One cannot resist smiling here and it's sure a beautiful feeling. One of the true pioneers in opening doors for future black performers and getting them enjoyed by more than black audiences, but people of all color. Believe me, performers like Sammy Davis, Lena Horne, and others had it rough, but things could have been even more difficult (if you can believe that!) if not for the efforts of Waters, Bojangles, Bert Williams and others.
@Tom...In addition to her highly creative style of singing, it was that very smile you mention that made her a universal singing and dramatic star challenging the social mores, customs, and traditions of the times. The smile was radiant and non menacing, inviting ALL to come sit at the table, speaking metaphorically, of course.
If anyone ever asks you, "What is love?", simply play this video for them. Ethel Waters was so amazing, and watching her perform would make anyone's day. And, "Taking A Chance On Love" is one of my favorites from "The Great American Songbook".
My favorite song and number from this amazing movie. Ethel Waters was beautiful and she had an incredible voice. The dancer Bill Bailey was quite handsome and Eddie Anderson was fantastic!
What a cast - Ms Waters, Eddie Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Rex Ingram, John Bubbles, and Bill Bailey. Superb, inimitably talented entertainers, each one a joy.
We can thank director Vincente Minnelli, because MGM definitely was not interested in making this film. He got his way, but please note that unlike other big MGM musicals of that period, it was filmed in B&W, to save the studio money. However, we don't need color cinematography to enjoy the rich talents of an extraordinary cast and two top song writers.
'Cabin in the Sky' had an amazing collection of talent, but seeing & hearing Ethel Waters and Lena Horne perform in the same film is just a glorious treat.
I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS SONG!! This is ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE PART FROM THE MOVIE CABIN IN THE SKY!!! If you have NOT seen this movie, it is a must see, in which this video is from! I LOOOOVE THIS SONG!! They were ALL SO TALENTED!!! Patunia (not sure how to spell it) was Ms. Waters character name in this movie! ONE MY ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIES!!
@Aj...That was quite a movie. An interesting anecdote here. The cat fight between Petunia and Georgia Brown ignited the emblematic snapping of the fingers as end punctuation among the black gay community. Nowhere could you go in the US without finding blak gays repeated that symbol. "Read, Miss Thing!" lol!!!!
If only things were this simple and happy these days. What has happened to people? Blessed to have these memories on record. Great talents and great people.
Maybe I didn't read far enough among all the fine comments here. No one seems to have mentioned the original "Moon-Walking," fine dancing, and handsome older brother of Pearl Bailey, aka, Bill Bailey! He was one of the greatest performers! I can only hope that others will comment on his fine performance. James Power, I thank you so much for posting! varadero
Keep exploring one thing will lead you to another.... i’m just an old hippie! Music is the universal language all types never limit yourself when it’s all available.... mu I think music is it Legacy passed down through the centuries from one generation to another..... now with TH-cam the sky is the limit
Remember the composer Vernon Duke was born Vladimir Dukelsky in Russia, from where he fled after the Bolshevik coup. Duke and George Gershwin were good friends. I believe he's been recently reburied in either Russia or Ukraine.
Birthday Remembrance of Ethel Waters October 31, 1896 - September 1, 1977 She was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, but she began her career in the 1920s singing blues. MAY SHE CONTINUE TO REST IN ETERNAL PEACE!
@Dorie...1896. What an interesting year. It was at that time a young Homer Adolph Plessy was walking the halls of justice, seeking to overturn the mores, customs, and traditions of the time. Alas, it didn't happen. His plea fell on deaf ears. Yes, Plessy v Ferguson, 1896. In the year previous, another historic moment, took place when educator Booker T. Washington gave his famous address at the Atlanta Exposition.
@Michael...That diction you mention was a must for those days. Without the hi tech advancements of the day, one had to speak such that the audience could understand the lyric and with the likes of Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Oscar Hammerstein, Dorothy Fields, Rogers and Hart, you definitely wanted to under those marvelous stories set to music in those days. Just listen to the diction of the lead singer of the Ink Spots, for starters. During that same timeframe, belting on Broadway was also the vogue of the day for the same reasons, the audience had to hear what was being sung. Ethel "The Merm" was a good example of "belting" a song. This, of course, is not to overlook Dolores Gray.
