Even the classics can be underrated. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the movie musical dance numbers that don’t get nearly the amount of love they deserve.
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00:00Hello, Joe. It's me.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the movie musical dance numbers
00:10that don't get nearly the amount of love they deserve.
00:13For this list, we're keeping things classic, so we're only featuring musicals from before 1980.
00:18I'm gonna get up, I'm gonna get up, I'm gonna get up, get up, live it!
00:23Number 30, Bohemian Dance, Funny Face.
00:27Dancing's nothing more than a form of expression or release.
00:31There's no need to be formal or cute about it.
00:34As a medrobat, I'd rather feel like expressing myself now.
00:39And I could certainly use a release!
00:41Audrey Hepburn stars in this musical about a bookshop owner who suddenly finds herself the face of an advertising campaign.
00:48Bucking tradition and the stuffy elegance of the fashion industry,
00:51she gets to release all her feelings in a Bohemian-style dance number in a smoky Parisian speakeasy.
01:09Hepburn's disjointed, modern interpretive dance is played hilariously against Fred Astaire's shock and horror.
01:15It's a strange and fun counterpoint to the classic song and dance numbers throughout the rest of the movie.
01:21Number 29, A Lot of Livin' to Do, Bye Bye Birdie.
01:38When high schooler Kim McAfee wins the chance to meet her idol Conrad Birdie,
01:42it whips her and the other teenagers of Columbus, Ohio into a frenzy.
01:51Kim and her estranged boyfriend Hugo take Birdie's lead and decide it's time to grow up and sample life's hedonistic pleasures.
02:05The scene becomes a rowdy, hip-shaking, ankle-swelling display of fancy footwork in glorious technicolor.
02:11It's a fun and ultra-60s ensemble number. Still, Ann-Margret is the standout here.
02:25A Lot of Livin' to Do gave the new star a chance to show off her truly electric screen presence.
02:42Number 28, Roller Skate Rag and I'd Rather Be Blue, Funny Girl.
02:56Barbara Streisand's Oscar-winning debut film role as Fanny Bryce had her doing some intricate choreography while on a pair of roller skates.
03:03Her character lands a role in a review that requires the skill, only to realize she can't skate.
03:08Even when she's supposed to be bad, she's still so good.
03:26Between the ensemble number with the old-fashioned chorus girls and her spotlight solo, there's so much to fawn over.
03:32The scene isn't as fondly remembered as Don't Rain on My Parade,
03:35but it's a perfect marriage between genuine musical chops and madcap parody.
03:53Number 27, Fascinating Rhythm, Lady B. Good.
04:03A swinging tap number from the great and underappreciated Eleanor Powell, Fascinating Rhythm is a fabulous and innovative sequence.
04:10Powell dances, often backward, through a series of moving curtains revealing more and more musicians and singers.
04:16The camera moves across what seems like an endless stage.
04:20It has one of the most death-defying finishes in early musicals,
04:35and then the number ends with Powell being tossed like a ragdoll down the line of dancers' arms before twirling to her final mark.
04:41The fact that she's got the energy to smile that wide after doing all that is a miracle in itself.
04:51Number 26, Shaken the Blues Away, Easter Parade.
05:07Ann Miller had left her last studio after suffering an injury.
05:10When MGM picked up her contract, she had a lot to prove, and she more than made good on their investment.
05:16She would become one of their most famous dancers.
05:20Shaken the Blues Away is a stylish and stunning showstopper, something to really marvel at.
05:34In a black sequined bodysuit and a shocking yellow skirt that calls to mind lightning as it twirls around her,
05:39Miller makes it all seem effortless.
05:41Her feet are so fast, it's a wonder they even register on camera.
05:50Number 25, Step in Time, Mary Poppins.
06:08Spoonful of sugar and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious get all the glory,
06:12but Bird in the Chimney Sweep's Step in Time is a stompin' good time.
06:16The scene sees the ensemble dancing across the roofs of London in time with the fun call-and-response structure of the song.
