Film Clips from Musicals
1930
King of Jazz (1930, Bing Crosby)
Whoopee!(1930, Busby Berkeley, Eddie Cantor, Ethel Shutta)
Making Whoopee (Making Whoopee 3:02, A Girlfriend of a Boyfriend of Mine 2:51,
Stetson5:08)
1931
Palmy Days(1931, Busby Berkeley, Eddie Cantor) Part 1 9:53 Part 2 9:40
Flying High (1931, Busby Berkeley)
1932
Night World (1932, Busby Berkeley)
The Kid from Spain (1932, Busby Berkeley, Eddie Cantor, Betty Grable)
1933
Flying Down to Rio (1933, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Dolores del Rio)
Stage Mother(1933, Alice Brady, Franchot Tone, Maurine O’Sullivan)
Day was dark and gray clouds filled the sky,
In my heart there only was a sigh,
You appeared and skies above were blue,
Then the sun shone through.
Now I'm dancing on a rainbow,
Each morning, noon and night,
I'm floatin' on a daydream,
I'm higher than a kite,
My heart is all a-flutter,
I heard you utter yes,
I want the world to know,
All the folks below.
I'm dancing on a rainbow,
A pocket full of sunshine,
I'll gather for you soon
And later in the evening,
I'll go and get the moon
Romancing up in heaven,
While angels sing a song,
I'm dancing on a rainbow all day long!
Sitting Pretty(1933, Ginger Rogers, Jack Haley, Jack Okie)
Gold Diggers of 1933(1933, Busby Berkeley, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell)
Footlight Parade (1933, Busby Berkeley, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell)
1934
Wonder Bar(1934, Busby Berkeley, Dolores Del Rio, Al Jolson, Dick Powell)
Fashions of 1934 (1934, Busby Berkeley, William Powell, Bette Davis)
Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934, Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers)
1935
George White’s 1935 Scandals(1935, Eleanor Powell, George White)
Here is the young, fresh and beautifully talented Eleanor Powell as Marilyn Collins (The World's Greatest Female Tap Dancer) at the tender age of 23 performing a tap routine to the song "It's an old Southern Custom" in the 20th Century Fox Film "George White's 1935 Scandals". Her outfit in this number is very true to the Art Deco Fashion.
Top Hat(1935, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire)
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance in the 1935 RKO film 'Top Hat', music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.
In this scene, Ginger's friend Madge is trying to match Fred and Ginger romantically. Fred is trying to woo Ginger, who mistakenly thinks that he is married to Madge, hence her reluctance to dance with him, but she succumbs to his charm in the end.
Their dance shows the fabulous artistry of both stars in the expression of the tenderness between a man and a woman.
So many young people have commented favourably on this clip, expressing a longing for the romantic time of the 1930s. It was a hard time for many, the Great Depression. Films like this were a way for poor people to escape grim reality for a few hours inside the cinema, to catch a glimpse of the glamorous world of the rich and beautiful.
Today people long to escape the mediocrity and awfulness of modern taste - violent blockbuster movies, unintelligible actors, loud pointless soundtracks (you could hardly call it music). Artistry and talent has given way to mediocrity and the cult of celebrity.
Now is the time for young people to abandon crowded gigs and nightclubs where they prance aimlessly, waving their arms in the air, deafened by the noise. Go to an old fashioned ballroom dance, with a band that doesn't rely on amplification and plays real tunes. There you may meet the person of your dreams, to hold in your arms and talk to.
In Caliente (1935, Busby Berkeley, Dolores Del Rio, Wini Shaw, Edward Everett Horton,
Judy Canova)
1936
The Great Ziegfeld (1936, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainier)
The Great Ziegfeld
MGM, 1936, B/W, 170 minutes
Released March, 1936
Biopic of the legendary Broadway producer, Florenz Ziegfeld, as portrayed by William Powell. The film is more of a celebration of the Ziegfeld shows than a detailed biography.
Produced by: Hunt Stromberg
Directed by: Robert Z. Leonard
Screen Play by: William Anthony McGuire
Suggested by Romances and Incidents in the Life of America's Greatest Showman, Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr.