I can't remember how I first happened to know of Ethel Waters, perhaps from an old movie, but it seems she's always been part of my life. I just adored her.
My favorite song, always thought it was Ella's from the 1950's. The lyrics were clever enough to stand with 'Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered' Glad to see where it came from. Gotta watch more Ethel.
As is mentioned further down in these posts -- The tap dancer is Bill Bailey. No mention, though, of George Bassman, the,orchestrator, who wrote that great arrangement!
Cabin in the Sky was a Broadway musical which premiered in oct of 1940 in the Martin Beck theater for a run of 156 performances to good reviews. Ethel here, is reprising the role of Petunia that she originated (as does Rex Ingram ). This song was a replacement number written when Waters complained about "We'll Live All Over Again". This one became the hit of the musical.
reading the book God in the Garden, she sang at Billy Graham crusades...I googled her and was sooo happy to recognize that big smile...I recalled her lovely face from.black and white movie night on TBN. my mom and I watched her in Cabin in the Sky. very grateful for youtube haha thanks for posting...even learned she was bisexual and born out of a rape God is great!
I adored everything about her: the infectious smile, incredible diction, the emotion put into her singing -- the works. Although she doesn't sing, I feel Oprah Winfrey picks up where Ethel Waters left off. Both women present a powerful presence in just one frame. Fortunately for me, I had the pleasure of chatting briefly with this great lady when I was about to board American Airlines for Virginia and she was deplaning at LAX long ago. Fate hasn't been kind to me. I keep losing influences in my life that made an otherwise miserable life bearable. For example, Whitney Houston would've had a great career in both singing and acting: "The Bodyguard." I had wanted to see her in a reboot of "Sunset Boulevard," in which she'd take the Gloria Swanson role, with Kevin Costner in the William Holden role. But fate hasn't been kind to me.
Wonderful or maybe I should say Khorasho. The song was composed by Vernon Duke who was born Vladimir Dukelsky who left Russia after the Bolshevik coup.
That's Bill Bailey, doing the Moon Walk (original moves that Michael Jackson copied) and a number of steps that James Brown drove us wild with. What a great number, and Ethel's singing is perfect!
You bet it has!!! It's still uppermost in my early introduction to Waters, and I'm "29" and have been for quite sometime. lol!!! As usual, Waters does justice to impeccable lyrics. And I think Dandridge just a credible job, too. I can't remember but I thought "Cabin in the Sky" was originally photographed in sepia, and I first saw it from a segregated balcony in Douglas, AZ. I must salute my taste since this song brings back great childhood memories. Thank you, Theodore!
As part of my introduction to songs on Sunday morning, I am going to whistle as I play the organ before I bring the choir or the soloist . . . #BringinItBack
The other way around. Garland sounds like Waters. It's interesting that many of the songs in Garland's repertoire duplicated Waters'. And remember records show the works by Waters were put to vinyl as early as 1927. Garland would've been five years old, so it's not likely that Waters would sound like Garland!
Ethel Waters had most beautiful smile in the history of mankind.
Ethel was big mammy - In good way.
What a voice yes she was meant to be loved
Amen, what a smile. Joy. Warmth. Love
When Ethel Waters smiles, the world improves a little.
One cannot resist smiling here and it's sure a beautiful feeling. One of the true pioneers in opening doors for future black performers and getting them enjoyed by more than black audiences, but people of all color. Believe me, performers like Sammy Davis, Lena Horne, and others had it rough, but things could have been even more difficult (if you can believe that!) if not for the efforts of Waters, Bojangles, Bert Williams and others.
100% agree
Sang it, Ms. Waters!
Has anyone ever had a more contagious (or beautiful) smile than Ethel Waters?
Tom Gilbert Maybe Josephine Baker but that's about it @41
Tom Gilbert Maybe Josephine Baker but that's about it @41
Ikr!! I didn't realize I had been smiling the entire video til the end when I felt my face relax. Watching this makes me happy, love it.
