Cyd Charisse, 1922-2008

I love musicals. West Side Story, Hello Dolly, Jesus Christ Superstar, White Christmas, Gigi, My Fair Lady, Meet Me in St. Louis, School Daze, the musical episode of Buffy, "Once More With Feeling" ... give me a movie with synchronized singing and dancing and I will watch it. My all-time favorite, one of the last big-budget musicals, is Singin' in the Rain. Part of my appreciation of the film had to do with my indomitable crush on the great Gene Kelly. But most of it was this scene. Cyd Charisse. Kelly is doing his thing, dancing joyfully, and then he slides across the floor and encounters a single, perfect, silk-stockinged, green-high-heeled leg. I used to practice this scene in my room. She's perfect in it. Slinky, unrelentingly sexy, and incredibly proficient. (Note: she spends a lot of this scene with her legs slightly bent, because she's actually taller than Kelly.) Setting aside the fact that her small role in the film is as a fictional character who is motivated by what men can give her, I love it. Charisse died yesterday at the age of 86. Her dancing was a joy to watch. RIP.