Cyd Charisse Movies
"When you've danced with Cyd Charisse, you stay danced with." So said Fred Astaire, in tribute to the ability and allure of his last big-screen dancing partner. Cyd Charisse was the last great musical star to come out of MGM, and she barely made it to stardom before the musical genre began its decline. One of the greatest dancers ever to come out of Hollywood, Charisse worked in movies for almost a decade before being allowed to take center stage in a major musical feature; but when she did, she fairly exploded onscreen in The Band Wagon, Vincente Minnelli's greatest musical.Charisse was born in Tula Ellice Finklea in Amarillo, TX, and took to dancing at an early age, encouraged by her father, who loved the ballet. By age 14, she was dancing with the Ballet Russe under the more glamorous (and European-sounding) name Felia Sidorova -- the Sidorova came from her childhood nickname "Sid," which she carried into adulthood. She later studied dance in Los Angeles with Nico Charisse, who became her first husband. Charisse appeared both solo and with her first husband (working as "Nico and Charisse") in several early '40s "soundies" and played small roles in Mission to Moscow and Something to Shout About (both 1943), working under the name Lily Norwood. In 1945 Charisse was signed to MGM; Lily Norwood disappeared and Sid became Cyd, while the Charisse -- the one major legacy of the failed marriage -- remained.
Charisse appeared in some lesser studio productions during the second half of the '40s, of which the most notable was The Unfinished Dance, a notoriously bad MGM remake of a pre-World War II French film. At the time, Ann Miller was getting all of the really good high-profile dancer co-star roles in the studio's biggest songbook musicals, while Charisse got featured dancer roles in composer-tribute movies such as Till the Clouds Roll By (based loosely on the career of Jerome Kern) and Words and Music (based loosely on Richard Rodgers' and Lorenz Hart's careers). During the late '40s, she married singer Tony Martin, a union that would last more than 50 years. Charisse had the chance to work opposite Gene Kelly in An American in Paris, but turned it down as she and Martin were starting a family, a decision that she never regretted, even if it cheated film audiences of a brilliant showcase for her work. Finally, in 1952, she made it into a frontline studio production in as prominent a role as a dancer could possibly have without dialogue, playing the vamp who appears in the middle of the "Broadway Ballet" segment of Singin' in the Rain.
In 1953, with the help of Fred Astaire and director Vincente Minnelli, Charisse emerged a full-blown star in The Band Wagon. The movie, one of the greatest musicals ever made, was even more impressive as a total vehicle for Charisse -- her eight years at the studio had allowed her to absorb a fair amount of acting training, which made her just as impressive in her dramatic, romantic, and comedic scenes as she was when she danced. And when she and Astaire danced, it was literally poetry in motion, before that phrase was overused. Charisse got to work alongside Gene Kelly again in Brigadoon and It's Always Fair Weather, in which she again got to showcase her acting ability (her singing was dubbed by vocalist India Adams in most of her movies). She got to do one more major Hollywood musical, Silk Stockings (1957), acting and dancing opposite her greatest dancing partner, Fred Astaire, in a screen adaptation of Cole Porter's last great stage musical, before the musical genre disappeared.