Tom Gilbert no
@Tom...In addition to her highly creative style of singing, it was that very smile you mention that made her a universal singing and dramatic star challenging the social mores, customs, and traditions of the times. The smile was radiant and non menacing, inviting ALL to come sit at the table, speaking metaphorically, of course.
The combination of Ms.Waters' voice, facial expression, and ability to sell an emotion, will not come our way again.
If anyone ever asks you, "What is love?", simply play this video for them. Ethel Waters was so amazing, and watching her perform would make anyone's day.
And, "Taking A Chance On Love" is one of my favorites from "The Great American Songbook".
Such a beautiful woman. She was one of the joys of my childhood. Just looking at her face lifted my spirits.
Bronxboy47 me too
Me, three.
Kate Freeman nyp
Fantastico, parabens, gostei demis
My favorite song and number from this amazing movie. Ethel Waters was beautiful and she had an incredible voice. The dancer Bill Bailey was quite handsome and Eddie Anderson was fantastic!
She DID have a beautiful voice! I heard of her as a child. Now years later, I’m learning of her.
I was born in 1950 and Cabin in the Sky was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid !! Such a beautiful story.
If Ethel's smile doesn't brighten your day, then something is seriously wrong with you...
And she's just the same in everything I've seen her in.
What a cast - Ms Waters, Eddie Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Rex Ingram, John Bubbles, and Bill Bailey. Superb, inimitably talented entertainers, each one a joy.
We can thank director Vincente Minnelli, because MGM definitely was not interested in making this film. He got his way, but please note that unlike other big MGM musicals of that period, it was filmed in B&W, to save the studio money. However, we don't need color cinematography to enjoy the rich talents of an extraordinary cast and two top song writers.
'Cabin in the Sky' had an amazing collection of talent, but seeing & hearing Ethel Waters and Lena Horne perform in the same film is just a glorious treat.
Ethel Waters was such an unassuming lady with so very much to offer. We should see such humility these days; it would be so refreshing.
There is no better version of this song, anywhere anywhen.
It must be one of the most 'joyous' songs ever written.
anyone else really wanted to see ethel waters go all the way on this song hooch style?
No need here. She does that in great style later in the film. This was meant as a contrast to what comes later.
Love to share with people who appreciate romance
Dig the 40's and this song from the movie, 'Cabin in the Sky'.
Oct. 31: Happy birthday Ms Ethel Waters (1892-1977), the second African american to be nominated for an academy Award. Thank you and God bless. RIP
1896 not 1892
I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS SONG!! This is ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE PART FROM THE MOVIE CABIN IN THE SKY!!! If you have NOT seen this movie, it is a must see, in which this video is from! I LOOOOVE THIS SONG!! They were ALL SO TALENTED!!! Patunia (not sure how to spell it) was Ms. Waters character name in this movie! ONE MY ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIES!!
@Aj...That was quite a movie. An interesting anecdote here. The cat fight between Petunia and Georgia Brown ignited the emblematic snapping of the fingers as end punctuation among the black gay community. Nowhere could you go in the US without finding blak gays repeated that symbol. "Read, Miss Thing!" lol!!!!
Composers are the basis for all this beautiful music, in this case, Vernon Duke
If only things were this simple and happy these days. What has happened to people? Blessed to have these memories on record. Great talents and great people.
She shines in that movie..Petunia
GREAT 👍 THANKS FOR LETTING ME HEAR! XXX
My girl was about to throw down, lol! That part always got me!
Maybe I didn't read far enough among all the fine comments here. No one seems to have mentioned the original "Moon-Walking," fine dancing, and handsome older brother of Pearl Bailey, aka, Bill Bailey! He was one of the greatest performers! I can only hope that others will comment on his fine performance. James Power, I thank you so much for posting!
varadero
He is really handsome
I noticed the moon walk and have shared it widely.
Wow, when I look at him i can see a resemblance. Thanks for sharing that info.
Most if not all were self-taught dancers. No formal classes as we think of it today. I can watch cabin in the sky all day everyday
WOW!!
