You bring me madness, madness, beautiful madness

Exciting news!! I got the Esther Williams Vol. 1 boxed set in the mail yesterday! Now, many people might think, "Oh, good, now I get to watch Esther Williams," or "Hooray! Water ballets galore!" or even "I can't wait to see all those vintage bathing suits." But me? I think, "Ricardo Montalban!!!" This set is the best way that I know of to attain his films. Truly. But this segues beautifully into my list of top male dancers because he's next! (Wasn't that timing perfect? And, by the way, if any of you are interested in the boxed set, it's currently on sale at Amazon for $25.)

6. Ricardo Montalban
Favorite dance: "Dark Duet" from On An Island With You


This dance pretty much cemented my love for this man. The athleticism, the grace, the beauty... I could go on and on. But first, you should see for yourself. He enters the dance at 1:05.



Right before this scene, the director says to Ricardo Montalban's character, "Now, remember, you're a bum." I think things would be very different if bums looked like that on a regular basis. One thing I enjoy watching for when I watch couples dance in musicals, is watching the man lead. I've been studying ballroom dancing for a few years now and it's fascinating to me to see the leading techiniques in action. This scene, ironically, is a bad example for it, because it's mostly ballet. In this scene, I simply marvel at the way he picks up Cyd Charisse as if she was nothing and then spins or kneels or whatnot. You can probably tell I'm pretty much in love with the man... hehe. Okay, so enough of this mushy-gushy stuff. I'll just post one more photo from the scene and then wait to hear your thoughts.