My Fosse/Verdon Favorites

by Lani

Last week the first episode of Fosse/Verdon premiered on FX and for me, a superfan of both Broadway and Hollywood musicals, this was the most exciting thing to happen in entertainment this year. The eight episode series centers on the personal and professional relationship between celebrated choreographer and director Bob Fosse and legendary dancer and Broadway leading lady Gwen Verdon. 

In anticipation of the second episode, I wanted to revisit some of my favorite moments of Fosse and Verdon on film, as well as other dancers interpreting his choreography. If you are a fan of great dancing, if you want to see what the fuss is about, or if you just need something to brighten your day, please enjoy!

Here's Fosse in one of his rare film roles dancing alongside Ann Miller, Tommy Rall, and Bobby Van in 1953's Kiss Me Kate with choreography by Hermes Pan. Pan, Fred Astaire's longtime collaborator, recognized that Fosse had his own style, even when doing another person's choreography, and he even let Fosse choreograph one dance for the film, a duet for himself and Carol Haney. 



Two years later, Fosse got to choreograph all the dances in My Sister Eileen. The Alley Dance is a dance-off between stylish showman Fosse and the athletic technician Tommy Rall.



Unfortunately, there are very few film clips of Fosse and Verdon performing together. So it is lucky that this dance from Damn Yankees is so good, showcasing so many of the things Fosse would be known for - body isolations, hat work, synchronicity - as well as both dancer's skill and ease with each other. The song makes no sense and has no bearing on the plot of the show, so don't even worry about it. I'm not sure why, but my favorite part is when Verdon rolls up in a ball and Fosse pulls her offstage by one leg.



Verdon's most prominent film role was in Damn Yankees as Lola, the Devil's helper sent to corrupt Joe Hardy and convince him to sell his soul. I have heard both Fosse and Verdon talk about how the key to the Lola character is that she is not a sophisticated seductress, she's a "little fat girl" who sold her soul to the Devil to be beautiful, accepted, and wanted. This clip showcases Verdon's ability to sing, act, and dance as her character simultaneously, most people can only do one of those things at a time, if at all.
 


Fosse directed the Broadway production of Sweet Charity (starring Verdon) and the film version was his first chance to direct for Hollywood. I think Sweet Charity is a flawed musical, but taken on their own, the musical numbers are undeniably fun. This one featuring Shirley MacLaine, Chita Rivera, and Nancy Kelly is not the most famous song or dance sequence in the film, but I love it for its vulnerability and hopefulness. 



Fosse and Verdon separated as husband and wife while never actually divorcing, though remained closely linked personally and professionally. After Verdon, Ann Reinking was Fosse's most notable partner and protegee. In the thinly-fictionalized Fosse biopic All That Jazz, directed by Bob Fosse, Reinking plays the dancer girlfriend of director/choreographer Joe Gideon. After watching this charming dance it is hard not to be a little bit in love with her, too.



Fosse's friend and movie-musical legend, Stanley Donen, coaxed Fosse into his last great on-screen performance as the "snake in the grass" in 1974's The Little Prince. I remember seeing specifically this part of the film when I was pretty young. Fosse's snake character creeped me out so much that to this day I have never seen the whole film. 



While combing YouTube for clips, I stumbled upon my new favorite thing: a duet, circa 1982, between Debbie Allen and Verdon from Season 1 of Allen's TV series Fame. They are clearly having fun riffing on different dance styles, referencing the traditional jazz style of Jack Cole, Verdon's first mentor, and the controlled simplicity of Fosse. Allen is sharp, fast, and sassy; Verdon (in her mid-50s) is smooth as silk and totally at ease. A few years later, under Verdon's guidance, Allen would star in a Broadway revival of Sweet Charity.



And if after watching these clips you're still not sure what is "Fosse" and what is "not Fosse," let the indomitable Jillian Chizz (a.k.a Christina Applegate) explain. Ka-konk!