A Movie Dance Sequence You'd Appreciate, Too!

Last night we watched Doris Day and a cast of hundreds in the film version of "The Pajama Game" musical which has a number of recognizable hit tunes from some years back. The film is generally light hearted and upbeat and worth a look/see or a re-look.

We are admirers of the professional actor-dancers such as Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Cyd Charisse, Gene Kelly, and all the great ones, but we were caught by pleasant surprise by the dance sequence in "The Pajama Game" which takes place toward the end of the film.

Three dancers occupy the stage of a large hall in which the unionized workers of the pajama factory are holding a mass meeting determined to get their long sought after raise.

The five minutes dance sequence they perform in unison is incredible! We both agreed that Michael Jackson must surely have fashioned some of his famous moves from the inspiration he probably got from that sequence. It has to be seen to be believed, for I can't do it justice just trying to describe it in words. Perhaps the best way to try to describe it is to say that, if you like pair figure skating, or any performance dancing, you will love it. rewind it, and watch it again!

Your own comments about your favorite dance sequences from the movies (which you can list in the "Comments" section below) will be welcome. They just might lead us to watch some more we may have missed, similar to the great sequences from "Singing In The Rain" that were so well performed by Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, and Gene Kelly.

Rita Hayworth, another actress-dancer from those "good old days" came to film first as a dancer, performed well in several acting roles, and along with star Betty Grable was one of the favored pinups of our military men in World War II.

Many Broadway stars reprised their Broadway roles for film with such success that they went on to make made-for-Hollywood musicals and a variety of other films.

My wife commented that "even the larger framed women in 'The Pajama Game' were in good athletic condition, and "the characters in the movie looked like Americans used to look!" While I was quick to remind her that those actor-performers were, after all, by and large professional dancers, there was equal reason to believe that Americans were healthier 30-50 years ago (even 10!) than they are today given the average weight gains so many wrestle with today.

She had commented on the filmed dance sequences in the film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", which starred Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe, that Jane and Marilyn looked healthier than some of the stars today who are thinner and more "finely chiseled.". (John and Robert Kennedy would have been in her corner on that observation!)

It is said that watching vigorous sports helps to tune the observer's muscles, and we can only hope that whoever said that was right. A lot of sports today are indeed "spectator sports."

For a real treat, and whatever muscle toning it can offer, take the chance to watch that dance sequence in "The Pajama Game". The film's songs will give you muscle tuning, too!

© This work is licensed under a Creative Comments Attribution-No Derivs 3.0 United States License