06:34It's boisterous and breathtakingly long with a crazy number of kicks, stomps, and big movements.
06:40What begins on the roofs then ends with the sweeps invading the bank's house through the chimney
06:44and turning it upside down before they disappear into the streets.
06:47Now this is a grand old time.
07:03Number 24, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, Shall We Dance.
07:07Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers co-starred and cut a rug together in 10 movies,
07:11with most of them being made in the mid-to-late 30s.
07:14In Shall We Dance, the two play dancers who, upon getting to know each other,
07:18become the subject of tabloid gossip.
07:32Let's Call the Whole Thing Off is a song about how different they are,
07:35but their musical interactions give them away.
07:37They are simpatico as they throw themselves into an impossibly smooth dance duet on roller skates.
07:54The movie didn't do as well at the box office as their previous pairings,
07:58and the scene probably gets overlooked as a result,
08:00but it's as big a marvel of footwork as any of their most fondly remembered scenes.
08:11Number 23, I Gotta Hear That Beat, Small Town Girl.
08:16When I feel that I might fall I always stall and play it smart
08:20Until I hear that beat, I gotta hear that beat
08:25That certain beat in my heart
08:30This one gets extra points for ingenious staging.
08:33Ann Miller is back, and this time she dances through a winding path full of disembodied hands,
08:38all playing different musical instruments.
08:40Miller shimmies in a spangled bodysuit, awash in shifting colored lights.
08:44Meanwhile, the instrument-playing hands are strategically placed in cut-out sections of the stage,
08:48grouped by their musical apparatus of choice.
09:04Miller weaves through them, tapping briskly past the trombone slides and violin bows,
09:09elegant and sophisticated as ever.
09:11Despite all those obstructions, there's not a step misplaced or mistimed.
09:28Number 22, You're All The World To Me, Royal Wedding.
09:32I used to close my eyes and pretend I could dance all over the floor, walls, even the ceiling.
09:37If you ever learn to do that, I can get you a very good booking.
09:39Fred Astaire had wanted to do a scene where he danced on the ceiling for most of his film career.
09:43It took years of technological advancements to make it possible.
09:58In 1951's Royal Wedding, he plays a Broadway actor who falls for a dancer.
10:02You're All The World To Me is his declaration of love.
10:06You're all places that leave me breathless,
10:10and no wonder, you're all the world to me.
10:15Audiences were absolutely wowed by the star as he made the dreamlike sequence a reality.
10:20The effect was achieved with a specially constructed set that could do a full 360-degree roll,
10:25while the furniture and curtains were simply fastened in place.
10:28This is what we call a visual metaphor, folks.
10:32Ain't there anyone here for love? Gentlemen prefer blondes.
10:35Marilyn Monroe's Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend gets a lot of praise.
10:39However, Jane Russell's ode to trying to find love on a ship full of athletes deserves a second look.
10:46Two out of three? Anyone?
10:56Doesn't anyone want to play?
10:58The movie's tongue-in-cheek humor is in full effect here.
11:01Surrounded by scantily clad men who are pointedly not interested in her,
11:05Russell sings the surprisingly racy number during a training session in the boat's gymnasium.
11:10I'm apathetic and non-athletic,
11:14can't keep up in a marathon.
11:16I need some shoulder to lean upon and a couple of arms to hold me.
11:23Ain't there anyone here for love?
11:26The athletes' exercises are staged in tons of interesting ways
11:29as the choreography tries to strike a balance between fitness and dance.
11:33Even decades after it was made, it's still kind of surprising to watch.
11:37Ain't there anyone? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?
11:44Anyone?
11:48For love!
11:51Number 20, Pirate Ballet, The Pirate.
11:54Gene Kelly and Judy Garland really didn't star in enough films together.
11:58But although 1948's The Pirate might be one of the pair's lesser offerings,
12:03that doesn't make the dancing any less resplendent.
12:07You have the hysterically funny Be A Clown, a precursor to Make Em Laugh, one might say.
12:13But you also have The Pirate Ballet.
