hosted the great old musicals to full audiences, but also hosted Ellie's November 21 birthdays (my birthday is Nov. 23) for two nights with her screenings and personal appearances (along with some of the "oldies" in the movies, such as Una Merkel). She personally served birthday cake to everyone in attendance. The following year (1975), after I went to the first evening's birthday celebration, I decided to take my 10-year-old niece with me for the second night. When I got up to her to take my piece of cake, she looked right at me and said, "You were here last night"... I said that I was, and I brought my niece with me tonight. I introduced them and they chatted for a bit. Afterward I asked Ellie if she could possibly send my niece a birthday card in December, so her assistant took her name and address... and on December 20, 1975 my niece received a special delivery Candygram and card from Eleanor Powell for her 11th birthday... and her little friends were awestruck. Such was the fabulous personal, sweet character of Eleanor Powell!
Powell was a DANCE GODDESS who was astoundingly talented and the TRUE Female version of Astaire or Kelly.
Better than either of them!
@@alexkije I disagree. Their absolute equal, yes. Better, no.
So my mom was a dancer. We'd be watching these old movies and she'd see someone dance and tell me "That looks hard, but it's really easy." That is until she came to Eleanor Powell, Gene Kelley or the Nicholas Brothers and then it changed to "She/he/they make it look easy, but that's really difficult."
People have to remember that Fred Astaire was 13 years older than Eleanor Powell, but he kept up with her flawlessly.
Not flawlessly
I went to Peter Ford’s birthday party in 1969 and Glen was there with Eleanor in the kitchen at Rosie Grier’s home. She wore a muumuu and never left the kitchen. They made chili.
I met Peter and Glen in Paris and took Peter on my famous 1 hour tour of the Louvre. I had no idea Glen was such a big star, thinking of him as a western actor. In fact he is great in ‘Gilda’ which was written by my cousin Marion Parsonett.
Thank you for this wonderful biography on an amazing professional dancer.
Eleanor Powell had a rough start - but she found her passion at a young age & the stars aligned for her ! Bravo ! Well done !!
I thoroughly enjoyed that. It was a perfectly judged potted biography. Excellent work. Thank you for taking the time to make it.
Eleanor Powell was the greatest female tap dancer of all time. The Nicholas Brothers were more skilled than Fred Astaire but had to deal with discrimination which Astaire never had to contend with. His background was Austrian. He was white. It was easier for him to get star billing. If you've never watched Eleanor Powell dance you've missed out. Ditto for an the Nicholas Brothers.
She had more yang (male) energy than others that danced with him. Plus she could easily keep up or even take the lead.
Shouldn’t you show her tap dancing when talking about it? You never seem to connect photos with film names. No early photos of her life? Talking on her mother, showing a pic with Fred. Gloria Powell - with photos with Fred. I truly do like the info, but hate the editing of each video. It seems lazy and repetitive. And completely scrambled photo inserts. At least you are using question marks properly in the title. I quest you’ll just keep throwing photos at random and repeating them. These could be so much better
Eleanor was among the greatest, but not "too good" for Fred ... he was one of a kind and they were very appropriate for each other.
Totally agree.
If this is true, how do you explain Rita Hayward? Not only as good a dancer in every way as her male counter parts, but a thousand times prettier than Fred Astaire was handsome. I actually met Eleanor Powell as a child on her program, ‘Faith of Our Children’, and even got to go up to the pulpit and read from scripture. Was on a half a dozen of her shows. She was very nice. That’s when she told us how her tap sounds were dubbed!
How wonderful that you were part of her show. Is there a way to reach you for an interview?
I always wondered about tap sounds being dubbed, now I know.
Tap sounds are always put in later by foley artists. Most of time, the dancers go in and lay down there own tap sounds but if they can’t make it, the foley artist takes over. Foley artists did a variety of sounds for movies - not just tap sounds.
*their
Love her! She was hands down the best dancer of them all.
Fred was 11 years her elder. I say he did alright for an older guy!!
