All you have to do is watch the Bob Fosse & Carol Haney segment and you see the basis of all the choreography that Fosse would use in every musical he would ever direct. Carol Haney was an absolute marvel as a dancer, and, in my opinion, never quite got the recognition she deserved!!
I’m much more familiar with Bob Fosse as a choreographer than as a screen actor and never really knew too much about what he looked like (especially when he was younger) but I read your comment and immediately knew which one he was. I thought everyone was great in this number, but him and Carol were absolutely phenomenal!
This number in particular I think was coreographed by a very young Bob Fosse (who also dances the "bluesy" section). An early taste of his impressive genius which will change Broadway forever later on.
@@thejamtonic Fosse choreographed his own duet - I think it was the first time his choreography had appeared on either film or Broadway - but not the rest of the number.
LOVE IT!...LOVE IT!!...LOVE IT!!! They were all so young and full of energy in that sequence...and that beautiful Cole Porter music! Though they're all gone now, they will always be fondly remembered for what they gave us. 😊
@gwtwvivien -- Yes, Tommy Rall, who started in vaudeville, began his film career at the age of 13, later studied ballet (his ballon was remarkable) and excelled in every form of dance to which he turned his attention. Some examples: th-cam.com/video/87195HTjN4E/w-d-xo.html (See my comment under that vid for time references sections featuring Tommy) th-cam.com/video/QbzJtP75NqM/w-d-xo.html (Red shirt) th-cam.com/video/XE0AvrTjDD0/w-d-xo.html (Dance off with Fosse)
Watch the spectacular entrance of the incomparable Tommy Rall at 1.33 and as an added treat the singing segment at the start. Again it was Tommy Rall that outshone, outsang, outleaped and bedazzled everybody on the set. Tommy Rall was a sparkling diamond that not everybody got to appreciate but nevertheless what a humdinger of a talent.
Carol Haney is just great. I love how she uses her hair to emphasize the movement. She gets it. The dancing from all of them looks like so much fun to perform. (I'm a retired professional dancer myself) Bob Fosse and Tommy Rolls are just incredible. They really could fly.
Tommy Rall could dance anything and make it look effortless. Absolutely brilliant dancer! And Carol Haney is also one of the best dancers to ever grace Hollywood musicals. Thank God for film and film preservation (and TH-cam)!! Now we just have to work at getting them back in theaters so we can see them as originally intended…
And the vital connector is Hermes Pan. He mentored Fosse for the latter's first choreographed work on screen, kept the peace between the young lion and the prickly, authoritarian Kelly, and stood up for Ann Miller, whose best friend Pan was and remained for life. Ladies and gentlemen- Mr Hermes Joseph Panagiotopoulos, the invisible, ludicrously modest maestro of dance in musicals.
@@esmeephillips5888 A wonderfully concise summary of Pan. But why did he have to stand up for Miller? And what did Kelly have to do with 'Kiss Me Kate'?
@@YouzTube99 No, I was wrong about Kelly- he was not involved. I was thinking of the bizarre way he treated Jeanne Coyne just beforehand: roughing her up behind the scenes while stealing her from Stanley Donen. Kelly was something of a caveman. Ann Miller- When 'Lovely to Look At' shocked MGM by tanking (it had cost almost $3m) the inquest decided that she was partly to blame- too old and familiar. The front office wanted her off the next Keel-Grayson entry, 'Kiss Me Kate', because they had been set up as the big 1950s musical couple (modeled on Eddy and MacDonald) and the investment was in danger. Pan, who choreographed both films, had to plead for a reprieve. As it turned out, 'Kate' plus 'Small Town Girl' was pretty much the end of Miller's road, though she did brilliantly in both. Besides ageism, there may have been an element of personal spite, since she had spurned Mayer's proposal and he had made a feeble attempt at suicide. The news leaked and Miller's presence at Culver City was understandably awkward. Pan stood by her in these troubles, as he did all his leading ladies.
@@esmeephillips5888 Thank you for the clarification and additional details. You're clearly well versed in the history of Hollywood musicals! The background information about Pan adds to my understanding of why his creative partnership with Astaire produced results that continue to elicit admiration. Little wonder they worked so well together; in addition to their talents, both had a lot of personal integrity. Your description of Kelly as "something of a caveman" is reinforced by that rather well known comparison Cyd Charisse made between him and Astaire. When she would come home from work at MGM her husband could tell with whom she had been dancing; if she was covered with bruises, it was the very physical Gene Kelly, if not it was the smooth and agile Fred Astaire. Though Charisse expressed admiration for both partners, she, like most people who knew Astaire, acknowledged that there was something special about him, saying he "moved like glass" and "it was easy to dance with him". She also said she didn't "think he ever made a wrong move". The latter opinion was echoed by Nureyev and Baryshnikov, who were both pretty good dancers themselves.
@@YouzTube99 Yes, it's a real pity about Kelly. He meant well and tried hard, but trying to raise the tone of musicals and make them more 'thoughtful' a la Sondheim did him and them in. From 'Singin' in the Rain' (which is much more derivative than he let on) he went gallivanting off to Europe on 'Invitation to the Dance', a train wreck of a shoot. He returned to do the bilious 'It's Always Fair Weather' (In which Cyd is the best thing) and crash-dived. In four years he went from a moneyspinner and Oscar honoree to a liability to Metro. For me 'An American in Paris' is his peak, and a lot of that is down to Vincente Minnelli. Kelly wanted to do the lot by himself, but his best was always with a strong directorial collaborator- Minnelli or Donen. As an actor he ha a disturbing taste for playing manipulative heels (he wanted to do 'Pal Joey' and 'Guys and Dolls') which hints at his harsher side. That plastered-on Irish beam never quite convinced me. He had made enemies on his way up- he and LB Mayer feuded for years- unlike Fred, who was the soul of diplomacy. Kelly also strained too hard, so that his body fell apart sooner. He could never have hoofed elegantly on TV in the 1960s as Fred still did.