Dances and Ensembles Staged by: Seymour Felix
Special Music and Lyrics by: Walter Donaldson, Harold Adamson
Harriet Hoctor Ballet Music by Con Conrad, Lyrics by Herb Magidson
Musical Direction by: Arthur Lange
Arrangements by: Frank Skinner
Art Direction by: Cedric Gibbons
Associates: Merrill Pye, John Harkrider, Edwin B. Willis
Gowns and Fashion Parades by: Adrian
Special Effects: John Hoffman
Recording Director: Douglas Shearer
Photographed by: Oliver T. Marsh
Ziegfeld Roof Numbers by: George Folsey, Karl Freund
Melody Number by: Ray June
Hoctor Ballet by: Merritt B. Gerstad
Film Editor: William S. Gray
Awards: Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress (Luise Rainer), Best Dance Direction (Seymour Felix); Academy Award nominations for Best Director, Best Original Story (William Anthony McGuire), Best Film Editing (William S. Gray) and Best Interior Decoration (Cedric Gibbons)
Cast: William Powell [Florenz Ziegfeld], Myrna Loy [Billie Burke], Luise Rainer [Anna Held], Frank Morgan [Billings], Fanny Brice [Fannie Brice], Virginia Bruce [Audrey Dane], Reginald Owen [Sampston], Ray Bolger [Ray Bolger], Ernest Cossart [Sidney], Joseph Cawthorn [Dr. Ziegfeld], Nat Pendleton [Sandow], Harriet Hoctor [Harriett Hoctor], Jean Chatburn [Mary Lou], Paul Irving [Erlanger], Herman Bing [Schultz], Charles Judels [Pierre], Marcelle Corday [Marie], Raymond Walburn [Sage], A. A. Trimble [Will Rogers], Buddy Doyle [Eddie Cantor],
Additional Cast: Robert Greig [Joe], Ann Pennington [Herself], Charles Trowbridge [Julian Mitchell], Gilda Gray [Herself], Joan Holland [Patricia Ziegfeld], Leon Errol [Himself], Esther Muir [Prima Donna], William Demarest [Gene Buck], Alfred P. James [Stage Door Man], Miss Morocco [Little Egypt], Suzanne Kaaren [Miss Blair], Sarah Edwards [Wardrobe Woman], James Burtis [Bill], Mickey Daniels [Telegraph Boy], William Griffith [Husband], Grace Hayle [Wife], Richard Tucker, Clay Clement, Larry Wheat, Selmer Jackson [Customers], Alice Keating [Alice], Rosina Lawrence [Marilyn Miller], Jack Baxley [Detective], Charles Coleman [Carriage Starter], Eric Wilton [Desk Clerk], Mary Howard [Miss Carlisle], Bert Hanlon [Jim], Evelyn Dockson [Fat Woman], Franklyn Ardell [Allen], John Larkin [Sam], David Burns [Clarence], Phil Tead [Press Agent], Susan Fleming [Girl with Sage], Adrienne d'Ambricourt [Wife of French Ambassador], Charles Fallon [French Ambassador], Boothe Howard [Willie Zimmerman], Edwin Maxwell [Charles Froman], Ruth Gillette [Lillian Russell], John Hyams [Dave Stamper], Wallis Clark [Broker], Raymond Brown [Inspector Doyle], Pat Nixon [Extra], Allan Jones [dubbing for Dennis Morgan]
Musical Program:
[0:00] Overture (played by Orchestra before titles);
[0:05] Overture (played by Orchestra behind titles);
Chorus; segues into a somewhat bizarre medley of many tunes, including: Un bel di (from the
in beautiful costumes. One of the biggest production numbers ever!
[1:27] Intermission / Entr'acte: "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody" (played by Orchestra);
[1:35] You (sung by ensemble of boy-girl couples, including Dennis Morgan and Virginia Bruce then
moves to Chorus Girls dancing on beds);
Girl fashion parade);
[2:01] My Man (sung by Fanny Brice);
Trowbridge; then sung by Rosina Lawrence in background);
Harriet Hoctor and Chorus);
[3:01] Exit Music (played by Orchestra)
[Verse:]
I have an ear for music
And I have an eye for a maid
I link a pretty girlie
With each pretty tune that's played
They go together like sunny weather
Goes with the month of May
I've studied girls and music
So I'm qualified to say:
[Refrain:]
A pretty girl is like a melody
That haunts you night and day
Just like the strain of a haunting refrain
She'll start upon a marathon
And run around your brain
You can't escape, she's in your memory
By morning, night and noon
She will leave you and then come back again
A pretty girl is just like a pretty tune
Music by Walter Donaldson
Lyrics by Harold Adamson
"You Gotta Pull Strings" "She's a Follies Girl"
Sung by chorus Performed by Ray Bolger (vocal and dance)
"You" "You Never Looked So Beautiful"
Performed by chorus of couples Performed by male chorus and Virginia Bruce
Swing Time(1936, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers)
In this Swing Time clip, Lucky (Fred Astaire) saves Penny's (Ginger Rogers) job by showing how much she has taught him.