Actually, Astaire's tapping was kind of eclectic. He had great rhythm and sound but was not as technically proficient as Powell. His dancing with Kelly for instance was mostly taps that were Astaire steps. Kelly actually related this in an interview. Something like Moses Supposes would have been too technical for Astaire and even maybe too athletic. Wings, pull backs, double shuffles, nerve taps, etc...and other advanced tap steps were rarely seen by Astaire, if at all. Astaire was from an earlier generation and mostly a comic lead on Broadway Let's not forget that when Astaire began in films, he was already 34. Chuck Greene, a famous black tap dancer worked with Astaire some and said he was not a fast learner. The Begin the Beguine number was more Astaire like than Powell. Look at Powell's stair dance. She could match Bill Robinson. Bill Robinson and Astaire were actually in some sort of dance competition and Robinson won and I believe Astaire came in third. Not too shabby. Astaire is still my all time favorite dancer though and the greatest but it was a combination of his style, smoothness and wonderful performances.
Yes, Fred Astaire had an elegance that no other male dancer on screen had.
She sounds like a wonderful woman. This world could use more like her...if more like her even exist.
A great one!😮
She was the best dancer ever, male or female.
I totally agree with you. She was wonderful.
Not to familiar with her loved Fred astaire and all his dance partners didn't know she was to good for him or maybe he was to good for her she was beautiful lovely woman interesting info has no idea about thanks for sharing great video love me some fred astaire
Agreed. She was intimidating to her male counter-parts of the day, Fred Astaire, included. POWELL... WAS A WONDER!
My mother was crazy about her, she loved all of her movies. Of course I had to take tap dancing growing up. My mother lost her father at age 7 and was raised by her mother and grandmother who worked too for support. Her mom worked at a laundry during the day and at a bar at night. Her grandmother worked at the laundry doing the lace curtains popular at that time. Going to the movies gave them some happiness during the Depression.
This beautiful woman was the greatest dancer of all!!! Incomparable. I found at the end of this video she died on my birthday. 😢
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She was a tremendous talent.
How great! She and Astaire were the Best 😎.
I 1st became aware of Eleanor Powell as a kid in the early 50's watching her dance in old movies on television. Even as a kid I knew she was very special..& in a class all of her on. Even though I loved Fred & Ginger .. Eleanor Powell had another dimension to her dancing that was unique esp with her athleticism ....Stange that years later as you speak of here .I read. she had a close relationship with Bill Robison & Bubbles which I can see his influence in her dancing. Being African American I picked that up right away about her.. for she danced with a certain kind of what we called" Soul.". Thanks for the thoughtful documentary. About the Great Eleanor Powell...
I loved your observation about Miss Powell’s dancing and your absolutely right you can see the African American influences in her dancing
@@Randylewus1958 I loved her tap number Fascinating Rhythm in Lady Be Good 1942 ..I can watch that number a thousand times & never get tired of it..
I feel Eleanor and Fred made each other better dancers some of their best work was in Broadway Melody of 1940 ( the only movie they make together) it a lost to everyone that they didn’t make more movies together.
A better dancer than Fred Astaire? Not at all. A better partner than Ginger Rogers? She wasn't that, either, although she was a better dancer than Rogers.
She was just talented and beautiful. She chose to leave hollywod to raise a family. She married the Dishy Glenn Ford.
'Today she comes across in film clips as nothing extraordinary...'
Whaaaaat?
A fine biography, thanks much.
She was the best of the best.
Had quite a crush on her.
Still have a crush on her! lol
Wow, an entire vid about a dancer….without any dancing and only droning talk.
She was great and an incredible talent. Her films with Red Skelton are wonderful.
It's to bad we don't have more God fearing and respectful women like her in Hollywood today. Eleanor was a Mayflower Descendent. Of which I am to. From linage of William and Mary Brewster. Eleanor never liked to work on Sunday. To her it was a time to put God first and Faith. For her to minister to children in building their faith was a great contribution to our great country. I believe she was more woman than most guys could handle. Extremely beautiful in every way. And obviously a work ethic we all could use these days. Her talent and dance ability was the best of the best. Hollywood was so chauvinistic. It was a man's world she was competing in. And put most of them to shame. Obviously Ford had a wondering eye and didn't like the religious aspect of Eleanor. He had the best thing that could ever happen to a man and divorcing Eleanor should have never been an option. She didn't believe in divorce and remarriage. She didn't want to come off as an adulteress. Remaining single and gone into ministry was the best decision she made. In one of the movies she did with Fred Astaire fir the first three weeks in rehearsing she called him Mr. Astaire and he called her Miss Powell. Then Fred said to her, we need to change this, it seemed to formal, but it showed the respect they had for each other. After that he called her Miss Ellie and she called him Fred. These people were professional all the way. Rest in peace Miss Ellie, we need many more like you.