During the 1960s, she moved her career to Europe for one last dazzling musical film, Black Tights, and onto television, where Charisse became an Emmy-winning performer, and then onto the stage. Luckily for Charisse, she was a good enough actress to credibly work in straight drama and comedy, and was so striking a physical presence that she kept her career going well into the 1970s, including a successful nightclub act with Tony Martin. She scored a hit in the Australian production of No No Nanette in 1972, and she and Martin authored a joint-autobiography, The Two of Us, in 1976. Charisse published a successful workout book in the early '90s, and remains one of the most beloved performers from the world of Hollywood musicals. In 2000, she received the first Nijinsky Award from Princess Caroline of Monaco for her lifelong contribution to dance. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Soundies: A Musical History collects a number of short musical films that played on a film jukebox called Panoram in the 1940s. Many consider these films to be the very first music videos, and this documentary includes appearances by some of the most beloved musical artists of all time including Louis Armstrong. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2002
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On the short list of great cinema dancers, Gene Kelly led a multi-faceted career that included acting, directing, and choreography. This documentary, narrated by Stanley Tucci, offers a look at the man's driving work ethic and his rich talent that led to such memorable classics as Singin' in the Rain, On the Town, and the Oscar-winning An American in Paris. The DVD release of this documentary offers a complete Gene Kelly filmography. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stanley Tucci, Gene Kelly, (more)
First shown on American Movie Classics, Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days covers the production of "Something's Got to Give," a romantic comedy starring Monroe, Dean Martin, and Cyd Charisse. Monroe was fired during filming shortly before her death, and the movie was eventually scrapped. The centerpiece of the documentary is a restored reconstruction of the surviving footage. "Something's Got to Give" was later produced as Move Over, Darling, with Doris Day ironically filling Monroe's former role. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marilyn Monroe
Family, friends, and associates recall "The Chairman of the Board" in this compilation video that salutes the world renowned, sometimes controversial singer and celebrity Francis Albert Sinatra (1915-1998). Born in Hoboken, NJ, Sinatra became one of the world's most admired all-around entertainers. Besides making and breaking records (literally and figuratively), "Old Blue Eyes" made his mark as a radio star, an Academy Award-winning actor, and a quintessential Las Vegas act. His work in television was less celebrated, but he put in his time there as well, starring in musical variety shows for CBS and ABC, as well as numerous TV specials. Highlights of this video include archival performance footage and a clip of Sinatra being interviewed by the influential Edward R. Murrow. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra
- 1998
The 1940s was a monumental decade for the United States. Amid World War II, economic recovery, and the start of the Cold War, American music provided a soundtrack to a generation. The Music Classics line from MPI Home Video attempts to offer the chance to relieve the era with a ten-volume series of restored film footage featuring performances by many of the 40's most revered artists. Syd Charisse, Johnny Long, Fats Waller, and Tommy Dorsey are just a few of the musicians features in this ninth installment of the series. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 1995
In the conclusion of a two-part story, former antagonists Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Kate Costas (Mercedes Ruehl) are now enmeshed in a torrid romance. In fact, "torrid" hardly covers it: The two can't keep their hands off each other, either in or out of the office. When they end up "doing it" in the radio booth, the action is inadvertently broadcast all over Seattle -- and soon the city is abuzz as to the identity of the mysterious "dirty girl." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In 1974, MGM Studios released its first compilation of musical highlights from 45 years of Hollywood extravaganzas. Entitled That's Entertainment!, it was a big box-office hit and inspired a second compilation two years later. Eighteen years went by before MGM tried again. The third installment of the series contains a total of 62 musical numbers and includes scenes from more than 100 films. The cavalcade of memories is hosted by nine stars from the old musicals: Gene Kelly, Esther Williams, Debbie Reynolds, Mickey Rooney, Lena Horne, June Allyson, Cyd Charisse, Ann Miller, and Howard Keel. The film is loaded with outtakes and unfinished numbers that didn't make the cut of the original musicals. At many points, there is a split screen, showing the finished product as filmed as well as behind-the-scenes confusion. It's as much a comic "bloopers" TV show as a tribute to the heyday of the musical. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- June Allyson, Cyd Charisse, (more)
