Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Never gonna dance, only gonna love

Last August, Turner Classic Movies did a gimmick they called "Summer Under the Stars" or something like that. Every day was a different classic movie star marathon. I was in the process of packing for a move, and basically was shell-shocked from the bar, so it was perfect for me.

Poking around on the Times for a break today, I found this article about some new DVD releases. What tickles me about it is that there's a new Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers collection out. It includes Swing Time, Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, Shalll We Dance, and The Barkleys of Broadway.

The reviewer read my mind - always a fan of Top Hat (who wouldn't be?) I saw Swing Time for the first time last August on TCM and I completely fell in love with it. How could I have missed this Fred and Ginger gem - it's obviously beautifully choreographed and executed, but the storyline itself is so bittersweet and gentle, which is unusual for a Fred and Ginger movie - the climactic scene set to "Never Gonna Dance" is romantic and heartbreaking. Love it!

Anyway, check it out, and if you have TCM, check out the lineup. This Saturday is Jimmy Stewart (includes The Man Who Knew Too Much, You Can't Take it with You, Vertigo and Rear Window) and Bogie gets the last day of the month (sadly I've missed Lauren Bacall, Cary Grant, and the aforementioned Fred.... and why no Orson Welles? Weird).

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