12:22If there's one thing Kelly's gonna do, it's choreograph and perform a magnificent dream ballet.
12:28And while this one might not be viewed as often as the others,
12:31that doesn't make it any less special.
12:44The dream ballet from The Pirate features Kelly at his most athletic,
12:48bounding and leaping across space.
12:51And we certainly can't complain about those thighs.
13:04Number 19, I Like Myself, It's Always Fair Weather.
13:08I Like Myself, It's Always Fair Weather.
13:11We all know what a talented tapper Gene Kelly was, and tap dancing is no easy feat.
13:17But tap dancing on roller skates? That's something else entirely.
13:29In It's Always Fair Weather, Kelly's character finds romance with the beautiful Jackie Layton.
13:34Amazed by how his love affair has boosted his confidence,
13:37he begins to engage in an exhilarating dance number on wheels.
13:55The way Kelly is able to seamlessly combine the smoothness of the roller skating movement
13:59with his typically jaunty tap is masterful.
14:03Wearing his signature thousand-watt smile, you just can't take your eyes off him, or his moves.
14:25Number 18, The Ballet of the Red Shoes, The Red Shoes.
14:34Why do you want to live?
14:37Though not technically a musical, the ballet sequence at the center of The Red Shoes
14:41is right up there with any classic musical worth its salt.
14:45The drama follows ballerina Victoria Page, who is forced to pick between her career
14:49and her romance with composer Julian Craster.
14:52The ballet in question is about 15 minutes long in movie time,
14:56but don't let that runtime throw you off.
15:04The dance tells a full story, complete with beautiful costumes and elaborate makeup and sets.
15:10Moira Shearer, who plays Victoria, gives a stunning performance
15:14in a sequence that certainly wouldn't make the cut in Hollywood today.
15:22Number 17, Alley Dance, My Sister Eileen.
15:26Though more widely known for his choreography and directing today,
15:30Bob Fosse also had a career in front of the camera.
15:34He appears in 1953's Kiss Me Kate in a few stellar dances,
15:38but today we're honoring this funny little ditty.
15:48In My Sister Eileen, Fosse plays a man named Frank who has a thing for the titular character.
15:54In one scene, he duets with another of Eileen's love interest, played by the great Tommy Rall.
15:59The dance is unbelievably acrobatic, with each man trying to out-leap and jump the other.
16:11It's so lovely to see the way these two men not only compete,
16:14but work off each other's athletic and dance prowess.
16:17Who do you think comes out on top?
16:30Number 16, Love, Look Away, Flower Drum Song.
16:34Flower Drum Song is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's lesser-known musicals,
16:38but marks an important turning point in film history.
16:42The 1961 work is the first major Hollywood movie
16:45with a majority Asian-American cast telling their own story.
16:49Not only is it an important historical artifact,
16:52but it also features a startlingly beautiful dance scene.
16:56It's the first time we've seen a dance scene in a movie,
16:59and it's the first time we've seen a dance scene in a movie.
17:02It's the first time we've seen a dance scene in a movie,
17:05and it's the first time we've seen a dance scene in a movie.
17:08But it also features a startlingly beautiful dance sequence.
17:12In a moment of vulnerability,
17:13a character named Helen admits that she's in love with a character named Wong Ta.
17:18No good are you for me.
17:24No good am I for you.
17:31What follows is a hazy, dreamy dance
17:34that wonderfully projects all of Helen's feelings through movement.
17:37Never has unrequited love looked so good.
17:53If there's one thing we know, it's that Fosse's gonna Fosse.
17:57And Take Off With Us from All That Jazz is no exception.
18:01Going all the way.
18:04Won't you climb aboard,
18:06you'll find a smooth ass.
18:12Bob Fosse's brilliant, cutting autobiographical work
18:15features Roy Scheider as the Fosse stand-in.
18:18In one scene, Scheider's character shows off a new creation to his new show's producers.
18:23Music's ready to begin.
18:31Take Off With Us starts off normally enough,
18:34or as normal as Fosse can be.
