The Mannequin Challenge is the latest trend taking the internet by storm. It’s as simple as it sounds – a group of people stand frozen in place, as if they were going about their day when time stopped, much like mannequins in department stores. This trend has gone viral over the past few weeks, and everyone from sports teams, to politicians to Olympians have joined in the fun! It’s not clear yet who started the mannequin challenge fad this time around, but funnily enough the first to do it was the cast of the hit movie My Fair Lady back in 1964.

My Fair Lady is a classic musical starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. The screenplay was based on the play Pygmalion, which was originally written by George Bernard Shaw. The story follows Eliza Doolittle, a poor flower girl played by Audrey Hepburn, as she transforms into a high-class lady with the help of renowned linguistics expert, Professor Henry Higgins, played by Rex Harrison. Higgins makes a bet with a friend that he can teach Eliza to speak and act properly. The goal was to get her to a place where she could mingle with high society and no one would know her real background. As Higgins begins to work with Eliza, hilarity ensues.

With memorable numbers like “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Get Me to the Church on Time” and “With a Little Bit of Luck,” this movie is a true classic. Towards the beginning of the movie there’s a scene where the cast unknowingly debuted the very first version of the Mannequin Challenge. The townspeople are milling about and then freeze! This effect is a magnificent still frame that showcases folks going about their daily lives.

Who knew that those old classic movies were so far ahead of modern-day trends?

If you are interested in learning to dance like those classic movie stars, don’t freeze! Take a leaf out of Eliza Doolittle’s book and dance the night away. Visit FredAstaire.com to find a dance studio near you!