![]() ![]() Comedian Phil Silvers is excellent as Kelly and Hayworth’s best friend. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the supporting cast that help make Cover Girl as much fun as it is. Charles Vidor actually didn’t believe the number could be done and shut down production! “He never thought you could do that dance,” Kelly recalled. Donen helped with Cover Girl‘s choreography and during the “Alter Ego Dance,” he stood by the cameraman and instructed him on the timing of the camera’s movements since he and Kelly wanted fluid shots that moved along the street rather than something static. Donen and Kelly became friends and, starting on Cover Girl, collaborators who would craft some of Hollywood’s best films, like Singin’ in the Rain. To help him, Kelly brought to the film Stanley Donen, a young man who was in the chorus of Kelly’s breakthrough Broadway show Pal Joey. Thanks to superimposition, he could achieve the appearance of his double, but he also had to dance perfectly as Danny and Danny’s reflection, and he needed to make sure all of this was done without looking too gimmicky or cheesy. Using trick photography to dance with an imaginary version of himself, Kelly endured what he often called his most difficult routine. ![]() The infamous “Alter Ego Dance” is the manifestation of Danny’s inner struggle. His home studio, MGM, had no idea what Kelly was capable of… until they loaned him to Columbia for Cover Girl.Īs he attempts to come to terms with Rusty’s fame and what that means for them, Danny glances at his reflection in a store window only to see it take on a life of its own. At this time, he wasn’t yet known for his inventive routines and his skillful directing. It was also immensely important for Kelly. The film that helped give her this high honor was 1944’s Cover Girl, a marvelous Technicolor confection that became Hayworth’s most successful movie in her entire career. Although Astaire was paired off with many incredible women - Eleanor Powell, Cyd Charisse, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, and, of course, Ginger Rogers being just a few - the icon would privately say that his favorite partner was Hayworth.Īs if that wasn’t proof enough that the lady was born for musicals, she was also the first of six women who danced with both Astaire and Gene Kelly. Amazingly, Hayworth has no problem matching Astaire tap for tap, and the two were quickly put into their second and final collaboration, You Were Never Lovelier, which I think is the better film. In 1941, Hayworth was cast in her first musical, You’ll Never Get Rich. Hayworth and Astaire in You Were Never Lovelier (1942) She became her father’s dance partner in the 1930s before making her way to Hollywood, where she was encouraged to change her name and her appearance to be more “American.” Born Margarita Carmen Cansino to two professional dancers, Hayworth started performing at the age of three. These are the movies where I feel like we are closest to seeing what she was really like. But I must admit my favorite films of Hayworth’s are her musicals. Throughout her career, she often played women of mystery, complicated vixens who usually turn out to have hearts of gold. Don’t let the shallow “love goddess” image fool you - Hayworth wasn’t just a pretty face. Perhaps all some people remember is her gorgeous red hair and her stunning smile, a combination that proved irresistible to audiences and ultimately labelled Hayworth as “the love goddess.”Īlthough the actress is definitely one of the most beautiful people you’ll ever see, what I love about her first and foremost is her talent. Is it as the woman who was pictured seductively sitting in bed, making thousands of soldiers’ hearts beat faster during WWII? Or is it as Gilda, singing “Put the Blame on Mame” while playfully stripping off her gloves? Or maybe you recall her high-profile marriages to Prince Aly Kahn (making her a princess seven years before Grace Kelly), multi-hyphenate Orson Welles, and singer Dick Haymes. I’m always curious to know how people remember Rita Hayworth. ![]()
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