With apologies to my wife and the rest of the femalepopulation, can we all agree that actress Cyd Charisse simply had the best legsthat ever walked the earth? If you don't believe me, just look at that amazingdance number in "Singin' in the Rain" when Cyd's legs, sheathed in greenstockings, fill the entire length of the screen. Her gams were a work of art,strong, perfectly shaped and proportioned, and more than capable of performingthe best dancing ever seen on a movie screen. And I mean EVER. I was at theBeverly Hills Library yesterday afternoon when I saw the news report that CydCharisse had died at the age of 86. I let out an involuntary "No!" causingeveryone in the reference room to glare at me in disapproval. I wanted toexplain to them why I had yelped, but then realized with sadness that most ofthe twentysomething college students probably wouldn't have any idea who CydCharisse is.
Cyd Charisse was one of those celebrities we'd always seearound town. And every encounter only strengthened my impression that she wasone of the classiest, sweetest dames ever to come out of Hollywood. And, of course, one of the most gorgeous. I was shocked to read that she was86 because the last time we saw her at some restaurant or event not that long ago,she was still as breathtakingly stunning as she was at the height of hercareer. I remember seeing Cyd and her longtime husband, singer Tony Martin (whois still going strong at the age of 96) at a screening of one of her films andthinking that she had the regal air of a queen, but a benevolent one who wouldalways stop and talk to her lowly subjects. In their wonderfully odd jointmemoir called "The Two of Us," Cyd and Tony actually encouraged fans who seethem in public to come up to the couple and say hi. Class. I never quite hadthe courage to accost Charisse but I always meant to, remembering what she saidin her book.
Born in Amarillo, Texas, in 1921 with the name Tula Finklea,Cyd's first love was ballet and she joined the famous Ballets Russes at the ageof 13. She married her dance teacher Nico Charisse in 1939 (they divorced in1947) which gave her a more marquee-worthy last name and took Cyd from herfamily nickname of Sid which came from her brother's inability to properly say"Sis." Charisse came to MGM in 1943 and played a few bit roles before landingthe small but noticeable role of "Deborah from Rhode Island" in "The HarveyGirls" in 1946. She was featured in other A-list musicals such as "ZiegfeldFollies," "Till the Clouds Roll By," and "Words and Music," and she did severaldramatic roles, usually playing "exotic" Latinasor Native American girls, but it was her extended cameo in "Singin in the Rain"in 1952 that put her over the top.
In the mid-1970s, Vincente Minnelli was being honored at the ChicagoInternational Film Festival. I went to see him in person and then attended all of the screenings of his films. I remember falling in love with Charisse in "The Band Wagon," her first bigstarring role opposite Fred Astaire. For my money, "The Band Wagon" is thequintessential MGM musical, even better than "Singing' in the Rain," and Cydwas perfect for the role of ballet dancer Gabrielle Gerard who is being courtedby Astaire to appear in a Broadway musical. "I can watch Astaire anytime,"Charisse said later. "I don't think he ever made a wrong move. He was aperfectionist. He would work on a few bars for hours until it was just the wayhe wanted it." There are so many great numbers in "The Band Wagon" but I thinkmy all-time favorite is the most simple one--a quiet and supposedly impromptudance between Astaire and Charisse when they are walking in Central Park tryingto let off steam from their grueling rehearsals. Behold the magnificence of"Dancing in the Dark."
Not many actresses got to star opposite both Astaire andKelly. After "Singing' in the Rain," Cyd costarred with Gene Kelly in"Brigadoon" and "It's Always Fair Weather," neither among my favorites but bothcontaining memorable dance numbers. Throughout her life, Charisse wasalways asked to compare Astaire and Kelly but she was reluctant to doso. "I'd say they were the two greatest dancing personalities who were ever onthe screen," was as far as she'd go. "Each has a distinctive style. Each is ajoy to work with. But it's like comparing apples and oranges. They're bothdelicious."
When I was going to school in Paris in 1978, a local movietheatre did a retrospective of all of Charisse's films (you gotta love theFrench for appreciating some of our stars at a time when they were beingignored in their own country). On December 28th of that year, I wasscheduled to fly from Paris to the Soviet Union for a weeklong trip with abunch of French students. On December 27th, to get us in the mood,my friends and I went to a screening of "Silk Stockings" at the Paris cinemathat was honoring Cyd. This film became my absolute favorite of all ofCharisse's work. Made in 1957 at the height of the Cold War, the musical remakeof "Ninotchka" featured Charisse in the Greta Garbo role and Fred Astaireplaying the Melvyn Douglas part. The anti-Soviet propaganda is utterlyoutrageous but the film is a joy from beginning to end. While Charisse'sRussian accent is ridiculous and her lines preposterous, her dancingscenes with Astaire are among the best of her career. Here's my favorite one,especially the last 90 seconds of it. No one was Cyd's equal. Take a look:
Unfortunately, by 1957 both the studio system and musicalsin general were in their death throes, and Charisse never got a decent part in a musical again. I always felt that Charisse could have been a great dramatic actress if given the chance. Cyd is is also known for the films she didn't appear in. Shewas cast opposite Kelly and Judy Garland in the classic "Easter Parade" but hadto bow out when she got injured during rehearsals (Ann Miller took over the part), and she had to abandon the lead in "An American in Paris" when she got pregnant, clearing the wayfor Leslie Caron who catapulted to fame in the role. Charisse's most famousmovie that was never released was "Something's Gotta Give," the movie MarilynMonroe was shooting when she died in 1962. Monroe requested Cyd for the partand in the clips I've seen the middle-aged actress was gorgeous as all get-outand perfect in the role of the snippy Bianca who had just married Dean Martinwhen his presumed-dead wife (Monroe) returns to town. The unfinished film wasmade the following year with Doris Day taking over for Marilyn and Polly Bergenassuming Charisse's role.
Is it wrong that my wife Kendall and I have always viewed Cyd Charisse and TonyMartin as our relationship role models even though we didn't actually knowthem? By any measure, their 60-year-marriage was a great success,especially by Hollywood standards. In a 1953 interview with the couple,conducted in the MGM commissary, an L.A. Times reporter asked Martin what attracts him to women in general, Cyd in particular. "Carriage and teeth," Martin replied, "then it's interest in what she has tosay." The reporter then asked the singer how he felt about a girl combiningmarriage and a career. "I wouldn't recommend it for a couple of 20-year-olds,because it takes a lot of mature understanding," Martin explained. "But I feela man should always allow his wife to express herself in a career or in any wayshe wants or she will develop frustrations and not be happy."
Farewell, Cyd. You will be missed.