If she were alive today she's own the studio and the production company. 1943
Big time blues soul to that
For anyone in love, this is the ultimate version of this song. I listen many times every year--year in and year out!!!
What a performance
damn im just thinkin if it wasnt for YT, i wouldn't know a thing about these great and original music from such a talented woman like ethel waters
voice of an angel
Keep exploring one thing will lead you to another.... i’m just an old hippie! Music is the universal language all types never limit yourself when it’s all available.... mu I think music is it Legacy passed down through the centuries from one generation to another..... now with TH-cam the sky is the limit
It's one of the loveliest lyrics I've ever heard, and one of the prettiest melodies...
damn that dude is tap dancin the hell out of that song and ethel has a pretty smile it's so damn big a genuine!
Remember the composer Vernon Duke was born Vladimir Dukelsky in Russia,
from where he fled after the Bolshevik coup. Duke and George Gershwin were good friends. I believe he's been recently reburied in either Russia or Ukraine.
love listening to these older black singers they sang with feeling and they had great voices I loved this movie a all black cast
Birthday Remembrance of Ethel Waters
October 31, 1896 - September 1, 1977
She was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, but she began her career in the 1920s singing blues.
MAY SHE CONTINUE TO REST IN ETERNAL PEACE!
@Dorie...1896. What an interesting year. It was at that time a young Homer Adolph Plessy was walking the halls of justice, seeking to overturn the mores, customs, and traditions of the time. Alas, it didn't happen. His plea fell on deaf ears. Yes, Plessy v Ferguson, 1896. In the year previous, another historic moment, took place when educator Booker T. Washington gave his famous address at the Atlanta Exposition.
Put on your thinking caps, take a road trip, and name another singer who passed away about one month later.
This film was released in 1943. You see Bill Bailey, Older Brother of Pearl Bailey doing the Moon Walk fifteen years before Michael Jackson was born.
little moon walk action at 3:01 good stuff here!
Can't watch this and not smile!
Loved this Desi performance.
Remembering blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 - September 1, 1977) [10/31/2016]
Ethel Waters must be rmembred", said John West. Well said.
Absolutely love this what a hit of love
Love this…wish I was still existing in the 40s & 50s. My past life brought me here….
This is one of my favorite films! The musical selections are excellent and Ethel Waters is just always AMAZING!!
Pure gold!!!
Ethel Waters was an amazing woman with an amazing voice. I'm so thankful that my parents raised me listening to good music :D
Sublime rendition. 😮
Unforgettable--thanks. And what diction!
@Michael...That diction you mention was a must for those days. Without the hi tech advancements of the day, one had to speak such that the audience could understand the lyric and with the likes of Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Oscar Hammerstein, Dorothy Fields, Rogers and Hart, you definitely wanted to under those marvelous stories set to music in those days. Just listen to the diction of the lead singer of the Ink Spots, for starters. During that same timeframe, belting on Broadway was also the vogue of the day for the same reasons, the audience had to hear what was being sung. Ethel "The Merm" was a good example of "belting" a song. This, of course, is not to overlook Dolores Gray.
Delicious
Absolutely brilliant! Timeless and priceless! Great song and great performance!
What a dynamite song is Taking a Chance On Love!
BEAUTIFUL
Wow! Her voice sparkles & her delivery is emotional & silky. Excellent.
What a voice...what a woman!
I agree, it's a great song sung by a true legend in a wonderful movie
Wunderbar - wonderfull !
a beautiful talented lady who exuded class
beautiful
I can't remember how I first happened to know of Ethel Waters, perhaps from an old movie, but it seems she's always been part of my life. I just adored her.
Beautiful Lady and a voice like a angel
my words zakly!
This number is for me the greatest number in a musical….out of this world Prepared improvisation
I love this woman’s voice and this movie 🍿
i need this dvd
My favorite song, always thought it was Ella's from the 1950's. The lyrics were clever enough to stand with 'Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered' Glad to see where it came from. Gotta watch more Ethel.
As is mentioned further down in these posts -- The tap dancer is Bill Bailey.
No mention, though, of George Bassman, the,orchestrator, who wrote that great arrangement!
