THE FUTURIST! as a child loved Fred Astaire movies... principally the films he made at RKO with Ginger Rogers. He was told by his mother that he sat on the floor of the living room transfixed by those old black and white images as Astaire and Ginger performed their foot work magic that was interspersed between the screwball plots of the films. THE FUTURIST! never found the later MGM color musical extravaganzas as enjoyable ... maybe it was because Ginger wasn't present or the plots were just so uninteresting and the musical numbers so bloated. However, there was always the magic of Astaire dancing. Sometimes just taking some of those moments away from the BIG Hollywood cornball is enough.
For instance, this scene between Astaire and Eleanor Powell in BROADWAY MELODY OF 1940 from MGM ... it is total magic. The beautiful black and white cinematography and set design and costume design and most of all those effortless foot movements. This is why THE FUTURIST! loves movies ... it just takes him away.
*Please ignore the slight interruption of an apparent Japanese voice for a few moments. THE FUTURIST! believes this is an excerpt from the Asian dubbed version of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT.
A tropical burst of rain erupted this Saturday in Utter Despair. It has been hot, humid and disgusting. It feels like a steam pipe burst open and has been directed right at your body; within minutes you are drenched in perspiration. Of course, with the dog days of August one must expect sudden rain storms with or without thunder and lightning. This Saturday, let us listen to the music of Irving Berlin and the voice and fantastic footwork of Fred Astaire from Top Hat ... it might perk you up on this dreary day. (Top Hatis one of THE FUTURIST!'s top 10 favorite films!)
ISN'T IT A LOVELY DAY from the film TOP HAT (1935) performed by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
An Easter ritual, besides shelling hard boiled eggs and getting really pissed off if the chocolate bunny you receive is hollow and NOT solid chocolate, is to watch traditional holiday film fare. This could be one of many religiously themed epics such as The Ten Commandments, King of Kings, The Robe or Ben-Hur. THE FUTURIST! likes something to pick up his mood a bit ... oh, he understands the significance of the Christ Risen, but that whole crucifixion thing makes him even glummer than usual. It reminds him of an experience at Henrik Ibsen High School, where he was once affixed to the athletic field goal post and jeered at by his peers for wearing a bow tie one day to Wood Shop Class. The choice of neck adornment that day was totally understandable; when using the Black & Decker Table Jigsaw 1000, a bow tie was safer than wearing his usual necktie. Those Philistines! Anywho, today's pre-Easter Saturday Music is the closing moments to the colorful entertaining MGM musical Easter Parade, starring THE FUTURIST!'s favorite film musical entertainer Fred Astaire. In this clip his fancy footwork and sophisticated panache are not that fully evident (maybe a tiny bit) ... and his singing voice will be heard only briefly. The emotionally disturbed and overly prescription medicated Judy Garland will sing and provide her rendition of the classic Irving Berlin number.
EASTER PARADE performed by Judy Garland and Fred Astaire from the MGM film Easter Parade(1948)
