Eleanor Powell - Boogie Woogie

[TheGabraella]

hah the guy at 1:00..

[britturk123]

She is brilliant but please do not compare her to fred astaire that is just ridiculous i think fred made tap look easy wheras ms powell is yes fantastic unbelievable even but fred astaire is the package, man he has it all going on.

[evitapemaya]

really GOOD ***** all the good perfect tap dancer VERY impressive!!

[TOMSLASSIE]

Ellie started out in Ballet, and then found that to get into Broadway shows, you had to tap dance. So, she took some lessons, and started practicing. Because of her ballet training she was very light on her feet. She took some old ammunition belts, filled them with sand, and wore them around her waist while practicing. When she took them off, she found she could almost fly, .

Fred Astaire did say he really had to work to keep up with her speed.

[AquaStar0]

I remember when I was about 12 or 13 I copied this movie off of TCM (VHS was still the norm then) and I loved to rewind and rewatch this whole long "show" segment from this movie. I think I only really watched the entire movie once. Is it on DVD?

Anyway, nice memories.

[patcauch]

Quelle classe !

[januszytt]

dobre..



[johnnyjackpot]

Beautiful!

[TheHurricosLevel]

back then you had to be talented to be in pictures.

[werobanks]

@TheHurricosLevel  hahaha good one!

[Hutzjohn]

Eleanor Powell should have been recognized as a NATIONAL TREASURE a long time ago.

[luckdog909]

@Hutzjohn Agreed!!!

[luckdog909]

From 1:45 to 2:16 she's just killing me softly!!!

[hajune]

In this movie Mickey Rooney describes Ellie as the greatest dancer ever not just the greatest female dancer ever. Louis Meyer thought the same. She was given unfettered conditions that allowed her to do her own choreology. She often danced with as many as 180 men in the background. No man could dance with her because they could not do her moves, especially the spins. Just ask Fred Astaire. He was intimidated dancing with her saying such to Fayard Nicholas but still did 1 epic movie with her .

[hoosierhiver]

surreal

[andreazima]

Her turn are amazing!!!!!!

[PitTheAmerican]

Dear lord, this is just...amazing. The most wonderful tap dancing I've ever seen! All those clicks, I wonder how long it took before she got that good!

[sarrrxx90]

looooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­ooooooove her tap shoes. and lovvvvvve her!

[TL250Rider]

GREAT

[medicinka]

thousands cheer

[JamieBulloch]

i dont care when my cows come home,,,i am staying here,,,,,, superb,,,,, marvelous

[omedrano]

she's amazing!

[Nabokov50]

I'd call it pretty slippery! *G*

[daaaanceeee]

kind of funny:P

[hippytreehugger4ever]

I can see why Fred Astaire was so intimidated by her.

[mapearce1]

Welcome to my youth!! Fantasies of Eleanor Powell and Ann Miller,....yeah okay, throw mthat bRogers gal in too, and have Danny Kaye filming,....lord, love the ways these gals danced!!

[jericsynergy]

Incredible. They don't make 'em like that any more.

[shimmychix]

OMG what is that little back kick thingie she does (1:28)! I've seen this done before. Anyone know the name of the move?

[Shurayuki18481]

It doesnt have a name but it is definitely one of her very much loved signature moves :)

[vinsta53]

@Shurayuki18481 oh yes it does - the name of the movie is the all star wartime MGM musical "thousands Cheer" from 1943

[powermezzo]

@shimmychix It's wonderful! I've seen people do it in solo charleston routines as well. It's amazing.

[jttaps1]

Yes, it's a very unique move and so awesome that Ann Miller stole it, as she did with most

of Ellie's work - she just speeded everything up and made it all sexy. But hey, if you're going

to steal, why not steal from the best. Annie was a little squirely, but not all that stupid!!!

[blondwiththewind]

@shimmychix I think it was originally part of the 1920's Charleston/Blackbottom moves. Remember seeing my Nana doing it!! :-)

[Drblooter99]

MGM learned later in the 1940s, from Gene Kelly I suppose, that it's not a good idea to interrupt a brlliant dance by cutting away to bad actors with monster noses (or anything else but the dance)

[TOMSLASSIE]

@Drblooter99 It was Fred Astaire who insisted that a dance be filmed in its entirety without cutting to another scene.

[deSadetheImpaler]

simply the best ever..<3333

[gangoffour1]

WOW! I'm breathless with amazement!

[champlain9]

BRAVO!

[jor99912]

@champlain9 I thought Astaire may have been intimidated or somewhat threatened

I saw POWELL'S name leading a CAST!

Second Male Lead JIMMY STEWART!

And I saw BUDDY EBSEN.

Jimmy Stewart? No ASTAIRE. What's UP??.

[GaijinPrincess]

Work It bitch !!!!

