Kennedy Center Honors Legend: Fred Astaire (In-Depth Interview)

[@thesampsons8026]

Fred was a class act! ❤

[@Scripts360]

The epitome of dance. Class act.

[@patricemoran7469]

PS...Loved Fred and Ginger's films as a kid. They were a match made in heaven.

[@IndigENous-uk3si]

Incredible entertainer~Approaches dance form seriously, respectfully, academically with so much focus & determination & practice to get the steps /routine as he had planned & imagined! An inspiration! Thank you Mr Astaire

[@simondentry6416]

The one and only….worked so hard but made it look easy. Just the best.

[@JSB1882]

It was nice to see Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. as the master of ceremonies. He was great friend of Astaire.

[@namj8145]

Wow..but...wow. My top favorite entertainer of all time. I've sought out various interviews he did, and seen the Cavett Show things he did. But this is overwhelming, and I didn't even know it existed. Quiet, in depth, touching on all areas of his career. The lack of an audience makes it seem so up close and personal. No need for jokes, or pauses, or songs or dance, just picking his brain for an hour. Love how humble he really was. His thoughts on tap and how he fit in, and couldn't do what some 'real' tappers could was so interesting. I remember the day he died. And this made it seem like he's alive again. Thank you x a million! (And did the KCH do this type of thing for all the early Honorees? Marian Anderson? Cagney? Fingers crossed...)

[@halvorblyden140]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🎉🎉😂🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉.

[@patricemoran7469]

Loved Fred...my favorite!❤

[@tombasye1016]

Fred Astaire Is A Wonderful Dancer, In So Many Great Musical Movies, He Will Never Be Forgotten. 😇

[@patricemoran7469]

No...he will never be forgotten!

[@marcco44]

same here!!! my ALL TIME favorite entertainer!!💓💖❤‍🔥 as a dancer this man is a Poet!!!!

[@cynthialesser2986]

Simply class elegance talent and will never ever be matched!

[@Miriana727]

A wonderful interview! Mr. Astaire is one of a kind. Thank you!

[@alloyd759]

The ABSOLUTE greatest!!!!!! EVER...imho!!!!!!❤️🥰😘!!

[@PaulHagl]

This is amazing! Thank you for this upload showing us the real the Fred Astaire. Great interview 👌

[@NormaMarshall-fj2cb]

Fred was my inspiration as a child to learn to tap dance and I'm still mesmerised watching him with Ginger. I've got the box set of his movies and still enjoy watching him dance 😊❤

[@leonardohummel8658]

Astaire is THE poet-master-artist of both solo AND partner dancing. He was simply smooth as silk...and 👉VERY romantic... Especially with Ginger and Rita.👈

[@silverlakeas]

Absolutely brilliant. Knew this existed. Always hoped to see it.

[@spaghettiking7312]

12:01 Astaire casually dropping, "This Michael Jackson kid that I've known for quite some time..."

[@DETROIT1948]

The Music Will Lead The Way... Priceless! ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[@rexamian8708]

I spent time with him in Beverly Hills in 1984. I’d appeared in Peter O’Toole’s 1980 production of Macbeth at The Old Vic Theatre in London so we talked about Olivier who made his name at The Vic and the entertainment industry in general. I had a letter of introduction from movie director Bryan Forbes who had directed Macbeth. Astaire was so charming, so unpretentious. I feel embarrassed now because I spoke about me more than him, but he was very gracious. Being that close to him in person, he looked quite different without camera makeup, real ordinary. The strange thing was I could see how his face hadn’t changed much since he was the young dancer. When we parted he held out his right hand, extending the left backward automatically, just like a dance routine. So sad to now see his lonely grave in the cemetery in California on the internet. (Ginger Roger’s is in same cemetery) Peter Roberts. ( ref: Google…Peter O’Toole’s Macbeth Theatricalia )

[@christophergerety1263]

Thank you for sharing these wonderful memories.

[@AuntieMamie]

There will never be another Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly

[@cvb6957]

Thos interview is wonderful, very interesting 🙂 From which year is it? Who knows?

[@patricemoran7469]

Hardly mentioned Ginger...too bad. I've read that he gave her credit for the success of their films. Fred was undoubtedly the dance master but Ginger was the superior actor. In his autobiography he winces (in a cute way) when Ginger won the Best Actress Oscar for "Kitty Foile" in her very first film after their musical collaborations of the 30's.

[@elvispresley1631]

December 1978 ?

[@WillScarlet1991]

What year was this?

[@zsinku]

1978

[@WillScarlet1991]

@@zsinku Thanks.

[@holleysnaith6197]

This was actually done in 1983, almost five years after Astaire received the Kennedy Center Honors. An interview with Gene Kelly was done the next day for the Kennedy Center Archives.

[@nondescript2892]

​@@holleysnaith6197 yes..he looks and sounds much slower and more tired here than in the seventies....there was a marked decline in Astaire's last years...don't know what illness he was afflicted with , he was never a sparkling talker but it seems like hard work for him

[@bradleycotton3237]

Did he talk about _Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town_ and _The Easter Bunny is Comin’ to Town_ in this interview?

[@egogo816]

Best person to interview Fred Astaire; Dick Cavett

[@eddylauterback1312]

Freddy seemed really old ! A beautiful hair piece however. Dick seemed desperate to come up with good questions.

[@IceAintNice]

Feel better? 🙄