Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer, musician and actor. According to Hollywood folklore, a screen test report on Astaire for RKO Radio Pictures, now lost along with the test, is reported to have read: "Can't sing. Can't act. Balding. Can dance a little."
His stage and subsequent film and television careers spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films, several award winning television specials, and issued numerous recordings. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute. He is particularly associated with Ginger Rogers, with whom he made ten films, including "Top Hat" (1935), "Follow the Fleet" (1936) and "Shall We Dance?" (1937).
In later years, Astaire would take to the dance floor with a number of new partners, among them Eleanor Powell and Rita Hayworth, while also playing second banana to crooner Bing Crosby in the musical comedies "Holiday Inn" (1942) and "Blue Skies" (1946). Coaxed out of retirement for MGM's "Easter Parade" (1948) with Judy Garland. Astaire went on to headline "Royal Wedding" (1951), in which he danced seemingly weightless on walls and ceilings, and "The Band Wagon" (1953),"Silk Stockings" (1957) with Cyd Charisse.
Astaire was nominated for Supporting Actor Academy Awards for his dramatic work in Stanley Kramer's "On the Beach" (1959) and Irwin Allen's "The Towering Inferno" (1974). (Wikipedia.TCM)
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| Flying Down to Rio (1933) |
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| Flying Down to Rio (1933) French poster |
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| The Gay Divorcee (1934) |
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| Roberta (1935) |
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| Top Hat (1935) |
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| Follow the Fleet (1936) |
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| Follow the Fleet (1936) |
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| Swing Time (1936) |
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| A Damsel in Distress (1937) |
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| Shall We Dance (1937) |
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| Carefree (1938) |
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| The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939) |
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| Broadway Melody of 1940 |
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| You'll Never Get Rich (1941) |
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| Holiday Inn (1942) |
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| You Were Never Lovelier (1942) |
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| The Sky's The Limit (1943) |
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| Yolanda and the Thief (1945) |
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| Blue Skies (1946) |
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| Easter Parade (1948) |
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| Easter Parade (1948) |
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| The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) |
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| Royal Wedding (1951) |
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| The Band Wagon (1953) |
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| Daddy Long Legs (1955) |
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| Funny Face (1957) |
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| Funny Face (1957) Italian poster |
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| Silk Stockings (1957) |
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| Silk Stockins (1957) |
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| Finian's Rainbow (1968) |
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| The Towering Inferno (1974) |
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| Ghost Story (1981) Belgian poster |
Nice collection of some classic Astaire movies.
ReplyDeleteHey thanks Bruce aka Hollywood Abstractor, Fred's a class act. Kelly up next.
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