She wasn't to good for him, she was a solo artist. Fred Astaire started out as a duet with his sister and continued with Ginger, that was just his forte.
For what it's worth, Fred Astaire told Peter Ford, Eleanor's son, that she was was a better dancer than him. He felt vulnerable next to her.
I ALWAYS enjoy watching Eleanor Powell's routines. She was mesmerizing.
It's worth a great deal, and I'm not surprised. Ms. Powell's routines were mind-blowing.
Years after Powell retired, Fred told Roddy McDowall that he had refused a second picture with her bc 'she could do everything, she was the best woman dancer probably in history' and he was 'terrified of her'.
a classy gal
What a lot of bollocks, Fred simply pointed out she danced more like a man, which you said at the start. Why do people always try to rate art like its a race? there is no such thing as the "worlds best dancer" anymore than there is "worlds best singer" , art is not a horse race.
I am a big fan of Ms. Powell
At 8:20 you said that she made her film debut in 'Broadway Melody of 1936'. Twenty seconds later, you (correctly) say she made her film debut in 'George White's Scandals of 1935'. At 11:27 you say, (correctly) that after Broadway Melody of 1940, further plans for pairing Eleanor with Fred Astaire were shelved. At 13:17 you say she starred in several films with him.
"If" she had any colored blood in her? She should be so lucky "if" it were so.
I’m sorry I do not agree thatl Eleanor Powell was ordinary she was one of the best tap dancers to ever grace the stage
I think she was the best tap dancer ever.
She is equally assertive in a dancing way.
A great beauty, dancer, wife, mother and woman of integrity. What I like about the Begin the Beguine dance scene is that in the dual solos you really see the talent and fluidity of both dancers. I also agree that scene is tops!!
Fred in my opinion, was the smoothest and most casual of all in his almost relaxed movements flalessly perfoming in every number, while making the whole dance seem effortless.
Eleanor was close for sure and I agree stunning in tap but just short of the casual grace that Fred had.
Good channel you have here. I subbed.
Eleanor Powell matched Fred Astaire in in taping- literally. Maybe that's why he said 'she dances like a man'...because she was just as good as he was.
The best tap dancer I’ve every come across
Well, she was younger, prettier, and possibly more ambitious and disciplined than Fred. I
don’t think he liked sharing the limelight with her.
What I find extraordinary about Miss Powell was not only that she had the best body, and was the best dancer I've seen on the TCM movies the past 6 years, but also she had the most lovable, beautiful face of any actress from 1930 to 1960!
When I saw her dance w Astaire, I saw equals. It was phenomenal, I'd have loved to see her have done more films. She is amazing!
She was the star when dancing with fred
Beautiful woman!
She was a slightly better technical tap dancer. But Astaire surpassed her in all other respects (Honi Coles, a better tap dancer than even Powell, said Astaire was the best all-around dancer he knew about), and of course, he was also a better singer and actor, and could make his own dances, with Hermes Pan. He could direct his own dance sequences.
They didn't have the best chemistry, but I've read a bit of a biography of her, and they clearly understood each other pretty well in dancing terms--both had a remarkable sense of timing.
Without in any way questioning her ability, she was never going to be a star on Astaire's level, or Ginger Rogers', for that matter. For the simple reason that you can't make a movie that's nothing but dancing. You have to be able to tell a story. Powell never really could.
Btw, Astaire knew Bill Robinson when he was in Vaudeville. He admired him very much, and Robinson said to him--this is when Astaire was a teenager--'Kid, you can dance."
I always wanted to dance like Fred Astaire as a kid just like my father and millions of others for 40 years. That was just a dream to be cool. Then one day in 2001, I watched Broadway Melody 1940 and the fever of tap hit me hard during that magic scene of Begin The Beguine when that female partner took over the scene over Fred Astaire, and I had never seen that before. Eleonor Powell passed on some vertigo of passion at that moment and I later learned to tap. All from here. The combination of her smile, her movements and aura were like magic.