@@philipanderson4673 And for which precedents can be found all the way back to the revue numbers of early Sound musicals. Hermes Pan and Jack Cole also anticipated much of Fosse, but Pan with typical amiability let Fosse claim the credit. Fosse was more a synthesizer than an innovator, best (as here) taken in small doses.
@@esmeephillips5888 because he crafted it into a new dancing style. Pan's choreography was brilliant, but different. And Fred Astaire contributed a great deal to Pan. And so it goes back and back...Pan's style was more from the shows, Fosse's was for jazz.
@@LynneConnolly good for you to have analyzed the terrificness of this number correctly. sure, Fosse and Haney brought more idiosyncratic jazz to it, and good for them, but i still think Ann Miller and Tommy Rall carried it, with wonderful dazzle, in some of the best movie musical dancing ever, and grateful thanks to the great Hermes Pan for sharing the glory on this. they all deserve laurel wreaths, at the very least. and, wherever they are, i do hope they are reading this.
Pure Fosse perfection. He and Carol Haney outdanced them all. Sorry I’m a big Fosse fan. As soon as they started dancing, you cannot deny it was choreographed by Mr Fosse his style is undeniable.
@@seventiesmemories5116 I’ve asked around about how he came to choreograph this bit and never gotten a satisfactory answer. But aren’t we lucky he did!
This was Fosse's big opportunity. The Studio let him choreograph this number. Typical Fosse. Jazz hands, the walking moving with the shoulders leading the way, the knees turned in and twisted. Classic. He just went from strength to strength after this. Of course he hit the heights when he was choreographing for his wife Gwen Verdon. What a pair. Sorry I always like Bobby Van's dancing.
***** Thanks for posting it. I love the older musicals . Don't know if you follow Busby Berkley's career in the 1930s and 1940s but I read something a couple of months ago that they were looking at doing a biography film of his life. I would be very interesting to see how they handle it. In the old days everything was whitewashed and nowadays everything is hung out to for everyone to see no matter how awful! Thanks again.
As another person also commented, this film was originally made and shown in 3-D, which is why there are the forced-perspective lines painted on the floor to suggest a greater distance in the background. It's also why the dancers at the end pop in and out of different arches in the colonnade, so they'll be at different distances from the camera.Things like this were crucial to really make 3-D work for viewers.
I love when I showed my Broadway Musical college students this dance number. You can really see the evolution of not only Broadway dance here but Fosse's choreography!
This is my absolute favorite dance of all time. Bob Fosse and Carol Haney were fantastic, as were Ann Miller, Jeanne Coyne, and the wonderful Bobby Van. However, Tommy Rall was the best of them all.
Bob Fosse convinced Hermes Pan to let him choreograph his duet with Carol Haney. From this one number he was offered to do The Pajama Game on Broadway and Carol Haney became a huge star. When she injured herself her understudy became an even bigger star. She was Shirley MacLaine.
Frankincense!!! (Sorry, just channeling my 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'!) Tommy Rall is amazing. All the guys are incredible dancers. Every time I see this, I think, "wow, how Fosse-esque", then I remember one of the dancers is Bob Fosse!
I’ve been a HUGE fan of both Tommy Rall and Bob Fosse. When I was 4 and I first watched this, I thought Tommy Rall was flying. And Bob Fosse was just beyond amazing
Ironically she starred in the Broadway musical Pyjama Game. A big Hollywood talent scout came to see her as they wanted to make the musical into a play. That day she had fallen down stairs and broke her ankle. In true Hollywood fashion her stand in went on that night completely blew the scout away. SHE got the contract and SHE went to Hollywood instead of Haney. Who was she? Shirley Maclaine.
I saw Carol Haney dance the original "Steam Heat" in a Broadway theater when I was 7 years old. She was spectacular, and that performance led me into a lifelong attachment to broadway musicals.
I studied musical theater with Helen Gallagher who replaced Haney in “Pajama Game”. Now in her 90’s she’s seen every Broadway dancer since WWII. Once said in class that there were only 3 “great” female theater dancers. Gwen Verdon, Chita Riviera and Carol Haney.
Fossey was an inspirational & superb in the scenes he worked on in the movie. It's no wonder he became on e of the best choreographer in the US BAR Gene Kelly !!
And the studio orchestra going full blast. In the same year it provided the track for 'The Band Wagon', Metro's summit. Johnny Green had given it the final polish that made it Hollywood's finest ensemble: fit for polymathic young Andre Previn to cut his teeth on. Skip was working with Green's buddy Conrad Salinger on KMK- hell of a team.
I come back to this number from time to time, and really enjoy the new comments that appear. So far I have not seen anyone mention that Kiss Me Kate was the only major film musical of this era to be released in 3D. So in addition to everything else, the choreographers and designers of this number were also charged with making it as compelling as possible for the 3D viewers (it was also released "flat"). The "infinity" set was the first nod to the "deep" version. Also note how many moves involve dancers moving upstage and downstage, virtually into the camera. The use of the colonnade, turned perpendicular to the camera, is a brilliant touch, I think. Having seen this in a 3D revival theater, the number is even more amazing. And kudos, again, to the artists who created this!
