"Honolulu" ~ Gracie Allen, MGM, Old Hawaii Song/Dance!

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  • čas přidán 8. 07. 2008
  • The incomparable Gracie Allen and Eleanor Powell in this show-stopping number from the hit 1939 MGM musical of the same name. The song captures the Magic and Romance of Hawaii's Golden Age. When getting there was truly half the fun. Alas, this song and musical have not fared well, and have been all-but-forgotten, except for the truest Kama'aina. Fortunately, the song and musical have receive a reprieve and rebirth lately after being used in such wonderful documentaries as "Waikiki-In the Wake of Dreams." Enjoy! Aloha & Mahalo! (& "Goodnight Gracie!)

Komentáře • 517

  • @michaelhardin470
    @michaelhardin470 Před 8 měsíci +18

    Saw George on an interview recently; when asked if Gracie was always a ditz he replied “only when she was being paid.”

  • @billdarby1
    @billdarby1 Před rokem +52

    The part where Eleanor and Gracie dance together is beyond classy.

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před rokem +4

      If they come over as two sweet souls, it's because they were- two of the most beloved stars among their colleagues, renowned for generosity and humility.
      Eleanor was once asked how she felt about the ordinary folks who worked for and with her at MGM. She answered simply; 'I loved them.'

  • @TheYoungDoctor
    @TheYoungDoctor Před 6 lety +190

    I'd never heard of Eleanor Powell until about 19 hours ago and have no real interest in watching tap dancing but have become obsessed with watching her in videos. Beautiful lady.

    • @robertvalcarcel926
      @robertvalcarcel926 Před 3 lety +8

      Lee Gannon you have great taste my friend.

    • @illenedover1774
      @illenedover1774 Před 3 lety +16

      I saw this clip in a Bruno Mars dubbed song. I always knew Gracie, who didnt, but as for Eleanor, Im a big fan now. We should all watch the golden oldies,they should never be forgotten.

    • @bulletineditor-lauramorlan7883
      @bulletineditor-lauramorlan7883 Před 3 lety +10

      Welcome to the club! The only thing I regret is that one can only have the joy and astonishment of discovering Eleanor Powell once! On the positive side, I'm now discovering many more videos of her dancing ... I thought I'd devoured them all in *my* first 19 hours (or so).

    • @Odin029
      @Odin029 Před 3 lety +2

      A few years ago I randomly searched 'greatest female tap dancer' on google and found out about Eleanor Powell

    • @bulletineditor-lauramorlan7883
      @bulletineditor-lauramorlan7883 Před 3 lety +10

      @@Odin029 So many of us have a story of having "discovered" Eleanor Powell. It's amazing why she is a "hidden treasure," but thanks to CZcams her beauty, charm (what a smile!) and phenomenal dance skills can mesmerize us all.

  • @MGMArsGratiaArtis
    @MGMArsGratiaArtis Před 11 lety +90

    This is the greatest thing I have ever seen. I adore Eleanor Powell; she is easily my favorite female dancer. But Gracie Allen is pretty much my favorite human of all-time. What a talent!

    • @RandomHud
      @RandomHud Před 2 lety +5

      Agreed!

    • @Lilactime402
      @Lilactime402 Před 2 lety +3

      I only know of Allen as the wife and partner of George Burns on radio.

    • @patriciaotoole5930
      @patriciaotoole5930 Před 2 lety +4

      Love the burns and allen show

    • @inkyguy
      @inkyguy Před 2 lety +5

      @@Lilactime402, check-out the television episodes. They are here on CZcams.

    • @psefti
      @psefti Před rokem +2

      She was great, as was Harriet Nelson very adorable women, I didn’t realize she was one of the leading ladies in Follow the Fleet, so sweet to see Lucile Ball, and Betty Grable as bit players in that film.

  • @rickriemer7521
    @rickriemer7521 Před rokem +23

    I saw two or three seconds of this in the Uptown Funk mashup video but this is the first time I've seen the entire number -- both of these ladies are fabulous!

    • @willemverheij3412
      @willemverheij3412 Před 9 měsíci +1

      I'd recommend watching the Nicholas Brothers in Stormy weather as well, it's even available in colour.
      A part of their jumping jive is shown too in that mashup. They jump over each other down stairs doing splits.

  • @lkramberg
    @lkramberg Před rokem +27

    Gracie Allen could hold her own with such great dancers as Eleanor Powell and Fred Astaire ("Damsel in Distress"). In comedy, song and dance, Gracie was a multi-talented performer.

  • @stephaniereif7790
    @stephaniereif7790 Před 11 měsíci +3

    I’ve only ever seen her w George Burns. Didn’t know she sang and danced. Fabulous!

  • @samueldavidrucker7514
    @samueldavidrucker7514 Před 5 lety +72

    This has to be one of the most amazing dance numbers of all time; unbelievable athleticism with that jump rope - added to overwhelming personality, beauty and charisma. She seems like a seven year old having fun on the sidewalk in the form of an adult goddess. Our boys couldn't lose against the great menace, with inspiration like this!

