Why Fred Astaire’s Greatest Dance Partner was Not Ginger Rogers?

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📍Fred Astaire, a rhythm come to life
At the age of four, he was taken to dance lessons to become a partner of Adele's sister, although she showed neither the inclination nor the talent. The lessons did have an effect, however, and by the late 1910s the brother and sister were already performing on Broadway (including in Victor Jacobi operettas). The spotlight was still on his sister, who danced only the comic numbers with Fred, while his brother was bored backstage during the romantic parts. It was at this time that he was filmed for his first screen tests, but was never offered a contract.
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[@arnepianocanada]

Astaire said of Rita Hayowrth: he could show her a routine in a.m. and by start of aft. she knew it. With Ginger the look is Classically elegant; with Rita - verve and joy! Sad we don't have any Adele on film.

[@velvetbees]

At first, I thought she is the one this video was about.

[@brianhernandez6305]

Hayworth was a dancer before she even thought of being an actor.

[@johnschuh8616]

Rita was a Latin, and it seems he enjoyed that style.

[@63DW89A]

"My sister Adele was mostly responsible for me being in show business. She was the whole show, she really was. In all the vaudeville acts we had and in the musical comedies we did together, Delly was the one that was the shining light and I was just there pushing away". Fred Astaire was too much the gentlemen to name any lady as his "best dancing partner". But in his heart, there is no doubt that it was his sister Adele. Adele and Fred captivated worldwide audiences in the 1920's and 30's, generating rave reviews far beyond even the much loved Fred & Ginger pairing. So very sad that there is no known film of Adele & Fred dancing together. A wonderful book looking closely at "Adele & Fred" is THE ASTAIRES: FRED & ADELE (Kathleen Riley, 2012). Their lives will touch hearts and open eyes to the unbreakable lifelong unconditional love that exists in the uniquely powerful bond of brother and sister. Life forces tough choices and one of the most heart breaking for Adele, was leaving show business to be the wife and mother she so desperately wanted to be. Leaving after her final show with Fred, Adele cried all night on the train, about leaving the brother she loved more than anything in the world. After Adele left, poor Fred faced frustrated reviews, but he was not bothered by them, because he understood that the reviewers were missing Adele as much as he was. Wonderful book that we can all identify a bit with, as we all face those bittersweet moments in life that our tough decisions bring.

[@imsocuteimsorich4952]

63DW89A, Well Said👍🌹💖

[@patricemoran7469]

I've read though that as much as he loved his sister and was very proud of her that when his movie career began.. and the studio bosses suggested teaming him with Ginger Rogers after their smash hit 'Flying down to Rio' that he balked at the idea stating that he had just lived down one team (i.e.he and his sister) and absolutely didn't want any part of another. The producers however kept sweetening the pot due to the great success of their films and his antipathy of being part of another team gradually dissipated to the point that when Ginger told RKO producers in 1938 that 1939's 'The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle' would be her last musical per Hermes Pan Fred was very upset and unsure about his future. Needless to say his tremendous talent was recognized by other studios...and his fans had at least another 20+ years to appreciate his unique talents.

[@purplealice]

Those old-time dancers all seemed to move as if gravity was optional - when they tap, they look as if they have to make an effort to get close enough to the ground to tap their feet on it, and the rest of the time they just levitate.

[@velvetbees]

There is no arguing with this. Well said.

[@imsocuteimsorich4952]

Have to agree Rita Hayward was a great dancer and for Fred to complement her saying she was one of his favourite dancers to dance with was a complement ,rest in peace Fred you may be gone but your not forgotten amen,🎩👞👞😘👏🌈😘🎩

[@drmarx999]

Hard to top "Begin the Beguine" with the fabulous Eleanor Powell in "Broadway Melody of 1940," but I still have a spot in my heart for "Swing Time" with Ginger.

[@m.j.c.6969]

Fred felt upstaged by Powell. She was not his favorite partner but was likely his best!

[@user-mx2uc9ue3t]

@@m.j.c.6969 she didn't sing nor act nor could she do comedy. she wasn't his worst partner but she is in the running

[@m.j.c.6969]

@@user-mx2uc9ue3t she was a better dancer than he. Maybe that would make her a bad partner.

[@user-mx2uc9ue3t]

@@m.j.c.6969 there's a whole lot more to musical film than dancing. Personally, she wasn't a better dancer than Astaire. Nor was she a better dancer than Rogers tbh, because Powell was a technician. I don't ever feel moved emotionally by her work.

[@m.j.c.6969]

@@user-mx2uc9ue3t She was a better dancer than both. And a MUCH, MUCH better dancer than Rogers. Contending otherwise is absurd!

[@gwine9087]

Hermes Pan said there may have been better dancers but Ginger was his best partner.

