Fred Astaire

phoenix

I love his rendition of "They Can't Take That Away From Me", would make my Desert Island Discs list!

Does anyone else remember the quote from a studio director after his audition? "Can't act, can't sing, can dance a little" Or something like that!

Over the years it became something of an urban myth. What was said was: "Can dance a little." by the producer of the Astaire-Rogers pictures, Pandro S. Berman. He claimed he had never heard the story and that it only emerged years later. Astaire clarified it, insisting that the report had read: "Can't act. Slightly bald."

We have been Latin & Ballroom dancers since we were young, never could get a good rhythm with tap dancing, but my wife could.

Anyone who says that they have never had a cross word with their other half has never learned to dance.

We saw the very first Strictly, realised that it was nothing more than eye candy for weekend viewing, never watched it again. Much rather be out dancing.

On that tap dancing, here's how Fred & Ginger combine ballroom with tap and make it look effortless. It's from the film Swing Time. If only!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxPgplMujzQ

I admired Fred Astaire’s dancing, but as a leading man, no thank you! Entirely agree Annsixty both he and Bing Crosby were too old for their roles. However, I do wonder whether whether in real life he had some sort of charm that I, personally, couldn’t see on screen - after all his second wife was 46 years younger than he was. I also think it would take more than his crooning to attract the 26 year old Grace Kelly to 53 year old Bing Crosby in High Society. Yes I know it’s not real, and I appreciate their talents, but really!

Brilliant

Thank you for that.
So slick.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEUsuPGBo-c

Didn't Darcey Bussell say she wished she could have danced with Fred Astaire? What a duet that would have been!

I have been playing a Northern Soul song from the Motown label " Just a little misunderstanding " by the Contours ,and the you tube version I watch features Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers doing a dance routine which played with the music is ace .
Its what on the Northern Soul music scene the dance routine was part of that scene n the late 60`s early 70`s .
One thing watching it made me think of strictly if one the teams did the routine to that record .
Mick

They did all look so old in those films. Mind you so did our families in the old photos. Sometimes hard to believe that some of them were only in their twenties or thirties. I suppose the looks of the leading men were the babe magnets of the day.
Bing's singing and Fred's dancing were sublime.

I agree Annsixty that Fred Astaire always looked old but in my teens I used to watch the old black and white films (reruns I hasten to add!) and even at that age I somehow found him attractive ...his personality as well as talent I guess.

the latter arecompetitors, striving to gain points. Maybe the celebrities are competitors on Strictly, but the professionals are dance trained eazybee.

I absolutely loved Fred Astaire. I sometimes watch clips of certain dances on YouTube. One of my favourites is Puttin’ on the Ritz. He was old when he made that film and it’s one of his best routines. No one to touch him in my book.

They are lovely together.

While appreciating the enormous talent Fred Astaire had, I could not enjoy his films.
Along with many “leading men” of that era, he seemed to be born looking old and I could not accept him and for example Bing Crosby playing a romantic leading man role.
They should have been the girl’s father.

The difference between Fred, Ginger et al and Strictly is that the former were performers, the art that conceals art; the latter are competitors, striving to gain points.

Such grace, expertise and flair.

I did see Top Hat on the stage a few years ago and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

I love old B/W films ,I had a collection of over 200 on video and gave them to the hospital when my mum was there for the last 8 weeks of her life,she loved them too.The ward sister said it was the highlight of their day watching films they had last seen as young women ,even the patients with quite advanced dementia loved them .In my mind theres nothing nowadays to equal the stars of old Hollywood.

Brought home recently with the death of a distant relative who was in movies with Judy Garlandand other stars and who was a fantastic Jazz artist for decades ,there aren't many of the greats left .My GGF and his brothers were a song and dance act in musical theatre sadly I 'm not great at either seems to have passed a couple of generations

I love his rendition of "They Can't Take That Away From Me", would make my Desert Island Discs list!

Does anyone else remember the quote from a studio director after his audition? "Can't act, can't sing, can dance a little" Or something like that!

I found it on BBC i-player.

Just love the Fred & Ginger film's. Top Hat is my all time favourite. Such grace and flair and pure escapism. Nothing even remotely like it today.

I agree the older dancers were so light on their feet and they seemed to glide. The female Strictly dancers are all quite busty and the men stomp about heavily. I guess it's a different era, a different style, but I prefer the older style.

I love all the old films too, Holiday Inn is one of my favourite films. Thanks for the prompt I must see if any of these films on Netflix or Prime.

She was a good actress too

They really are a joy to watch. One of my favourites quotes comes from Ginger "I did everything he did, only backwards and in high heels"