It is more a side-to-side movement, though there might be some exploitation of 3D in the staggered placing of the couples as they emerge from the r.h. side. You don't get that awful 'Bwana Devil' obsession with chucking stuff or people at the camera lens, to make the audience jump out of their seats. (Even Hitchcock had to do a bit of it in 'Dial M for Murder'.) Imagine if Eleanor Powell's routines, which often involved her bearing down on the camera until she was in huge close-up, had been filmed in 3D. But the best hoofers do not need gimmicks, as Fred Astaire was the first to insist.
Actually, this film has more 'comin' at ya' 3D moments than almost any other 50s Hollywood 3D film, as if the director were playing with the medium and the audience. From the opening scene with Ann Miller pointing her fan at the viewer, to Tommy Rall swinging on a rope into the viewer's lap, to Kathryn Grayson slamming a mug towards the camera in "I Hate Men," to Howard Keel tossing a banana through the screen, MGM knew exactly what they were doing with the soon-to-be-faded 3D medium.
It was interpolated from another Porter show to give KMK a dance lift. Typical of Hermes Pan's appreciation of the dramatic potential of wordless action that he made it fit so neatly. Look at how the three guys contend for Ann before the two moping losers get cheekily picked up by the other gals. Such elegant, witty blocking and gestures! Fosse is granted his showoff moment, but Pan drives the whole sequence with its whirling, exultant theatricality.
Funny thing is, the song was not part of the Broadway hit production of 1948. Neither Keel nor Grayson danced, but MGM reckoned the audience would expect more hoofing to flaunt 3D and color. So 'From This Moment On' was fished out of the garbage can where George Abbott had dropped it three years earlier; he'd cut it in rehearsal from Porter's flop, 'Out of This World'. It became a showstopper on celluloid.
J'ai vu cette vidéo plus de mille fois depuis des années que je la visionne. J'en connais toutes les qualités de danse et de synchronisation avec la musique de Cole PORTER...J'y ai trouvé que deux réceptions affaiblies sur le pied droit Bob FOSSE et sur le pied droit de Ann MILLER...un super rattrapage de Carol HANEY qui change de pied pour être sur le bon afin d'être synchrone sur le poteau avec Bob FOSSE. Oublions le côté kitch des costumes, c'est un grand moment chorégraphié par Hermès PAN. Faboulous!!!
HOW IN THE HELL did Fosse manage that seemingly effortless leap up to that TINY projection on the lamppost at 2:39? I'd have killed myself on the first try.
From This moment On was not in Kiss me, Kate on Broadway in 1948. It is actually from Cole Porter's next musical, Out of This World (1950), which had a brief run. Thankfully they inserted it in the movie version and it became part of Kiss Me, Kate ever since.
Wow! After seeing Fosse / Verdon, I learned a lot about him. You can already see his style in his moves. His dancing is very different from the other two dancers. This just blows me away
Just fascinated with this dance scene! The music behind the dancers to me is just supper and dancers outstanding! Thanks for posting and really I never get tired of this creation from the past! Thanks!
I cannot count the number of times that I've watched this video. Pure perfection. Bob Fosse, Tony Rall, Carol Haney, Gwen Verdon - Pure perfection. How Tony Rall doesn't break every bone in his body on that leap (1:32) is amazing. Bob Fosse humping the pole without holding on to anything (2:39) is also amazing.
I have a feeling that unseen to the audience, there is something sticking out the back of the pole that Bob Fosse is on, that he puts his leg over, thus allowing him to stay in that position. Still looks good anyway though :D
@@smallkat99 "Rall" can fly. I love Anne Miller in this but Tommy "Rall" outperforms her. Take a look at his leaps next to hers. He jumps 2 maybe 3 times higher than she does every time. BTW I know that Carol Haney was "Fosse's" partner. I believe that the other female dancer is Gwen Verdon, I forget who the other male dancer is, do you know? Actually I rate this the second best dance routine ever. The Nicolas Brothers in Stormy Weather is #1. You can see the magic hands influence that the Nicolas Brothers had on "Fosse" in this routine.
The song was CUT from a musical that was a dud (maybe as a result?), Out of this World. It was written while Kiss Me Kate was a Broadway hit, but was not in that show either. One of the greatest Cole Porter songs in his last prolific decade, will live forever in this thoroughly superior film classic with young dancer/choreographer Bob Fosse, who did his own routine.
I love great musical dance numbers like this one for so many reasons. (Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse doing "Dancing in the Dark" from "The Band Wagon" is another Alpine peak). Apart from their stunning beauty and artistry, they are poetic statements of what the relations between men and women should (and could) be. Anyone who wants a visual portrait of what Western civilization is fighting for against the modern barbarians of ISIS and the Taliban need look no further than these joyous displays of grace and strength, in which men and women revel in their common humanity while showing their love for one another. The only way to defeat an idea is with another, and better, idea; and if we win this battle, it will not be because of our superior weaponry, but because the thoughts and feelings that these dances (and paintings, and dramas, and music, and stained-glass windows, and...) embody will ultimately draw the world's peoples away from the stifling cruelties of our enemies, and lead them to cry out: "I WANT TO FEEL JOY LIKE THAT!"
The really ironic thing about this number is that it is not part of any version of the stage musical from 1948. It was added in 1951 from another Cole Porter musical and even then.it was just a duet between Lilli Vanessi and her fiance who was cut from the film and replaced by Tex, so how Hermes Pan got it into the movie is not explained, (or how the wardrobe dept. contrived those tights).