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 4 lety +2

      Her feats (pun intended) of skipping while spinning and tapping look forward to her jaw-dropping 'western rope dance' in 'I Dood It!'.

    • @sandral438
      @sandral438 Před 2 lety +2

      I think so, too. She and Fred Astaire were the best dancers who ever lived. I think that it was largely because of their continual rehearsing until they got it down perfectly.

    • @trhansen3244
      @trhansen3244 Před 2 lety

      It's impressive. Maybe not as impressive as Beyonce or Ariana Grande. But they are maybe the best female dancers of all times. Janet Jackson, too.

    • @bobbybishop368
      @bobbybishop368 Před 2 lety

      @@trhansen3244 what the fuck are you smoking ? You're full of shit !

    • @willemverheij3412
      @willemverheij3412 Před 9 měsíci

      @@sandral438 They both where amazing, the only dancers I'd put above them would be the Nicholas brothers.
      A pity that due to segregation of the time, we never got to see her dance with them. No other woman could come as close to keeping up with them as her I think.

  • @nonenoneonenonenone
    @nonenoneonenonenone Před 3 lety +49

    Gracie's charm is amazing, and actually increases when she's dancing.

  • @georgemartin4963
    @georgemartin4963 Před 5 lety +48

    I never knew that Gracie Allen was a hoofer. Truly a fabulous talent!👏💓

    • @mattanderson6336
      @mattanderson6336 Před rokem +3

      Gracie was an extremely talented actress. She wrote all the dialogue when she and George Burns had their act.

    • @adrianjordan6291
      @adrianjordan6291 Před rokem +8

      Gracie Allen and her sisters were Irish clog dancers in vaudeville.

    • @lindawoody8501
      @lindawoody8501 Před rokem +3

      @@adrianjordan6291 The sisters were raised in San Francisco and were of a Roman Catholic family so she married out of the faith but loved George Burns tremendously. Was not just a business marriage of convenience. Very talented lady.

  • @elinzme
    @elinzme Před 7 lety +31

    This is one of my most favourite numbers of Eleanor Powell. Love her expressions and her tap number on the chair while Gracie sings =D

  • @dance12333
    @dance12333 Před 14 lety +18

    Gracie will live in our hearts endlessly infinitely!!

    • @walterweddle7644
      @walterweddle7644 Před 5 lety +2

      Oh my lands, Haley's my daughter. We have always loved Gracie. I had no idea my daughter commented on this video.

  • @gilliamben
    @gilliamben Před 3 lety +40

    What an amazing pairing of the genuine talents of Eleanor Powell and Gracie Allen. Their down to earth personas combined with talent beyond compare left me breathless and completely captivated. There is no computer generated artificiality here.Thank you so much for sharing this clip-it is a sheer joy to watch especially in the darkness of the year 2020.

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 3 lety +5

      You don't see much of women duetting in musicals as pals. Gracie was reliving her early vaudeville times in a hoofing sister act. I like to think Eleanor tuned into this and designed the routine to remind the audience that Gracie- who for once was without George to feed her- could still hold her own on the floor. It would be in line with Powell's independent, feminist way of being a star.

  • @troynov1965
    @troynov1965 Před 8 lety +187

    Elanor Powell is one of the most talented people to ever appear in a Hollywood film.

    • @illenedover1774
      @illenedover1774 Před 7 lety +9

      Yes, the most talented then, and probably 100 years from now. Unless some doppelganger like her is born 200 years from now, nobody will ever be Eleanor Powell.

    • @alvexok5523
      @alvexok5523 Před 5 lety +9

      In the past 80 years, there has never quite been another girl with the beauty and dancing talent of Eleanor Powell. There have been other women who were close and also beautiful and fabulous dancers such as Ginger Rogers, Ann Miller, Cyd Charrise, Ruby Keeler, and Doris Day. All wonderful Golden agers.
      And the beautiful women singers of the era, also fantastic; Janette McDonald, Kathryn Grayson, Judy Garland, and Deanna Durbin.
      I love the pre rock n roll age, all the years before 1955 were amazing

    • @jackanthony976
      @jackanthony976 Před 4 lety +1

      @@illenedover1774 But I believe in reincarnation and I think Eleanor will return and resume where she left off.

    • @MauriatOttolink
      @MauriatOttolink Před 3 lety +2

      @@illenedover1774
      In the video in which Powell danced to Begin the Beguine with Astaire, a voice, almost certainly Sinatra is heard to say "Ya can sit around and wait 100 years and ya ain't gonna see the likes of this again."
      Powell was asked in interview "You never married Astaire. Why not?"
      She said "Because he never asked me."
      Astaire was in the audience at the time..
      Aw Shucks..We lived through the best.
      They're welcome to the rest! Who've we got now?
      Ed flaming Sheeran. Ughhhh. There goes my breakfast!

