Farewell, Cyd Charisse

"Lovely Cyd Charisse," as Gene Kelly called her, died today in L.A. of a heart attack. She was 86 years old. Her real name was Tula and she came from Texas, but to me she was the greatest female dancer Hollywood ever had (sorry Ginger Rogers). She was sexy and elegant whether she was dancing with Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly.

Fred Astaire called Cyd "beautiful dynamite" and said: "When you dance with Cyd Charisse, you've been danced with."

In addition to having her legs insured for a million dollars, Cyd achieved a minor miracle in Hollywood. She was married to the same man (singer Tony Martin) for 60 years.

Here's a scene from Singin' in the Rain. Perfection.



And a scene from The Band Wagon. Why don't they make movies like this anymore?