It was from the musical OUT OF THIS WORLD and was never planned or added to the stage version of KATE. There is no reason to add it and the song’s popularity derives from the movie choreography. Since it adds nothing to the KATE stage version it should not be included. I mean “You’re the Top” is a great song but don’t shoehorn it into KISS ME, KATE. As far as those tights on the men, they’re just costumes that’s all along with the codpieces covering the crotch. And no, I don’t know or care whose codpiece was biggest!
She certainly was. Multi-talented performer and a demanding teacher who helped me find my best singing voice. Small women with a large, charismatic personality.
Every time I watch this marvelous sequence, and Fosse makes that INCREDIBLE leaping entrance at 1:34, I can practically hear a collective gasp go up from an unseen theater audience. (And I don't care if he used an offstage trampoline to launch himself; he still had to handle that ten-foot descent on his own).
All you have to do is watch the Bob Fosse & Carol Haney segment and you see the basis of all the choreography that Fosse would use in every musical he would ever direct. Carol Haney was an absolute marvel as a dancer, and, in my opinion, never quite got the recognition she deserved!!
Amazingly, I read that Hollywood producers didn't think she was pretty enough to be a major star. I thought she was stunning in this ensemble.
The part with Bob Fosse and Carol Haney takes my breath away, absolutely incredible and creative dancing and makes you smile and want to move too.
I’m much more familiar with Bob Fosse as a choreographer than as a screen actor and never really knew too much about what he looked like (especially when he was younger) but I read your comment and immediately knew which one he was. I thought everyone was great in this number, but him and Carol were absolutely phenomenal!
Bob Fosse and Carol Haney, what a duo!
Tommy Rall. 1929-2020. RIP
I loved Bobby Van. He was on TV when I was a kid.
Tommy Rall's leap out of the doorway has always thrilled me. He lands like on a cloud...but that leap could have easily broken a couple of bones.
...honestly, God bless those ladies... but this number is all about the guys.
Those old films don't give a credit to the choreographer so I ask does anyone know who choreographed the film and was it all of the dance numbers ?
This number in particular I think was coreographed by a very young Bob Fosse (who also dances the "bluesy" section). An early taste of his impressive genius which will change Broadway forever later on.
@@ronnyrazor6351 Hermes Pan was the main choreographer. He did all of Astaires stuff as well.
@@thejamtonic Fosse choreographed his own duet - I think it was the first time his choreography had appeared on either film or Broadway - but not the rest of the number.
LOVE IT!...LOVE IT!!...LOVE IT!!!
They were all so young and full of energy in that sequence...and that beautiful Cole Porter music! Though they're all gone now, they will always be fondly remembered for what they gave us. 😊
They are all fantastic dancers,but Carol Haney is spectacular!wow!
Cole porters music is fantastic and always will be he had the touch of genius
Fosse, Rall, Van, Coyne, Miller, Haney. ❤ I met Bobby Van with my father in NYC. 1972.
Yeah, my dad knew Astaire and Kelly.😮❤
The man that is dancing with Ann Miller is the best. An amazing dancer... Very athletic. I love it!!!!
@gwtwvivien -- Yes, Tommy Rall, who started in vaudeville, began his film career at the age of 13, later studied ballet (his ballon was remarkable) and excelled in every form of dance to which he turned his attention. Some examples:
th-cam.com/video/87195HTjN4E/w-d-xo.html (See my comment under that vid for time references sections featuring Tommy)
th-cam.com/video/QbzJtP75NqM/w-d-xo.html (Red shirt)
th-cam.com/video/XE0AvrTjDD0/w-d-xo.html (Dance off with Fosse)
I get the chills watching this scene. It’s so well choreographed and it looks as though they really enjoyed dancing and singing!
God bless you, Tommy Rall, the lone survivor at 89.
RIP, he died today 10-6-20
@@2244ntho66 I know...I guess we're here for the same reason. I'm here to be amazed once again by Mr. Rall. RIP
Watch the spectacular entrance of the incomparable Tommy Rall at 1.33 and as an added treat the singing segment at the start. Again it was Tommy Rall that outshone, outsang, outleaped and bedazzled everybody on the set. Tommy Rall was a sparkling diamond that not everybody got to appreciate but nevertheless what a humdinger of a talent.
Carol Haney is just great. I love how she uses her hair to emphasize the movement. She gets it. The dancing from all of them looks like so much fun to perform. (I'm a retired professional dancer myself) Bob Fosse and Tommy Rolls are just incredible. They really could fly.
Bobby Van was great also
The pauses, how did they do that. Incredible to watch
Tommy Rall.
Ann Miller, probably the best musical dancer ever and clearly ballet trained. She made it all look so effortless.
Tommy Rail was such a marvelous dancer.
And also a marveleus singer a lyric tenor a misture of Gene Kelly and Mario Lanza
Tommy Rall could dance anything and make it look effortless. Absolutely brilliant dancer! And Carol Haney is also one of the best dancers to ever grace Hollywood musicals. Thank God for film and film preservation (and TH-cam)!! Now we just have to work at getting them back in theaters so we can see them as originally intended…
Bob Fosse - best choreographer ever!
The era of Ann Miller meets the new era of Bob Fosse and it is beautiful and seamless.
And the vital connector is Hermes Pan. He mentored Fosse for the latter's first choreographed work on screen, kept the peace between the young lion and the prickly, authoritarian Kelly, and stood up for Ann Miller, whose best friend Pan was and remained for life.
