In the 80’s,I met Ginger Rogers at a book signing in London. She was emphatic that Fred Estaire was a gentleman, and insisted everyone understood that. At the time I didn’t understand, but decades later, with revelations of the exploitation of young women in the thrall of studio moguls, famous actors and directors, I understand perfectly.
Fred and his first wife Phyllis did not divorce. (From Wikipedia) Phyllis's death from lung cancer, at the age of 46, ended twenty-one years of blissful marriage and left Astaire devastated. Astaire attempted to drop out of the film Daddy Long Legs (1955), which he was in the process of filming, offering to pay the production costs to date, but was persuaded to stay.
Nice video. Actually, Ginger Rogers was a professional dancer from age 14. She worked in vaudeville for years, traveling the country with her own troupe, went on Broadway and had a big hit with Girl Crazy age 18. From the first and long before she met Astaire, she was always a "triple threat." As a dancer Rogers was a star, too. She was earning $350 a week in vaudeville at age 17; that's $6,000 a week in 2023. She tripled that on Broadway - she was making movies during the day while leading a Gershwin musical at the Alvin Theatre in the evening. There was no other actress in Hollywood that could do what Rogers did and Fred Astaire knew it. BTW.... they kiss in Top Hat, 3 years before Carefree.
The movie the narrator calls "Gay Divorce" was actually, as the name shows, called "Gay Divorcee" with the words rhyming. The somewhat anachronistic second word refers to a divorced woman, and gay was used in the original meaning of 'happy' without a gender connotation.
Fred had nothing but respect for Ginger and her talent. He credited her as the glue that held their partnership together. Fred Astaire had a great career without a partner.
As for their collaboration: Fred brought to the table his enormous musical talents perfected on the stage over many years with his sister Adele ... while Ginger brought her superior acting ability and experience in front of the camera (having already completed 20 films) plus the determination and hard work needed for her to execute those terrific dance routines with Fred. Their success had a lot to do with each having what the other needed. Unlike most of Fred's later dancing partners...Ginger's screen presence and stature was equal to his . having what the other needed.
Debbie Reynolds talks about Gene Kelly how he was perfectionist and made her feet bleed and Fred Astaire helped her get though the movie and said, hard work is worth the effort.
Well Fred would know about female partners and bleeding feet. "Let's Face the Music and Dance" apparently had Ginger's feet bleeding all over the floor, but she got thru it because she knew she'd never get to bed if she didn't.
I don’t believe it’s correct to say, as you do at around 5:08, that Astaire would come up with routines on a whim and expect Rogers to come in early the next morning to learn them. From everything I have read, Astaire would work for weeks choreographing the dance routines with Hermès Pan, and Pan would teach them to Rogers. Astaire and Rogers would then tweak them before they began filming.
Yeah, that's more accurate. Ginger made 2 or 3 movies for every movie she made with Fred; she did rehearse with him a lot, but Hermes and Fred hammered out the steps before she started rehearsals, as she made 2 or 3 movies between her movies with Astaire; she was always busy. Sometimes Fred only made one movie a year.
Both Ginger and Hermes Pan mentioned in interviews how Fred would call in the evening with some new thought about the movie they were making, and Ginger did say she then had to be there 5 AM to get to work on it.
We view Rogers & Astaire's fame in hindsight. During the 30's, Ginger was by far the more popular star of the two. Moviegoers couldn't get enough of her. She made Astaire look like an amazing, romantic lead instead of an awkward, unconventionally handsome man. His comfort level with her, since they'd dated before she moved to Hollywood and he married, was quite an advantage for them as dance partners. Their parting of ways was mutually advantageous to both - he was now a true Hollywood vs a Broadway star and she went on to do dramatic roles, for which she won an academy award a few years later. They were friends their entire lives and are buried a few yards apart from one another in a very non-Hollywood cemetery in Chatsworth. Your facts need some revisions.
As I have often said - if it's one thing ALL actors have to have it's a GIGANTIC ego! Fred & Ginger were the most incredible dancing duo EVER, and Astaire was worried about getting dissed as a single star?! Really! Fred, I'd say it worked out pretty good for ya!
You are correct about the movie title. The original play was " The Gay Divorce". The play title was considered too controversial as it seemed to take divorce lightly, which was frowned upon at the time. Plays were often more frank than movies. Hence, the title change. Great film! Love your username. I am a voracious reader as well as a music (and movie) lover.
Along with Jeanette Macdonald and Nelson Eddy,Ginger and Fred were THE superstar duos of the Golden era of Hollywood;The reason that their movies are eternally popular is because those protagonists had TALENT to burn,not like so many of today's manufactured stars.
The Fred Astaire movies are favorites in any collection. The dances are amazing and together with Ginger the acting is amazing as well; the movies are enjoyable.
