We were very sad to learn of Cyd Charisse's death on Tuesday, June 17, at the age of 86. Charisse was famous for her magnificent dancing roles in many Hollywood musicals. She starred in 38 movies and made her Broadway debut in 1992 in "Grand Hotel." Her appearance in one of the most famous dance movies of all time, Singing in the Rain with Gene Kelly, established her as one of Hollywood's greatest talents. In later years, she enjoyed a successful song-and-dance partnership with her husband, Tony Martin, in nightclubs and on television. In 2006, President George W. Bush presented her with a National Medal of Arts at a White House ceremony.
She was one of Fred Astaire's most memorable partners in three movies: Ziegfield Follies (1946), The Band Wagon (1953), and Silk Stockings (1957).
Of Charisse, Astaire once said: "Cyd is a great girl, simply the most lovely-looking girl you could ever meet. She never changes, always looks the same. And the nicest-natured person...She's just beautiful, trained, very strong in whatever we did. When we were dancing, we didn't know what time it was."
In his autobiography, he wrote: "That Cyd! When you've danced with her you stay danced with."
During a 2002 interview with the New York Times, Charisse said that her husband could always tell which leading man - Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire - she'd been dancing with. "If I was black and blue, it was Gene. And if it was Fred, I didn't have a scratch." In a 1992 interview, Charisse remembered Astaire fondly, saying simply: "Fred moves like glass."*
Our condolences go out to Charisse's family and friends. The world has lost a legend.
* Quotes taken from International Herald Tribune article, June 18, 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment