On August 29, 1935, the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical Top Hat, produced by RKO and directed by Mark Sandrich, was released to movie theaters.
It is tough to pick just one favorite from the nine Fred & Ginger RKO flicks, as they are all wonderful.
Top Hat remains a standout and a musical comedy to top all musical comedies.
The combo of wit, sophistication, Irving Berlin music and terpsichore can't be beat.
Everything works, from direction to cinematography to comic relief. Edward Everett Horton, a comic character actor go-to in several Astaire & Rogers vehicles, is particularly hilarious in Top Hat.
Even film critics love Top Hat!
A certain entertainer and avid classic film buff who just happened to be born on August 29, Michael Jackson, was also a fan of dancing in Hollywood movies and applied original spins on ideas from Fred Astaire to Gene Kelly to The Nicholas Brothers to Sammy Davis Jr.
Michael cited James Brown, The Godfather of Soul, as the number one influence on his songs, performances and dancing.
That said, Michael's patented "Moonwalk" brings to mind The Godfather Of Soul, The Nicholas Brothers, Gregory Hines - and a hint of Astaire.
Michael very likely watched Astaire's terpsichore over and over before learning the routines from all his movies step by step.
Realizing that Madame Blogmeister was born on the exact same day as Michael Jackson - and that this blogmeister and she LOVE classic films - today is as good a day as any to ponder the stylistic links between MJ and movie musicals.
One gets the impression that Jackson delved VERY deeply into the world of movie musicals, as deeply as his did to such r&B and pop performers as James Brown and Jackie Wilson. The following excellent compilation shows MJ dance routines alongside slick moves by Astaire, Bill Bailey, Eleanor Powell and John W. Swillett (Bubbles of Buck & Bubbles) - and of course, James Brown. The Astaire-Jackson connection is particularly strong.
MJ made his name as the pint-sized star of Motown Records' 1960's Top 40 juggernaut The Jackson 5. Michael's signature dance moves are already evident in this 1974 Tonight Show appearance.
Right up through their 1984 reunion tour, Michael and his brothers were a terrific entertainment act.
As soon as his solo records, especially the Thriller album, met unprecedented popular success, Jackson found himself an international concert sensation, touring the far corners of the earth.
In many of his videos, Michael Jackson was profoundly influenced by Astaire's choreography, grace and styleHe noted, "Fred Astaire told me things I will never forget. Gene Kelly also said he liked my dancing. It was a fantastic experience because I felt I had been inducted into an informal fraternity of dancers, and I felt so honored because these were the people I most admired in the world."
The King of Pop had numerous influences and studied all of them in detail. Universal Horror movies and the cinematic adaptation of West Side Story are obvious ones.
In this writer's opinion, Jackson's very best work was just before the hype, before the innumerable plastic surgeries and before he had experienced years of supersonic stratospheric fame a la Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and The Beatles.
Film director (and Monsieur and Madame Blogmeister favorite) Preston Sturges was also born on August 29, but there is no indication that Michael Jackson was a fan of his (that I know of). MJ never sat down for an interview with Robert Osborne on TCM and talked classic movies.
While Jody Rosen's Michael Jackson obit in Slate discusses how the runaway success of the MJ brand wreaked havoc on his life, the most insightful and incisive look at the corrosive nature of super-duper-stardom remains A Massive Swelling: Celebrity Re-Examined As a Grotesque, Crippling Disease and Other Cultural Revelations by Cintra Wilson.
Brutally honest, sensitive and perceptive, this book examines the venal aspects of American fandom, the twisted worship of pop culture heroes and the symbiotic relationship between Michael Jackson's showbiz existence (including an abuse-filled childhood) and the immolating cult of celebrity. Wilson is a gifted writer and prescient social critic.
There have been some fantastic late 20th century and 21st century bands (including Miles Davis) that have found, in the 10 studio albums of Michael Jackson, which featured killer arrangements by none other than Quincy Jones, a springboard for new ideas.
The Jazz Mafia, an organization that has been offering fresh takes on multiple music genres since the 1990's, played a series of concerts devoted to Michael Jackson. Here's the Jazz Mafia's excellent r&b ensemble Supertaster with a guy who I would have liked to see wax an entire album of songs with Michael - and trade off vocals - Stevie Wonder.
Here's a clip from a Jazz Mafia MJ tribute concert this writer arrived at 10 minutes after it officially sold out. Love hearing it now!
Do we at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog miss seeing live music, hearing the buzz of the reeds, the lip-on-mouthpiece sound of the trumpet and the bite of a Fender Stratocaster in this stay-at-home COVID-19 era? YES! The Jazz Mafia always had a certain sweep and grandeur to their music - and I do miss concerts a great deal.
R.I.P. Fred and Michael - and thanks a million for what you do, Jazz Mafia. Today's post shall with one of the most amazing excerpt from an astonishing August 20, 1983 concert in which Michael Jackson, James Brown and Prince all performed. MJ moonwalks and Prince's original and inspired synthesis of protean elements from Jimi Hendrix, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, James Brown and Mick Jagger is in top form.
Hope we see a brighter day . . .
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