    • @vicsaul5459
      @vicsaul5459 Před 3 lety +2

      ever to grace this earth

  • @geraldduggan8119
    @geraldduggan8119 Před 4 lety +27

    Gracie Allen... one of the greatest comedians ever to have graced this earth! I adore her. At 58, she left us too soon. Rest easy, Gracie, and thank you for all the pleasures of your comedic genius.

  • @richardwhite3924
    @richardwhite3924 Před 3 lety +7

    Many people are unaware that Gracie Allen was part of a vaudeville Irish dance act with her sisters, ""The Four Colleens", when she met her future husband and partner George Burns. Gracie Allen was her real name, unlike George Burns, whose real name was Nathan Burnbaum.

  • @patrickbrent642
    @patrickbrent642 Před 7 lety +41

    I'm 46 and unlike most my age, I love the classics! This is my new favourite. Gracie was SUCH a cutie, so adorable! Love Gracie!

    • @bobbywimsy6741
      @bobbywimsy6741 Před 2 lety +2

      Love Gracie too. She was and is a natural comedic person and full of loving childlike femininity.

  • @alanosterman7130
    @alanosterman7130 Před 11 měsíci +6

    Two wonderful ladies who shared their talents with us, and both left too soon.

  • @dikpole1608
    @dikpole1608 Před rokem +6

    Eleanor Powell is one of those
    God given talent ✨️ blessings for the world to have.

  • @stephenmason1028
    @stephenmason1028 Před 6 lety +29

    2:26 I can't stop watching this slow turn by Eleanor. It's so flirtatious

  • @mauiprincer
    @mauiprincer Před 10 lety +21

    Gracie Allen was truly beautiful AND a gifted vocalist....what a star!

  • @Lampshade51
    @Lampshade51 Před 12 lety +64

    Gracie was actually an excellent dancer, since she had a dancing act many years ago in vaudeville before she met George Burns. She could also sing beautifully, but we only rarely get to hear her sing on radio, TV or on film. This scene is a real treat.

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 3 lety +2

      Gracie had regained confidence as a dancer- having worked the halls as a kid with her sister- after she and George hoofed in 'A Damsel in Distress' with Astaire, no less. Sadly, 'Honolulu' was her last movie. It was experimental in that Gracie played Ellie's pal and had no crosstalk with George until the closing moments.
      He was thinking of going into agency or production with his brother and felt Gracie could go it alone on screen, but she was afraid. Then came the war, and afterwards they continued as a broadcast team until she died.

    • @bulletineditor-lauramorlan7883
      @bulletineditor-lauramorlan7883 Před 3 lety +2

      It brings tears to my eyes right now.

  • @jaymesguy239
    @jaymesguy239 Před 4 lety +7

    Eleanor Powell was absolutely FABULOUS! She was also, apparently, a Hollywood fixture at parties and private performances and was a very active and popular member of the Hollywood community and continued her career right up until she switched to television with the demise of the studio system.

  • @AirborneSergeant
    @AirborneSergeant  Před 15 lety +23

    Beauty, Talent, and comic timing are timeless, aren't they?

  • @AirborneSergeant
    @AirborneSergeant  Před 14 lety +31

    "Goodnight Gracie!" We Love You

  • @steffidude
    @steffidude Před 15 lety +8

    I never saw Gracie in a film so young. No wonder George was always content and smiling. He had something to smile about!!! Carnation had contented cows and George was a contented hubby. Gracie so beautiful!!!!

    • @bobbywimsy6741
      @bobbywimsy6741 Před 2 lety

      By all accounts they had a marriage made truly in Heaven

  • @PRR5406
    @PRR5406 Před 2 lety +7

    Eleanor Powell was pure feminine grace, but with a machine gun's sense of timing and athleticism. The big surprise for me is Gracie Allen being not only a dancer but a fine singer. Gracie's legacy is that of a comedienne, but this just boosts her so much higher!

  • @lightandsalt6103
    @lightandsalt6103 Před 8 lety +85

    Gracie Allen was such an awesome lady!You can not watch her and it not brighten your day!

    • @ROGER2095
      @ROGER2095 Před 8 lety +11

      +Light and Salt Yes - If someone doesn't like Gracie Allen, then there's something wrong with them. Same with Sargent Schultz!

  • @angelastewart7084
    @angelastewart7084 Před 7 lety +40

    Two beautiful ladies who look like they are having lots of fun. I love the joy they exude!

    • @alvexok5523
      @alvexok5523 Před 5 lety

      I agree, they had a wonderful joy and beauty in this video. They, and many women of the era gave off such a charisma.
      Women seemed to have been very happy in all the years beginning with the first women's liberation movement, through the flappers in the roaring twenties, the beauty and grace of the 1930s women, women having the freedom of many more employment opportunities in the early 1940s while the men were off to war, and in the late 1940s to early 1950s they seemed to be enjoying themselves then too. Women were enjoying themselves in general after the early 1900s women's suffrage, and they were no longer the second class, doormat, repressed, obedient servers to men housemaids of the 19th century.

  • @bovnycccoperalover3579
    @bovnycccoperalover3579 Před rokem +8

    In those days, you couldn't fake talent. Eleanor Powell was incredible and Gracie Allen was very good.I didn't know we could sing and dance.

  • @ricosandia5378
    @ricosandia5378 Před 2 lety +3

    powell and the nicholas brothers are the masters of tap. period. can watch them non stop

  • @ergokeatha4656
    @ergokeatha4656 Před 3 lety +4

    Pure talent the age of the greatest shows, without technology, filters, Photoshops etc. Only but the more important : technique, charisma, and spirit.💫⭐💫

  • @johnkleinberger5930
    @johnkleinberger5930 Před 8 měsíci +6

    How wonderful! Their clothes are so beautiful and the tap dancing and spins are magical!

  • @thomasgansevoort929
    @thomasgansevoort929 Před 2 lety +4

    OUR DEAR GRACIE AND LOVELY ELEANOR DANCING TOGETHER.....HOW CHARMING CAN YOU GET? THIS MAY BE IT.

  • @Playedback
    @Playedback Před 6 lety +21

    Such a fun song, it got me curious about playing the ukulele. Eleanor Powell's dancing is awesome and so wonderful to hear those Pied Pipers (still a vocal group of 8 back in '39) with a young Jo Stafford as the only female member of the group! Thank you for sharing this!!

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 4 lety +5

      All Powell's set pieces are about rhythm and syncopation. It is reinforced here by the jazzy scatting and harmonics of the vocalists and the cool accompaniment of the steel guitar, the immediate forerunner of the electric guitar.
      This unassuming little number is crammed with subtleties, like all the best Freed Unit productions. That is why it neither dates nor gets tired with frequent re-viewing. It might have been thought excessive to involve so many kinds of craftsmen in so much hard work, but it pays off. Thousands are still marveling 80 years later.

  • @esmeephillips5888
    @esmeephillips5888 Před 2 lety +5

    She died forty years ago today, and is immortal.
    RIP Eleanor Powell, the greatest dancer ever filmed.

    • @trhansen3244
      @trhansen3244 Před 2 lety +1

      It's sad because I had never heard of her before watching a film called Born to Dance. I only wanted to watch it because of Jimmy Stewart. Eleanor Powell stole the movie. Though Buddy Ebsen was also quite a unique talent in his own way. And I had never seen Stewart sing and dance.

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 2 lety +1

      @@trhansen3244 She did not steal it. The whole film was designed to establish her as an A-lister. Originally it was called 'Easy to Love' and Alan Jones, a real singer, was penciled in as the male lead, as he was for BM38 before Robert Taylor took over. Stewart was a late substitute.
      'Born to Dance' displayed Mayer and Thalberg at their hunch-backing best. They wanted to test Ellie's professionalism and inventiveness to the limit to prove that BM36 was no fluke, and they succeded: in many cities 'Born to Dance' outgrossed Gable and MacDonald in 'San Francisco'.
      This may well be the greatest launch vehicle a star ever had- certainly the biggest in musicals before 'Funny Girl'. Astaire, Kelly, Garland, Charisse and others built their reputations gradually; Powell began at the top and stayed there. Mayer was determined to build on her breakthrough by making MGM synonymous with dance on film, so she can be seen as the godmother of the most splendid fruits of the Golden Age.

    • @trhansen3244
      @trhansen3244 Před 2 lety

      @@esmeephillips5888 Broadway Melody of 1936 was actually the vehicle to establish her as a star.

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 2 lety +1

      @@trhansen3244 No, she was engaged as a specialty, with Una Merkel as Taylor's main squeeze. During rehearsals it was decided to bump up Eleanor's part bc of the buzz in the studio- stars turning up to watch her. The script was rewritten to make her Taylor's high school sweetheart with Merkel as his secretary and her confidante.
      Even so, BM36 was about grooming a talent pool, with Benny as the ostensible top-biller and the Ebsens, Sid Silvers, Knight, Nick Long and Taylor also in contention. The front office put big money behind these 'bubbling under' performers to see which, if any, would break out. At that time there was a shortage of new faces among the top tier of box office draws. Darryl Zanuck wrote a famous article saying that Hollywood was in trouble; it was churning out hundreds of pix without unearthing new talents .
      Variety did a front page splash on BM36 as a daring experiment which was clicking. When exhibitors reported that Powell drew standing ovations, Mayer doubled down on her in 'Born to Dance'.

    • @trhansen3244
      @trhansen3244 Před 2 lety +1

      @@esmeephillips5888 Wow. But Eleanor Powell did steal every scene she was in.

  • @KeithDec25
    @KeithDec25 Před 10 lety +66

    You sometimes forget what a great little tap dancer Gracie Allen was She and Eleanor Powell made a nice team Great clip

    • @jackanthony976
      @jackanthony976 Před 4 lety +1

      Yes, I agree. But at the beginning when Eleanor is tapping on the glass window and you can see the bottom of her tap shoes, there does not seem to be any taps on them.

    • @fromthesidelines
      @fromthesidelines Před 4 lety +3

      There weren't. The "taps" were dubbed onto the soundtrack.

    • @HattieMcDanielonaMoon
      @HattieMcDanielonaMoon Před 3 lety +2

      @@fromthesidelines They still tapped live

  • @ciofpx
    @ciofpx Před rokem +6

    Let's not forget the great music, written by Harry Warren, with lyrics by Gus Kahn. To be sure, Gracie and Eleanor are fantastic, but they had great material to work with,

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 9 měsíci

      Louis B Mayer kidded himself he had discovered Eleanor and made her a star. She played along bc she knew he would always shoot the works for her musical vehicles, and she had big, costly ideas. Their understanding resulted in nine movies that made a profit: an unparalleled 100% success rate in that financially risky genre. What an entrepreneur LB was.

  • @audunbjornbet2229
    @audunbjornbet2229 Před 6 měsíci +1

    I didnt know that dancing was that easy 😅. Great performance by Eleanor.
    And Gracie is superwitty in this movie. I recommend it.

  • @paulblask5070
    @paulblask5070 Před 8 lety +50

    It takes a special tapper to make it come alive. Eleanor Powell was in a class by herself.

  • @Pauline-wu4ej
    @Pauline-wu4ej Před rokem +5

    I always love watching this clip, its so relaxing and entertaining...what a talented woman!

  • @esmeephillips5888
    @esmeephillips5888 Před 11 měsíci +2

    Watch 1:58 to 2:06. Ellie springs up and drags Gracie out on to the deck, where they position themselves to go into their dance. It is a few seconds which might have passed unnoticed by the original audience. But on replay you realize that Ellie has choreographed a set of small movements to match the steel guitar riffs which set up the short duet itself.
    One more example of the astonishing attention to detail which has kept such routines fresh and fascinating for the best part of a century. Thanks to replay technology, we can appreciate the pains taken more fully than the films' original spectators, most of whom would never have expected to see them again.

  • @gnirolnamlerf593
    @gnirolnamlerf593 Před rokem +3

    I'd be distracted by that lifeguard too and I'd also let Eleanor strut her stuff alone. Every single scene that Eleanor Powell danced in had something unusual in it. Cleverly done, to get Gracie out of the scene for a while, though Gracie did a good job dancing and made a very charming presentation singing. Who could deliver that last line better than Gracie? No one. The extras in the film watching this must have been awestruck by the two of them.

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před rokem

      Yet if you can tear yourself away from the foreground, you can see a mixture of reactions in the poolside crowd, from awestruck to blase; some moving to the rhythm, others chatting idly, one woman folding her arms and turning away.
      That is how it is on great occasions, No doubt when Lincoln was delivering the Gettysburg Address, some spectators were wondering how long he'd be, where they could get a drink, what their wives were up to, etc. Depictions of big moments (e.g, courtroom sketches) are phony bc they portray everyone as raptly attentive and displaying the expected emotions.
      I like the way director Eddie Buzzell marshals his crowd; it suits the concept of a spontaneous, improvised skip round the pool, however ridiculous that is considered coldly. The best musicals, like Ellie, always keep one foot on the ground, mocking their conventions even as they revel in their delicious absurdities.

  • @vicsaul5459
    @vicsaul5459 Před 3 lety +2

    best of the best!...is there sanything eleanor cant do. love her and gracie , this clip is adorable,....follow that 😍

  • @sharoncarthy3764
    @sharoncarthy3764 Před 2 lety +2

    Gee, it's good to se tbis again! Ellie & Gracie, what could be finer?

  • @RickyBernardo
    @RickyBernardo Před 15 lety +19

    Geesh, between Powell and Allen--I have such retro-crushes on them both. (I admire smarts and talent ;-)

    • @bobbywimsy6741
      @bobbywimsy6741 Před 2 lety

      Why make it retro: Look for genuine feminine naturally comedic females now in 2021. I married one. She is presently in Heaven.

  • @boblowney
    @boblowney Před 6 lety +15

    gracie allen, george always maintained that she was the genius behind their act. and look at her keeping up with no less than Eleanor powell!

  • @photo161
    @photo161 Před 7 měsíci +1

    OMG! Gracie and Eleanor together! What a dream duo!

  • @harlowsplace
    @harlowsplace Před 2 lety +3

    love this movie clip of Gracie Allen singing and Eleanor Powell dancing!

  • @donnakalish4880
    @donnakalish4880 Před rokem +3

    I was a tap teacher for 35 years -- I love that their routine started with the Shim Sham!

  • @rudegirl2219
    @rudegirl2219 Před 9 lety +9

    Man she was so amazing

  • @wildoceanappaloosawomangay2535

    “Say good night, Gracie!
    “Goodnight, Gracie!”
    😌

  • @davidreid8075
    @davidreid8075 Před rokem +2

    Women of great joy, rarely seen nowadays...