- 1990
There have been quite a few spoofs of Hollywood, and a similar number of spoofs about filmmaking in general. This is one of the few spoofs which is about film festivals and, in particular, the Taormina festival in Italy. It was shot during the 1988 festival using many of the actual participants in the festival as actors and leading characters. When word of the film went round, many more wanted to participate than was originally planned, and further scenes were shot during the next year's festival. It was finally shown at the 1990 festival. Those who are not playing themselves are portraying characters who are easily recognized by those attending the festival, though these references are probably impossible for non-participants to understand. Nonetheless, the scenes showing the chaos and energetic self-promotion behind the scenes serve to leaven the heavy seriousness with which festivals promote themselves. The frequently leaden, self-important themes of many festival films are not exempt from barbs in this comedy, any more than the are the windbag philosophical utterances of the unhappy critics who must watch them. Reviewers of this film expressed considerable pleasure in observing the gusto with which the participants made fun of themselves in this unusual festival offering. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Forde, Patrick Bauchau, (more)
- 1989
A dance instruction series from the Fred Astaire Studios, with instructors Lee and Peggy Santos. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1989
William Katt, Catherine Oxenberg and Nia Peeples star in this comedy about an advertising agency who are about to lose their biggest client, the Saltaire Swimwear Company, until they come up with a brilliant idea -- create a swimsuit model talent search. Saltaire loves the idea and the media eats it up, but the contestants prove to be more trouble than anyone expected. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1985
The opening episode of Murder She Wrote's second season marks the first occasion in which matronly mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) assumes a different identity in the cause of justice. Summoned to a Caribbean resort by a desperate letter from her old friend Antoinette Farnsworth (Reggie Savage), Jessica arrives to find that Antoinette has been murdered. To ferret out the guilty party, who has already been pinpointed as a jewel thief, our heroine poses as a very wealthy--and very reclusive--widow. Len Cariou, who previously costarred with Angela Lansbury in the hit Broadway musical "Sweeney Todd", makes his first appearance as redoubtable British secret agent Michael Haggerty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Nine years after his last compilation of musical-movie highlights (That's Entertainment, Part II), producer Jack Haley Jr. offers another enjoyable nostalgia-fest, That's Dancing. Unlike his earlier films, which were confined to the output of MGM, That's Dancing offers vignettes from the best of Warner Bros. (the Busby Berkeley extravaganzas, On Your Toes), RKO (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers), 20th Century-Fox (The Nicholas Brothers, Carmen Miranda), Universal (1969's Sweet Charity) and United Artists (the "Cool" number from West Side Story). There are also highlights from the top musicals of the 1970s and 1980s, which with such rare exceptions as Saturday Night Fever (1977) can't hold a candle to Hollywood's vintage songfests. Host/narrators Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis Jr., Mikhail Baryshnikov, Liza Minnelli and Ray Bolger help put the clips in their historical perspective, though all five stars seem tired and unenthusiastic. The real money scene in That's Dancing is Ray Bolger's "wind" dance, which was cut from the final release print of The Wizard of Oz (1939). In answer to the excellent audience response to this vintage sequence, Haley's next compilation, That's Entertainment III (1995), incorporated several such "lost" musical gems from the MGM vaults. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis, Jr., (more)
- 1980
The made-for-TV Portrait of an Escort stars Susan Anspach as a divorcee in financial straits, has a daughter to support. She takes a job with a professional dating service, charging fifty dollars per customer. Anspach last client of the evening turns out to be a man whose intentions are apparently homicidal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
- PG
Also known as Seven Cities to Atlantis, this is a youth-oriented, British-produced adventure fantasy which uses rather ordinary special effects. In Victorian England, an explorer, Greg Collinson (Doug McClure), leads an unlikely expedition to discover the lost continent of Atlantis. Among the team are scientists Professor Aitken (Donald Boisset) and son Charles (Peter Gilmore). The crew members mutiny, setting their sights on the legendary treasures of Atlantis. The ship is attacked by sea monsters and a giant octopus. Sinking to the bottom of the sea, the explorers find that Atlantis is populated by intelligent beings from another planet who enslave shipwrecked sailors. The aliens' goal is to create a fascist state that will rule the world, and they want to recruit Charles to help them. Delphine (Lea Brodie), the daughter of one of the shipwrecked slaves, helps the heroes find a high priestess, Atsil (Cyd Charisse), who holds the key to their chances of escaping. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doug McClure, Peter Gilmore, (more)
