A list of dance numbers would be too easy with an Astaire or Kelly or the barn-raising sequence from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. We’ll save those for another list. These are the deep cuts, hidden gems that make you want to take dance lessons.
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1. The Nicholas Brothers – Down Argentine Way (1940): Buried deep in the middle of a perfectly delightful Fox musical is this four-minute magnum opus. No props, no lavish sets, no fancy camera angles, no dizzying, hyper-editing for artificial energy – just Fayard and Harold Nicholas knocking it out with raw talent. And they could sing too.
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2. Eleanor Powell – Lady Be Good (1941): In 1943 Powell married Glenn Ford and pretty much retired, but her one-of-a-kind talent assures that even though she made only a dozen films that aren’t very well known, she won’t be forgotten. There’s film footage showing how the first half of this number was choreographed and shot in a single take. As the camera and lights move forward to stay on Powell the film crew moves giant pieces of set out of the way. My heart went out to the focus puller.
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3. Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson and Shirley Temple – The Little Colonel (1935): This clip will help you to understand the conspiracy theories at the time surrounding Shirley Temple being a midget passed off as a child. She was only six when she shot this number. It’s hard to choose which is more impressive, her talents as a hoofer or her poise.
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James Cagney and Bob Hope – The Seven Little Foys (1953): The work that must go into making it look so easy. Thirteen years after his Oscar-winning performance in Yankee Doodle Dandy, Cagney suited up again as George M. Cohan for this cameo in Bob Hope’s Eddie Foy biopic. At the time, both men were in their early 50s. Thankfully for us their feet didn’t know it.
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Clark Gable – Idiot’s Delight (1939): No one will ever mistake Gable for Fred Astaire, but whatever he lacks in polish is more than made up with masculine charm.
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