[@richardrosenthal9552]

Fred Astaire was a multitalented man who entertained many generations with his performances. I saw him dance with many of Broadway and Hollywood’s great dancers. One movie I remember wasn’t critically acclaimed as others were. It was Finnians Rainbow. He was much older when the movie was made. He amazed people with his dancing and acting. I have loved Holiday Inn since I first saw it as a boy. Holiday Inn has become a Holiday Season favorite for decades. He was the best and I don’t think we will ever see the like of him again.

[@magloyd4907]

Fred had an entire lifetime of dancing, but in Finian's Rainbow, the director, Coppola, who had never directed a musical, had the arrogance to dismiss his ideas and to shoot him, against his wishes, just from the waist up and not his whole body. Fred had insisted on from the very early days of his film career.that his entire body was seen dancing. It may have been this humiliating and depressing experience, which Hermes Pan wrote as being very upsetting to both he and Fred, which decided him against taking other dancing roles onscreen.

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@magloyd4907 Pan was so annoyed at his choreography being obscured by an ignoramus wunderkind director that he quit the production. AFAIK it was the only time in his epic career that Pan abandoned ship. Coppola had the grace to admit later that he had been wrong to second-guess the maestri. All the same, it is an entertaning pic and Petula Clark (also fine as Peter O'Toole's wife in the remake of 'Goodbye, Mr Chips') is a charming ingenue.

[@dalehall2067]

don’t forget gene Kelly

[@edielynch7819]

He always said he wouldn't say who it was. But he always talked about his sister...

[@MrBuddybones]

Sacrilege! She was not a trained dancer, but she too worked hard to make it look easy and to match Fred. Their chemistry was unparalleled. Saying it was his sister is disingenuous. No one can watch him with Adele and their chemistry would have been entirely different because they were siblings. Ginger deserves more credit for their magic. I believe he would not have succeeded with such a long career were it not for their pairing. She made you believe he was dashing and irresistible. Her acting was always considerably better than his. I am tired of people dissing Ginger. He sought her out when he came to California. They dated in NY.

[@patricemoran7469]

You are absolutely correct!

[@JSB1882]

There is nothing better than watching him with Rita Hayworth. Someone said that Ginger Rogers was a better dancer because she had to do everything backwards that Astaire did. Rogers wasn't a trained dancer like Hayworth and that might make the difference.

[@jds8590]

Rita Hayworth was the most talented partner he ever had! Plus, they looked good together, as if they enjoyed dancing together!

[@eugenewindchy417]

Ginger was the one we loved.

[@vicsaul5459]

The best of the best Eleanor Powell #1 🌟

[@ghw7192]

I would have guessed Eleanor Powell, but when asked who his best dance partner was, Fred's reply was Gene Kelly.

[@johnschuh8616]

Power was technically the best of her partners, but Rita and he was the same kind of dancers.

[@fitnessfreak7851]

I feel Vera-Ellen was among Fred’s best partners. She was a perfectionist like Fred and could match the athleticism and work ethic as Fred did. I wish they did more pictures together.

[@crystalphillips696]

He is my favorite I have seen all his movies and was in love with him as a child and teenager even though he was before my time by a little bit. Lol

[@michaelgriffith9205]

Oh, please. ELEANOR POWELL.

[@thisisscorpio6024]

My first guess was Rita Hayworth.

[@bobandbally88]

A beautiful but tragic figure. Marrying Ally Kahn caused her great grief. I think he was a fabled leader in "Pakistan" but I'm not positive. I also think his subjects gifted him his weight in precious jewels (again recall from long ago).

[@arthurleng1500]

Michael Parkinson interview of 1976 when asked who was his favourite dance partner, Fred declined to answer as "they were all good in their own way but Ginger, wow, that gal was something special".

[@annekeder5513]

In my opinion his greatest dance partner was Vera Ellen. In the Belle of New York, there is a trolley scene and the athleticism displayed in the movie was spectacular.

[@1923hl]

Agreed! Vera-Ellen is a connoisseur's choice as Fred's greatest movie partner.

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@1923hl The writer David Shipman, who was working on an Astaire biography when he died, said in 1968 that Fred's two films with Vera-Ellen now looked 'suspiciously like his best work'. Ironically their poor takings led to the crisis of confidence which Comden and Green satirized in 'The Band Wagon', to my mind the greatest Freed-MGM musical.