This is the first true dance number with the two performers, the other being with Fred fumbling and pretending to be a terrible dancer. Both scenes, however, go to the same song, Pick Yourself Up. This scene (without lyrics) is much livelier than the other scene (with lyrics).
Music by Jerome Kern and Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Born to Dance(1936, Eleanor Powell, James Stewart)
- Ellie was an amazing dancer and just as much an amazing person. She often said this; "What we are is God's gift to us, what we become is our gift back to God." She became an ordained minister in her late 30's and had a children's program for 5 years winning an Emmy all 5 years. She spoke, taught, and practiced the following- Unconditional forgiveness leads to unconditional love that leads to unconditional happiness. I love her spirit and her humility. She treated everyone as being important.
- Eleanor Powell was called the greatest dancer ever by at least 30 celebrities that I have been able to research. She did things that were super human. Off the stage she was super human and the humblest of stars. She deserves so much more credit. She is starting to get it. Love ya Ellie, hope you’re dancing up a storm in Heaven.
Here is a lovely scene with Ellie dancing in Central Park, New York, accompanied by a very young James Stewart...... singing! Eleanor Powell's voice was dubbed for this scene so the annoying high pitched voice you hear is not Eleanor's. (She had a warm and sweet voice, don't know why the studios didn't let her sing in films, incredible because her voice was kept for every film soundtrack recording, and they show it was a good voice).
Strike Me Pink (1936, Eddie Cantor, Dona Drake)
1938
Broadway Melody of 1938 (1938, Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor, George Murphy, Judy
Garland, Buddy Ebsen)
Vivacious Lady (1938, Ginger Rogers, Jimmy Stewart)
1939
Honolulu (1939, Eleanor Powell, Robert Young)
1940
The Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940, Eleanor Powell, Fred Astaire, George Murphy)
Lyrics and Music by Cole Porter
Second Chorus (1940, Fred Astaire, Paulette Goddard, Burgess Meredith)
I've read that Paulette worked for weeks to perfect this one lone dance number with Fred. She really wasn't a dancer, but this piece is outstanding! They completed it early one Saturday morning in one take, but it exhausted her, and she said she'd never dance in a film again, and she didn't! Pity!
Fred and Hermes Pan choreographed dances to suit the capabilities of Fred's partners. Hermes rehearsed each lady until she was up to speed -- which could take weeks. Fred would step in at that point and rehearse/refine the routine until he thought it was ready to be filmed. Watch any of his partner dances -- his dancing may be more refined and precise but he never out-shines a partner. The man was the epitome of class.
Danny O'Neill (Fred Astaire) and Hank Taylor (Burgess Meredith) are rival trumpeters with the Perennials, a college band, and both men are still attending college by failing their exams seven years in a row. In the midst of a performance, Danny spies Ellen Miller (Paulette Goddard) who ends up being made band manager. Both men compete for her affections while trying to get the other one fired. Artie Shaw, playing himself, comes to hear the band and poaches Ellen to become his secretary and manager. She tries to get Danny and Hank an audition for Shaw's band but they again undermine one another. Ellen befriends J. Lester Chisholm (Charles Butterworth) who agrees to finance a Shaw concert, and Danny convinces Chisholm to persuade Shaw to include one of Danny's tunes in the concert. Hank and Chisholm end up missing the concert by giving each other champagne and sleeping pills. Danny successfully dance-conducts his own composition and secures Ellen's affections.
1941
Lady Be Good (1941, Eleanor Powell)
Ziegfeld Girl (1941, Busby Berkeley, James Stewart, Tony Martin, Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner,
Judy Garland)
Ziegfeld Girl
MGM, 1941, B/W, 133 minutes
Released April, 1941
The story of three girls from different backgrounds who become Ziegfeld Girls (played by Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr and Judy Garland) and the effects of stardom on their personal lives, especially their love lives. Jackie Cooper, Jimmy Stewart and Ian Hunter costar as the romantic interests.
