A Video Spam of Sorts.

Before the Parade Passes By from Hello Dolly! (1965)
I love that this exists. She sounds wonderful. I was discussing with some other Ginger fans today that I think she would have been a terrific Rose in Gypsy.


The Saga of Jenny from Lady In The Dark (1944)
This is... a trip. Ginger is FABULOUS, though. Which makes up for the fact that the rest of it is pretty much a hot mess.


I'll Be Hard to Handle from Roberta (1935)
Okay. Okay. Okay. So I FINALLY WATCHED ROBERTA TODAY! And no longer feel like a cheater for having watched this number 85 million times. Her accent is hilarious in the best way. She sounds like a misplaced Gabor. It's perfect. And the DANCE, holy guacamole.


The Yam from Carefree (1938)
This video has Spanish subtitles, so you can learn the whole Yam in Spanish! Fun fact: "The Yam" in Spanish is apparently "la batata." So there, being a Ginger Rogers fan is also an educational experience!


Ginger singing her very own song Used to Be You, with Jack Oakie. This is from a short called Hollywood On Parade and according to Ginger's book, the year is 1932. She says the melody came to her while riding a train and listening to the click-clack of its wheels.

Self-Imposed Fan Rule: BROKEN!

I broke a rule. I told myself I wasn't going to watch any Rogers-Astaire dances on YouTube unless I had already seen the film. It's weirdly important to me that I see the dance within the context of the film the first time--like, I want to keep things special and not spoil the film for myself, I think? I'm not sure. I never claimed to make sense. Anyhoo, I've been doing pretty well avoiding clicking on tempting things, but I broke down and watched I'll Be Hard to Handle, even though I haven't yet seen Roberta. I know. I'm the worst, I should be kicked out of the fandom, etc etc. Well I'm new, so give me a grace period to catch up! I spent a good portion of the afternoon reading Ginger's book and having read about her delight in filming I'll Be Hard To Handle, I couldn't stop myself from watching it. So there, I went and spoiled part of Roberta. But it was grand and I'm glad I did. I don't know why it's so crucial to me that I not see the dances before I see the movies. I guess I just want to experience it for the first time the way it was intended to be seen.
That said, I'm going to make myself a list of what I have and haven't seen so I can properly keep track of my Ginger education.

Here's I'll Be Hard to Handle. In her book Ginger noted that the taps were done directly instead of dubbed, so what we're hearing is what was happening, and that her giggles and Fred's laughter during the number are authentic as they were having a ball.