Dick Powell (1904-1963) and Ruby Keeler (1909-1993)
Dick Powell (1904-1963) and Ruby Keeler (1909-1993) were in seven films together: "42nd Street" 1933, "Gold Diggers of 1933" 1933, "Footlight Parade" 1933, "Dames" 1934, "Flirtation Walk" 1934, "Shipmates Forever" 1935, and "Colleen" 1936.
"Flirtation Walk" and "Shipmates Forever" were in military settings and I found it a relief to return them to musical comedy as was done with "Colleen". Their first four films are the ones which are shown more, and they include Busby Berkeley's incredible dance sequences. Powell was wise to leave the dancing to those who were well trained to do so, and he focused on his incredibly gorgeous tenor singing and playing the classy young lead.
Ruby Keeler was a New York 'Buck and Wing' style tap dancer which evolved from Irish clogging where the feet were kept low to the floor. James Cagney used this style of tap dancing as well and he and Keeler were superb in the "Shanghai Lil" number in "Footlight Parade". Keeler also had excellent dance numbers with Don Draper in "Colleen" and with Lee Dixon in "Ready, Willing and Able" 1937 on a giant typewriter! While not a good singer by any means and not a great actress, she was a fine dancer in her films in the 'Buck and Wing" style of tap. Ginger Rogers, Ann Miller, and Eleanor Powell incorporated more creative dance movements, but Ruby only made ten musicals.
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