Ladies and gentlemen- Mr Hermes Joseph Panagiotopoulos, the invisible, ludicrously modest maestro of dance in musicals.
@@esmeephillips5888
A wonderfully concise summary of Pan.
But why did he have to stand up for Miller?
And what did Kelly have to do with 'Kiss Me Kate'?
@@YouzTube99 No, I was wrong about Kelly- he was not involved. I was thinking of the bizarre way he treated Jeanne Coyne just beforehand: roughing her up behind the scenes while stealing her from Stanley Donen. Kelly was something of a caveman.
Ann Miller- When 'Lovely to Look At' shocked MGM by tanking (it had cost almost $3m) the inquest decided that she was partly to blame- too old and familiar. The front office wanted her off the next Keel-Grayson entry, 'Kiss Me Kate', because they had been set up as the big 1950s musical couple (modeled on Eddy and MacDonald) and the investment was in danger. Pan, who choreographed both films, had to plead for a reprieve. As it turned out, 'Kate' plus 'Small Town Girl' was pretty much the end of Miller's road, though she did brilliantly in both.
Besides ageism, there may have been an element of personal spite, since she had spurned Mayer's proposal and he had made a feeble attempt at suicide. The news leaked and Miller's presence at Culver City was understandably awkward. Pan stood by her in these troubles, as he did all his leading ladies.
@@esmeephillips5888
Thank you for the clarification and additional details. You're clearly well versed in the history of Hollywood musicals!
The background information about Pan adds to my understanding of why his creative partnership with Astaire produced results that continue to elicit admiration. Little wonder they worked so well together; in addition to their talents, both had a lot of personal integrity.
Your description of Kelly as "something of a caveman" is reinforced by that rather well known comparison Cyd Charisse made between him and Astaire. When she would come home from work at MGM her husband could tell with whom she had been dancing; if she was covered with bruises, it was the very physical Gene Kelly, if not it was the smooth and agile Fred Astaire.
Though Charisse expressed admiration for both partners, she, like most people who knew Astaire, acknowledged that there was something special about him, saying he "moved like glass" and "it was easy to dance with him". She also said she didn't "think he ever made a wrong move". The latter opinion was echoed by Nureyev and Baryshnikov, who were both pretty good dancers themselves.
@@YouzTube99 Yes, it's a real pity about Kelly. He meant well and tried hard, but trying to raise the tone of musicals and make them more 'thoughtful' a la Sondheim did him and them in.
From 'Singin' in the Rain' (which is much more derivative than he let on) he went gallivanting off to Europe on 'Invitation to the Dance', a train wreck of a shoot. He returned to do the bilious 'It's Always Fair Weather' (In which Cyd is the best thing) and crash-dived. In four years he went from a moneyspinner and Oscar honoree to a liability to Metro.
For me 'An American in Paris' is his peak, and a lot of that is down to Vincente Minnelli. Kelly wanted to do the lot by himself, but his best was always with a strong directorial collaborator- Minnelli or Donen. As an actor he ha a disturbing taste for playing manipulative heels (he wanted to do 'Pal Joey' and 'Guys and Dolls') which hints at his harsher side. That plastered-on Irish beam never quite convinced me.
He had made enemies on his way up- he and LB Mayer feuded for years- unlike Fred, who was the soul of diplomacy. Kelly also strained too hard, so that his body fell apart sooner. He could never have hoofed elegantly on TV in the 1960s as Fred still did.
Fosse is out of this world, OMG, on fire every moment of this performance. Pure genius
five moves that he used over and over and over and over
@@philipanderson4673 And for which precedents can be found all the way back to the revue numbers of early Sound musicals. Hermes Pan and Jack Cole also anticipated much of Fosse, but Pan with typical amiability let Fosse claim the credit.
Fosse was more a synthesizer than an innovator, best (as here) taken in small doses.
@@esmeephillips5888 THANK you.... small doses or one routine and you've got the whole career.. except perhaps the choreography he devised for others..
@@esmeephillips5888 because he crafted it into a new dancing style. Pan's choreography was brilliant, but different. And Fred Astaire contributed a great deal to Pan. And so it goes back and back...Pan's style was more from the shows, Fosse's was for jazz.
@@LynneConnolly good for you to have analyzed the terrificness of this number correctly. sure, Fosse and Haney brought more idiosyncratic jazz to it, and good for them, but i still think Ann Miller and Tommy Rall carried it, with wonderful dazzle, in some of the best movie musical dancing ever, and grateful thanks to the great Hermes Pan for sharing the glory on this. they all deserve laurel wreaths, at the very least. and, wherever they are, i do hope they are reading this.
Time and time again I watch this dance routine. There is nothing to add.
Tommy Rall sure can fly!
Pure Fosse perfection. He and Carol Haney outdanced them all. Sorry I’m a big Fosse fan. As soon as they started dancing, you cannot deny it was choreographed by Mr Fosse his style is undeniable.
This is what Makes America Great.
@@SFKelvin It's what made America great. Now we're just angry, scowling at each other through masks.
Don't know the exact story of how he was given the opportunity, but Fosse was given this bit to choreograph for himself - it put him on the map.
@@SFKelvin ---It certainly doesn't hurt!
@@seventiesmemories5116 I’ve asked around about how he came to choreograph this bit and never gotten a satisfactory answer. But aren’t we lucky he did!
Surely one of the all time greatest sequences--musical, dramatic or comedic--every put to celluloid. Thanks for posting.
