Gene Kelly was a short-arse

One of the most beautiful, sexy and graceful women ever to appear in film died yesterday.
Cyd Charisse was born March 8, 1922 and her real name was Tula Ellice Finklea. Thankfully, because her older brother couldn't say "sister" when he was little she was called "Sid" from early on.
Her website with lots of pics here.
She took up dancing to build up her strength after suffering from Polio. At 14 she auditioned for the Ballet Russe and toured Europe and the USA as part of their corps de ballet. To fit in with the programme for the nearly all-Russian company, she was first billed as Celia Siderova, than as Maria Istromena.
She first appeared in film in 1943 in a ballet sequence in the musical, "Something to Shout About."
"Singing in the Rain" with Gene Kelly was a breakthrough. The vid is embedded below.
Cyd was 5 foot 6, and yet she looked so lithe and tall. When you see her next to Kelly you realise he was a bit of a titch, though pretty bloddy fit & strong with it.
I've always preferred Kelly to Astaire. Cyd Charisse danced with both of them and said they were very different.

In her autobiography, Charisse compared the two leading men, saying Astaire's coordination was better than Kelly's, but Kelly was the stronger of the two, adding: "When he lifts you, he lifts you!"
"To sum it up, I'd say they were the two greatest dancing personalities who were ever on screen. But it's like comparing apples and oranges. They're both delicious,"

Watch the "Silk Stockings" sequence. Was she hot or what?




Telegraph Article
Obituary in Telegraph