| RKO, they had just one little fight. The “fight” concerned an outfit
made of ostrich feathers that Ginger
wore in the Cheek to Cheek number in Top Hat (1935). When the duo danced, the dress would shed a few feathers every now and again, and by the end of the dance number, flying feathers abounded. Hence, what should have been good footage was ruined, and Ginger’s refusal to wear a different costume only increased the on-set tension between them. However, this tension was short-lived, as Astaire explains in the book: "We laughed about that episode for weeks afterward. It was sort of a running gag with Ginger and me. I used to call her feathers!". (In 1949, Fred’s unique contribution to the motion picture arts was recognized with a special Academy Award, presented to him by his friend, Ginger Rogers.) |
| Steps in Time is a splendid account of a man who seemed to know everyone worth knowing, as well as those we might not expect him to know; from Hollywood’s elite to European aristocracy (Fred offers many amusing anecdotes about Britain’s royal family), to bookmakers, bell hops, and gamblers—especially those who bet on the horses, a favorite pastime of Astaire’s. |
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| The dancer for whom George & Ira Gershwin and Irving Berlin wrote more songs than for any other artist, also collaborated with industry greats Jerome Kern & Dorothy Fields,
Florenz Ziegfeld, Noel Coward and so
many others. (In fact, so profound was
Astaire’s impact on the music of the 20th Century—he is considered to have introduced at least 20 of the century’s greatest 100 songs—that Astaire was recognized with a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989.) |
| Although Astaire appeared with Gene Kelly in just a few musical numbers scattered amongst several films and over a few decades—including Ziegfeld Follies (1946) and years later in the That’s Entertainment! film series—we discover that Astaire actually “replaced” Kelly in the starring role of a major Hollywood musical: |
| In 1948, Kelly broke his leg prior to filming MGM’s Easter Parade with Judy Garland. Fred, who had “retired” from films, was asked to “fill in” as a last-second replacement. Being the gentleman the he was, Fred obliged, but only with Kelly’s blessing. Though there was an obvious age difference between Astaire and co-star Garland, it was Fred’s tremendous personal charm and well-maintained dance form that made him appear significantly younger in the role. |
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