Dark Monday • Rich Man's Frug

Released on April Fool's Day in 1969, 'Sweet Charity' was a film adaptation of the Broadway hit musical that debuted in 1966. The show had lyrics by Dorothy Fields and music by the great Cy Coleman, and both earned Tony and Academy Award nominations. Both the stage and screen versions were directed and choreographed by the late Bob Fosse, something that hardly needs mention after checking out a single musical number. From the score, three great songs entered the Pop Culture zeitgeist, when "(Hey) Big Spender", "If They Could See Me Now" and "Where Am I Going" were heard and instantly recorded by others.

While those songs might have been recorded everywhere, there was another number in the film that never fails to catch my eye. During one scene in the club, the dancers and others at the club performing the 'latest dance craze'. I love watching "Rich Man's Frug", directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. Again, just a glance will easily allow you to identify the choreographer, so distinctive are the movements. So please enjoy "Rich Man's Frug" from the film 'Sweet Charity'.

Dark Monday • Shirley's Still Here

Shirley MacLaine appeared in her first film in 1955, with a star turn in Alfred Hitchcock's The Trouble With Harry. Thirty-five years later, and a career that includes some of the great films and performances of our time, MacLaine returned to the screen in a bravura performance in Postcards From The Edge, Carrie Fisher's semi-autobiographical story about growing up the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. MacLaine pulled from her vast experience in the entertainment industry to deliver this show-stopping number, I'm Still Here. The song was originally written by Stephen Sondheim for his show Follies. This is Shirley giving it the Hollywood treatment.