+Jay Taylor Good to hear from you, thanks for posting
Jay Taylor ... this...and the barn raising scene from 7 brides for 7 brothers (also featuring Tommy Rall).
Both are simply wonderful!!
yes
The Nicholas Brothers finale from Stormy Monday, that’s up there too.
This was Fosse's big opportunity. The Studio let him choreograph this number. Typical Fosse. Jazz hands, the walking moving with the shoulders leading the way, the knees turned in and twisted. Classic. He just went from strength to strength after this. Of course he hit the heights when he was choreographing for his wife Gwen Verdon. What a pair. Sorry I always like Bobby Van's dancing.
That is interesting to hear. Thanks.
***** Thanks for posting it. I love the older musicals . Don't know if you follow Busby Berkley's career in the 1930s and 1940s but I read something a couple of months ago that they were looking at doing a biography film of his life. I would be very interesting to see how they handle it. In the old days everything was whitewashed and nowadays everything is hung out to for everyone to see no matter how awful! Thanks again.
kate baxter Actually I had never heard of Busby Berkley. I have looked up a few clips about him on TH-cam. Looks interesting and creative!
kate baxter
kate baxter ĺ
All great dancers, but Tommy & Ann standout - except for Bob’s # with Carol Haney. Tommy’s leap & soft landing & his voice are exceptional!
As another person also commented, this film was originally made and shown in 3-D, which is why there are the forced-perspective lines painted on the floor to suggest a greater distance in the background. It's also why the dancers at the end pop in and out of different arches in the colonnade, so they'll be at different distances from the camera.Things like this were crucial to really make 3-D work for viewers.
Wow, that is very interesting, I would have loved to see this in 3D.
@@Emeetykkin I saw it in 3D in a theater in the late 1970s (with glasses) and the entire film was breathtaking. Larger than life.
@@stevelehr1115 I would have loved to see this in 3D!
I love when I showed my Broadway Musical college students this dance number. You can really see the evolution of not only Broadway dance here but Fosse's choreography!
“Tom, Dick, or Harry” and this number are such amazing performances. I wish more people could appreciate the greatness of this era.
This is my absolute favorite dance of all time. Bob Fosse and Carol Haney were fantastic, as were Ann Miller, Jeanne Coyne, and the wonderful Bobby Van. However, Tommy Rall was the best of them all.
Tommy Rall, spectacular and to me, underrated.
Bob Fosse convinced Hermes Pan to let him choreograph his duet with Carol Haney. From this one number he was offered to do The Pajama Game on Broadway and Carol Haney became a huge star. When she injured herself her understudy became an even bigger star. She was Shirley MacLaine.
Thats interesting!
Haney and Maclaine had similar elfin, 'gamine' faces.
Frankincense!!! (Sorry, just channeling my 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'!)
Tommy Rall is amazing. All the guys are incredible dancers. Every time I see this, I think, "wow, how Fosse-esque", then I remember one of the dancers is Bob Fosse!
Bob Fosse with Carol Hainey
@@TheAnthonycaruanaAnd they're dancing to Fosse's choreography during their duet.
Tommy Rall and Carol Haney!!!
At first I was like "but which one is Fosse?" ...and then he just shoots out in the Fosse-est way possible
I’ve been a HUGE fan of both Tommy Rall and Bob Fosse. When I was 4 and I first watched this, I thought Tommy Rall was flying. And Bob Fosse was just beyond amazing
I believe Carol Haney was one of the most underrated dancers on Broadway. And I like her legs...
She died so young...tragic really. But I agree - she was an AMAZING dancer, a joy to watch.
Ironically she starred in the Broadway musical Pyjama Game. A big Hollywood talent scout came to see her as they wanted to make the musical into a play. That day she had fallen down stairs and broke her ankle. In true Hollywood fashion her stand in went on that night completely blew the scout away. SHE got the contract and SHE went to Hollywood instead of Haney. Who was she? Shirley Maclaine.
I saw Carol Haney dance the original "Steam Heat" in a Broadway theater when I was 7 years old. She was spectacular, and that performance led me into a lifelong attachment to broadway musicals.
I studied musical theater with Helen Gallagher who replaced Haney in “Pajama Game”. Now in her 90’s she’s seen every Broadway dancer since WWII. Once said in class that there were only 3 “great” female theater dancers. Gwen Verdon, Chita Riviera and Carol Haney.
@@pjk9056 helen gallagher was wonderful on ryans hope back in the day
Questo numero di danza e’ pazzesco. Modernissimo. E nel pezzo ballato da Bob Fosse c’e’ gia’ tutto
Fossey was an inspirational & superb in the scenes he worked on in the movie. It's no wonder he became on e of the best choreographer in the US BAR Gene Kelly !!
Must rank up there with Donald O'Connor's Make 'Em Laugh as one of the greatest dance sequences.
Absolutely one of my favorite movies. I love old musicals.
One of the best dance every film and the music just GREAT! I never get tired of it! Thanks
Fabulous Skip Martin arrangement.
And the studio orchestra going full blast. In the same year it provided the track for 'The Band Wagon', Metro's summit. Johnny Green had given it the final polish that made it Hollywood's finest ensemble: fit for polymathic young Andre Previn to cut his teeth on. Skip was working with Green's buddy Conrad Salinger on KMK- hell of a team.
simply brilliant, a highlight of MGM musicals, and that's sayin' somethin' . watch it often. to savor, always. R
Never get tired of this classic!!!!