  • @KH-gj1rt
    @KH-gj1rt Před 2 lety +2

    Gracie Allen is the best is everything she does.

  • @Lampshade51
    @Lampshade51 Před 8 lety +28

    Gracie began her career as a dancer and always a joy to see her dance on screen.

    • @robdewey317
      @robdewey317 Před 7 lety +5

      Lampshade51 and sing!

    • @KristineMaitland
      @KristineMaitland Před 5 lety +3

      Thing to notice: while her part in the dance number was short, Gracie was wearing a higher and narrower heel. I'm not a tapper but I can't see that as being easy to dance in.

    • @christianmarkbelovedsonsut7098
      @christianmarkbelovedsonsut7098 Před 3 lety +1

      It was, as a matter of fact, surprising to see Gracie Burns dance with such ease. Partnering with George Burns changed her career path, but she could have held her own with any of Fred Astaires dance partners. (Not Christianmark...but MissJA)

  • @GodsFavoriteBassPlyr
    @GodsFavoriteBassPlyr Před 6 lety +12

    George Burns really... REALLY lucked out. What a stunner Gracie was!

    • @johnboys4697
      @johnboys4697 Před 2 lety +3

      It’s sad that she didn’t live longer

  • @paulmacagliotta8650
    @paulmacagliotta8650 Před 5 lety +50

    Eleanor Powell....the best dancer ever, male or female. Incomparable!

    • @trainliker100
      @trainliker100 Před 5 lety +10

      Fred Astaire said she was the only dancer that ever made him feel intimidated because she was THAT good.

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 4 lety +7

      @@trainliker100 "I had 29 dance partners… I could hold my own with 28 of them.. I met my match with Ellie. No male dancer can keep up with her and it was apparent to me she should be featured in solos." (Fred Astaire).
      That is the ultimate tribute, together with Busby Berkeley's verdict that she was 'by far' the best female dancer in Hollywood... 'a hard-working perfectionist'.

    • @livelystone9367
      @livelystone9367 Před 4 lety +8

      The Nicholas brothers are amazing

  • @Vejur9000
    @Vejur9000 Před 19 dny

    A super athlete, by any definition in sports, dance, or art. Famous for her gravity defying speed, physical strength and power, she layed down some of the most intricate rhythms in tap and dance history. Considered by many of the greatest dancers, to be the greatest of them all.
    Taught by one of the greatest tap dancers of all time, gifted with supernatural energy, natural beauty and charisma, is the all time great, who made it look easy, sexy, and happy.
    Eleanor Powell.

  • @stephenindc9102
    @stephenindc9102 Před 5 lety +12

    And do you see the long takes? That's talent all around. Easy on the eyes, too.

  • @illenedover1774
    @illenedover1774 Před 7 lety +45

    My two most favorite people in the whole entire world. Never to be duplicated, but caught on celluloid for us to enjoy forever.

    • @susanboylefanable
      @susanboylefanable Před 5 lety +2

      High praise, but it's appropriate!

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 4 lety +4

      The prevalent attitude in Hollywood now is that you have to be 'edgy', 'gritty' or 'ironic' to entertain. What old clips such as this show is that sweetness and niceness, combined with talent in every department, win out in the end.
      Most people want movies to leave them with a glow, not depression from tubthumping message pictures, or deafness as in today's empty comic-book spectacles. I would rather have two minutes of Ellie skipping or Gracie warbling than two hours of crummy special effects and nonsensical plots about superheroes.
      That dance is superheroic enough for me, thank you very much.

    • @bobbywimsy6741
      @bobbywimsy6741 Před 2 lety +2

      @@esmeephillips5888 wow I agree. Reminds me of LB Mayers quip about "message" pictures: If I want to send a message, I'll call Western Union.

  • @10grandjackson72
    @10grandjackson72 Před 5 lety +12

    Eleanor Powell was a Goddess.

    • @jackanthony976
      @jackanthony976 Před 4 lety +1

      Too bad the man she married (actor Glen Ford) didn't think she was a goddess after she gave up her career and married him. Eleanor filed for divorce on his birthday citing mental cruelty and his blatant womanizing. I read her son's book where the sordid details are written.

  • @esmeraldagems9487
    @esmeraldagems9487 Před 2 lety +1

    Videos like these sometimes makes me wish I lived in these times rather than today.

  • @elizabethgeoghegan5167
    @elizabethgeoghegan5167 Před 2 lety +1

    This is an adorable number.

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 2 lety +2

      Performed by two of the sweetest, kindest women in Golden Age Hollywood.

  • @wambutu7679
    @wambutu7679 Před 2 lety +1

    Eleanor Powell and Diana Rigg are incredibly beautiful woman in the true classic mode. Pose, confidence and grace create a powerful allure.

  • @psefti
    @psefti Před rokem +3

    There were photos of her on the wall at my dancing school in the 40s, It was an amazing time for wonderful musicals, in the 40s and 50s

  • @inkyguy
    @inkyguy Před 2 lety +2

    If there is life after death let me spend it with Gracie Allen!