18:37But in the second part of the dance,
18:38the lights dim and everything changes.
18:41The choreography suddenly becomes hyper-sexualized.
18:45No matter how you feel about the content,
18:47it's audacious and mesmerizing.
18:50You can't look away.
19:02Number 14.
19:04Let's say it with firecrackers.
19:06Holiday Inn.
19:08Fred Astaire is the king of the movie tap world.
19:11His output is so voluminous,
19:13there's bound to be a few dances we've undervalued over the years.
19:16We love his drunken tap extravaganza in The Sky's the Limit,
19:20but we feel that this dance from Holiday Inn really pops off.
19:32In one sequence,
19:34Astaire's character Ted has to deliver an on-the-spot number with no rehearsal.
19:38He decides to shake things up a little.
19:41He keeps his usual tapping feet, of course,
19:43but punctuates certain moves in the dance with firecrackers.
19:47The results are explosive, literally.
19:51Astaire throws down those fireworks with his signature ease,
19:55proving that he can make even pyrotechnics smooth.
20:12Number 13.
20:14White House Steps.
20:15Yankee Doodle Dandy.
20:17Okay, we know what you're thinking.
20:19How could Yankee Doodle Dandy be underrated?
20:22We all know that song.
20:30Sure.
20:31But the dance?
20:32We think that deserves just as much recognition.
20:35In the 1942 film,
20:37James Cagney dances to the famous tune as he heads down the White House steps.
20:41It's a short dance,
20:42but it proves to be one of the most iconic dance moves of all time.
20:46It's a short dance,
20:47but it proves just how talented Cagney was
20:50and is a perfect character moment.
20:58Cagney never misses a beat,
21:00and his jaunty joy at what's transpired punctuates every step.
21:04He makes it look easy, as always,
21:06but making the hard stuff look easy is what makes a star.
21:17Number 12.
21:18The Red Blues.
21:19Silk Stockings.
21:21When it comes to Cyd Charisse,
21:22we don't think she ever got the level of recognition that she deserved.
21:34One of the best dancers to ever live,
21:37Charisse delivered a plethora of astounding performances
21:40during her time on the silver screen.
21:42This is one of our favorites.
21:44This dance from Silk Stockings is a wonderful ensemble number,
21:47but Charisse steals the show.
21:59With her unearthly long frame,
22:01every kick and spin seems to take up the entire screen.
22:05She's smooth and deliberate and always the star,
22:08whether she's doing a solo or a partner dance.
22:11No one was ever able to move quite like Charisse,
22:14and we don't know if anyone ever will again.
22:25Number 11.
22:26Make Em Laugh.
22:27Singing in the Rain.
22:29If Make Em Laugh were in any other film,
22:32it would be the greatest number in the show.
22:34And even though the classic Singing in the Rain has so much to love,
22:38it still ranks pretty high.
22:41You could study Shakespeare and be quite elite,
22:44and you could charm the critics and have nothing to eat.
22:47Just slip on a banana peel, the world's at your feet.
22:50Make em laugh, make em laugh, make em laugh.
22:53Donald O'Connor delivers the dance
22:55as an ode to popular good old generic entertainment,
22:58but his performance is anything but generic.
23:01O'Connor has one of the lithest frames of any dancer we've ever seen,
23:05and he puts it to good use here.
23:07Make em roar, make em scream.
23:10Take a fall, but a wall split a seam.
23:13Not only is his body going to work,
23:15but he never lets his expression slip either,
23:18delivering funny face after funny face.
23:21O'Connor was just one of those performers that was always on.
23:26Make em laugh.
23:31Make em laugh, make em laugh, make em laugh.
23:39Number 10
23:40Jump and Jive
23:41Stormy Weather
23:54In 1943, 20th Century Fox released one of the two musicals
23:58featuring African-American cast that year, Stormy Weather.
24:02The film features a variety of numbers,
24:04as it depicts the protagonist's hope to become a professional dancer.
24:08Such big names as Lena Horne,
24:10Fats Waller,
24:11and this entry's composer Cab Calloway appear in the film.
