Except when you put it all together if ,you could call it that ,together that is it's very creepy awkward weird.I don't think any amount of money could make me watch what it sounds like it is ,if you can call it ,is.
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Great article, especially enjoyed the Dance Crazes of the 60's video. Having been a teenager back then, its like riding a bicycle, you never forget how to do those dances.
Hey Toni, you forgot the Funky Four Corners from 1968-69, done best to Gladys Knight & the Pips' "I Heard it Thru the Grapevine".
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Thanks to the NYT for highlighting Ms. Basil’s wonderful work. Loved the entire movie from beginning to end. Waiting for the 5 hours director’s cut to be released!
Was fortunate enough to work background over several days in a few scenes. Quentin created a beautiful atmosphere on the set. Perfect professionalism with exuberant happiness. He even shook my hand at the El Coyote for smoking a cigarette and exhaling at the right moment. It’s rare to be in the presence of greatness which is also so gracious.
18
Just watched this movie for the 3rd time. Yes, I am a younger boomer that was raised the television western AM radio and cigarette ads. I loved QT's overindulgence. It is a love letter to friendship lost innocence and most of all what could have been for Sharon.
9
A highlight for me in this movie was Margot Robbie‘s portrayal of Sharon Tate. Margot really embodied the 60s and her performance stuck with me. She walked with a go-go girl sway. Now I know that her movements were in part due to Toni Basil. Kudos to Tarantino for bringing in Basil as his dance expert! Basil’s work shows throughout the movie.
22
Mickey was a great song and one of the great songs of its era. I never knew of Toni Basil extensive history in film and dance. It's nice she is being recognized & brought back into the spotlight.
26
Love this article, learned some new things about Ms. Basil, and provided a viewpoint of the film (which I did like) that was interesting and different. Kudos to Ms. Levine.
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She was also co-director of the "Once in a Lifetime" video by the Talking Heads, which is generally acknowledged as one of the top videos of the 80s.
36
I have not seen a Tarantino movie since Uma came out swinging against him and producer , Harvey....
7
Sadly, this was one of the few highlights of this horrible movie.
6
One of my most joyful contributions to the civil rights movement was dancing the twist with a young black girl who was a waitperson at a segregated country club in a small town - segregated,of course, in North Carolina. Not long afterwards, I was threatened by elements of the Ku Klux Klan to get out of town. I didn't.
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Just watched her, among others, in "Easy Rider" on Criterion. A lazy little piece of filmmaking, I suppose; all they had to do to capture the 60's was walk outside.
I mean it's not like there isn't documentation, and hardworking creatives, but every time I see a modern movie hippie they look exactly like an actor giving a performance.
Which is what the hippies were doing too, but it was a different performance altogether.
5
You've got to be kidding.
3
If only he had been that thorough throughout and checked with an aviation expert about the 747 which did not enter service until 1970.
8
@Tom I think Tarantino may have known exactly that. However the entire film's story is wishful revisionism. The micro detail in regards to the physical 60's detailed environment is astonishing but the historical background detail is probably why the film is titled "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood".
10
Great story about a great character. From the sound of it, I don't think anyone would be able to pull the wool over Ms. Basil's eyes, either!
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The article mentions her work with the Lockers but doesn't explicitly say that they were an act that was popular on Soul Train. I was surprised at the omission as that nuance really shows the breadth of the work that she was associated with in US culture. There's a couple of histories of Soul Train out there that are interesting reading.
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@Tim It also shows a revisionist history. The Lockers were a group of their own who Basil joined, it was not her group.
6
Toni Basil is the star of a fabulous short dance film made by the artist Bruce Connor on 1966, "Breakaway," from her recorded song. Very good and very 1966.
14
What a fun article and a very interesting artist. I like other commentators only knew about Mickey. So enjoyable to learn something you just didn't know. Thanks NY times and thanks to Ms. Basil I have a smile on my face utter joy!
41
Good to see Ms. Basil still doing her thing! And her being a cat lady is bonus :)
50
A refreshing article a welcome counter weight to all the daily chaos, and Yes, Toni Basil is a very Striking and Interesting Lady.
58
So wonderful to read this article and watch all the video clips. This is what I love about The NY Times- a ray of sunshine amidst all the bad news
55
What a treat to include all of the dancing-video links. I am old and remember watching many of these on TV as a young teenager. With no online access at the time, of course, my sister and I just watched them in hopes that we could emulate the moves at the high school dances in our future. I remember a whole slumber party of girls dancing the Freddy and hysterically laughing.
The first I’d ever heard of Toni Basil was with her Mickey video; how interesting to discover the big part she played in many things I enjoyed. It’s wonderful to see that she’s still having a great time. So am I!
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