- 1976
- PG
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This spoof makes fun of a certain famous German shepherd movie star from the 1920s. The mayhem begins when the head honcho of a financially struggling studio turns a lost dog into a legend. The story features a number of old stars making cameo appearances. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Dern, Madeline Kahn, (more)
- 1972
"Mom" is Connie Stevens, who stars in this made-for-TV comedy. Stevens plays a small-town waitress who is appointed the housemother for a rambunctious fraternity house on the local college campus. The frat boys assume that freewheeling Stevens will allow them to party to their hearts' content, but "Mom" takes her job quite seriously and compels the students to behave themselves. She also becomes involved in a campus feminist movement that threatens to topple the college's male power structure (headed by dean Van Johnson). Call Her Mom was the pilot for a Connie Stevens TV series that found neither a sponsor nor a network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
It's Funny Face meets Rififi in Maroc 7, starring Cyd Charisse as Louise Henderson, an editor for a slick and chic fashion magazine who utilizes her jet-setting life style as a front for an international jewel-smuggling operation. Abetting her in the scheme is the magazine's top photographer and high-fashion cover model. But instead of "Think pink" it's "Think clink" as secret agent Simon Grant (Gene Barry) is sent in to infiltrate Louise's organization. Posing as a safecracker, Simon convinces Louise to let him in to the gang's next operation: a plan to smuggle a priceless gem out of Morocco. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Barry, Cyd Charisse, (more)
Columbia Pictures tried to create a tongue-in-cheek American James Bond with this, the first of five motion pictures based on the character of Matt Helm, a spy created in a series of novels by Donald Hamilton. Dean Martin stars as Helm, a boozing, womanizing cad of a spy coaxed out of retirement by ex-girlfriend Tina Batori (Daliah Lavi). His mission: stop the evil Big O organization, whose leader, Tung-Tze (Victor Buono), schemes to sabotage an atomic missile and thus spark World War III. Producer Irving Allen had once been partners with Albert R. Broccoli in the British film production company Warwick Films, their alliance ironically disintegrating over the merits of creating a Bond series. When Broccoli's instincts proved correct, Allen attempted to create his own spy franchise with the Helm character. The sequels to The Silencers (1966) were Murderers' Row (1966), The Ambushers (1967), and The Wrecking Crew (1968). Allen unsuccessfully tried to resurrect the character as a TV movie, Matt Helm (1975). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Stella Stevens, (more)
- 1965
Danger and romance are in plentiful supply in one of Europe's most beautiful cities in this sophisticated thriller. Shelley North (Cyd Charisse) is an American tourist who has come to Rome on a vacation with her husband. When he disappears without warning, Shelley visits the American embassy in search of help; word of Shelley's dilemma makes its way to Dick Sherman (Hugh O'Brian), an American expatriate who edits an English-language newspaper in Rome and once had a fling with Shelley when they were single and living in the States. Dick offers to help Shelley find her husband, and recruits a friend to help -- one of the top homicide detectives in Italy. When the missing American's name pops up in the address book of a criminal who has turned up dead, Shelley and Dick are drawn into a web of drug smuggling, organized crime, and international espionage, with allies and enemies shifting sides over the course of the investigation. Assassination In Rome (aka Assassinio Made in Italy and Il Segreto del Vestito Rosso) was shot in Italy using a local cast and crew, with Charisse and O'Brian added to give the project greater international box office clout. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cyd Charisse, Hugh O'Brian, (more)
- 1962