[Krissyrocks92]

GOD SHE'S AMAZING! and those turns! especially at 1:15... wow...

[jdfox1]

Nice video. :)

[jeryd2003]

sure eleanor powell was a great dancer but someone who started dancing at an early age and was trainned in all forms of dancing i'm thinking their not saying wow as much as the rest of us. trainning @ practice= greatness

[hajune]

Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa said she did things with her feet they could not do with their hands. It is true. While performing at a child's revue in a night club in Atlanta City , she saw Bill Robinson perform at the same club. She became hooked on tap. Bill befriended her and taught her much. They performed at private parties in Manhatten.She had but 10 formal lessons but it was enough to be proclaimed the best by almost all her cohorts, from Sammy Davis, Ann Miller, Frank Sinatra and many more.

[hajune]

She was culled the " The Queen of Tap" at the amazing young age of 17, unchallenged by anyone else. She did pirouettes, acrobatic moves, rapid but precise tapping at a level unparelled through 75 years. Fred Astaire proclaimed her the greatest ever in his autobiography. He said, "She put em down like a man. No ricky ticky sissy stuff with Ellie. She danced in a class by herself male or female." She became an ordained minister in her 60's and hosted an emmy winning child's program on TV.

[suttonguy]

eleanor was simply awesome.

[ogenopen]

She has what Fred was missing..flair.

[Shurayuki18481]

Very True, I think Fred Astaire was good in his own way, but Eleanor was amazingly super human yet her all of her choreography was actually quite simple. I think why people like her style more so than others is because her moves were so original, raw and accessible, the best of art always is.....

[TheTerryE]

@ogenopen if you think Fred Astaire was missing "flair" then you're a complete idiot. And Ellie would be the first to tell you that.

[F6F61993]

Woooow 8-O she´s great!

[problem49]

Hubba hubba times umpty-bajillion!

[Gr8LuLu]

Amazing! Absolutely amazing!

[1cut1]

Talent!!!!!!!!!!!

[wattever333]

besides being a great tap dancer, she was the most MUSICAL of tap dancers. her taps are like percussion perfectly integrated into the music.

[markymark398]

i never thought bout that, and ur absolutely right, her feet are a fantastic musical instrument.

Thank you =)...

[RegisPhilbinFan]

"Oh Elenor It's you that I Really love."

that makes the peice that much better.

[Peachypea23]

She makes it look so easy! Such grace and control! BRAVA BRAVA

[TL250Rider]

This Lady Could Dance.

Great job great listing.

Thank you For the listing

[nicksacop]

Her last movie at MGM ( except a small cameo in the early 1950's in Duchess of Idaho )...she knew tastes were changing.. she will always be " Tops in Taps "

[bj616]

She's good!

[LolaBunny647]

can you post this whole movie up?? i remeber watching it once it was very good

[marikhan]

1 minute in, that's (i forget the guy's name) the scarecrow from the wizard of oz right? he's also a really famous tap dancer.

man, this woman has mad skill!

[ImHilary]

Ray Bolger..

[Celticwomanfanpiano]

I love her turns! That's impressive.

[steveclapper]

WHAT A WOMAN!!!! the best dancer i ever saw.

[opelske]

I love this lady, she is absolutely elegant in every dance. I wonder why she was never on TV's Hollywood Palace in the 1960's. Fred Astaire was on one of the shows and danced to Fascinating Rhythm and Lady Be Good. Wouldn't it have been nice to see them dance together again at least once on TV?

[joppadoni]

ice please. you shouldnt be able to do it with a pair of heals.. lol awesome. what an amazing performance

[Acquaint77]

Her spins are literal perfection...absolutely amazing how her rotation and where she stops are spot on (watch her head first then rewind to see it done with her feet). Incredible control! She has an amazing body, especially from the waist down.

[dancesong4]

I adore Ann Miller, but Ms. Miller had nothing on this woman. Brava!

[Bumblebee38]

Two bands were featured in this movie : The Benny Carter and the Bob Crosby bands : Pianist Jose Iturbi was also featured BUT WHO IS the Pianist playing there ? Any Guess Please ?

[Bumblebee38]

The BEST ever FEMALE tap dancer

[jaynice22]

Did she tap while she was spinning? Incredible!

[JudithIN410]

In her introduction to Jerry Ames' "The Book of Tap" (1977) Eleanor Powell said "It took me three years to accomplish syncopated taps while turning." She was a perfectionist re: her dancing, and rehearsed many hours per day, every day, throuhout her career.

[whupass95]

Yup...and say no more.

[kpyng]

Her tap spins in "Broadway Melody of 1938" during the railroad car sequence with George Murphy & Buddy Ebsen are unbelievable. I was just astounded by them.

[whupass95]

Nobody ever held a candle to Ellie. Doubt anybody ever will.

[AleZ06]

your so right...

