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December 25, 2007
Michael Kidd: Baruch Dayan Ha-Emet
Michael Kidd
Michael Kidd, 92, one of Hollywood's great choreographers died on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles.
Kidd was born, naturally, in Brooklyn, the son of Jewish immigrant parents.
Rule of thumb: everybody in Hollywood is Jewish until proven otherwise.
Kidd's father, Abraham Greenwald, was a barber, and his wife Lillian a wife and a mother. Michael attended New Utrecht High School, where he became hooked on dance.
Michael received a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. Later, touring as a member of the Lincoln Kirstein Ballet Caravan, young Michael Greenwald danced in Billy the Kid.
Hence, Michael Kidd.
Michael Kidd's contributions to the Hollywood musical are long and distinguished, included among his numerous credits are: Guys and Dolls, The Band Wagon, and Finian's Rainbow. Choosing a favorite among so much fine work is difficult, but my favorite film would have to be Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, (1954).
Kidd took a huge chance casting and then pairing several ballet-trained dancers alongside traditional Broadway hoofers. The unusual combination works and Kidd's brew makes for a wonderful and surprising synthesis for this delightful musical Western based on The Rape of the Sabine Women.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Barn Dance
The barn dance sequence Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is riveting, a musical masterpiece as good as anything Ginger and Fred ever kicked up. It starts out as a barn raising, a community endeavor.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Barn Raising
Soon we realize it's really about courtship, male-female rituals, the eternal mating dance. Tension is in the air. The whiff of violence is a distinct possibility. But the charming if not quite house-broken brothers have vowed to behave themselves. Naturally, things heat up as provocations by their rivals are heaped one upon the next. The choreography becomes frenzied, a tit for tat affair, a dance of desire, the swooping, diving expressions of bottomless love.
If you pay close attention to the barn dance you'll notice that in the first few formal steps Kidd is slyly referencing numerous John Ford square dance sequences where adorably self conscious couples pair off opposite one another in rigid lines. Whereas Ford's characters adhered to a civilized, geometric choreography, Kidd's dancers explode and implode from the austere boundaries of frontier dance into a series of wonderfully gymnastic and ballet like set-pieces that push the conventions of their community, and at the same time cleverly but most gently extend the established rules of the Hollywood musical.
Kidd was, ahem, kidding us with a nudge and a wink.
It's exuberant choreography; sublime, wonderfully reckless and perfectly harmonizes Kidd's signature mix of hard-boiled movement and heart breaking lyricism. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of the great Hollywood musicals whose time has sadly passed.
If you've never seen Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, well, what are you waiting for? If you have already seen it, don't you think it's time to screen it again?
Years ago, with Offsprings #2, & #3 we used to laze around on Sunday afternoons and watch Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Sometimes we'd just fast forward right to the barn dance sequence. My girlses were just hypnotized by the swirling gingham, the layers of lace petticoats, the cinching of corsets, the blushing, girlish images would elicit grins—for hours afterwards.
Digression: Three Musicals
There were three other musicals that my girlses delighted in watching over and over again: West Side Story, You Tube: I Feel Pretty, Singin' in the Rain, You Tube: Gene Kelly Singin' in the Rain, and Ingmar Bergman's The Magic Flute—not quite a Hollywood musical, but oh what fun is Mozart, especially the Queen of the Night's solo. Random You Tube: Queen of the Night Aria.
End Digression
Michael Kidd in Smile, 1975
An obscure, but wonderful little film where Kidd has a featured role is Smile (1975) with a glowing teen age Melanie Griffith in a supporting lead. Kidd plays a faded choreographer trying to rescue a second rate beauty pageant. Jerry Belson wrote the gentle and perceptive script and Michael Ritchie directed with a firm but light hand. This film is a gem. Kidd's performance is pitch perfect and unforgettable. Kidds' best line: No, dear, if you kick and bend at the same time, you're going to knock yourself out. Rent it first chance you get.
Hollywood has lost a giant talent.
Baruch Dayan Ha-Emet
G-d is the Righteous Judge
New York Times Obituary
IMDB for Michael Kidd
You Tube: Seven Brides Barn Dance
You Tube: Lonesome Polecat. An axe, a saw, and a lovely song that's all Kidd needed to create a classic movie moment.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at December 25, 2007 01:27 PM
Comments
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Great Youtubes! I really enjoyed them. Thanks.
Posted by: kishke at December 25, 2007 09:54 PM
I love Hollywood musicals, and "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" has got to be my favorite ("Oklahoma" is up there, too). The barn dance scene is truly wonderful. I'm sure you already know that Russ Tamblyn, who played Gideon, later played a Jet in "West Side Story," another great musical.