[@ange9663]

Just adore Fred Astaire and have been a longtime fan, it doesn't matter who was his best partner all very talented. Any interview I've watched Fred Astaire in when asked that question he always says it was Bing Crosby so as not to offend anyone. Lovely man supreme dancer ❤️❤️

[@deniseoates7147]

It was so funny that people did and still do not realize that Michael Jackson copied a lot of moves made by Mr Astaire. I did not know that Fred Astaire had ballet training, so that explain how he was able to do some of the feats in his choreography. I recognize it immediately since I am a big Fan of Astaire's and Kelly's routines. There has not been anything like the old Hollywood dancing in movies, and I so miss it. It cool, how even in their older years they would try stuff like skateboarding, and I know that Gene Kelly roller skated because as a teen it shocked me to see him in Xanadu. But I happen onto this video, but it was what I needed because just turning 60, I was feeling kind of like it kind of over for me but now I see it only if I allow it to be. Thanks for sharing and blessing to you and all in the days to come.

[@martinkaye6397]

michael thought fred was the best

[@Jenjen-qc5eq]

Great video, I would love you to do a video about the Nicholas Brothers who were one of the greatest tap dancers. UK

[@deegeraghty9426]

Fred Astaire was a dance genius. Thank you.

[@leefields3658]

I love old movies, but have not been a huge fan of dancing, which were often for me mere place-holders until the story resumed. However, even since my youth, I've always been mesmerized by Fred Astair (incidentally, my favorite dance movie is "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" - spectacular IMHO). Astair and Ginger Rogers were absolutely fantastic together; but of course he had so many talented dance partners. I am grateful for the entertainment provided by all of them. Thanks for posting this.

[@MsAbyss123]

Fred Astaire did admit in an interview on camera, that out of all his dance partners Rita Hayworth was the one closest to him in ability and musicality. They probably couldn't have worked together long term though, because he and Rita were both total perfectionists and would have inevitably clashed whereas with Ginger, he worked out the choreography and she simply followed.

[@007sMoneyPenny]

No doubt, Fred Astaire*s legacy will live on forever ❤️‍🩹. For me he is the best dancer 🕺 ever lived. Watched all and loved all of his movies 🎥.

[@arthurgearheard4701]

How about Eleanor Powell?

[@wendellnelson1118]

I heard or read somewhere that Judy Garland was his only partner where you never watched Fred, just Judy!!

[@earllutz2663]

I have always enjoyed watching Fred Astaire dancing & performing. Thank you so much & as I have watched & enjoyed many of your videos, I have finally subscribed. Thank you again.

[@prchristman]

From a Dec. 2, 1924 review of Lady Be Good!: "The slyly demure Miss Astaire especially, with her antics as the society debutante who impersonated the widow of a Mexican magnate in order to turn a dishonest penny that would put herself and her impecunious brother in affluence again, was a constantly piquant sauce to the fare. When she warbled the enchanting 'So Am I' ... she caused numerous ladies in the audience to cluck over her cuteness. After she had been tossed with abandon in the arms of the gallant chorusmen and then kicked pillows at them, small wonder they slammed the pillows joyously back at her. She seemed like an absurd rag doll, just fit for such treatment. "With her goofy stare and her pertness, her grotesque drolleries, she suggested the tumbling [actress] Ray Dooley after she had been put through a refined finishing school. And her agile brother was equally adept, prancing and singing 'The Half of It, Dearie, Blues' with the ingenious air of a high school lad at his first dance." [Frank Vreeland, NY Telegram and Evening Mail] It was 28 years before I was born, much to my chagrin! Even my Astaire-adoring mom was only four in 1924. If Adele had only done a dance number on film. This Vreeland review might give us just a taste, along with Adele's precious recordings with Fred.

[@johnpennington7652]

I had the pleasure of meeting him when i was working for Mr Jeremy Tree at beckhampton, what a lovely man to meet,and gave me a photo for my mother in his top hat and tales

[@andrewbrendan1579]

Great video! I've known OF Fred Astaire but little about him. My favorite numbers of his are "Slewfoot" in "Daddy Longlegs" and "Coffe Time" with Lucille Bremer, the latter being what Fred Astaire called his most difficult performance. But the result: Wow! --- One small point: Mr Astaire's performance in "The Towering Inferno" did have some dancing; just a moment of it with Jennifer Jones.

[@esmeephillips5888]

' Coffee Time' I would nominate as the most extraordinary technical tour de force in his storied career, and also one of the most ingenious mixtures of chorus and duettists, and of musical and human rhythmic movement, ever achieved on screen. Their desynchronization sets up an almost sinister mood which suddenly bursts into exhilaration. Eugene Loring had done 'Limehouse Blues' for Fred, but this was their finest hour.

[@ShanghaiPascoe]

He has been inspirational. A joy. A teacher - by using his many talents

[@charliechilders6630]

Everyone knows that Judy Garland was not primarily a dancer like Leslie Caron, cyde charice, Ginger Rogers, and all the other great accomplished dancers. However, I have read and heard that Fred, Gene Kelly both said Judy Garland was their favorite dance partner. Why? I guess she always made the teams look great and so very much fun. She truly did seem to be having a great time and she always made her dancing appear effortlessly. 🤔

[@johnschuh8616]

Judy was a terrific performer. Always 100% went into her work.

