Re-visiting one of the best books on Hollywood movies and *the* best book on the Astaire-Rogers films: “The Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers Book,” by Arlene Croce, 1972. Opinionated and elegantly written, it is worthy of the subject it covers.

“In those years dancing was transformed into a vehicle of serious emotion between a man and a woman. It never happened in movies again.”

#AstaireRogers #Hollywood #Books #FredAstaire #GingerRogers

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in their one-off musical, “The Barkleys of Broadway” (1949) — only one at MGM rather than RKO, only one in Technicolor, and made a decade after their others.

#Hollywood #AstaireRogers #FredAstaire #GingerRogers #Musicals

Pick Yourself Up - Swing Time (1936)
#FredAstaire #GingerRogers #PickYourselfUp
https://youtube.com/watch?v=AGUsRGuZb6k&feature=share

Top Hat, White Tie and Tails
#FredAstaire
https://youtu.be/wc77Vlb-yAE

"The Way You Look To-night" is a song from the film #SwingTime that was performed by #FredAstaire and composed by #JeromeKern with lyrics written by #DorothyFields. It won the #AcademyAwardForBestOriginalSong in 1936. Fields remarked, "The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn't stop, it was so beautiful."In the movie.
https://youtu.be/rahlSR7nvsc

I found a 1935 reference to the infamous Fred Astaire screen test quote. Is this the original or are there earlier versions?

The traditional version: “Can’t act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little.”

This version: “Fred Astaire—slightly bald—not much personality—fair voice—also dances.”

Here it is from a column by Sidney Skolsky published on Sep. 30, 1935. “Top Hat” (1935) was burning up at the box office at the time.

#OldHollywood #FredAstaire

Tonight in 1980, THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT PART 2 (1976) aired on CBS.

#GeneKelly and #FredAstaire hosted this celebration of MGM’s musicals + comedies of the 1930s-50s.

#OldHollywood

Tonight in 1980, THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT PART 2 (1976) aired on CBS.

#GeneKelly and #FredAstaire hosted this celebration of MGM’s musicals + comedies of the 1930s-50s.

#OldHollywood

Olga San Juan and Fred Astaire in the “Heat Wave” production number from the Paramount musical “Blue Skies” (1946).

Astaire retired from pictures after this film. This number would have been his last dance if he had not ended his retirement after two years to fill in for injured Gene Kelly in “Easter Parade” (1948)

#OldHollywood #FredAstaire

Re-watched “Blue Skies” (1946) for first time in ages—and on blu-ray now! It’s never been one of my favorite Astaire films since it is weighted too heavily on the Bing side. Also, this is not Irving Berlin’s best collection of songs. Nonetheless it’s still quite entertaining.

The commentary on the disc can be skipped. After 30m or so, it wasn’t very informative on back stories. In what little it does have, there are several embarrassing mistakes

#OldHollywood #FredAstaire #BingCrosby

"Dancing In the Dark" teableau for 05/19/23

#Tea #Teableau #Teapot #VintageChina #FredAndGinger #FredAstaire #GingerRogers #TheBarkleysOfBroadway #Figurines #VintageGlass #BlackTea #HarneyandSons #GardenParty #Dance

68 years ago:
Daddy Long Legs (US)
Wealthy American, Jervis Pendleton has a chance encounter at a French orphanage with a cheerful 18-year-old residen, and anonymously pays for her education at a New England college. She writes letters to her mysterious benefactor regularly, but he never writes back. Several years later, he visits he...
1955-05-05
https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/33218
#DaddyLongLegs #FredAstaire #LeslieCaron #TerryMoore #20thCenturyFox #ClassicFilm

🔊 #NowPlaying on BBCRadio2's #Radio2CelebratesTheCoronation

Fred Astaire:
🎵 Cheek To Cheek

#FredAstaire

https://open.spotify.com/track/35g4rTuhADuucoPzq01UIk

https://cantautorepsicopatico.bandcamp.com/track/fred-astaire-frank-sinatra-ella-fitzgerald-cheek-to-cheek-oncoming-martian-version
#Bandcamp

Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron in the Technicolor, CinemaScope 20th Century-Fox musical, “Daddy Long Legs” (1955).

This was the first Astaire picture I ever saw and the best of his 1950s efforts. The great music by Johnny Mercer is a big plus.

#OldHollywood #Musicals #FredAstaire #LeslieCaron #DaddyLongLegs

Vincente Minnelli’s The Band Wagon (1953), with breathtaking dancing by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in glorious Technicolor.

My review: https://dfordoom-movieramblings.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-band-wagon-1953.html

#classicmovies #classicmovie #1950smovie #goldenagehollywood #musicals #hollywoodmusicals #Vincente Minnelli #FredAstaire #CydCharisse

🔊 #NowPlaying on fip

Fred Astaire:
🎵 The carioca

#FredAstaire

https://open.spotify.com/track/1hV1RqE6HkGVbw6TrjFYxc

https://doghouseandbonerecords.bandcamp.com/track/the-carioca-fred-astaire

Hello friends,
this week's edition of The Supertone Show is particularly special for me as it features artists from my home town of Ross On Wye and the local area.

This week's show features music from #RobertPlant, #Pretenders, #MottTheHoople, #StarliteCampbell , #ManicStreetPreachers, #FredAstaire and a surprise track!!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!!

https://starlite-campbell.com/podcast/blog/7192640/episode-119-the-supertone-show-with-suzy-starlite-and-simon-campbell

#radio #music #podcast #chat

Hello friends,
this week's edition of The Supertone Show is particularly special for me as it features artists from my home town of Ross On Wye and the local area.

This week's show features music from #RobertPlant, #Pretenders, #MottTheHoople, #StarliteCampell Campbell, #ManicStreetPreachers, #FredAstaire and a surprise track!!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!!

https://starlite-campbell.com/podcast/blog/7192640/episode-119-the-supertone-show-with-suzy-starlite-and-simon-campbell

#radio #music #podcast #chat

Hello friends, this week's radio show is particularly special for Starlite as it features artists from her home town of Ross-on-Wye and the local area.

This week's show features music from #RobertPlant, #Pretenders, #MottTheHoople, #StarliteCampbell #ManicStreetPreachers, #FredAstaire and a surprise track!!
Have a great weekend.
Big love
Suzy and Simon

#radio #podcast #art #artist #music #writer

https://starlite-campbell.com/podcast/blog/7192640/episode-119-the-supertone-show-with-suzy-starlite-and-simon-campbell

Hello friends,
this week's edition of The Supertone Show is particularly special for me as it features artists from my home town of Ross On Wye and the local area.

This week's show features music from #RobertPlant, #Pretenders, #MottTheHoople, #Starlite&Campbell, #ManicStreetPreachers, #FredAstaire and a surprise track!!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!!

https://starlite-campbell.com/podcast/blog/7192640/episode-119-the-supertone-show-with-suzy-starlite-and-simon-campbell

#radio #music #podcast #chat