  • @coleparker
    @coleparker Před 5 lety +2

    I loved both actresses. Eleanor for her classic beauty and Gracie for her incredible humor as well as beauty!

    • @jackanthony976
      @jackanthony976 Před 4 lety

      I agree. Too bad the script and storyline did not give them more to work with.

  • @bingcro
    @bingcro Před 13 lety +11

    i loved eleanor powel the best female dancer ever some of her routines have to be seen to be believed tks for posting

  • @fadefade986
    @fadefade986 Před rokem +3

    what a talent!

  • @RToni
    @RToni Před 10 lety +23

    A wonderful dance number with Eleanor Powell - the queen of tap dance

  • @pumpupjam54
    @pumpupjam54 Před 6 lety +2

    Wow, Gracie without George! LOL They were some pair, and he (George) loved his Gracie till the very end of his life. He said am going to 100 and then good bye, it was swell, Gracie am with you. Love Eleanor Powell, she was the greatest gracious lady tap dancer the world has ever known. She and Fred Astair, did make a film together, one of the best with Cole Porter's song. The tapping in that film is exquisite. There is no one today (garbage today) that can dance and act like the real STARS from Hollywood!

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 4 lety +1

      The film was an experiment for Burns and Allen. They play unlinked characters (she's manhunting on the boat, he's back in NYC trying to keep the pretense that the tycoon is the movie star). George knew Gracie could play against other men, and wanted to see if he could cut it as a lone comic instead of her feed. Only in the last crosstalk scene were they brought together.
      George concluded he needed his wife, and stayed away from pictures until Jack Benny (another Powell co-star, btw) was too sick to do 'The Sunshine Boys'. Jack suggested George could work well trading jabs with Walter Matthau, and Mr Burns wound up with an Oscar after an interval of 36 years. If only his dear wife could have lived to see it.

  • @hansedvard2623
    @hansedvard2623 Před 3 lety +1

    In those wonderful days of movie making, everyone seemed to have such all round talent. They could dance, the could sing, and they could act. I wonder just how many of the current crop could do all that?

  • @nancy9478
    @nancy9478 Před rokem +1

    "I'm always dizzy", lol I love Gracie.

  • @TropicIslandMusic
    @TropicIslandMusic Před 2 lety +2

    Become a massive fan of Eleanor's Powell just recently. Balances so effortlessly style skill and sexiness and captured so well 📽️

  • @JamesHMarks-qh8qq
    @JamesHMarks-qh8qq Před 4 měsíci +1

    Gracie was one of a kind,,,Jim

  • @LkOutMtnMan
    @LkOutMtnMan Před 13 lety +3

    How Powell could dance in high heels amazes me! Gracie was extremely intelligent, takes a wit to act the witless part she played!

  • @SuperHartline
    @SuperHartline Před 4 lety +2

    You can see Gracie dance also in the movie, Damsel in Distress. with Astaire and Burns. She sings too.

  • @coelhocointech9841
    @coelhocointech9841 Před 3 lety +3

    Such an incredible dancer, unmatched to this day

  • @alliemazur8007
    @alliemazur8007 Před 2 lety +4

    What a talent she was!!! My goodness 🤩 I can barely walk down the stairs without falling on my face, and she could do all that 😆👏🏼

  • @glenjones7597
    @glenjones7597 Před 5 lety +2

    I saw this movie on TCM 10/23/18 it was a good movie

    • @evelynvongizycki1017
      @evelynvongizycki1017 Před 4 lety

      Glen Jones which movie is it!

    • @jackanthony976
      @jackanthony976 Před 4 lety

      I thought the dance numbers were terrific. However, I thought the script was rather bland and hokey. But I'm glad you liked the movie..I just thought it could have had a more compelling storyline.

  • @russellcampbell9198
    @russellcampbell9198 Před 5 lety +9

    The greatest tap dancer of them all.

  • @kevinhart2468
    @kevinhart2468 Před 8 lety +71

    Damn, I forgot how beautiful Eleanor Powell was!

  • @pattigee1
    @pattigee1 Před rokem +2

    I can't even skip a rope, let alone spin. Eleanor's amazing.

  • @bobb9319
    @bobb9319 Před 10 lety +35

    Gracie is a great singer and dancer.

    • @fromthesidelines
      @fromthesidelines Před 9 lety +10

      Gracie learned the hula during a trip to Hawaii, and insisted on giving lessons to her firiends when she got back. George later wrote that "she was the finest Irish hula dancer in Beverly Hills".