The film opens with the statement, "That fabulous era - when Florenz Ziegfeld glorified the American Girl and New York wore her over its heart like an orchid - while she lasted."
Produced by: Pandro S. Berman
Directed by: Robert Z. Leonard
Screen Play by: Marguerite Roberts and Sonya Levien
Original Story by: William Anthony McGuire
Musical Numbers Directed by: Busby Berkeley
Musical Score: Herbert Stothart
Musical Direction: Georgie Stoll
"Minnie from Trinidad" by Roger Edens with The Kids from Seville [Antonio and Rosario];
: LVocals and Orchestrationseo Arnaud, George Bassman, Conrad Salinger
Art Director: Cedric Gibbons
Associate: Daniel B. Cathcart
Set Decorations: Edwin B. Willis
Musical Presentation: Merrill Pye
Gowns and Costumes by: Adrian
Make-Up Created by: Jack Dawn
Recording Director: Douglas Shearer
Director of Photography: Ray June
Film Editor: Blanche Sewell
Cast:James Stewart [Gilbert Young], Judy Garland [Susan Gallagher], Hedy Lamarr [Sandra Kolter], Lana Turner [Sheila Regan], Tony Martin [Frank Merton], Jackie Cooper [Jerry Regan], Ian Hunter [Geoffrey Collis], Charles Winninger ["Pop" Gallagher], Edward Everett Horton [Noble Sage], Philip Dorn [Franz Kolter], Paul Kelly [John Slayton], Eve Arden [Patsy Dixon], Dan Dailey, Jr. [Jimmy Walters], Al Shean [Al Shean], Fay Holden [Mrs. Regan], Felix Bressart [Mischa], Rose Hobart [Mrs. Merton], Bernard Nedell [Nick Capalini], Ed McNamara [Mr. Regan], Mae Busch [Jenny], Renie Riano [Annie], Josephine Whittell [Perkins], Sergio Orta [Native Dancer]
Additional Cast:Antonio and Roasario [Dance Specialty], Six Hits and a Miss [Vocals], Fred Santley [Floorwalker], Claire James [Hopeful], Reed Hadley [Geoffrey's Friend], Armand Kaliz [Pierre], Joan Barclay [Actress in Slayton's Office], Donald Kirke [Playboy], Ray Teal [Pawnbroker], Al Hill [Truck Driver], Roscoe Ates [Theater Worker], George Lloyd [Bartender], Ginger Pearson [Salesgirl], Elliott Sullivan, James Flavin [Truckers], Joyce Compton [Miss Sawyer], Ruth Tobey [Beth Regan], Bess Flowers [Casino Patron], Jean Wallace, Myrna Dell, Georgia Carroll, Louise La Planche, Virginia Cruzon, Alaine Brandeis, Patricia Dane, Irma Wilson, Leslie Brooks, Madeleine Martin, Vivian Mason, Harriet Bennett, Nina Bissell, Frances Gladwin, Anya Taranda [Ziegfeld Girls]
Musical Program:
[0:00] Overture (played by Orchestra behind titles, includes short vocal of "You Never Looked So
Beautiful" sung by Chorus);
[0:36] Whispering (sung by Bill Days, John Rarig and Max Smith; danced by Nightclub Patrons);
Judy in delivery);
Judy Garland and Chorus);
Ziegfeld Girls);
Lyrics: Gus Kahn Music: Nacio Herb Brown
You stepped out of a dream
You are too wonderful to be what you seem!
Could there be eyes like yours,
Could there be lips like yours,
Could there be smiles like yours,
Honest and truly?
You stepped out of a cloud
I want to take you away, away from the crowd
And have you all to myself, alone and apart
Out of a dream, safe in my heart.
You stepped out of a dream
You are too wonderful to be what you seem!
Could there be eyes like yours,
Could there be lips like yours,
Could there be smiles like yours,
Honest and truly?
You stepped out of a cloud
I want to take you away, away from the crowd
And have you all to myself, alone and apart
Out of a dream, safe in my heart.
Safe in my heart!
