Fred Astaire: Often Regarded As The Greatest Popular Music-Dancer of All Time

 

It's time for a bit of Hollywood history today focused on the iconic 20th century entertainer, Fred Astaire, who was born on this day in 1899. He was a dancer, actor, and singer who was the definition of "class" in everything he did. To say he set high standards for performance and personal conduct would be an understatement. In fact, the word "perfection" is an appropriate descriptor and it's a word we don't see or hear from Hollywood types these days.

Studio publicity portrait for the film, You'll Never Get Rich (1941)

Although well-known as a dancer and actor, as an extraordinary singer Astaire introduced movie fans to many songs that would form the core of what we know today as the Great American Songbook. Here is a portion of a 1958 NBC, An Evening With Fred Astaire, where he demonstrates that skill.

Younger readers may be prone to ignore a post about some dancer who died a generation ago. Don't be one of them. Astaire's footwork--with and without a partner--will astound you. Here is a link to Astaire's Wikipedia entry for readers would like to learn more. If you simply want to enjoy the man in action rather than read about him, this video on MsMojo's You Tube channel has a fine selection of Astaire dancing at his best.

Sources

Text:

title, Fred Astaire entry, Encyclopedia Britannica