Cheap Let's Dance (Video) (Betty Hutton, Fred Astaire) (Norman Z. McLeod) Price

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Customer Reviews of Let's Dance

Dancing as an Equal
It was with mixed expectations that I bought and watched this movie. One reviewer said Betty was no Ginger and another said Betty was so good you watched her instead of Fred. As a long- time lover of musicals I must agree with the latter opinion. Fred's other partners (Ginger, Judy and Cyd come to mind) were women who made it their business to blend as smoothly as possible into Fred's style, highlighting his moves so that you were more liable to watch him than his women. They knew how to disappear (as women did in those days)into the male's technique. But Betty does it differently. She dances with Fred as an equal and because she is so darned good, you do indeed watch her instead of him.

It's almost as if he had the flu the entire movie. His cocky swagger and seductive smile are missing. His solo pieces are half-assed and his partnered dances make him seem thrown for a loss. He appears to not know how to dance with a woman who takes up the same space he does. Had Betty been Gene or Donald, there would have been no problem; Fred would have known how to relate. You can see the proof of this in the Cowboy number where Betty is a cowpoke. That being said, a sickly Fred is better than almost anyone else on a good day. I had to laugh when the greatgrandma calls Astaire "young man." Fred looked 40 at age 20 and 40 at age 60!

Betty is delightful in this movie. I didn't remember how beautiful she was. Ginger danced as if she practiced hard and has finally got it just right. Betty is a natural who expresses joy in every step and so looks spontaneous. The movie's worth watching, esp for the opening number. Betty acts better than Grable or Lana Turner, substituting their saccarine flavor with genuine sweetness. Her "over the top" behavior in other movies gives one pause. This came to define her and serious roles were then denied her. Pity. One wonders why she undermined herself as an actress in that way. Perhaps she never knew she was that good. What did "blond bombshells" do back then? What they were told, I'm sure. There was Mae West and Marilyn, two who attempted to carve their own path through Hollywood and both succeeded but at great cost. Betty shoulda been a contender, and this movie shows it.

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I Can't Stop Talking About It!
This is one of the best, and funniest movies I have ever seen. It is absolutely hilarious and made me burst out laughing.

Fred is a genius. Though I think his performances in Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, and Swing Time were better, this is extremely good. Betty Hutton is just magnificent! She sparkles on the screen and adds a certian allure to the film. Though she certianly cannot compare with Ginger Rogers of some of Fred's earlier dance partners, she is wonderful for this film and I can't imagine anyone else in that role.

The songs aren't that great, but the performances of them make up for that deficiency. 'Oh Them Dudes' is magnificent and uproariously funny. 'I Can't Stop Talking About Him' is a laugh-out-loud hit with relatively good dancing on Betty's part. 'The Paino Dance' is fantastic and is definately one of my favorite Astaire solos of all time (and trust me, I've seen plenty!).

As for the plot; well, it's cute and funny. However, it gets a bit repetitive at times.

Don't miss out on this fabulous movie!

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astaire, hutton shine
wonderful film,,,,very worth the while.........looked like these two stars had a blast making the film......and you'll have a blast watching it...nice to see astaire having to race to keep up with betty,,,,,,,,,the saloon scene is a classic