[korleonis]

Yes that generation had talented women, and now, well now it's just well packaged street walkers.

[rainbowrealms]

Demonstration of genius.

[Pop2Lock]

Cant be true, damn! perfection.

[blackdiamond9]

how many close-up's do you see of people tap dancing! she killed that floor!

[glook]

Her tap spins kill me every time. I don't watch those without reacting drastically.

[jaynice22]

I envy that move so much. I wanna emulate it so badly.

[Tigerlily21]

I love Ann Miller too now, she was more bubbly and fun to watch and so fast with her taps and spins, but Eleanor Powell style of dancing is where she made it look so easy.

[theofficialtapqueen]

i love her costume it goes really well with her hair color,dance,song

[Gobbleknoll]

Total ease and control and mastery...in charge of her feet, rather than the other way around. Amazing.

[waynegabi]

Eleanor Powell, "Ellie", was such a remarkable performer, and human being. She would appear each year that she could at the banquets of the Jeanette MacDonald International Fan Club, and spoke so lovingly of Jeanette, and afterwards, she would stay until the last person got their autograph. A true lady. Wayne

[mgmb1959]

Wayne:

Did you know her?

[ddaawnn55]

eleanor powell could never ever replace any future dancer,the day she died (feb11th,1982),she left a big hole that to this day can never ever be replaced

[theofficialtapqueen]

wait didn`t you mean no future dancer could replace her you said she couldn`t replace any future dancer

[gayzertube]

I know it's scandalous to say so, but I wish more old films were colorized so we had a choice to see them in color as well as B&W. And wouldn't it have been so interesting to see Powell and Ann Miller dancing together side by side?

[theofficialtapqueen]

The first part of this song is not boogie woogie it`s facsinatin rhythm! I would know i`m her #1 fan.she awesome in this

[Shurayuki18481]

Really? I didn't know that...how did you spot that?

[theofficialtapqueen]

if you listen closely you can hear that it`s the same song fascinatin rhythm

[netwitt1]

Yep, gotta agree - that's the beginning of E's "Fascinatin' Rhythm". Isn't this a fun number? I think the "soldier" was speaking for all of her fans in this one.

[SavealltheWhales]

@theofficialtapqueen  I noticed that too!

[ShakinNotStirred]

Ok, Eleanor Powell is amazing!! I'm like so in love now. She's got to be one of the best tap dancers I've seen. I mean, she has rhythm, charisma, joy and it was soo great to watch her. I was anticipating more. She rocks in my opinion!!

[Shurayuki18481]

Your very right :) Thanks for commenting, personally while I respect every African American Hoofer(rhythm tapper) out there, Eleanor Powell did what the name meant, Tap + Dancing, I believe there's two meaning to the name :) She was the best out there and still is :)

[theofficialtapqueen]

she always will be no matter what

[jkoff76]

Jeez talk about ALL HIPS!!!

[hebneh]

Note the similarity of the boogie-woogie portion of this scene to the sound of "Fascinatin' Rhythm" from two years earlier. Well, why not? The same studio could re-use its own musical arrangements.

[fairylilac]

Great stuff

[mca1218]

Dayum!! What a sexy dame!! You can actually see joy, spunk, and even a little flirtation in her eyes as she taps this out. Incredible legs and an incredible face. And she's in Technicolor to boot. Many thanks.

[Shurayuki18481]

You described her perfectly, she really knew how to please her audience :)

[saskabush2006]

I wish they'd put this out on DVD. There's a lot of good stuff here, plus it was Eleanor's only color film appearance during her heyday (she made one late-career color film in 1950).

[richiebabay]

Sick!

[dybbuk4640]

eleanor powell is so graceful (difficult to do) that she makes ann miller look like a horse trying to count

[Shurayuki18481]

Yes you're right Ann Miller is a more hoofer type of dancer with lots of frenzied movements. Thanks for your comment! :)

[MANFROMMARS46]

She's wearing SEAMED tights!:P :)) Swoon. How the hell does she do that moonwalking bit. She's anticipating Michael Jackson by over 40 years but she's doing it in tap-shoes and highish heels.

[Tigerlily21]

yeah she makes it look easier than Ann does dancing but I still love Ann Miller too now. She is so fun and exciting to watch. She was more of a fiery persona.

[MANFROMMARS46]

She's almost moonwalking and tap-dancing at the same time. How good is that! Furthermore she's got lovely legs as well. What more do you want?

[Shurayuki18481]

Yes that moon walk move she does is very likeable. Sometimes it's as if her legs have a life of their own.

[feelgoodnation]

YAY! This was so fun to watch! Inspires me to tap again! : )

Peace Ya'll,

Angie

[subwaysleuth]

I like to see the great stars in color, once in a while. It helps to make them even more unforgettable. What feet!- Sylvester, Times Square.