[@spodvoll]

There is no question in my mind that Cyd Charisse was far and away the best partner with whom Astaire ever danced on film. Nobody else came close. Nobody else was as accomplished and artistic in their own right as dancers. But.... by the time he danced with "beautiful dynamite" Cyd, Fred Astaire was well beyond his own peak years.

[@rondaleroi]

Personally, I would not say that Fred was "beyond his own peak" in "The Bandwagon" and "Silk Stockings" in which he danced with Cyd Charisse. No, not at all, in my opinion. Still, the earlier movies with Ginger Rogers are my favorites, especially "Top Hat."

[@spodvoll]

@@rondaleroi Even past his prime, Astaire was among the greatest dancers around. But he was certainly past his prime by the 1950s. Although I’m a fan of all his work and all his partners, none of his partners were even in Charisse’s league as dancers.

[@kenthomas4376]

Rita Hayworth says hello!

[@spodvoll]

@@kenthomas4376 Rita Hayworth was an enormous talent and a great beauty. But Charisse was still the greatest dance partner with whom Astaire ever co-starred.

[@user-mx2uc9ue3t]

there is no question in my mind that watching cyd is like watching a pianist practice scales.

[@nicolasbouyiouclis4726]

Great documentary! Class and Talend for ever... we very much need to see these wonderful videos and movies to be able to egnolage the disasters that taking place today in so called entertainment! Thank you for the video!

[@b.visconti1765]

He was one of my favorites now and forever😷😘🎈

[@Pittstopclippings]

Sure enough, another title that doesn’t need the question mark at the end in the video.

[@nadezhdawall-rossi2864]

I remember Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth describing their mutual respect and affection for each other. He spoke of wanting to dance with the luminously beautiful Moira Shearer, but it never happened. I think his best dancing partner was Eleanor Powell, but he was intimidated by her. After their amazing duet, "Begin the Beguine," he vowed never to dance with her again. A real shame.

[@esmeephillips5888]

It's sad that Rita said the only movies she was proud of were the two at Columbia with Fred. She might have mentioned 'Cover Girl' and 'Gilda'.

[@petertaylor3600]

The thing is, Moira Shearer was a ballerina of the classical variety. He was ballet trained however he included other styles until he was something more. Whether she could have matched that, who knows?

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@petertaylor3600 No, Fred was not trained in ballet (unlike Eleanor) and thought classical dance- 'toe dancing', he called it- boring. He and Adele came from ballroom, which the Castles had developed bc it was easy to teach, supplemented by the vaudeville cutups they had learned as kids. In 'Shall We Dance' Fred fairly brutally satirized the pseudo-Russian ballet of Diaghilev and de Basil which Balanchine was beginning to reject for a more American style of which tap was the quintessence; as Ellie said, 'it's the red, white and blue', and her eclectic injection of acrobatics, balletics and ballroom made tap the melting pot of the Hollywood musical. They went down together. Ironically, Powell's deep ballet background compelled Fred to head in that direction when he moved to MGM and had to match her versatility. Metro's insistence on all-round expertise conversely meant that to be seen as convincing replacements for Powell, Cyd Charisse had to break out of the 'classy' mold and become 'sultry' (though never mastering tap, like Caron after her) and Vera-Ellen was able to display her omnicompetence. Ann Miler also got more leeway in duets, belatedly becoming more than a machine gunner. Moira Shearer, though, remained stuck with the dwindling returns of the preservationists, de Valois and Ashton. Powell and Pressburger enshrined this glass-case attitude to dance in two movies. Moira is dainty and charming in a veddy Briddish way, but with little of the spunky personality which would have made Jessie Matthews plus Astaire such a tempting duo. Moira's acting was weaker than Cyd's; by 'Peeping Tom' it had become an embarrassment. Nor could she sing.

[@magloyd4907]

@@esmeephillips5888.Gene Kelly would disagree with your assessment of Eleanor Powell having "versatility". Gene described her as being a good tap dancer -- but limited by guarantee the fact that she was ONLY a tap dancer. In their Begin the Beguine routine you can see that Powell danced more upright that Fred, and her upper body ago was less expressive than him. He danced and was freer the with his whole body.

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@magloyd4907 In fact Eleanor Powell was an all-rounder. She began in ballet and added 'flash' and ballroom moves before mastering tap. I do not see the inflexibility you cite in either section of 'Begin the Beguine'; one of her early trademarrks was backbending almost to the floor. If anything she overdid it, like Harriet Hoctor. Watch 'Between You and Me' or 'I Concentrate on You'. Only a tap dancer? Kelly, who copied her, was seldom gracious in assessing his contemporaries. Eleanor criticized 'That's Dancing', which he narrated and helped compile, for bigging up himself. He did not risk partnering her. After her death he was the guest of honor at a commemoration when he made a speech which some took to be a covert apology. He mellowed in his last years with his his young third wife, but the genial Gene of nostagia shows was not the man his colleagures recollected.

