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Astaire Time / Fred Astaire [television/video]

Title

Astaire Time [Television/Video]

Performers

Astaire, Fred

Count Basie Orchestra

Hermes Pan Dancers

Published/Created

1960-09-28

Genre

Television/Video

Abstract

A chorus of male and female dancers in bright yellow costumes with Barrie Chase (a Cyd Charisse look-alike).

Astaire is joined by the Earle Twins, Ruth and Jane, with whom he performs a tap dance to "The Sheik of Araby"; all in all the musical accompaniment is brash and brassy; the moves are in the body and not the feet.

Chase performs "Not Now, I'll Tell You When."

Astaire joins Basie in "Sweet Georgia Brown" a tap dance; rhythmically in soft shoe tempo with great stops and hesitations; this is Astaire who is aging gracefully into the mastery of the soft-shoe; Astaire interprets Basie's lines in body in a loving collaboration; very musical; little reference to rock dancing.

The Herme Pan Dancers (6) perform an athletic dance with no taps to "We Have To Dance"; Joe Williams sings "It's a Wonderful World" with the Count Basie Band, as well as a medley of blues songs that are enacted in dance by Astaire, Chase, and the dance company; Astaire "jazzes" with Chase and the company (great example of blues form in the singing) but you do not hear the taps; all soft-shoe; the taps are mimed; the performance is more a dramatic story: Williams sings a wonderful blues; Astaire and Chase only cream the top of the music; there is nothing of the blues in this performance; the blues plot is stereotyped: the plot robs from "Frankie and Johnny" and "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue."

Source

Museum of Television and Radio Broadcasing: Museum of Television and Radio Broadcasing. ().

Last Updated: 12-16-2015