I was very lucky to have met Ginger Rogers when she was doing a show in Sydney Australia I was 18teen at the time and she gave me her Autergrapeh I am so lucky to have met her she was so lovely to talk to
This video is actually quite good, there are a few inaccuracies though and some were already mentioned in the comments. I feel like it should be mentioned that Fred&Ginger dated for longer than "just one date", they had a not further specified relationship for about half a year. Then Ginger went off for Hollywood, where they eventually ended up meeting again anyways. I think it's very likely that Fred did ask her to marry him before she made that decision. He also wrote a "fan letter" to her after she had made her first movie, asking her to "hurry back". Whatever kind of relationship they had, I like that the video mentions that it was one of the most lasting ones in her lifetime. This video was actually surprisingly good, I haven't seen many that genuinely try to look at their relationship more intently and openly. Thank you and even with the stuff that was not entirely correctly researched, it was still good work and keeps their beautiful legacy alive!
Desde chica veo las peliculas de Fred Astaire y Ginger Rogers .Cuando Ginger vino a la Argentina con su espectaculo " Esta noche recordamos " fui a verla con mi papa ,era el año 1981 y yo tenia 12 años .Me dedico su autógrafo en la foto del programa del show.Hoy esa foto la tengo enmarcada y es uno de mis grandes recuerdos.
I just included a post saying the same thing. His family opposed it, saying Robyn was too young and he was simply marrying on the rebound. The poor man, run by his kids!
I liked TOP HAT. 1935, I think. Back in the 1990s Ballroom Dancing studios had posters up with a picture of Fred & Ginger, and a caption reading: "The greatest dance duo (or team?) of all time." Terrific chemistry anyway. That was down here in Melbourne AUST.
Fred Astaire was a extraordinary performer and wonderful actor. He was getting hold back by Ginger. That's why he stopped being with Ginger in movies. He became a super star on his own.
My thoughts exactly,not for the dancing abilities of Ginger or he was a misogynistic,but the opposite!His mother keeps him under the "shadow"of his sister with as turn out to be not so talented..After all he did played with her!!Great man great actor Best dancer (both genders)ever!💯🎩 Greetings from Greece 🇬🇷
I can just see a little boy of 9 or 10 perhaps, having to go and bring his sister back from ballet school, hating it but having to do what his mom said, or else. He ended up having the shining career while she became Lady Cavendish with all the trimmings.
Adele's stage career was spectacular. Fred was a lot younger than 9 when he started dancing professionally with his sister in New York and on the vaudeville circuit.
The play was "The Gay Divorce." The studio changed the name for the movie because they thought people wouldn't appreciate a divorce being a happy occasion.
It's pronounced Gay Divorcée! You need to watch TCM and study these beauties of the cinema. 🎥 You should do a vlog on Mary, Lottie and Jack Pickford. The Pickfair estate was so beautiful, but Pia Zidora tore it down. Learn about silent film era which often is forgotten!
Fred was delusional if he thought he was only going to get single billing. Did he think every movie would be a one man show with himself alone? Kooky big ego. Outside of his dancing talent he had no others. He was nothing without his dance partners who lent the appearance that he was "a catch". There are a few movies in which Fred does his solo choreography routines, they get tiresome & indulgent. Probably the "dancing on the ceiling" is his best. Otherwise the return to scene with a partner becomes a relief to the audience.
They all have enormous egos and, unpleasant as it is, it seems to happen in showbiz. Even in saying this, there is often rivalry between siblings. His ambition was no more offensive than any Hollywood film star, or artist, as he was. The dancing on the ceiling was brilliant, but quite easy to execute. They had moveable sides to the room and with each change to the next wall by Fred, they simply cranked the set around. I'd have given a right arm to see it filmed.
At least half of their success as a team was due to the good music from such as Cole Porter and George Gershwin that they danced to. There are many good dance routines in films with such as George Raft and George Murphy, with bland mediocre music.
@@FactsVerse Delve into the careers of stars during the pre-code era who were very popular but now almost totally forgotten, such as Warner Baxter, John Boles, Clive Brook, Conrad Nagel, Chester Morris, Nils Aster, Anne Dvorak, Kay Francis, Helen Twelvetrees,, Glenda Farrell, Bebe Daniels, Ruth Chatterton, etc.
Fred probably wanted to move from working with Ginger. He just made moves to be a bigger star. He had great talent. Singin' in the Rain is my favorite movie.
It was originally a stage play and called the Gay Divorce. But, for some reason I now forget, the Hayes Office didn't like the idea of a divorce as being 'gay' in the meaning as it was then. So they decided to call it 'divorcee' meaning the female role, it sounded racy and glamorous to them, then.
The original Broadway play he starred in was called the Gay Divorce, but for the film version that was changed to The Gay Divorcee (so as not to imply that getting divorced was a happy experience).
