ON MOONBEAMS-- CYD CHARISSE 1922 - 2008

It’s a incredibly sad thing to think about the death of Cyd Charisse. When it comes to things to say about the art of dance, I am perhaps the least eloquent person on the planet, so I prefer to take this time just to remember her in my own way, from her brilliant, vivacious and sensual performances in musicals like Singin’ in the Rain (1952), The Band Wagon (1953), Brigadoon (1954) and It’s Always Fair Weather (1955) to film noirs like Tension (1949) and Nicholas Ray’s delirious Party Girl (1958). Those who loved her, like the Self-Styled Siren, Dan Callahan, Josh R., Marilyn Ferdinand, C. Jerry Kutner and Nathaniel R. have all given us heartfelt and perceptive appreciations that will carry all of us through until next we meet her on the stage of one of those great MGM musicals. There we can thank her in private as we marvel at the grace of those beautiful legs and let her wondrous presence carry us away again.


Cyd Charisse in Nicholas Ray’s Party Girl