Growing up, the name Ruby Keeler was synonymous with tap dancing. If anything tap related came up, my older relatives would invariably say "Oh, just like Ruby Keeler!". Up until a few years ago I pretty much thought Ms Keeler was the only female tap dancer of note, period. Given that this was my uninformed view for so many years, I found myself thinking it was a little strange that I hadn't yet sought out any Ruby Keeler clips to share (or even to watch for my own amusement).
Type in the words Ruby, Keeler, Tap and Dance into youtube and the first several entries you're going to get are the "42nd Street" number. Now, don't get me wrong, 42nd Street is a great number and if you aren't familiar with it you should definitely check it out, but I also feel like it's been shown in every single documentary on Hollywood musicals I've ever seen, so I wanted to search a bit deeper.
And how glad am I that I did! Look what I found . . . it's James Cagney!!! I love me some James Cagney, but although I did know that he was a hoofer, like most people I was really more familiar with his gangster roles so this is an absolute treat.
Type in the words Ruby, Keeler, Tap and Dance into youtube and the first several entries you're going to get are the "42nd Street" number. Now, don't get me wrong, 42nd Street is a great number and if you aren't familiar with it you should definitely check it out, but I also feel like it's been shown in every single documentary on Hollywood musicals I've ever seen, so I wanted to search a bit deeper.
And how glad am I that I did! Look what I found . . . it's James Cagney!!! I love me some James Cagney, but although I did know that he was a hoofer, like most people I was really more familiar with his gangster roles so this is an absolute treat.
From "Footlight Parade" 1933, please enjoy a bit of Cagney & Keeler!
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