There’s a line Stu and I use regularly. We seem to recall it coming from an old Stiller and Meara radio ad for blue Nun. Remember those? Anyway, the line as we remember it has the private eye commenting on the dame who comes in “She had legs that went from here to there….and back again” and then the sultry dame said something like “you’ll pardon me if I can’t sit down but I have legs that go from here to there and back again.”

Cyd Charisse had legs that went from here to there, and back again. She was IT. She was without hesitation, in my book the best Hollywood had to offer. There were lots of very good dancers (hey, look at Debbie Reynolds in “Singin in the rain” – talented! But oh, no one was better. No one could do sultry, joyous, elegant better than the fabulously named Cyd Charisse. (who was born Tula Finklea.)

I admit it, I was never a big Astaire and Rogers fan. I admire what they accomplished, no question, but they didn’t grab me, didn’t bring the heat. She just didn’t do it for me. He did – as a solo performer and with Charisse. She was brilliant with both Astaire and Kelly, who personified two different styles of dance.

For years, I didn’t know the film “the Bandwagon” except as a series of scenes from “That’s Entertainment!”. The same way I knew “Singin’ in the Rain” – all those great numbers. When I finally saw “Singin in the Rain”, I thought hey, it has a plot! How great! It did. Bandwagon? Not so much but who cared? I mean it was mostly thinly strung together numbers but they were wonderful so, if the plot didn’t exactly make sense, who’s taking notes? There is no better dance number for me in the history of film than “Dancing in the Dark” featuring Fred and Cyd in the park. That simple white dress, more glamorous than all the satin, marabou and spangles anyone ever designed. Okay, welll, except for that dress in that scene with Gene Kelly in “Singin in the Rain”. Yow. And in “The Red Shoes” she made plain look fabulous and fabulous look easy.

Today would be the day to say something deep and meaningful as this news comes that she died on Tuesday and today I got my power wheelchair today. But fuck it. I don’t do deep exceptionally well when it’s called for.

She was the epitome of talent, elegant line and pure dance. She was the best. I always wanted to be Cyd Charisse. To borrow from Lina Lamont, she WASN’T people. She was “a shimmering, glowing star in the cinema firmament.”