Light as feather. Incredible dancing. I love the orchestration it perfectly mirrors the fleet footed dancers. Great song of course. Porter a genius
Carol Haney has power! She matches Fosse step for step.
Another example of back when musicals had real music, and the dancers were really talented. Then add Fosse's choreography. Wowza!
Just found out that Tommy Rall passed away recently; so, they are all dancing for and with the angels.
I come back to this number from time to time, and really enjoy the new comments that appear. So far I have not seen anyone mention that Kiss Me Kate was the only major film musical of this era to be released in 3D. So in addition to everything else, the choreographers and designers of this number were also charged with making it as compelling as possible for the 3D viewers (it was also released "flat").
The "infinity" set was the first nod to the "deep" version. Also note how many moves involve dancers moving upstage and downstage, virtually into the camera. The use of the colonnade, turned perpendicular to the camera, is a brilliant touch, I think. Having seen this in a 3D revival theater, the number is even more amazing. And kudos, again, to the artists who created this!
It's been restored on Blu-ray 3D video.
Wonderful! But this number in 3D on the big screen is simply overwhelming.
It is more a side-to-side movement, though there might be some exploitation of 3D in the staggered placing of the couples as they emerge from the r.h. side. You don't get that awful 'Bwana Devil' obsession with chucking stuff or people at the camera lens, to make the audience jump out of their seats. (Even Hitchcock had to do a bit of it in 'Dial M for Murder'.)
Imagine if Eleanor Powell's routines, which often involved her bearing down on the camera until she was in huge close-up, had been filmed in 3D. But the best hoofers do not need gimmicks, as Fred Astaire was the first to insist.
Actually, this film has more 'comin' at ya' 3D moments than almost any other 50s Hollywood 3D film, as if the director were playing with the medium and the audience. From the opening scene with Ann Miller pointing her fan at the viewer, to Tommy Rall swinging on a rope into the viewer's lap, to Kathryn Grayson slamming a mug towards the camera in "I Hate Men," to Howard Keel tossing a banana through the screen, MGM knew exactly what they were doing with the soon-to-be-faded 3D medium.
best number of the whole musical in my humble opinion
It was interpolated from another Porter show to give KMK a dance lift. Typical of Hermes Pan's appreciation of the dramatic potential of wordless action that he made it fit so neatly. Look at how the three guys contend for Ann before the two moping losers get cheekily picked up by the other gals. Such elegant, witty blocking and gestures!
Fosse is granted his showoff moment, but Pan drives the whole sequence with its whirling, exultant theatricality.
Can you imagine how fabulous this must have been in 3D?
Love all the music from Kiss Me Kate, and the dancing is wonderful , loved it all .
Extraordinario, magnífico, insuperable👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
My favorite dance scene of all time! Great Cole Porter song. Amazing dance talent of Bob Fosse and Carol Haney as well as the others.
Funny thing is, the song was not part of the Broadway hit production of 1948. Neither Keel nor Grayson danced, but MGM reckoned the audience would expect more hoofing to flaunt 3D and color. So 'From This Moment On' was fished out of the garbage can where George Abbott had dropped it three years earlier; he'd cut it in rehearsal from Porter's flop, 'Out of This World'. It became a showstopper on celluloid.
A glorious moment in musical film. A riotous and well choreographed dance sequence that will be hard to be topped.
Bob Fosse is impossibly cute. And brilliant.
This is perfect. Talent to burn here.
Super! Coming up on Cole's birthday celebration here in Peru, Indiana!
Lets hear it for Peru
The pure phyciality match with such style. Absolutely magnificent
Gosh this is wonderful..I never tire of seeing it
AWESOME......Another super performance from one of the best ever musicals...KISS ME KATE....!!!!
J'ai vu cette vidéo plus de mille fois depuis des années que je la visionne. J'en connais toutes les qualités de danse et de synchronisation avec la musique de Cole PORTER...J'y ai trouvé que deux réceptions affaiblies sur le pied droit Bob FOSSE et sur le pied droit de Ann MILLER...un super rattrapage de Carol HANEY qui change de pied pour être sur le bon afin d'être synchrone sur le poteau avec Bob FOSSE. Oublions le côté kitch des costumes, c'est un grand moment chorégraphié par Hermès PAN. Faboulous!!!
+Daniel Longuein Alors vu aussi le spectacle au Chatelet?
The Really really really strange thing about this is ... it fits with the end of Tosca Act II. SO BRILLIANT.
Interesting..
HOW IN THE HELL did Fosse manage that seemingly effortless leap up to that TINY projection on the lamppost at 2:39? I'd have killed myself on the first try.
This version has Carol Hanley's scream edited out!!! Somebody messed around with Bob Fosse's choreography! The scream is a crucial part of this dance!
I think they dubbed over the movie sound with the music only, there's no foot sound after the first part of the number.
and the finger snaps...
@@philipanderson4673 Right! & no applause.
I was waiting for that, remembering it from "That's Entertainment, Part 2" and was surprised it was missing.
Loved her in "The Pajama Game", the Steam Heat Number. Also another Fosse creation.
perfection.
Superb!
Absolutely adore Bobby.
Perfection.😊😊😊😊😊
Fosse looks amazing in this.. he was not only the greatest choreographer, but an amazing dancer :)
Thanks for posting this magnificent number. 😍
From This moment On was not in Kiss me, Kate on Broadway in 1948. It is actually from Cole Porter's next musical, Out of This World (1950), which had a brief run. Thankfully they inserted it in the movie version and it became part of Kiss Me, Kate ever since.
