The Lovliest Dance of All

The sequence shown below of Fred Astaire and Cyd Charrisse comes from the 1953"The Band Wagon," in my opinion the greatest Hollywood musical of all time. Yes, even better than "Singin' in the Rain," in which she also starred.

The music is, of course, "Dancing in the Dark."

Tony (Astaire) and Gaby (Charisse) have been at odds from the beginning of the story. Now, they seek a compromise, take a hansom cab to Central Park, and ...well, dance, of course.

I have a VHS and DVD copy of this film. The movie itself never ceases to amuse and entertain me. The songs and dances are wonderful, including the closing signature tune, "That's Entertainment."

But this number entrances me every time out.

She was also wonderful with Gene Kelley in "Brigadoon."

Charisse died of a heart attack yesterday at the age of 86. Her bio can be seen on the IMDB website here.