Minneapolis - Great moments in movie history

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Great moments in movie history

It's a double feature of clips that could be called pioneers of the music video, directed by two of the movies' all-time greats.

The first is "Drum Boogie" from Ball of Fire (1941), directed by the immortal Howard Hawks. Barbara Stanwyck is lust-alicious singer Sugarpuss O'Shea, and the bandleader is WWII-era superstar drummer Gene Krupa. The first half is amazing-- big-band rock-and-roll, really-- but it's the hushed second half that stuns, when you realize Krupa really is playing with matchsticks.

A couple decades later, a movie could get away with more than just the name "Sugarpuss," but even so, Erica Gavin's "fish dance" from Russ Meyer's Vixen! really pushed it. Today, it would be rated PG, at the most, but it was eye-popping in its day, and even now some of you might not want to watch it at work. Let's just say that the symbolism is blatant. (And note the Shatner-ish guy who's loving every smelly moment.)