Your Favorite Musical Sequences

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myrnaloyisdope
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Post by myrnaloyisdope »

1. "42nd Street" from 42nd Street and "Forgotten Man" from Gold Diggers of 1933 bring tears to my eyes every time I watch them. Powerful commentaries on the sorrows of the world.

2. "Make 'em Laugh" from Singin' in the Rain is incredible. It's not merely the fact that someone can move like that, but that someone can even think of moving like that.

3. "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" from Cabaret is chilling, powerful, and catchy all at once. I have never seen another musical number that can scare the hell out of me. Well the Oompa Loompa's singing does that to me too.

4. "Memo From Turner" from Performance is a great song and completely unexpected.

5. "We're in the Money" from The Gold Diggers of 1933 has Ginger Rogers singing in pig latin which is an easy win for me. Plus it has an ironic quality that makes it work on another level.

6. "Jazz Up Your Lingerie" from The Smiling Lieutenant is completely adorable and silly.
Synnove
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Post by Synnove »

myrnaloyisdope, I agree with you entirely about the Busby Berkley musical numbers, they are fantastic. I also agree with you about Tomorrow Belongs to Me from Cabaret. The combination of upbeat music and frightening images was something they used a lot in that musical, to the best effect in that scene.

My favourite musical number right now is Let's Face the Music and Dance from Follow the Fleet. This is one of the few Fred and Ginger musicals I don't like so much, since I keep thinking while watching it, "these couples are so dysfunctional, maybe they shouldn't be together!" But then this number finishes the film off, and it makes the whole thing worthwhile. It's one of my favourite songs of all time, and they make it into a beautiful number.

He Had it Coming from Chicago is memorable too. I like it because it's so angry - and funny!
Mr. O'Brady
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Post by Mr. O'Brady »

Lots of good ones listed. I'd add the "Mexican Hat Dance" routine with Gene Kelly and Sharon McManus in "Anchors Aweigh", just too cute to forget. For some bizarre reason, I also love "Hoedown" from Berkeley's "Babes on Broadway". I don't really like the song, but I love the dancing.
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charliechaplinfan
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Post by charliechaplinfan »

Let's Face The Music and Dance is one of my favorite Fred And Ginger dances. The DVD I have has an introduction by Fred's daughter she tells how Gingers heavily beaded dress whacked Fred in the face but the carried on dancing. Fred insisted on filming the number again a number of times. The first version is in the film and if you watch carefully enough towards the start of the dance you can see Fred get a sleeveful of beads in the kisser :lol:
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
stuart.uk
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Post by stuart.uk »

Fred Astaire Top Hat from Top Hat
Gene Kelly Singing In The Rain
Fred And Ginger in almost everything
Judy Garland The Man That Got Away from A Star Is Born
Doris Day Secret Love from Calamity Jane
James Cagney Overthere from Yankee Doddle Dandy
Greer Garson's mini skirted Harry Lauder My Bonnie Daisy from Random Harvest
Judy Get Happy from Summer Stock
Elvis Presley melody from Loving You
Natalie Wood Let Me Entertain You from Gypsy
Tommy Steele and Julia Foster Slap Bang Wallop from Half A Sixpence
Tommy Steele Butterfingers from The Tommy Steele Story
Cliff Richard The Next Time from Summer Holiday
Judy Garland Over The Rainbow, but not the film, but from the doc Judy Garland The Concert Years with her dressed as a male tramp, beard and all.
Cliff again with Susan Hampshire On The Beach from Wonderful Life
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charliechaplinfan
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Post by charliechaplinfan »

:D Now when it comes to James Cagney's dancing in Yankee Doddle Dandy I prefer him in the title track.