[@aresee8208]

Look, I even enjoyed seeing Fred Astaire dance with Joan Fontaine. But to me, Fred and Ginger were the perfect partners. And for me, the most perfect ballroom dance ever on film was Rogers and Astaire dancing to Let's Face the Music and Dance. I am still awed.

[@margec2304]

I agree. I watched him with Rita Hayward and lots of people thought she was better than Ginger. I thought Ginger was more animated and she danced to quicker tunes with heels. Rita does more graceful movements to tunes that were smoother and she taped in flats in that one film. Well, all I know is that more people automatically mention Fred and Ginger first than Fred and Rita or Fred and Cyd.

[@Bethi4WFH]

Fred Astaire was brilliant, but I must admit that when he dances with Ginger Rogers I watch HER!

[@bobandbally88]

The man's job is to showoff the lady.

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@bobandbally88 Yes, that was an underestimated aspect of Fred's and Pan's partnership. They were chivalrous, and the women appreciated it. In return they strove to match Astaire's discipline and discovered that they could do more as dancers than they had supposed, even if they were amateurs such as Paulette Goddard or Joan Leslie. Fred never had a big bust-up with a partner despite his perfectionist demands, and Pan was so kindly a tutor that four star hoofers regarded him as their closest friends: Ginger, Rita, Ann Miller and Betty Grable. Chivalry is why men wore uniform evening dress in monochrome while the ladies indulged in the most elaborate costumes Adrian, Irene et al. could contrive. Fred always said he dislked tails, but as an admirer of English high society ways he knew that the gentleman is 'he whose dress most perfectly escapes notice'.

[@bobandbally88]

@@esmeephillips5888 that was very educational. Almost as if you knew him personally.

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@bobandbally88 He is well documented. considering his private life was so unscandalous. Same goes for Pan, but he did not get a biography until a few years ago.

[@ginatrobeson8351]

Even before I knew this always thought he made a good pair with her like ginger💙💙💙

[@bobbyantonelli7978]

I read that it was not Ginger Rogers who was Fred Astaire’s favorite dancing partner. It was Rita Hayworth.

[@rosemarieconstantin3411]

I loved to see him dancing with Rita Hayworth. They were great together and she was a trained dancer

[@johnminehan1148]

A thing Astaire had great influence on (for which he is not usually remembered) was as a jazz singer . . . .

[@rg1809]

Yes. Berlin said Astaire was his favorite vocalist.

[@johnschuh8616]

Not a great voice but a superb singer.

[@williamstewart6534]

CLASS

[@rasputanrasputan1380]

Most graceful 💃 dancer ever….

[@esmeephillips5888]

At 6:48 and 8:18 a couple of pictures have sneaked in of Astaire rehearsing 'Broadway Melody of 1940' not with Adele or Ginger but with his only superior as a movie dancer, Eleanor Powell. Fred was not a creative choreographer. Hermes Pan, seen here in several stills, was his 'idea man' and Ginger's coach. Fred would embellish the creations of Pan, Hollywood's greatest dance director with and without the man. He formed a troika with Fred and Ginger at Radio, but did so much more in a screen career as long as Fred's.. Powell was the main choreographer of the only musical in which they co-starred. Later Fred co-operated fruitfully with Eugene Loring and MIchael Kidd. In a way it is surprising that the partnership with Adele lasted as long as it did. They were chalk and cheese; the brother was 'Moaning Minnie', the dogged workaholic; his sister was spontaneous to a fault, a free spirit with a wicked sense of humor who drove him nuts by being unpunctual and refusing to rehearse. People went to their shows over and over because Adele would play differently every night. She was a spellbinder, the most acclaimed international musical performer of the 1920s, but like Powell she grew tired of the punishing discipline of pro hoofing and longed to become a wife and mother, retiring at c. 30. Sadly there is no footage of her and Fred at work bc she quit just before talkies came in. It was rumored they did a screen test but it has never surfaced.

[@petertaylor3600]

Pan used to add his dancing feet to create the tapping done by Ginger because her shoes were too soft, apparently. What highheels ever can make that sound. But, it was his sound you hear.

[@trujustice8628]

Marvelous and complete profile

[@Ukepa]

great video

[@hankblaustein4149]

de gustibus non... i'll take the astaire/rogers partnership as the top - the music, the secondary characters in the earlier films - blore, horton, broderick, rhodes - they can't be beat.

