Cyd Charisse vs. Ann Miller

[loliteblue]

oops! I mean dance with her. Cyd instead of Syd

lolite.

[evh55]

I've always felt that the difference between Cyd and Ann is simple: SEX. I truly think Cyd was a whole lot sexier on screen. Look at her in the Broadway Ballet number from Singin' In The Rain. When she and Gene are dancing WOOF! Talk about generating some heat! And with Fred during the Dancing in the Dark number in The Band Wagon. WOW! Like in that old Sinatra song, dancing is making love set to music and this comes as close as it can get. Ann was great, did her own singing and dancing but she was more like the girl next door, with her sunny disposition and upbeat manner. Ann was the kind of girl you could bring home to mother, whereas Cyd was the girl you would sneak out of the house to go see.

[g1occamora]

I like both of these ladies.

When I think of Cyd...I think of grace, control, and sex appeal. I am partial to her because she was in the movie version of "Brigadoon" playing Fiona, which I also played onstage. She is a very sleek and feminine dancer.

 

Ann Miller's style is totally different. She's all about jazz and fast tapping. Her cheerleaderish mannerisms can get a little annoying if you aren't in the right mood. I think my fav. Ann Miller movie is "Kiss Me Kate"

 

But over all, both of these girls are great. I love watching them!

[edgeciff]

The description for Charisse in BRIGADOON is definitely ethereal, unlike her other roles at MGM.

[orson4ever]

I'd have to choose Charisse, because I've always admired her for being so ahead of her time. She projected a bold sensuality (while remaining elegant instead of raunchy) in an era when female dancers commonly portrayed wholesomeness. There's a brief segment in the new Shall We Dance film, where Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez are standing in front of a store window, and the famous Band Wagon dance between Astaire and Charisse is playing on all the TV monitors. They both stop to look intently, and so do you. It reminds you of the many Charisse moves that could always "stop traffic," as she most certainly did so memorably and unexpectedly in Singin' in the Rain as well.

 

I honestly admire all of the classic screen dancers, though, and I have to add an honorable mention to The Red Shoe's Moira Shearer for a very unique beauty (a pale redhead!) and style of her own - not to mention her sensitive and unforgettable performance in this role.

[bhryun]

i have to say that i am a fan of both of them. i don't know if a could chose one over the other.

 

what is so surprising to me is that even though they obviously had different dancing styles (miller-tap charisse-ballet)they were often considered for the same roles. for example, Easter Parade. charisse had actually signed on to do it, but an injury prevented her from doing it. miller was the next one chosen. to imagine it any different than it was is just too hard.

 

i think they each did what they did very well, and it would be tough to imagine their best roles played by the other, so i say that they're about equal.

[nodgnoc]

Cyd Charisse is one of the most gorgeous creatures that's ever walked on the planet. For me, any argument ends there.

[danhol2]

You can't get better than Cyd Charisse dancing to "Baby You Knock Me Out" in It's Always Fair Weather and Eleanor Powell tapping through "Fascinating Rythmn" in Lady Be Good.

[harlow1085]

I've been a fan of Ann Miller's ever since I saw her in "You Can't Take It With You" as Jean Arthur's aspiring ballerina sister. She was so funny and the scenes where she was having her lessons were hilarious.

I also saw her in "Kiss Me Kate" and since then I've wanted to take dance lessons (I haven't taken lessons since I was like thirteen!) and learn to dance just like her.

Cyd was very beautiful and ultra-talented, no doubt about it, and she seems like a very lovely person. But Ann always seemed more fun and likeable to me. It's so sad that she's no longer with us.

[ken123]

Cyd,hands down.Those legs-GREAT!