Why oh why didn't Warners star him in more musicals. He's such a joy to watch when he dances. A pity he was never given a proper chance to give Fred and Gene a run for their money at performing dance numbers.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
The Ingenue
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Post by The Ingenue »

I've not been able to find the title of one of my favorite musical sequences.
The number is from Down to Earth (1947). Rita Hayworth, playing the Grecian muse Terpsichore, leaves Mount Parnassus to steal the lead in a New York stage show titled "Swinging the Muses". She dances in with chorus, the most ravishing member of the line ("For Pete's sake, who's THAT!"), until she finds herself directly behind the show's star, Adele Jergens. She proceeds to match Jergens step for step, then twirls off with the supporting dancers and the rest of the number. Awestruck Larry Parks says, "She's magic." And she is.

More favorites...
I'll Be Hard to Handle from Roberta, sung by Ginger with accent, then danced by she and Fred. It is supposed to be one of the few numbers where the taps weren't re-dubbed. They had a real wood floor, so they recorded the taps live, and you can hear Fred and Ginger laughing as they dance.

Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man -- Helen Morgan, Hattie McDaniel, Paul Robson & Irene Dunne in Show Boat (1936)
Drum Boogie -- Barbara Stanwyck, electric though dubbed (by Martha Tilton) in Ball of Fire
They All Laughed -- ebullient Fred & Ginger in Shall We Dance
Never Gonna Dance -- heart-achingly romantic Fred & Ginger in Swing Time
You'll Be Reminded of Me -- Ginger in Vivacious Lady
You're Doin' All Right -- June Haver, Dan Dailey & Dennis Day in The Girl Next Door
Put Me To the Test -- Rita & Gene Kelly Cover Girl
How Could You Believe Me... -- Fred & Jane Powell in Royal Wedding
Shakin' The Blues Away -- Ann Miller in Easter Parade
Too Darn Hot -- Ann Miller in Kiss Me Kate
Romance and Rhumba -- Alice Faye & Cesar Romero in Week-End in Havana
The Grizzly Bear -- with Alice, Jack Oakie & June Havoc -- and Alice's second version of You'll Never Know in Hello Frisco, Hello
The Band Played On -- Alice in Lillian Russell
Moonlight Bay -- more Alice, in Tin Pan Alley
Down Argentina Way as danced by the Nicholas Brothers in Down Argentine Way
Don't Rock the Boat -- Betty Grable & Dan Dailey in My Blue Heaven
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening -- Bing Crosby & Jane Wyman in Here Comes the Groom
I'm Takin' a Slow Burn -- Jane Wyman in Let's Do It Again

Another favorite number was cut from Rose of Washington Square: Alice Faye's beautiful I'll See You in My Dreams. Two different versions of it have been released, though: one on the VHS tape of Week-End in Havana, and the other on the DVD Hidden Hollywood, Vol. 2. I hope both versions will be included on the upcoming DVD of Rose of Washington Square.

And I'm sure I've forgotten a few numbers too. :wink:
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[Moon Dust]
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Post by [Moon Dust] »

The Wedding of the Painted Doll - The Broadway Melody
Low Down Rhythm - The Hollywood Revue of 1929
Everyone Says I Love You - Horse Feathers, all of the brother's versions
A Little Priest - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Freedonia's Going to War - Duck Soup
Touch'a Touch'a Touch'a Touch Me - Rocky Horror Picture Show
Young and Healthy - 42nd Street
Just Two Little Girls From Littlerock - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
I'm Gonna File My Claim - The River of No Return
El Tango De Roxanne - Moulin Rouge
Mary - Yankee Doodle Dandy
My Dreams Are Gone With the Wind - The Awful Truth
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Vienna
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Re: Your Favorite Musical Sequences

Post by Vienna »

This a a great thread.
Back in 2008, Carrie.Liz mentioned Jane Wyman's "Taking a Slow Burn", a great little number from LET's DO IT AGAIN. Great arrangement for Jane and she does it so well.
I seem to recall this film was a remake of THE AWFUL TRUTH.
Spine tingling for me is Judy's "The Man That Got Away"
and "Begin the Beguine" with Astaire and Powell from BROADWAY MELODY OF 1940.
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