Performed by:
Fred Astaire &
Joan Crawford
Full
Song Title: Heigh Ho, the
Gang's All Here
Performed in: 1933
A lot of adjectives come to mind when one mentions Fred Astaire: debonair, poised, elegant, captivating. And nouns too, especially grace, sophistication and talent. He wasn't particularly handsome, nor did he have a singing voice comparable to so many of the romantic crooners of his day. But
Astaire didn't need those standbys -- he could dance like no one else. His films with
Ginger Rogers transformed the movie musical forever, and in them he proved that he wasn't just a dancer -- he was a talented light comedian too.
Astaire also had a way of singing songs as if he were carrying on a conversation -- making every word of every lyric matter
. Composers like Gershwin,
Berlin and
Porter were inspired to write their best for him, because they knew his delivery would bring their tunes to life.
Often imitated, but ne'er to be duplicated, Fred Astaire was one of a kind.
Astaire started performing as a child, partnering up with his older sister
Adele. The two toured the vaudeville circuit before making it to
Broadway in
1917. Among their many productions the brother-sister team starred in the
1927 George and Ira Gershwin musical
Funny Face.
For all his early success, though, career in the movies eluded Astaire. He had done a screen test, but he failed to attract any interest. A studio executive wrote at the time, "Can't sing. Can'
t act. Slightly balding. Can dance a little."
In 1932, Astaire suffered a career setback. His sister Adele retired from the act to marry a
British aristocrat. He floundered a bit professionally without his usual partner, but then decided to go to
Hollywood to try once more to break into film.
Finally, Astaire landed a small role in 1933's
Dancing Lady with Joan Crawford. The role opened the door to new opportunities, and Astaire signed a contract with
RKO Radio Pictures. He was matched up with another Broadway talent, Ginger Rogers, for
Flying Down to Rio, also in 1933.
Cast as supporting players, their dance number stole the movie. Astaire and Rogers appeared in several more films together, including
The Gay Divorcee (1934) and
Top Hat (1935). The duo became film's most beloved dance team. Their routines featured a hybrid of styles—borrowing elements from tap, ballroom and even ballet.
Katharine Hepburn once described what each of them brought their successful partnership: "
Fred gave
Ginger class, and Ginger gave Fred sex."
He died on June 22,
1987, in
Los Angeles, California. With his passing, Hollywood had lost one of its greatest talents. Former actor and president
Ronald Reagan, upon learning the news, called Astaire "an
American legend" and "the ultimate dancer." Ginger Rogers said Astaire "was the best partner anyone could ever have."
Joan Crawford (March 23, 1904 – May 10,
1977), born
Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an
American film and television actress who started as a dancer and stage chorine. In
1999, the
American Film Institute ranked
Crawford tenth on their list of the greatest female stars of
Classic Hollywood
Cinema.
Beginning her career as a dancer in travelling theatrical companies before debuting as a chorus girl on Broadway, Crawford signed a motion picture contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925
. In the 1930s, Crawford's fame rivaled, and later outlasted,
MGM colleagues
Norma Shearer and
Greta Garbo. Crawford often played hard-working young women who find romance and success. These stories were well received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women. Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid women in the
United States, but her films began losing money and by the end of the 1930s she was labelled "
Box Office Poison". But her career gradually improved in the early
1940s, and she made a major comeback in
1945 by starring in
Mildred Pierce, for which she won the
Academy Award for Best Actress. She would go on to receive
Best Actress nominations for
Possessed (
1947) and
Sudden Fear (
1952).
In
1955, she became involved with the
Pepsi-Cola Company through her marriage to company Chairman
Alfred Steele. After his death in
1959, Crawford was elected to fill his vacancy on the board of directors but was forcibly retired in
1973. She continued acting in film and television regularly through the
1960s, when her performances became fewer; after the release of the British horror film
Trog in
1970, Crawford retired from the screen.
Following a public appearance in
1974, after which unflattering photographs were published, Crawford withdrew from public life and became increasingly reclusive until her death in 1977.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.
Best wishes,
Stu
______________________
Please Note: I do not claim copyright or ownership of the song played in this video. All copyrighted content remains property of their respective owners.
- published: 02 Dec 2015
- views: 676