[@williamewing5509]

I have got a movie DVD of Fred Astaire with Steve McQueen Paul Newman Richard Chamberlain William Holden in The Towering Inferno I am dedicating this movie DVD to my old school friends who are both sisters as I hope to see them both again very soon to Chris and Hester from Billyxxxxx

[@thomasmiles340]

Strange. When asked, he always said his favourite partner was Barrie Chase. Cheers.

[@MrCrowebobby]

Even Astaire was cute as a teenager.

[@michaelmcgee8543]

in an interview with his daughter in the holiday inn disc, she never mention that she had a brother too. They must have been mad at each other for some reason.

[@marjoriegarner5369]

very nice ......

[@tedhilton9474]

Fabulous 111

[@poisondalilah]

Because he was just the best jazz dancer ever existed. No partner was enough for him. Not even Ginger Rogers.

[@jillwintz379]

Best jazz dancer...that would be the d el e c t a b l e G E N E N E L S O N !!!💛💛💛

[@kathrynkathryn4836]

Ginger was definitely my favorite partner for Fred as she easily followed his lead and had great chemistry. However, in "Begin the Beguine", Eleanor Powell matched his steps and was more of a challenge for him. I was lucky enough to share this with Miss Powell at a movie convention in the 1980s. She thought that was the highest compliment she ever received. I also saw Fred Astaire walking down Rodeo Drive one morning by himself in the mid-80s. I was so excited that I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. It was like an out of body experience. A moment I will never forget.

[@audhildbenjaminsen665]

The days when fifteen years old girls fainted just by a look at the fifty years old Fred Astair,crazy lol!

[@rizalinasalazar5846]

👏🤩😍🙏 LOLA ☮️💟 Houston Texas

[@AmatureAstronomer]

Why Fred Astaire’s Greatest Dance Partner was Ginger Rogers? They were made for each other.

[@MrDavidht]

I read that Adele had been dancing with her brother for 27 years and was pretty weary of the theatre by the time she married.

[@63DW89A]

Adele was 35 years old when she retired. The biological clock was ticking loud, so if she wanted a family, she had no more time to waste. Adele said in an interview that after her final performance, on the train that night, she cried all night about leaving the brother she loved more than anything in the world. It was a tough, bittersweet decision for Adele to leave Fred and show business, for the desire of being a wife and mother.

[@esmeephillips5888]

I would not call Lord Charles Cavendish 'a stage door Johnny from the B list of the British aristocracy.' He was the second son of the Duke of Devonshire. Had Charlie outlived his brother Lord Hartington, who married Joe Kennedy's daughter and was killed in action in WW2, the beer salesman's daughter from Nebraska would have become the dancing Duchess of Devonshire.

[@avientapiedras2961]

El Flaco de Oro. 😂

[@guggle86]

Aw you guys, nobody mentioned the beautiful Claire Luce who starred with him on Broadway and London in The Gay Divorce. (See Tribute to Claire Luce on KZbin). Dorothy Stone replaced Luce after her on stage accident. There is reputed to be film, in private hands, of Astaire and Stone dancing on stage in London in The Gay Divorce, filmed by Stone’s father. Incidentally Astaire wanted Claire Luce for the film The Gay Divorce, but RKO vetoed the proposal.

[@jds8590]

Rita Haworth was his most talented partner! They also looked good together!

[@arnepianocanada]

*Research please!* Gershwin title is said as 1 word "Swonderful". Katharine Hepburn said of Astaire-Rogers: "He gives her class; she gives him sex." Full stop. Not sex appeal. Easy info to find online.

[@nathanosgood4959]

Like one of the reply’s on here, seem to remember it was Cyd Charisse was his favorite dance partner? Never thought it was Ginger Rogers who seemed to like passing on names during the McCarthy era. Of course having such a history with his sister I would imagine a great turn arou

[@nathanosgood4959]

Around the floor…

[@user-mx2uc9ue3t]

that's actually a myth. rogers wasn't involved in any of the huac hearings, although her mother gave a rather bland rah rah speech at one.

[@petertaylor3600]

He might have thought it was Adele! And, there....bullseye, it seems it was.

[@sharoneiff3626]

You might be right about Adele being Fred's greatest dancing partner but nobody really knows including you. All that is known of the quality of their partnership is verbal and written reviews from their time on stage and in Vaudeville. There is no way to compare their performances with those of Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth, Eleanor Powell, Cyd Charisse or any others Fred danced with over the years. Whether Rita Hayworth fit Fred's style better than any of his other partners it is Ginger a non professional who captured fans fancy in their nine performances together so I would have to say that in most people's minds the partner they most consider as his best is Ginger Rogers.