    • @FeistyGirl007
      @FeistyGirl007 Před 4 lety +3

      @@fromthesidelines
      In almost 60 years...I've NEVER SEEN such a GRACEFUL Hula dancer, as what I saw on Burns and Allen, one day. Gracie was showing her neighbor where they were going on vacation by Hula dancing and it was mesmerizingly GRACEFUL, poised, adorable, spot on, elegant and beautiful ! LOL!
      I WISH THAT SWEET AND LOVELY GRACIE HAD RECORDED A " HOW TO HULA DANCE VIDEO" ...AND THAT SOMEWHERE, SOMEBODY HAS IT TO SHARE WITH US!
      SO LOVELY! 💖💖💖
      I WISH I KNEW, WHO taught Gracie!
      Cuz, I want to learn from someone like THAT!
      PERFECTION.
      So graceful!!! ❤

  • @Meatcity-sf8fm
    @Meatcity-sf8fm Před 3 lety +3

    George burns was the luckiest man in the world. I love Gracie . So talented and a cutie. I don’t think we would know who he is if it wasn’t for Gracie

  • @ms.ntropy3187
    @ms.ntropy3187 Před 2 lety +1

    Oh, my. Loved seeing Gracie and Ellie together, doing what they do best. Gracie had so much charm and charisma; Eleanor Powell and her million-dollar legs were a wonder for the ages. Would have loved to throw that jump-rope and have gotten to see her dance up close. Have loved watching her old movies since I was a wee girl in the 50s, but I had never seen this one. Thanks for posting.

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 Před 2 lety +1

      Moreover, they were two of the nicest ladies in the biz. Nobody had a bad word to say about either of them, or George. You do not have to trample on others to reach the top.

  • @frankenos6482
    @frankenos6482 Před rokem +1

    Aloha from volcano Hawaii, very beautiful

  • @bobk1951
    @bobk1951 Před rokem +1

    Another reason to love Gracie and her talents!

  • @RobertSJHu
    @RobertSJHu Před 3 lety +1

    Aloha Gracie Allen and Eleanor Powell and AirborneSergeant !!!!! Thanks for this legendary posting of this
    1939 MGM Old Hawaii Song/Dance !!!!!! Thank you so much !!!!!!!!! Aloha from Hawaii !!! Robert S.J. Hu
    July 31, 2020.

  • @pappy451
    @pappy451 Před 4 lety +4

    the legs on that dame !

    • @beaubarri2243
      @beaubarri2243 Před 3 lety +1

      Eleanor reputedly had the greatest legs God ever put on a woman.

    • @pappy451
      @pappy451 Před 3 lety

      @@beaubarri2243 . . . i'm a leg man for sure !

  • @anastasiabeaverhausen8220
    @anastasiabeaverhausen8220 Před 7 lety +14

    So utterly adorable.

  • @TheSaneHatter
    @TheSaneHatter Před 6 lety +8

    Never mind what an accomplishment it was to hold your own with a dancer like Powell, if only for a minute or so. But there's something quietly astonishing about Gracie's ability to sing, "My dog has fleas . . . ," precisely in tune with an OUT-of-tune ukelele!

    • @FeistyGirl007
      @FeistyGirl007 Před 4 lety

      Thats how we were taught to tune a ukulele, or, guitar. " My dog has fleas. "
      My dad used to do that too, ALL the time...
      Repeating it over and over again, until it was tuned. Lol! Others did it all the time, as well. Its the correct tone, set to funny words/lyrics, so, its much easier to remember it! A very quick way to tune a string instrument, like a ukulele.
      Like a mnemonic !

    • @TheSaneHatter
      @TheSaneHatter Před rokem +1

      @@FeistyGirl007 I know that, but doing it WRONG, on cue, is one hell of a knack!

  • @Squarerig
    @Squarerig Před 11 lety +3

    What a relief to be able to escape,if only for too few brief minutes,the cacophony of the modern age!Thank you for posting this number.

    • @bobbywimsy6741
      @bobbywimsy6741 Před 2 lety

      We are living thru a moral spiritual and cultural holocaust. On the cherry side, we have the wonderful Gracie to pull us through the wreck and tickle our funnybones, and- play on our heartstrings.

  • @evelynmcgee7536
    @evelynmcgee7536 Před 5 lety +3

    I didn't know Gracie could sing! She was so much fun with George.

  • @judypasqualone3819
    @judypasqualone3819 Před 24 dny

    Oh my the footwork and timing!!! Lovely

  • @OAKIE9531
    @OAKIE9531 Před rokem +2

    love Gracie

  • @egeo03
    @egeo03 Před 6 lety +4

    Utterly charming. Great rapport on screen.

  • @walterweddle7644
    @walterweddle7644 Před 4 lety +2

    Although Gracie and I are from a distance, I love her. George sure was blessed!

  • @keetrandling4530
    @keetrandling4530 Před 3 lety +1

    Gracie! I would have loved to have known her. Elenor Powell, too - what talent

  • @58kevinm
    @58kevinm Před 15 lety +3

    Thx for posting this.I have always had a crush on Gracie,hard to believe she was 44 when she did this.George Burns said more than once Gracie was the star he was just along for the ride.Powell and Allen two beautiful,talented and smart women.

    • @bobbywimsy6741
      @bobbywimsy6741 Před 2 lety

      Burns cherished his wife and always sang her praises. Their dual modesty and deep tie of natural humor and respect is a couple to emulate and love.