Cabin in the Sky was a Broadway musical which premiered in oct of 1940 in the Martin Beck theater for a run of 156 performances to good reviews. Ethel here, is reprising the role of Petunia that she originated (as does Rex Ingram ). This song was a replacement number written when Waters complained about "We'll Live All Over Again". This one became the hit of the musical.
Wish I could go back to days like this....even though I wasn't even close to being born yet! Great skills! Love it!
reading the book God in the Garden, she sang at Billy Graham crusades...I googled her and was sooo happy to recognize that big smile...I recalled her lovely face from.black and white movie night on TBN. my mom and I watched her in Cabin in the Sky. very grateful for youtube haha thanks for posting...even learned she was bisexual and born out of a rape
God is great!
Omg. Love it
I loved Cabin In The Sky.
I adored everything about her: the infectious smile, incredible diction, the emotion put into her singing -- the works. Although she doesn't sing, I feel Oprah Winfrey picks up where Ethel Waters left off. Both women present a powerful presence in just one frame.
Fortunately for me, I had the pleasure of chatting briefly with this great lady when I was about to board American Airlines for Virginia and she was deplaning at LAX long ago.
Fate hasn't been kind to me. I keep losing influences in my life that made an otherwise miserable life bearable. For example, Whitney Houston would've had a great career in both singing and acting: "The Bodyguard." I had wanted to see her in a reboot of "Sunset Boulevard," in which she'd take the Gloria Swanson role, with Kevin Costner in the William Holden role. But fate hasn't been kind to me.
I LOVE this song and Ethel Waters! Fantastic ...
So glad we can see this today. Wow that dancing. Golly Ethel's voice is a slice of heaven.
I love the lyric. You are very lucky.
maravillos ethel whaters, bellísima voz junto a ella fitzgerald y billie holiday
Wonderful or maybe I should say Khorasho. The song was composed by Vernon Duke who was born Vladimir Dukelsky who left Russia after the Bolshevik coup.
I just love this, she has such a pretty voice
Love is wonderful
What a talented and beautiful woman! That smile, alone would make you fall in love!!
That's Bill Bailey, doing the Moon Walk (original moves that Michael Jackson copied) and a number of steps that James Brown drove us wild with. What a great number, and Ethel's singing is perfect!
DANCERS DO WHAT THEY DO, WHICH IS STEAL EACH OTHER'S STEPS!! THE GREAT BILL BAILEY, STOLE IT HIMSELF!! NO BIGGIE LOL
Yes...I wrote this before read Your commentary.
You bet it has!!! It's still uppermost in my early introduction to Waters, and I'm "29" and have been for quite sometime. lol!!! As usual, Waters does justice to impeccable lyrics. And I think Dandridge just a credible job, too. I can't remember but I thought "Cabin in the Sky" was originally photographed in sepia, and I first saw it from a segregated balcony in Douglas, AZ. I must salute my taste since this song brings back great childhood memories. Thank you, Theodore!
Que maravilla
Who could star in a remake of this today?
Ethel has always been such a favourite. A woman of such talent.
thank you for posting! I just ordered the DVD of Cabin this morning. I love this!
Moonwalking at 2:59. Classic movie.
Luminous. Thanks you.
such a nice music and athmosphere
That Smile 😊
As part of my introduction to songs on Sunday morning, I am going to whistle as I play the organ before I bring the choir or the soloist . . . #BringinItBack
Great song. Great lady. Liked, shared and subscribed. :-)
😊❤ BEAUTIFUL
Beautiful!
Thank you for sharing.
They are good lyrics that show some of the best of American music writing. Would you accept a "thank you" on behalf of your grandfather?
Beautiful !
I would like to see the "new jacks" try to dance like either of these men! (and check out the moonwalk!)
The other way around. Garland sounds like Waters. It's interesting that many of the songs in Garland's repertoire duplicated Waters'. And remember records show the works by Waters were put to vinyl as early as 1927. Garland would've been five years old, so it's not likely that Waters would sound like Garland!
I've always loved this film and tis si f great lyrics And sang Minelie directed Cabin In The Sky
✨💫🌟magic ✨💫☄️