24:22In the Jump and Jive number,
24:24Calloway and his orchestra provide the music
24:26for the astonishing Nicholas Brothers,
24:28as the duo tap up a storm all over the place.
24:31The number is impressive, energetic, passionate,
24:34and amazingly, was purportedly achieved in a single take.
24:45And we didn't even mention that splits down the stairs sequence towards the end.
24:57Number 9
24:58Barn Dance
24:59Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
25:07Yeah, we're definitely not recommending this one
25:10for its absurdly awful depiction of gender roles and behavior.
25:14After all, the titular brides are kidnapped by the brothers
25:18and held in a cabin over the winter.
25:20In typical old-fashioned style, however,
25:22they all fall in love and get married in a mock shotgun wedding.
25:26We're focusing on the absolutely incredible dance numbers, though.
25:43When the brothers venture into town for a barn dance,
25:45they encounter the aforementioned brides-to-be and fall in love.
25:49However, the ladies are spoken for,
25:51and a brawl ensues between the menfolk.
25:54The fight begins through dance,
25:56as the stiffy-suited townsmen stiffly dance,
25:59only to have their ladies taken by the rough woodsman brothers
26:02who dance more freely and wildly.
26:15Number 8
26:16Shall We Dance, The King and I
26:24When the music started, something drew me to your side
26:29Though the most known song from this classic is most likely
26:32Getting to Know You,
26:33there are some other gems to be enjoyed in the 1956 film.
26:37Getting to know you, getting to know all about you
26:44The story covers many Western and Eastern culture clash moments,
26:48as well as some romantic liaisons.
26:50Shall we dance, shall we dance, shall we dance
26:551, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3
26:58The King is, of course, reluctant to accept any form of change
27:02and makes this clear throughout,
27:04only to finally understand in the end.
27:07In the memorable number Shall We Dance,
27:09Anna explains to the King how Western women are courted,
27:12and the two express their inner emotions through the secretive,
27:15yet much-telling medium of dance.
27:18We'll do it again.
27:31Number 7
27:32Cool, West Side Story
27:34I wanna get even
27:35Get cool
27:36I wanna bust
27:37Bust cool
27:38I wanna go
27:39Go cool
27:40Boy, boy, crazy boy
27:44Get cool, boy
27:47This modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet
27:49gives us many songs for fond memories,
27:51yet some really great sequences fly slightly under the radar.
27:55Towards the end of the film,
27:57the Jets and the Sharks are headed to the ultimate confrontation,
28:00as the two gangs wish to take each other down once and for all.
28:05The Jets are shown getting aggressively riled up,
28:07until one of their members talks everyone down to keeping their cool
28:11and not charging in like bulls.
28:13Easy does it, easy does it
28:16Turn off the juice, boy
28:23What follows is a rapid dance number
28:25in which the Jets redirect their anger into their moves,
28:28and it's really, well, cool.
28:35Pow!
28:38Number 6
28:39Kansas City, Oklahoma
28:41I got to Kansas City on a Friday
28:44By Saturday I learned a thing or two
28:48Cause up to then I didn't have an idea
28:52Of what the modern world was coming to
28:55Oklahoma depicts an old-fashioned Midwestern town,
28:58complete with cowboys, ranch hands, bells, and their mamas and papas.
29:03The townspeople don't often find themselves traveling elsewhere,
29:06and when cowboy Will Parker returns from the bustling metropolis of Kansas City,
29:10the townsfolk gather to hear his tales.
29:13What you doing now, Will?
29:15Well, this is called ragtime.
29:16I see a couple of actors doing it.
29:18Will's big city tales lead into a demonstration of the latest big city dance moves,
29:23including the two-step and ragtime,
29:26as he tries to convince his audience of the appeal of these new dances.
29:30The scene is high energy as well as comical and endlessly entertaining.
29:41The box social scene, including the farmer and cowman barn dance,
29:45comes in a close second.
