MovieChat Forums > The Band Wagon (1953) Discussion > 'The whole eight-eighths!!!'

'The whole eight-eighths!!!'

posted 11 years ago by Rosabel
3 replies | jump to latest

To me, this is the funniest scene in the whole movie. When Jeff takes Tony into the men's washroom for a little pep talk and manages to turn him into a raving maniac. The way Fred Astaire stomps stiffly around while jerking his arms and gesturing wildly while shouting his lines just makes me laugh every single time. You can tell how unfamiliar Tony is with this over-the-top stuff, so different from his normal suave, laid-back demeanour. And everyone around reacts with shock and disbelief at this outrageous hamminess, while Jeff pours on the praise - you can see this disaster of a show coming a mile away.

Flat, drab passion meanders across the screen!

[–] hka-3 11 years ago

Good post. The raving maniac delivery of his lines and his body language cracked me up, too. I was kind of digging the overly suave style he used to deliver his lines before Jeff had a talk with him.

you can see this disaster of a show coming a mile away.

The complete absence of enthusiasm from the audience after the first show was funny.

[–] Rosabel 11 years ago

Oh yes, Colonel Tighe looks like he's just had a stroke when he asks his driver to get him to the train station. And there's one blonde woman who comes out of the theater, carrying a white fur muff - she looks absolutely FROZEN. Another solid gold scene.

Flat, drab passion meanders across the screen!

[–] movibuf1962 10 years ago

Brilliant scene. In fact, the last thing Jeff says to Tony is, "Give me too much!! Go way over!! Eight-eighths, the WHOLE eight-eighths!!" And you, the audience, KNOWS it's wrong. It's wrong for Tony, and it's definitely wrong for Astaire. But that was Cordova's direction...Great movie!!