I was bewitched for life. What a Lady!
This documentary is very interesting yet seriously marred by its exclusive reliance on still photos. The uploader seems implicitly to assume that because film clips are available in other videos, he doesn't need to display any in his. But the absence of any film footage makes the whole video a big tease and undercuts the very premises he argues.
It is possible she was better than Fred Astaire. I didnt believe it at first but now I lean toward her
Saw a short video of the Top Ten Tap Dancers and her video clip came up...OMG. Her spins make Michael Jackson's look slow and her grace was ridiculous.
Honestly... asking too good for fred?? I would say that there was many dancers who were better than fred. Some of them could have easily outshine fred. Like eleanor powell.
Not to mention that she was also very beautiful
Not only very beautiful, but as somebody else posted some years ago, she had the greatest legs God ever put on a woman.
This was an era when films were fun. Took your mind off the problems of the world. I will continue to watch movies of the 30's. they are just fun! Right now the world is having troubles, I would rather watch the old movies. they lighten my heart.
Very interesting.Thanks so much! I think the person in the photo at 10:24 may be Cyd Charisse.
Eleanor Powell was Fred stairs 2nd favourite dancer in the show buzz scene, his first and best dancer was his sister Edelle,she was a great dancer, been a tap dancer myself but not as good as her she had that rhythm ,that impressed Fred who not was a person of complement,people say ginger was his favorite but Fred never mentioned it but again gave her credit where it was due for not been a complainer when she would dance till her feet bled,rest in peace Eleanor amen,💖
Astaire said his favourite partner was Rita Hayworth, who also danced him off the screen IMHO.
"too good"? LOL!
A force to be reckoned with
“In the late 1930s and early 1940s, when the women of the movies served mainly to make the men look good” …I don’t agree with this statement! I only see that yes, the women worked alongside the men, but they were beautiful in their own right!!! They also played important roles that were essential to the plot! So, why this ridiculous comment? …Probably another way of people today to try to make the past look worse than it was!!
You know what? …Just stop!! …Yes, just stop. 😩
Ludicrous and wrong to adopt your claim. Both are so great ... say so
In 1979, I had the privilege of dining with her at a small dinner party in NYC in 1978. She was gracious and kind and talked about her career as well as her work as a minister. :Lovely woman.
Both Astaire and her were flawless
Apples and Oranges I say! One of my favourites of all time.
I've always thought that she made Astaire look average.
Don't take everything this man says as fact because a lot of it is not really the way it was at all she was a very well respected dancer and certainly she and Fred Astaire got along very well and dance beautifully together he doesn't know what he's talking about half the time I've watched him for years and it's a lot of hot air sometimes
Boring idolation. Not a single video to back it up.
WOW did anyone catch that? Sometime in the 30's she was earning $500 a night doing private parties. in the 30's!? that's something like 50k a night!
In the early 1930s, before coming to Hollywood, she was probably already the highest earning stage dancer in the world, always as a soloist.
Fred Astaire not good enough for Powell? oh please. She was a great dancer. Great technique. But no one could touch Fred’s style and approach to choreography. Fred and Eleanor’s Begin The Beguine number was one of the great numbers in film.
I've got to laugh at the idea that MGM thought Powell could be the new Ruby Keeler, who danced like she was wearing iron boots!
Could you possibly please do Edward Andrews. Nobody seems to have done anything about him
She definetly had her own very special dance moves. A wonderful dancer for sure
They were both good....Fred met his match
I don't think she was a bad actress. She was cute, funny, and charming. I liked her in the movie with Jimmy Stewart. They had good chemistry. I'm sorry she didn't make more movies (especially as she was so unhappy with her marriage. Glenn Ford always struck me as kind of an ass.) I agree with commenters that it would have been interesting to see her on screen with Gene Kelly.
Watch her pretend to be 'La Belle Arlette' in her first star part in 'Broadway Melody of 1936'. A funny turn which is beautifully integrated with a partly-acappella tap routine. Then watch her play comatose in the spiked-drink scene from 'I Dood It'. Ellie could act all right.
I loved her dancing with Buttons, the cute puppy, in "Lady Be Good."