[@63DW89A]

Sadly there is no film known of Fred and Adele dancing together. But Fred and Adele generated rave reviews from both British and American audiences, so the two must have had been an extraordinary talent together. Based on Fred's short remarks after receiving the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, I'm convinced that in his heart, Adele was his best and favorite dancing partner. It is entirely possible (indeed likely) that Ginger, Eleanor, Leslie, Cyd, Barrie, etc, were technically better, more athletic dancers than Adele; after all they were a generation or more in the future. But there is more than just technical and athletic ability to dancing that entertains audiences. A brother and sister, with a lifetime of work together, and a relationship so close they can almost read each other's minds, can instinctively synch to each other in every way, and have a unique personality together that really enthralls and captivates an audience. And that may well be the secret to Fred's and Adele's ability to captivate. It's intriguing to speculate on just WHAT Fred and Adele had together that was so captivating at that time.

[@johnberger5539]

Most would link Ginger Rogers with Fred Astaire, but I think Eleanor Powell was a better dancer. Still, the collaboration with Rogers made them a better couple. In terms of Astaire's ranking of history's best male dancers, perhaps Mikhail Baryshnikov said it best when he opened the tribute to Astaire on the occasion of the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award in 1981: "I have been invited to say something about how dancers feel about Fred Astaire," Baryshnikov said. "It's no secret. We hate him. "He gives us complexes, because he's too perfect. His perfection is an absurdity that's hard to face." Classical dancers could deal with legendary rivals from the past, such as Nijinsky, because their accomplishments were known from books and from photographs that don't move, Baryshnikov said. With Astaire it was another story: "The problem with Astaire is that he's everywhere -- moving. You know, you give your own performance and receive applause and you think maybe, just maybe, it was successful, and you go home ... and turn on the television to relax and there he is. Making you feel nervous all over again. "You remember the remark by Ilie Nastase about Bjorn Borg: 'We are playing tennis, he is playing something else.' It's the same with Fred Astaire -- we are dancing, but he is doing something else."

[@aresee8208]

Sez you.

[@purplealice]

The name of the show was "The Gay Divorcee (pronounced Dih-Vor-Say)".

[@stevenrowson4339]

There was a chemistry with Ginger that wasn't there with other dancers, neither one would have had the success without the other. Ginger deserves more credit than she recieved, the credit that Fred himself gave her in interviews. Ginger more than srepped up to the plate, she showed an elegance and finesse of movement that even the most capable dancers did not. Just watch the slow motion clips.

[@patriciathomas2468]

Fred was the best and classiest of dacers. Gimger was just as classey. I also loved watching him with Cyd Cherise. Will nevet be anothet Fred

[@johnschuh8616]

She was an outstanding actor who learned to be an exceptionally good dance partner. I was surprised how good she was in her earliest film work, so a natural.

[@darneyoung537]

I think I heard it was Vera, Ellen? ❤❤

[@skippylance1591]

Didn't he once say that Barrie Chase was (at least) one of his very favorite dancers?

[@jas20per]

I am extremely surprised that you have not mentioned his long time choreographer "Hermes Pan" between themselves they came up with nearly all the best film dance sequences.

[@jillwintz379]

HERMES PAN. .Y E S ! FLOWER DRUM SONG!!!

[@esmeephillips5888]

Pan at 4:42. People often said they looked like brothers.

[@amymalina5073]

What about Eleanor Powell? I read somewhere he felt deep down that she could out dance him.

[@johnschuh8616]

From my perspective a certain lack of grace.

[@rg1809]

Dance partners have to look good together. Cyd and Elanor may have been the best, technically, but they were too tall for Fred. Ginger and Fred were clearly the most successful.

[@margiteder8274]

I think he and Rita Hayworth were pure perfection

[@Voodoomaria]

Ginger always insisted on dancing with some kind of prop like a feather boa or wide flowing skirt. Some people unkindly and inaccurately said it was to distract from her mediocre foot work, but this is grossly unfair and not representative of the facts. It was however not something that Fred liked, especially in one dance routine where she had a heavy beaded purse on her arm. During rehearsal she accidentally drifted Fred up-side his head with it, and knocked him off his feet. It left him seeing stars. Anyway they had to lose the purse, because in every subsequent attempt to film the scene, whenever she got close to him in a twirl, he visibly flinched away.

[@esmeephillips5888]

Ginger was doubled in some shots in her first films with Fred, but she learned on the job under the tutelage of Hermes Pan, her lifelong bestie. By the time of 'Never Gonna Dance' in 'Swing Time', she was capable (though after many retakes) of moves as taxing as any lady at work then, except for the nonpareil Eleanor Powell Ginger's spins before exiting at the end of 'Never Gonna Dance' in 'Swing Time' bear comparison with Ellie's in 'Swingin' the Jinx Away' from 'Born to Dance', released the same year. But Ginger only hoofed if the picture required it. She cared more for her wardrobe than her feet and admitted she had no love of hoofing for its own sake; she nixed roles that asked for it after splitting with Fred. Nor did she ever attempt a full 'sock solo' like his. She and her mom kew her real talent was for underplayed comedy and drama, using that wonderfully mobile face. Her unique gift at RKO was to act through dancing, through singing and through listening to Fred sing. You could tell exactly what she was feeling. As an actress-dancer, and indeed singer, she remains unbeatable. Pandro Berman's miraculous good luck was to have had the top male and female triple threats of all time under contract at the same time.

