Cyd Charisse

I have never been extroverted.

If I'm not working, I like to attend a dancing class. At least that keeps you in condition. Then, if you get a call for a dancing part, you don't have to go through two weeks of misery getting back in shape.

You never know what's around the corner.

It would be impossible to make a comparison between Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Their personalities are entirely different.

If I don't go through a daily routine to keep muscles stretched, you've no idea what tortures I go through when I make anothor dancing picture.

I spent some time in Paris when I made 'Black Tights.' The working people were great but I didn't like the attitude of merchants who raised prices when they learned you were an American.

Whenever an actress marries a nonprofessional with the promise she can carry on her career, either the marriage ends or the career does. Only actors understand the demands of professional lives and make allowance for them.

Most men, even egotistic actors, always shy away from dancing with me. Other dancers report the same trouble. They probably figure that I would be mentally comparing them with Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly. So I go to parties and usually just sit - unless George Burns is there - and then I have a ball.

A lot of people resented MGM because it could be very paternalistic but for me, the experience was very good.

I know there are pros and cons about the studio system.

Being shy personally and performing are two different things.

Most dancers are very quiet.

Dancing is like ditchdigging, it's so strenuous. A laborer doesn't work any harder.

Everything has come to me without my having to look for it. I signed with Metro because someone thought I had talent, and it was the same thing with the ballet.

It's impossible to make dancing really effective on TV. The screen is too small, and the cameras can't move fast enough to get the right angles.

TV has made dancing less important. It used to be a real treat to go to the movies and see Fred Astaire dance. But now you see dancing every time you turn on the set. You see lines of girls on the variety shows - even girls dancing around a big box of cleaning powder for commercials.

I've always worked very hard. I think dancers always do.

My husband, my children and my home were the greatest concern to me.

Making a movie is like sprinting. Nightclub work is a long-distance event. You have to pace yourself and sustain it for a long period.

I had a mild case of polio as a child. Not enough to cripple me, but it was polio. I still have an atrophy on the right side of my back.

I get really attached to dogs.

When I'm working on a picture, I get up at 6 o'clock in the morning, report to the sound stage for rehearsals at 8, then appear before the camera from 9 to 6. I dread going to lunch, because during that hour my muscles get cold and I have to warm them up again. Standing still is the most miserable thing a dancer has to do.

People who think they're making a fool of themselves on the dance floor usually do.

I'm a dancer and when I walk off stage there isn't a dry spot on me. This means my hair has to be put up again between shows. I have to make up and dress all over again.

When I am dancing I go into training. I eat a good strong breakfast. You have so much more energy if you start your day well fortified.

During the day when I have a strenuous rehearsal, I may take a teaspoon of honey in a glass of juice for quick energy.

I dance every day and my legs are in good shape.

I never know which camera is on me when I'm dancing and the director picks the shot he likes but it usually isn't the best shot for showing the steps I want the audience to see.

When I dance, people are watching for a slight mistake. I don't want them to see any.

I always thought those old drab clothes from 'Silk Stockings' were the worst things I wore.

What makes a star or a movie into a legend? I don't know. For instance, when Robert Taylor and I made 'Party Girl' in 1958, nobody was particularly excited about it. Now, it's considered by thousands to be a classic. There are 'Party Girl' cults.

I know the one-week stands and the moving from city to city wears a lot of people down. But I find it exciting that's where the audiences are.

I'll stay with movies as long as they keep me in Hollywood.

I was in so many Esther Williams pictures with Ricardo Montalban and I always was his girl no matter what the story.

Anything is easy after doing night clubs. It's the two shows a night that get you.

Sometimes it's a bit hard for a person to get the rhythm of music from the ear to the feet, but that's a matter of coordination.

I simply hate the sight of a suitcase.

Beverly Hills is just a small community.

When you dance you need an awful lot of energy. Off stage, you learn to conserve.

Archery is simply marvelous for firming up the arms, neck, back, the chest, and the abdominal muscles.

I suppose I'm considered a little old fashioned, but I still believe the most flattering skirt length is just skimming the middle of the knee.

Unless you have the right legs, these mini-skirts are ungainly and uncomfortable. They're just a fad.

My favorite occupation at home is sitting by the pool in swim suit, soaking in the sun, cooling off by an occasional sip of my water.

I like warm weather but not this sticky, humid heat of New York.

I danced with the Ballet Russe in Paris when I was 16 and did not need a companion.

For a while every commercial was a dancing one. Remember when girls were dancing around salt and coffee cans?

You know, I don't think anyone ever knew anyone like Marilyn, really. I've never known another girl like Marilyn Monroe.

I eat a big breakfast and then go off to an hour and a half of strong ballet class.

The happy marriages never get any publicity. It's just the bad ones that you read about.

Who can copy Garbo?