Friday 2 January 2009

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers


Fred Astaire could dance like no one else. Rudolph Nureyev rated him the greatest dancer of the twentieth century, and he is generally acknowledged to have been the most influential dancer in the history of filmed and televised musicals, with only Gene Kelly coming anywhere close to his stylish perfection. His films with Ginger Rogers transformed the movie musical forever, and in them he proved that he wasn't just a dancer -- he was a talented actor and comedian too.
During the 1930's he and Ginger Rogers became the silver screen's most popular dancing duo.
They made a total of nine musicals together at RKO between 1933 and 1939, and though Ginger made several other comedies and solo musicals between her films with Fred, Astaire made only one film without Rogers -- Damsel in Distress (1937) with Joan Fontaine. It was the only film of his career to lose money at the box-office.
The Astaire-Rogers series are among the top films of the 1930s. They include The Gay Divorcee (1934), Roberta (1935), Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), Swing Time (1936), Shall We Dance (1937), and Carefree (1938). Six out of the nine musicals he created became the biggest moneymakers for RKO; all of the films brought a certain prestige and artistry that all studios at the time were looking for.

More Fred Astaire here and here

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