Dance Sequences From Old Films Get Put Together With “Uptown Funk”

Dec 09, 2021 by apost team

The song “Uptown Funk” took the world by storm when it was released in 2014. A collaboration between acclaimed producer Mark Ronson and singer Bruno Mars, the song provides a lively beat that is hard not to jam along to.

A mashup of various genres including funk-pop, soul, disco-pop and boogie, "Uptown Funk" was an instant sensation the world over. It topped the charts in 19 countries and made it to the top 10 of another 15 countries, which made it a bonafide global smash hit. It won many awards including British Single of the Year at the Brit Awards and multiple Grammy Awards including Record of the Year.

The song's music video was just as iconic as the song itself. It featured Ronson, Mars and others singing and dancing in a city street. It currently stands as the 9th most viewed video on YouTube ever, with nearly 4.39 billion views! That's an incredible achievement and points to how well-received the song and video were by audiences.

But since we all love mashups and fresh takes, it's no wonder that one creative genius by the name of Michael Binder wanted to put his own spin on the song. He decided that it was time to take the modern jive of “Uptown Funk” and combine it with some vintage dance moves.

The finished result, which he shared on YouTube in Oct. 2015, is a masterpiece that not only brought smiles to viewers' faces but also took their breath away. The video included over 80 different clips of dancing from various Old Hollywood movies that were cut to the beat of "Uptown Funk." 

Binder is an author and film preservation proponent who got the idea when he saw an online mashup that took “Uptown Funk” and combined it with 100 clips of dance scenes from movies, both modern and slightly older. However, Binder wanted to do the same but this time with a focus on some faces and moves from the past. He decided that it would be even more fun to focus exclusively on old musicals and see how well the film stars from Hollywood's Golden Age could groove along to the modern hit song. 

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to use 100 clips but he did manage 83, which is a pretty incredible effort. As you will see when you watch the video, it features some of Hollywood's greatest talent including Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and many others. Binder was able to flawlessly incorporate scenes from their films into the music video.

When he crafted the video, Binder did nothing to change the tempo of the original dance scenes. Despite this, the end result is a series of continuous dance moves that fit right along with the music. If it weren't for the fact that the movies are so old and the song wasn't around then, you could probably convince someone that the dance scenes were filmed to “Uptown Funk" all along, even though, of course, they all originally date to before 1953!

Even if you’re not a fan of old movies, this mashup provides you with the opportunity to enjoy the talented dancers of the past with a modern song. And if you are, it will just make you appreciate what a fabulous sense of rhythm these vintage stars had all over again. 

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From the opening beats of the song, the clips fit perfectly. First up is Jean Harlow from the film "Red-Headed Woman," before Temple and Bill Robinson clap in time with the music. Their dance comes from the movie "The Littlest Rebel." Following them is one of the greatest dancing duos to grace the silver screen, Astaire and Ginger Rogers. What's so wonderful about the mashup is that it shows there are many different ways to dance, from elegant and poised to fast and frantic.

It's not long before other Hollywood greats appear onscreen, such as Rita Hayworth in "Gilda," Garland and Mickey Rooney in "Girl Crazy" and Gene Kelly in various films. There are even stars who aren't traditionally known as great dancers, such as comedian Groucho Marx. Needless to say, some of the stars appear in various clips from multiple films of theirs — people like Astaire, Rogers, Kelly and Eleanor Powell were all well known for their dancing talents during the Golden Age.

Besides the obvious entertainment value of seeing Hollywood stars of yore dancing to a current song, the video could even serve as inspiration for a younger audience to discover classic Old Hollywood movies. Binder included a list of every movie each dancing scene is from in case anybody is interested to see more. 

People have since fallen in love with the unique mashup and that's evident from the incredible number of views it has on YouTube. With over 62.5 million views and nearly half a million likes, there's no denying the video's popularity. 

What did you think of this mashup video? Are you a fan of newer or older music? Regardless of how you feel, we’re pretty sure this version of “Uptown Funk” offers something for everyone. Let us know what you thought and once you're done, send this to your friends so they can enjoy it too!