Bob Fosse

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:34am

I was searching through YouTube on different Bob Fosse stuff, and I noticed, first off, how UNBELIEVABLY BRILLIANT this man was (which I already knew). Secondly, I noticed how much artists have "borrowed" from him but not give credit. For example, I was watching the scene from THE LITTLE PRINCE that Fosse sings and dances to called "Snake in the Grass." All the dance moves he did, Michael Jackson took and pretended he did it. I mean, even the open jacked and swish of the neck that he does, Bob Fosse did it in that one scene. There is even a move that Michael Jackson took and worked on, which became "The Moon Walk." The whole time, while I was watching it, I was going "OH MY GOD!"

Also, Beyonce's new video "Get Me Bodied," the do the choreography to "Rich Man's Frug" almost move for move, but updated it a little bit (Go check the video out)!

This man was and still is a genius that people are going to imitate for many years to come.

Updated On: 4/13/07 at 02:34 AM

[DG]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:38am

I love it when people newly discover something

Yes, he was one of a rare breed - and we didn't get enough of his gift.

Be thankful for what we did get, and know that it wasn't ignored by everyone.

And just because, go watch ALL THAT JAZZ

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:39am

Or Cabaret.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:41am

Oh, I own the movie and have watched it countless times. I also own FOSSE on dvd, CABARET, KISS ME KATE, DAMN YANKEES and SWEET CHARITY. I already knew this man was a genius and have been a HUGE fan of his for years. Just for some reason I was sitting here, and thought to myself, "I wonder what Bob Fosse stuff they have on youtube." When I found the scene from THE LITTLE PRINCE, I was astonished at what Michael Jackson stole from that one scene (I have never seen this movie before).

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:41am

I was flipping through the channels today, and I saw Austin Powers (the first one) come on and in the opening dance sequence, there's the Rich Man's Frug, right there...before he vaults himself into the car with Mimi Rogers.

[DG]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:47am

Good for you, DJ - seriously.

I'd also go back and watch KISS ME KATE - and watch him vault out of the scenery, and show us what was to come.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:53am

In the "making of" on the KISS ME KATE documentary, someone says that Tommy Rall was the best dancer out of all of them. But, I COMPLETELY disagree. Watching Fosse do that dance and jump on the post and do that snap thing. GAH, it was brilliant. Also, in MY SISTER EILEEN with Fosse and Rall do the dance that Fosse choreographed . . . Rall couldn't come close to the brilliance of what Fosse was doing.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:56am

I don't know anything in regards to the technical aspects of dancing, but Rall was very impressive in Kiss Me Kate. I got what Ann Miller meant when she thought he was the best dancer of them all. However, seeing what they came up with in their "solo" dances, you could see that Fosse was going to go on and create something we've never seen before and change dance thereafter.

[DG]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:59am

I think they're (you?) confusing dance ability with dance ingenuity, perhaps.

Rall might have performed the choreography given to him with better technique, but he didn't show us the innovations that Fosse was about to show. And those dances WERE left to the dancers.

[LucyVanPelt]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 3:01am

Oh God!!! He was such a genius! Everyone stole from Fosse, everyone is still stealing from Fosse! I was managing a beauty supply store in downtown Boston when Fosse brought 'Big Deal" to town for a pre-Bradway tryout. The hairdresser for the show got supplies from our store and I gave him a generous discount. One day he showed up with 2 comps for me for their closing night! The show had got mixed reviews and I knew Fosse would be there for closing, cause they had some re-working to do. I was so psyched! I took my mom, who took me to my first dance class when I was 4. We loved the show, and afterwards we purposely took our sweet time in the ladies room and when we came back up we sneaked back into the house and there he was in all his glory! Bob Fosse in a full length fur coat, standing in the middle of the stage! I just stood there with my mouth open like oh...my...gawd....!!! After a few minutes of staring at him from the back of the house, we finally got booted out, but I was happy! I got to see the master himself! He died not long after that I believe, after the show went to Broadway. Loretta Devine was in it , she opened the show with a rousing rendition of 'Life is Like A Bowl Of Cherries". Priceless!!!

Posted: 4/13/07 at 5:12am

Yeah Bob Fosse's influence on the "MTV generation"--good AND bad IMHO--can not ever be underplayed, he almost created much of it-and uch of his style replaced what before that people called typical jazz dancing (On the other hand as brilliant as Michael Bennett was you can see much more aof a trraditional,a nd now very old school, Jazz Dance vocabulary in his choreography--again not necesarily a bad thing)

As for Get me Bodied they've mentioned that its' based on Rich Man's Frug so I'd see it more as a hommage the way Emma Bunton's UK hit Maybe already was a hommage to the same scene (or going further back Madonna's Keep it Together finale for her 1989-1990 tour was a hoomage or Paula ABdul's hit video for COld Hearted SNake is a hommage to Air Rotica from All that Jazz--all of these are on youtube)

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 12:45pm

I know Beyonce's video is a homage, I just think it's cool that his tradition is still living on in such a BIG way!

