She reminded me Ginger Rogers. With all due respect to Gene Kelly and his effort, if only she had a better matching dancing partner...
shareI actually thought just the opposite. Olivia gives it a good try, but is not quite up to the level of ability of her partner.
Oh Lord, you gave them eyes but they cannot see...
I watched this once with a friend of mine who trained in dance at uni and he told me ONJ is faking her steps. She kicks her leg out in time and just about manages to keep up with Gene, but she lacks a certain finesse.
There are times when she's walking, not dancing, and her feet don't exactly glide across the floor. John Travolta wearing his fat suit in Hairspray was far more graceful!
Perhaps she was self-conscious about her ankles (which are covered up in every other scene)? But yes, with her clothes, hair and the music I can see the resemblance to Ginger Rogers!
The dude was old at the time they shot this.
shareThe Gene Kelly/ONJ "Whenever You're Away From Me" dance scene is the only part of the movie I really enjoyed. I'm not a dance maven, but to my uncritical eye ONJ did a decent job with the dancing, although it's possible Kelly helped make her look as good as she did. Given that she wasn't a professional dancer and that Kelly was past his prime, her mediocre but passable dance skills and his declining dance skills probably evened things out.
shareI thought they were both great :) Great part of the movie, enjoyed it much more than the cartoon!
Attn All Units!
Watch "For Me and My Gal" the next time it's on TCM. The choreography in "Whenever You're Away From Me" is nearly identical to the choreography in the song "For Me and My Gal," the version that takes place in a coffee shop. They say Gene Kelly choreographed "Whenever You're Away From Me," so he either plagiarized himself or (more likely) he was paying homage to his earlier film with Judy Garland.
shareActually, they both looked fantastic. The difference? Kelly did effortlessly what ONJ took weeks of practice to get correct. To fans of a better day, this dance number was the highlight of the film. Your comment suggests a misunderstanding (and perhaps immaturity.)
Remember When Movies Didn't Have To Be Politically Correct?