29:56Number 5
29:57Rich Man's Fruit, Sweet Charity
30:10Down on her luck dancer-for-hire Charity Hope Valentine
30:14What a cool name, right?
30:15dreams of the big time and getting out of her current predicament.
30:19As she moves from her current lower-class workplace venue,
30:22widely known for the Hey Big Spender number,
30:25to attending a high-class nightclub,
30:27she witnesses the differences in culture.
30:41This is well introduced by the Rich Man's Frug,
30:44in which the nightclub guests dance with elegance and a touch of hedonism,
30:48all while maintaining that special brand of 1960s hip.
30:52With the legendary Bob Fosse at the helm,
30:54the choreography cannot go wrong.
31:07Number 4
31:09Number 4
31:10Who's Got the Pain, Damn Yankees
31:20Americans love their baseball.
31:22In 1958's Damn Yankees represents this pretty well.
31:26It tells the story of an ordinary man who makes a deal with the devil
31:30to lead his favorite baseball team,
31:32the perpetually losing Washington Senators, to victory.
31:35The most recognized scene is, of course, whatever Lola wants.
31:39I always get what I aim for.
31:45Another impressive, yet often overlooked number is Who's Got the Pain,
31:50in which fans of the Senators celebrate their impromptu road to victory.
31:54Who's got the pain when they do the mumbo?
31:56Who's got the pain when they go at?
31:58Who's got the pain when they do the mumbo?
32:00I don't know who, do you?
32:02Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon take the stage
32:04to perform a dance number reminiscent of vaudeville.
32:07It's energetic, humorous, and lots of fun.
32:10Good luck getting that tune out of your head.
32:22Number 3
32:23Born to Hand Jive, Grease
32:32Almost every song from Grease is easily recognizable
32:35to anyone who's ever been to any sort of karaoke night.
32:38I met a girl, that's you, crazy for me.
32:42I met a boy, he's as cute as can be.
32:45However, there are still a few underrated numbers.
32:49The hand jive performed during the televised school dance
32:51is catchy as well as entertaining.
32:54There's a lot going on in the scene amidst the overzealous competition.
32:58Every main character gets their moment of dance,
33:00some followed by moments of drama.
33:03However, the dancing is contagious,
33:05and much like the in-film audience,
33:07it's tempting to join in in any way possible.
33:17John Travolta's dance with Olivia Newton-John
33:19is reminiscent of the disco days,
33:21and the exhausting energy doesn't stop throughout the entire scene.
33:31Number 2
33:32The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing, White Christmas
33:47There's just something about Christmas-themed musicals.
33:50In White Christmas, we see the film's two protagonists,
33:53played by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye,
33:56struggle to launch their production company following World War II.
33:59Their journey, of course, includes romantic interests.
34:03Though the film does contain some timeless gems
34:05such as choreography and Mandy,
34:07sometimes the more gentle, understated numbers are best.
34:21Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen perform The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing
34:24with such elegance and grace.
34:29The song speaks of expression through dance,
34:31and how it's much stronger than regular communication for relaying emotions,
34:36which is a constant theme in classic musicals in general.
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35:16Number 1
35:17Moses Supposes, Singing in the Rain
35:30This classic musical is filled with iconic song and dance numbers.
35:34Alongside the grandiose nature of some of these scenes
35:37are many underrated gems.
35:40In addition to make them laugh, there's also Beautiful Girl.
35:52However, we went with the hilarious and tongue-twisting Moses Supposes.
35:56The film depicts the transition between silent films and talkies,
35:59and this scene has the lead actor, Gene Kelly,
36:02learning eloquent speech from a stuffy professor.
36:05Kelly and his musical buddy and partner, Donald O'Connor,
36:08make a farce of the lessons
36:10and begin to dance and sing around the shocked professor.
36:27It's an amazing two-man dance sequence we'll never forget.
36:31Which undersung dance scene do you think belonged here?
36:34Let us know in the comments.
36:36Oh, well, I'll tell you about it later.
36:38Well, I demand to know right here and now.
36:41Do you agree with our picks?
36:43Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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