[TimeSuckage]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 3:20pm

I cannot think of another artist who would have the balls and the honesty to portray themselves with as many flaws as he allowed in "All That Jazz." Nobody turns their life into art like that. He was remarkable in his ability to master the mediums of both stage and film so thoroughly.

My favorite story about him comes from Jessica Lange. She left him for Mikhail Baryshnikov, but before Fosse knew who the other man was, he had this to say about her new love interest, with characteristic honesty: "He may be taller than I am, he may be richer than I am, he may be better looking than I am, but no way is he a better dancer than I am." To which Jessica replied: "Uh, Bob..."

Have no idea if that story is true, but I love it anyway.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 3:46pm

[broadwayboy430]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 3:57pm

Fosse outed me...sort of!

My family and I went to Las Vegas and I begged them to take me to the PussyCatDoll Lounge to see the Fosse inspired burlesque choreography, not the women.

Oy.

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 3:58pm

I just recently discovered Fosse. I mean, I always knew he was a profound influence on the world of dance/musical theatre, but it took me a while to understand the depth of his genius.

[Jon]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 4:00pm

Michael Jackson's mon walk was not inspired by Fosse. It is a variation on Marcel Marceau's "walking against the wind" move.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 4:05pm

Tommy Rall was a dancer's dancer who came out of vaudeville and ended up in ballet. He wasn't a choreographer and he wasn't an innovator, but many of the best choreographers loved him because their moves looked great on his body.

He was in Jerome Robbins original season of Ballet Theatre on Broadway in the 40s, in which he performed as one of the sailors in Fancy Free, the precursor to On the Town. He was in the original casts of Irving Berlin's Miss Liberty Call Me Madam, and he had "also starring" billing in Milk and Honey.

Look for him in the movie of Funny Girl--he's the male dancer who performs with Streisand in the parody of Swan Lake. His deadpan is perfect.

So don't compare him to Fosse. Obviously, Fosse changed the face of the artform. But you can appreciate Tommy Rall's achievements as a contemporary and a colleague.

And he's hot...especially in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

[FosseBoi]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 4:11pm

For me Bob Fosse= God.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 4:11pm

I first became aware of Bob Fosse and his work when my folks took me to see my very first show on Broadway. The year was 1972. I was barely 7 years old. The theatre was the Imperial on W. 45th Street. The show was PIPPIN. Thanks to all the things that occurred to him in 1973 (PIPPIN on Broadway, CABARET at the movies, LIZA WITH A "Z" on TV), I had a nice overload of Bob Fosse that year alone, which helped feed my young obsession. To this day, Bob Fosse's name has been referenced to me in one way or another on an almost daily basis. I'm also fortunate (and blessed) to know and have met numerous of his dancers from back-in-the-day. Their stories still bring a smile to my face, and he still has a strong influence in my life in many ways, not just creatively.

Yours truly with...

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 4:38pm

Did I ever tell you about the time I peed next to Bob Fosse?

[lildogs]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 5:31pm

No, PJ, you just me about Danny Pintauro...

I think Tommy Rall is a better dancer than Bob, but Bob had the vision to do something greater than being a top-notch dancer--and Tommy was supremely hot!

You might also try to find a PBS special frm the Dance in America series--it's a great documentary--i think it's called Bob Fosse: All His Jazz.

And you acn also see Gwen do the real CHARITY choreo in the Ed Sullivan dvds...Shirley can't quite do it the right (original) way

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 6:37pm

The rare 1990 Bob Fosse documentary (which Gwen supervised) and was part of PBS' Great Performances Dance in America series is called -- Bob Fosse: STEAM HEAT (not All His Jazz).

I'm fortunate to have taped this gem when it originally aired. Thank God I did because it has never re-aired since. It was one of the very first things I transferred onto DVD, for all the obvious reasons.

Unfortunately, the only SWEET CHARITY performance on the Ed Sullivan Show Broadway DVDs with Gwen is her dancing the "I'm a Brass Band" number. The sensational "If My Friends Could See Me Now" performance was never put on the DVDs, and you won't find it on YouTube.com due to SOMA monitoring ALL the Ed Sullivan performance clips which are illegally put on there.

Posted: 4/13/07 at 6:53pm

I (as many of you do) have tapes and tapes of those Ed Sullivan clips--theyreally deserve some kinda release--as it is it's just a waste now (I mean stuf flike that at the least should be leased for the movie DVDs as bonuses). But Brass Band is flawless and I think hodls up better than in the movie (as does Friends...)

Great pic with Anne, Brody