No, not ever since. There is no room or need for it in the stage version of KATE. It doesn’t fit anywhere.
Just so modern, classy...classic!! Thats dancing ❤️
Wow! After seeing Fosse / Verdon, I learned a lot about him. You can already see his style in his moves. His dancing is very different from the other two dancers. This just blows me away
Just fascinated with this dance scene! The music behind the dancers to me is just supper and dancers outstanding! Thanks for posting and really I never get tired of this creation from the past! Thanks!
Anyone pessimistic about life needs to watch this. 2:26-2:40 gets me every time.
I cannot count the number of times that I've watched this video. Pure perfection. Bob Fosse, Tony Rall, Carol Haney, Gwen Verdon - Pure perfection. How Tony Rall doesn't break every bone in his body on that leap (1:32) is amazing. Bob Fosse humping the pole without holding on to anything (2:39) is also amazing.
I have a feeling that unseen to the audience, there is something sticking out the back of the pole that Bob Fosse is on, that he puts his leg over, thus allowing him to stay in that position. Still looks good anyway though :D
@@smallkat99 That occurred to me. So do you think Tommy Rail used a trampoline when he made the amazing flying entrance?
@@BarringtonOASmith almost certainly, which makes the landing even more impressive!
@@smallkat99 "Rall" can fly. I love Anne Miller in this but Tommy "Rall" outperforms her. Take a look at his leaps next to hers. He jumps 2 maybe 3 times higher than she does every time.
BTW I know that Carol Haney was "Fosse's" partner. I believe that the other female dancer is Gwen Verdon, I forget who the other male dancer is, do you know? Actually I rate this the second best dance routine ever. The Nicolas Brothers in Stormy Weather is #1. You can see the magic hands influence that the Nicolas Brothers had on "Fosse" in this routine.
@@smallkat99 Bobby Van is the 3rd male dancer. I am unsure if the third female dancer is Jeanne Crane or Gwen Verdon. It's one of the 2.
Amazing!
The song was CUT from a musical that was a dud (maybe as a result?), Out of this World. It was written while Kiss Me Kate was a Broadway hit, but was not in that show either. One of the greatest Cole Porter songs in his last prolific decade, will live forever in this thoroughly superior film classic with young dancer/choreographer Bob Fosse, who did his own routine.
historyyyyy
So fabulous. Carol Haney
I love great musical dance numbers like this one for so many reasons. (Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse doing "Dancing in the Dark" from "The Band Wagon" is another Alpine peak). Apart from their stunning beauty and artistry, they are poetic statements of what the relations between men and women should (and could) be. Anyone who wants a visual portrait of what Western civilization is fighting for against the modern barbarians of ISIS and the Taliban need look no further than these joyous displays of grace and strength, in which men and women revel in their common humanity while showing their love for one another. The only way to defeat an idea is with another, and better, idea; and if we win this battle, it will not be because of our superior weaponry, but because the thoughts and feelings that these dances (and paintings, and dramas, and music, and stained-glass windows, and...) embody will ultimately draw the world's peoples away from the stifling cruelties of our enemies, and lead them to cry out: "I WANT TO FEEL JOY LIKE THAT!"
A beautiful ststement!
A beautiful ststement!
Ahh. Life at the Hyatt is good, isn't it? Love, DOn xoxo
Brilliant number.
Carol Haney wow!
The really ironic thing about this number is that it is not part of any version of the stage musical from 1948.
It was added in 1951 from another Cole Porter musical and even then.it was just a duet between Lilli Vanessi and her fiance who was cut from the film and replaced by Tex, so how Hermes Pan got it into the movie is not explained, (or how the wardrobe dept. contrived those tights).
It was from the musical OUT OF THIS WORLD and was never planned or added to the stage version of KATE. There is no reason to add it and the song’s popularity derives from the movie choreography. Since it adds nothing to the KATE stage version it should not be included. I mean “You’re the Top” is a great song but don’t shoehorn it into KISS ME, KATE.
As far as those tights on the men, they’re just costumes that’s all along with the codpieces covering the crotch. And no, I don’t know or care whose codpiece was biggest!
Actually the song has always been one of the popular Porter numbers, even sung without dancing.@@johnpickford4222
Wonderful!
Rall, Tommy Rall.❤❤Ann Miller.
She certainly was. Multi-talented performer and a demanding teacher who helped me find my best singing voice. Small women with a large, charismatic personality.
One of my favorites too
Fabulous. You can see the greatness of Fosse here--in the choreography--looks like his own with Carol Haney.
It was.
Every time I watch this marvelous sequence, and Fosse makes that INCREDIBLE leaping entrance at 1:34, I can practically hear a collective gasp go up from an unseen theater audience. (And I don't care if he used an offstage trampoline to launch himself; he still had to handle that ten-foot descent on his own).
Er, it's Rall, not Fosse.
I love musicals. thanks
This is a good one too!
This what great musical entertainment is!
On some of his leaps Tommy Rall seems to stop completely in mid air for a virtual second or two!
I loved Bobby Van the most in this musical. I liked Ann Miller but always liked Ellie Powell more. :)
ESTO ES ARTE TOTALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Musical maravilloso.
Bob Fosse pure magic!
The many varieties of Jazz Hands.
Carol and Bob are exciting!
His style and movement are so Gene Kelly! I would think it is him!
Ya I noticed that recently when I watched the film !! Fosse had an influence on so many dancers
@@ronnyrazor6351 If anything, the influence would have been the other way around, though, just given their relative ages.