[@Voodoomaria]

@@esmeephillips5888 I have her in several pre-code movies, she was capable of being VERY sexy when she wanted to be. Of all her routines with Fred, my all time favourite was "Face the music and dance". Fred singing that song was wonderful, and their dance, so poignant. It's unforgettable.

[@octurn]

Nobody has anything to lose by leaving Nebraska.

[@user-mx2uc9ue3t]

It's strange but true that Fred was joined in Hollywood by Robert Taylor and Henry Fonda, all from Nebraska. If you stretch it a few miles to Kansas City, you could add Jean Harlow and Ginger herself! Eastern Nebraska is more beautiful than California though. Of course there's no ocean but it's green hills and dells are amazing

[@OFWarhhbTN]

Eleanor Powell.

[@michaelhoey9668]

RITA HAYWORTH IS MY THINKING

[@michaelhoey9668]

WHO WOULD HAVE ANSWERED THAT CORRECTLY

[@wilsonharpe4280]

His greatest partner was Ginger. IF you can't see the obvious, then you are looking to be clever, or simply can't see the forest for the trees. It isn't a matter of who was better than whom. They had IT! Look at the movies they made! Nothing, nothing, comes close to what they did together, and for RKO. Their supporting cast was off the charts as well! You folks are trying to reinvent the wheel.

[@bobwitkowski6410]

What happened to his sister?

[@BoninBrighton]

Eleanor Powell was his best partner in fact she topped him.

[@johnschuh8616]

Powell was better as a soloist.

[@ericlurio246]

There is no film of Adele dancing.

[@UserName-sj8fg]

Yak yak, no dance.

[@yoursotruly]

Question: Who's the better dancer, Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers? Answer: Ginger! She did everything that Fred did but she did it backward in high heels!

[@eleanorpowellfan]

No, Cyd Charisse was Fred's greatest partner.

[@johnhodge7037]

S'wonderfull, not S.Wonderfull.

[@kellybrown685]

Fred Astaire an "incomparable singer" .... oh COME now. Astaire himself said "I DANCE... I sing a BIT."

[@rg1809]

Irving Berlin said that his favorite singer was Astaire. It's a jazz thing.

[@esmeephillips5888]

During the era of the Great American Songbook, no singer had more songs composed for him than Fred, bc he was better at nailing their essence and making the public remember the tune and words than any other crooner. The list of standards that he introduced is like a roll call of the Songbook's golden oldies. He was a close friend of Berlin, Porter and the Gershwins. He could play piano and drums to pro standards, and wrote a few hits himself. Musicality and rhythm were the key to all he did.

[@annettefournier9655]

His second wife was actually a working riding jockey? I thought they didn't let females into the jockey club until much later. They let them be exercise jockeys but not race. Really? In the early 80s? She looked to old.

[@2CalaLilly]

Robyn Smith was indeed a jockey when she met Fred Astaire. She began her career as a jockey in April 1969 and was already famous in Thoroughbred racing circles before she met Fred. Robyn appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated's July 31, 1972 edition.

[@purplealice]

@@2CalaLilly I worked with someone whose job was to write and present horse-racing results on the radio. He explained how women were being allowed to become jockeys because there weren't enough light-weight short men available. The racing expert told me that, if i go to the track, I should note whether there are any races being participated in by women jockey. I should bet on them to place, because they always try harder than the male jockeys. I remember when Astaire married Robyn Smith - it was incredibly popular in the news.

[@robertgiles9124]

I saw an Interview with Rogers once; it turned me off forever to her because of her attitude. It was not an attractive view.

[@arthurleng1500]

Which tv interview was that, as I've seen numerous Ginger Rogers tv interviews and ALWAYS found her the life and soul!

[@robertgiles9124]

@@arthurleng1500 They were asking her about all the people who like her had dreams and came to Hollywood and never made it....Ginger showed such insensitivity and haughtiness in her response I'll never forget it....

[@arthurleng1500]

@@robertgiles9124 You still haven't answered my question Robert, who were asking the questions, which tv interview was it? Regards.

[@beverlyhelene]

Did he have any children?

[@bobbyfrancis8957]

He had a stepson, a son, Fred Jr., and a daughter, Eve.

[@rondaleroi]

@@bobbyfrancis8957 His daughter's name is Ava.

[@johnhetherington8830]

so was he gay?