Posted by: RR at December 25, 2007 10:33 PM
Just wanted to add that you're right about everyone in Hollywood being Jewish- Wikipedia anyone from Artie Shaw to Judy Holliday and the first sentence will often say that he/she was born to Jewish parents, etc.
Hmmm, I guess we really DO control Hollywood! ;-)
Posted by: RR at December 25, 2007 10:38 PM
Yes! Yes! I've been telling people for years that the choreography in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is my all-time favorite - but until now no one to whom I've spoken has seen or remembered the film. Thanks so much for your analysis of the dances' place in the film. I'm opening You Tube right now!
Posted by: Sara at December 26, 2007 04:22 AM
" ... Rule of thumb: everybody in Hollywood is Jewish until proven otherwise. ..."
are/were any of them Frum ?
(the only one i can think of, is Steven Hill)
Posted by: exdemexlib at December 26, 2007 08:57 AM
Steven Hill in his heyday was not frum. He became frum and left acting, and only returned there briefly many years later.
Posted by: kishke at December 26, 2007 09:23 AM
I remember the movie "Smile"...and with a little more investigation, discovered that Michael Ritchie directed the first episode of Man from U.N.C.L.E., one of my favorite shows as a kid. I was in love with Illya Kuryakin, unlike most, who were in love with Napoleon Solo. (anyone else old enough to remember this show? Anyone?, Anyone?)
Robert, you are causing my head to explode with all of these great Hollywood postings :)
Posted by: cruisin-mom at December 26, 2007 10:07 AM
"... Man from U.N.C.L.E., ...
(Anyone else old enough to remember this show? Anyone?, Anyone?)"
Open Channel D, calling 'cruisin-Mom'.
Was also a kid and liked the show, but once when I was watching it, and my grandmother walked in, she looked at the screen and saw the older man with the dignified British accent who was commanding Solo and Kuriyakin, and said, "That's Topper' Anyone old enough to remember who she was referring to? Stumped me at the time, found out many years later that there was a TV series with a character called Topper, but never saw any episodes.
Posted by: exdemexlib at December 26, 2007 10:30 AM
Exdemexlib:
Of COURSE I remember Topper...He had two friendly, socialite ghosts taking care of him, Marian and George Kirby (it was a movie first..right, Robert?)
Posted by: cruisin-mom at December 26, 2007 10:42 AM
RR:
Some background: Russell Irving Tamblyn was born into a show biz family. He had his first non-speaking role in the 1948 The Boy With Green Hair. Tamblyn was a champion gymnast which made him a perfect choice for the kind of dancer Kidd was casting for Seven Brides. His daughter Amber starred in the CBS series Joan of Arcadia. Russ did guest appearances as G-d.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 26, 2007 11:53 AM
Kishke:
Glad to be of service.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at December 26, 2007 12:02 PM
Sara:
Hey, your favorite too? How come we never had this conversation before? We're glad you enjoy our take on the film.
Next, we'll analyze Nijinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps.
Not.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at December 26, 2007 12:08 PM
Exdem:
Nope.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at December 26, 2007 12:10 PM
Cruisin Mom:
To avoid head exploding, there is one simple remedy, and you know what it is.
Topper (1937) starring Cary Grant and Constance Bennett, and Roland Young, directed by Norman Z. McLeod. Yes, the movie came way before the TV series.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at December 26, 2007 12:14 PM
Ilya was my favorite Man from U.N.C.L.E. Leo G. Carroll was the TV Topper (I remember seeing the reruns when I was home sick from school, probably with chicken pox or something).
Russ Tamblyn also was in The Long Ships with Richard Widmark. Lots of guys in short skirts...
Posted by: Dr.Carol at December 26, 2007 07:44 PM
A few months ago as my wife and I were flipping through channels we stumbled on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. My wife—Offspring #2—made me watch the whole thing after she explained how she and her sister used to love watching it growing up. Gotta admit...I liked it.
Posted by: Seraphic Son-in-law at December 29, 2007 07:08 PM
Funny, don't know that movie.
West Side Story is great, but don't you like Brigadoon?
Posted by: Batya at January 1, 2008 09:08 AM
Batya:
Brigadoon is hampered by a very weak story, ponderous plot line. The film just doesn't rise to the level of the great musicals. Even Alan Freed knew it never quite worked. The book was always a problem. Take a look at Seven Brides and you'll see a great musical firing on all cylinders.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at January 1, 2008 12:06 PM