One of Hollywood's great directors, Vincente Minnelli, turns a jaundiced eye towards the film industry in this drama about the inner workings of the movie business. Jack Andrus (Kirk Douglas) is an actor whose career has gone into a tailspin along with his personal life; after a severe bout with alcoholism, a messy break-up with his wife, a life-threatening auto accident, and a nervous breakdown, Andrus has spent three years in a private mental hospital in Connecticut. Andrus is approached by Maurice Kruger (Edward G. Robinson), a noted filmmaker who worked many times with Andrus in the past, offering him a small role in his next picture, and with the blessings of his doctors, the actor flies to Rome to return to work. However, once he arrives, Andrus finds the project is in chaos -- his role has been recast, Kruger is constantly battling with producer Tucino (Mino Doro), leading man Davie Drew (George Hamilton) is squabbling with both %Kruger and his girlfriend Veronica (Daliah Lavi), and the female lead (Rosanna Schiaffino) can't recite her dialogue in English. With the shooting in shambles, Kruger asks Andrus to take over the dubbing work in hopes of bringing the film in on schedule, and against his better judgement Andrus agrees. As Andrus tries to rise to this new challenge -- made all the more trying by the arrival of his ex-wife Carlotta (Cyd Charisse) -- the production receives its biggest setback when Kruger suffers a heart attack after a bitter argument with his wife (Claire Trevor). Andrus takes over the direction of the picture, and proves a capable hand for the job, bringing in the project on time and on budget. However, Kruger expresses resentment rather than gratitude, claiming that Andrus is trying to put an end to his career. Two Weeks In Another Town was adapted from a novel by Irwin Shaw. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Edward G. Robinson, (more)
- 1961
This Ernie Kovacs cult comedy was the last film directed by Mario Zampi and follows the exploits of Aldo Bondi (Kovacs) who earns his living off wealthy widows. When he consoles the beautiful and impoverished Baroness Sandra (Cyd Charisse), he makes the mistake of falling in love with her. That gets him into a complex con game with three other widows and a huge sum of money, meant to be invested to earn a bundle based on the five-hour time difference between the East coast of the U.S. and Europe. Bondi gets into one tight situation after the next, as his loot is stolen by the Baroness and he needs a way to save his skin. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernie Kovacs, Cyd Charisse, (more)
Black Tights is a filmed ballet anthology divided into four all-dance episodes. "The Diamond Cruncher" spotlights Ziza Jeanmaire as a lady mobster who gives up her life of crime for the love of a good man. "Cyrano de Bergerac" stars Roland Petit (who also choreographed) as Cyrano and Moira Shearer as Roxanne; its music was composed by Marius Constant, of Twilight Zone fame. "A Merry Mourning" finds Cyd Charisse flittering her way into a deadly romantic triangle. And "Carmen," starring Jeanmaire once more, is the old story, danced rather than sung to the music of Bizet. Both the French and English-language versions of Black Tights are narrated by Maurice Chevalier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zizi Jeanmaire, Moira Shearer, (more)
- 1958
Vicki Gaye (Cyd Charisse) is a dancer at a night club in early 1930's Chicago. A healthy cynic who still possesses some ideals, she entertains no illusions about the "invitation" (or the $100 that goes with it) that she gets to a party hosted by mob kingpin Rico Angelo (Lee J. Cobb) -- but she still won't let Angelo's head torpedo Louis Canetto (John Ireland) get near her. Angelo's attorney Thomas Farrell (Robert Taylor) is another story -- he's a more complicated than the men he defends, and still enough of an idealist so that when he and Vicki cross swords about who is the worse hypocrite, it actually affects him. Farrell, whose right leg has been crippled from birth and getting worse, took the easy way to success by pursuing a criminal practice, including getting Canetto off a murder rap -- but after meeting Vicki he starts to see another path to take, and also embarks on a year of surgical procedures to cure the worst of the pain in his leg. And he comes out a new man, with a new plan in life, including starting over in a practice that doesn't involve criminal law. But Angelo plans on having Farrell fight an old friend, prosecutor Jeffrey Stewart (Kent Smith), who is trying to indict Angelo's associate Cooky La Motte (Corey Allen). Farrell resists, until Angelo threatens to harm Vicki -- and when the case and the trail blow up in both sides' faces, he finds himself caught between the mob and the law, with Vicki urging him to do the right thing. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Cyd Charisse, (more)
- 1958
Adapted by Ernest Gann from his own novel, Twilight for the Gods bears traces of Gann's earlier The High and the Mighty. This "psychological adventure" stars Rock Hudson as Captain Bell, who crawls into a bottle after being court-martialed and discharged from the Navy. Reduced to skippering a rundown schooner in the South Seas, Bell comes into contact with a group of passengers and crew members who are almost as mixed up as he is: Charlotte (Cyd Charisse), a Honolulu prostitute on the lam from the authorities; Hutton (Leif Erickson), a third-rate show biz entrepreneur, Wiggins (Richard Haydn), an erudite beachcomber; Feodor and Ida Morris (Vladimir Sokoloff, Celia Lovsky) a refugee couple; ineffectual missionary Butterfield (Ernest Truex); washed-up opera star Ethel Peacock (Judith Evelyn); and second mate Ramsay (Arthur Kennedy), an all-around rotter. In other words, it's "Grand Hotel" at sea. During a treacherous, life-threatening storm at sea, the true characters of the passengers and crewmen are revealed -- for better or worse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Cyd Charisse, (more)
