Julie101670 (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

When looking up the words elegant, dancer, dynmaic, graceful, energetic, beautiful in the dictionary...Eleanor Powell's picture should be right next to them. What a wonderful dancer! She definitely put the tap in tap dancing.

netwitt1 (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

If you watch part 2 of this clip, she has a much bigger stage and cuts loose more.This stage is definitely way too small for her and the camera placement was too static - she always interacted so well with the camera and here she obviously had no control over placement. She always makes it look as though she's having the best time and you just want to join her! Not sad at all, just graceful aging - something we are forgetting in our plastic culture.

dahliafully (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

this looks like it's from the danny thomas show which was a great early variety show on TV.

Shurayuki18481 (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Such a wonderful dancer, tap dancing actually improves your bone density. It's why you find many women and men in their 90's who can still tap.

sschimel (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

She does pretty well here, considering that she was 40 (an age when many dancers have stopped dancing due to injuries). Also, she had been dancing professionally since 1928. And she was the most amazingly limber dancer. She did highkicks where she could touch her forehead, and she did some pretty amazing backbends. That has to take a physical toll eventually. I adore her.

mem43204 (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

She's so elegant abd I can't believe how amazingly she controls her lower body when she's danceing. She has amazing posture for a tap dancer.

shrimprapjibjab (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Okay Eleanor Powell is my idol. I am a tapper (in the making). She most def looks like the stage is WAY to small. Plus she is a size 5 (lol i would know) And she seems older here like she can't do what she used to do when she was younger. Sad i know :(

tapnerd (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

A couple years ago. Her son did a presentation for the Vancouver Tap Dance Society workshop about his mother. He was really nice and entertaining, and they did a silent auction of a pair of her shoes. it was really fascinating to see how the shoes were made in those days; they had to reinforce Ellie's heels with steel for her acrobatics in her younger days.

Shurayuki18481 (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Really when did you hold her shoes and where!!!

tapnerd (December 31, 1969 at 5:59 pm)

Yeah, it is kinda sad that she didn't wind up continuing in the big films. you can just tell from the way she moves that she'd like to travel more than the tiny stage allows. Still, a stellar performance the likes of which will probably never be seen again.Oh, and anyone else notice how tiny her feet are? They must be a 4 or 5 in modern street sizes (I once got to hold her shoes, what an honour!)