Friday, January 05, 2007

THIS MONTH'S EYE CANDY: ELEANOR POWELL (Gee, look how surprised she looks to be chosen)! The greatest female dancer in the history of motion pictures already! Don't give me none of this Ginger Rogers crap! Ginger and Rita Hayworth danced beautifully, of course. Romantic slow dancing. But there was only one woman who could match Fred Astaire (the greatest male dancer in motion picture history natch) tap for tap. The only time they danced together was in "The Broadway Melody of 1940" but their "Begin the Beguine" dance routine illustrates with crystal clarity that Eleanor was Fred's equal in every way. Combine that with her other movies (and there weren't THAT many, sadly) including Honolulu, Ship Ahoy (Sinatra's film debut), The Broadway Melody of 1936 AND 1938 (in which little Judy Garland sang "Please Mr. Gable/You Made Me Love You" for the first time) and you've got a film career which shows us quality over quantity. I first became STUNNED and majorly impressed with Eleanor Powell in the 80's when I saw her dancing in a clip from one of the "That's Entertainment" movies. I'd never HEARD of her before; let along SEEN her. She FLOORED me. It was only AFTER I had become obsessed with finding all her movies that I was informed by my grandmother Happy Bottom that HER father (my GREAT grandfather) had also loved Eleanor Powell and had run down to Atlantic City every time she appeared there. Wow, can the hots be genetic?!?!? Anyway, the site of Eleanor Powell dancing barefoot in a grass skirt is enough to send ANYBODY over the edge, I assure you. So here's to the late, great Eleanor Powell. When she finally passed through those pearly gates, you know that instead of a set of wings she was given a pair of gold tap shoes!

3 comments:

Cerpts said...

Admit it. . .majorette costumes make you hot!

Anonymous said...

You should see Whatshisname when he gets a few gin and tonic's in him and dons his majorette costume, he puts Eleanor to shame!

Cerpts said...

I've seen his Erykah Badu but so far have missed the majorette costume!

Perhaps for Valentine's Day....???