You’ll Never Get Rich (1941, Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire) Music by Cole Porter
1942
You Were Never Lovelier (1942, Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth) Music by Jerome Kern
The following are clearer videos:
Ship Ahoy (1942, Eleanor Powell, Red Skelton, Bert Lahr):
1943
I Dood It (1943, Eleanor Powell, Red Skelton)
- Ellie was an extremely hard worker and only made one picture a year while having control of the choreography. She was as versatile as any dancer on the silver screen with a broad array of routines. She danced 12 hours daily and was the master at creating complex dancing steps that she performed so smoothly that a novice did not realize what she pulled off. Great performers make the difficult look easy. I have a list of over 25 performers who call Eleanor Powell the very best. I agree with them.
- Elllie was so far removed from any other tapper it was no contest. Spin moves are not commonly taught in tap. Ellie learned her super human spin moves while doing Ballet. Not only could she spin like no other and as many as 3 spins per second but she TAPPED while spinning. It is unmatched even today. It would take too long to show the difference between her and all others, but gifted viewers can see it immediately. Ellie could still woo em (minus the speed of her spin moves) even in her 60's.
- According to her biographer Alice Levin, Sam Garrett spent 3 months helping EP learn to do the rope tricks. Because the rope included "a metal thing that's very heavy" she eventually resorted to wearing a football helmet and shoulder pads while practicing. Garrett, who became a lifelong friend, felt she could have become a rodeo star.
- There were side bets as much as $50 whether Ellie could do this routine in one take. It would only take one slip up and another take would have been needed. AMAZINGLY Ellie pulled it off in just one take. Sam Garrett, her rodeo expert teacher wanted her to go on the rodeo circuit even before the movie was made. He was in awe of her ability and could not believe she could pick up roping in only 6 weeks and also tap, do acrobatic moves etc. He said she would have been the next Annie Oakley.
The Sky’s the Limit (1943, Joan Leslie, Fred Astaire)
Flying Tiger pilot Fred Atwell has been pursuing Joan Manion just for fun while on leave, but he begins to realize he's falling for her and decides to back off. So turnabout is fair play as Joan goes after him!
The Gang’s All Here (1943, Busby Berkeley, Carmen Miranda, Alice Faye)
1944
Cover Girl (1944, Rita Hayworth)
Easy to Dance with (1944, Fred Astaire, Virginia Dale)
1945
Sensations of 1945 (1945, Eleanor Powell):
A land of a thousand splits, in the aftermath of the Stormy Weather brought by the lightning Nicholas Bros, after the Jumpin' Jive girls, the Queen of Tap appears. In Lady Be Good (1941), she danced with a dog, and this time with a horse! This is not only the end of the movie, but also the grand finale of her stardom.
1946
Cinderella Jones (1946, Joan Leslie, Robert Alda, directed by Busby Berkeley)
1948
If You Knew Susie (1948, Eddie Cantor)
1950
Duchess of Idaho (1950, Eleanor Powell)
Eleanor Powell's last big-screen appearance - other than clips in compilation movies of the 1970s-90s ("That's Entertainment" and its successors) - was a cameo in this 1950 film. MGM had moved on from lavish tap dance productions to extravagant water ballets, with Esther Williams as their new female star. Eleanor spent the next few years leading an Emmy award-winning local religious show for children, while raising her son Peter. In the early 1960s, after her divorce from Glenn Ford, she made a very successful comeback as a nightclub entertainer, dancing as well or better than in her earlier days, according to the critics.
Eleanor Powell
Photos show Eleanor from her early days as a baby up to when she was 50 years old and still dancing. Music used: "What a Wonderful World" with ORIGINAL Eleanor's vocals; taken from At Home Abroad (1935).
Extremely rare number......this is what her nightclub routine looked like.....she used the music in
most of her nightclub performances......
Here's Eleanor Powell in a very small uncredited role in the 1934 short, "No Contest!”. It's hard to understand why she would have accepted the part, when she was already "The Queen of Ra-Ta-Taps" and a Broadway star. Perhaps it was done as a screen test prior to her appearance in "George White's Scandals of 1935" (which was a reprisal of her tap routine from White's Broadway "Music Hall Varieties"). After her unhappy experiences filming "Scandals", she was eager to return to the New York stage, and had no further interest in movie work. MGM very much wanted her, however, and offered her a starring role and large salary for "Broadway Melody of 1936". For a number of months, she honored commitments in both Hollywood and New York, which led to an eventual collapse from exhaustion. After several weeks of recuperation, she returned to Hollywood and quickly became a star there too.