Cyd Charisse (1921-2008)

[Miss Nobody]

Hommage du soir


Meet Me in Las Vegas 1956

Sympa!!!!

[hansolo]

"hong kong".Chef-d'oeuvre créé par eugene loring pour le special tv "meet cyd charisse".Avec jimmy mitchell.

ce show tv est sorti en Dvd? (ou VHS?)

[serafin]

...special tv "meet cyd charisse".Avec jimmy mitchell.Ce show tv est sorti en Dvd? (ou VHS?)

malhereusement il n'est pas sorti,on peut voir une partie dans le documentaire des années '80 "cyd charisse".

[Tom Peeping]

Un des mes blogueurs préférés (Danny Miller de "Jew Eat Yet") était aux funérailles de Cyd Charisse dimanche dernier et en fait un compte-rendu très émouvant. La scène qu'il décrit dans le dernier paragraphe est assez hallucinante...

"On Sunday I attended Cyd Charisse’s funeral at the Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City. Cyd Charisse, America’s favorite shiksa, being buried in a Jewish cemetery? Oh yeah, her husband Tony Martin was Jewish—born Alvin Morris to Russian Jewish immigrants. When I arrived at Hillside on this oppresively hot day, I saw the graves of Jewish celebrities wherever I looked: Al Jolson, Milton Berle, Eddie Cantor, Jack Benny, the Three Stooges, Michael Landon, Shelley Winters. I admit I never imagined Cyd Charisse joining their ranks. It was strange to walk into the small chapel at Hillside and see Cyd’s rose-covered coffin sitting in between two Hebrew passages from the Bible carved into the walls on either side. But I guess the actress had never converted because it wasn’t a Jewish ceremony. The service was officiated by Dr. Gary Alan Dickey, Senior Pastor of the United Methodist Church in Westlake Village. It was a fairly small group, maybe 120 people. I was sitting in the back surrounded by a bunch of older men and I couldn’t help but listen to their conversation before the funeral began. Turns out this was a group of MGM dancers, probably the very ones who appeared with Cyd in her classic numbers in “The Band Wagon,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” and “Silk Stockings.” It was hard to equate the youthful dancers from those films with this group of men in their 70s and 80s. They all seemed to love Charisse and talked about the memories they had of her and Tony over the years.

It was a poignant, serious service. Cyd’s son from her first marriage, 66-year-old Nico Charisse wept as he said good-bye to his mom. The actress’s agent told how he used to park Charisse’s car on the MGM lot when he first arrived in town at the age of 16. He told the story of Cyd auditioning for Tommy Tune when she made her Broadway musical debut in 1992’s “Grand Hotel.” Tune was so impressed with her he exclaimed, “I should be auditioning for YOU!” She got the part and when they got back to her dressing room, she whispered to her agent, “Do they realize I’m 70 years old and have to get on point?” But she did do it, and was great in her only Broadway appearance. A few other friends and Cyd’s assistant talked about what a classy, wonderful lady Cyd Charisse was.

It was hard not to think of all the people who would’ve spoken at her funeral if they were still alive. Certainly Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly as well as directors such as Vincente Minnelli and Stanley Donen, writers like Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and close personal friends such as Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. This is one of the only drawbacks of living so long—less wonderful people from your life to speak at your funeral! The surviving stars of the MGM years were on hand to pay their respects. I was especially moved when Esther Williams arrived in a wheelchair. Esther and Cyd are exactly the same age and made several films together early in Cyd’s career, most notably “Fiesta” and “On an Island With You.” In both films, Cyd had steaming hot dance numbers with Esther’s love interest Ricardo Montalban. Charisse usually played Williams’ rival, and for some reason MGM seemed determined to cast Cyd as a Latina. Take a look at this clip to see Cyd during her sexy Latina phase seducing Esther’s boyfriend. ¡Ay, carumba!

Oscar-winning actor George Chakiris was there. Just last week Leah and I attended a special screening of “West Side Story” and Chakiris doesn’t look that different today although he was minus the Puerto Rican bronzing gel and the high-waisted pants. Did you know that the Greek Chakiris played Riff in the stage version of the musical before switching gangs to play Bernardo in the film? Before “West Side Story,” Chakiris appeared with Cyd in two of her films from the 1950s, “Brigadoon” and “Meet Me in Las Vegas.”

Towards the end of the service, I was stunned when Dr. Dickey said that we would all be given the opportunity to say good-bye to Cyd one last time. They removed the dozens of roses from the top of the coffin and slowly opened the heavy lid, something I never thought I’d see in a Jewish chapel. This while one of Cyd's friends stood up and sang an a capella version of “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Oy. They had us walk up to the coffin, row by row, starting in the back where I was sitting, to pay our last respects. I admit I was terrified as I walked past Esther Williams and Tony Martin and approached the coffin. It was hard not to choke back tears as I stood over the deceased but still beautiful face of Cyd Charisse, knowing that we were the last people who were ever going to see it in the flesh."...

http://dannymiller.typepad.com/

[Music Man]

Merci Tom d'avoir inclu cet émouvant compte-rendu

[eliane]

Très émouvant hommage
Merçi

[someone1600]

Tres émouvant en effet.

[Lord Henry]

It was hard not to think of all the people who would’ve spoken at her funeral if they were still alive. Certainly Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly as well as directors such as Vincente Minnelli and Stanley Donen

L'émotion l'a quelque peu égaré, Stanley Donen est toujours de ce monde.

[Lord Henry]

A quarante ans passés, elle éclatait de sensualité dans le générique de The Silencer:

[Major Dundee]

A quarente ans passés, elle éclatait de sensualité dans le générique de The Silencer:

+ 1000

[someone1600]

Pour rendre hommage a la dame, TCM a diffusé trois films hiers soir : Band Wagon (vraiment excellent, chef d'oeuvre), Singin' in the rain (que j'avais deja en dvd, chef d'oeuvre) et Silk Stockings que j'ai bien aimé.

[hansolo]

Pour rendre hommage a la dame, TCM a diffusé trois films hiers soir : Band Wagon (vraiment excellent, chef d'oeuvre), Singin' in the rain (que j'avais deja en dvd, chef d'oeuvre) et Silk Stockings que j'ai bien aimé.

rien du coté des chaines hertziennes & TNT?

[Sailor G.Kelly]

Merci pour le compte-rendu.

[someone1600]

Pour rendre hommage a la dame, TCM a diffusé trois films hiers soir : Band Wagon (vraiment excellent, chef d'oeuvre), Singin' in the rain (que j'avais deja en dvd, chef d'oeuvre) et Silk Stockings que j'ai bien aimé.

rien du coté des chaines hertziennes & TNT?

Comme je vis au Canada ca te donnerait rien je crois.

Chantons sous la pluie est passé a TVA (chaine hertzienne) hier en tout cas. J'en ai profité pour regardé encore.

[hansolo]

Chantons sous la pluie est passé a TVA (chaine hertzienne) hier en tout cas. J'en ai profité pour regardé encore.

mais tu dois l'avoir en dvd je suppose ...