I was born in Maryland and spent my first thirty years living there, first in the Appalachian Mountains, then on the Eastern Shore, and later in suburban Washington. After a year in South Carolina, I moved to Georgia in 1977. I soon met another park ranger who worked in Florida. She was a wonderful woman who became my best friend. then my wife, and soon the mother of our three children. I spent over eleven years working in the historic city of Savannah, Georgia, and on the moss-draped sea islands nearby before moving to Atlanta.. In 2007, I retired from the National Park Service and a career dedicated to preserving and interpreting resources and themes in the cultural and natural history of the United States. It was a most rewarding experience. Today, I enjoy living in the rolling hills and woods of the Appalachian Piedmont east of Atlanta.
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
The great American entertainer, Fred Astaire, was born on this day in 1899 in Omaha, Nebraska. A dancer, actor, and singer, he 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.
His skill as a dancer and actor was repeated demonstrated in what must have seemed like an endless stream of successful film and stage appearances that helped Americans through the Great Depression of the 1930's. In regard to singing, Astaire thought it was his weakest skill but he went on to e introduce movie fans to many songs that would form the core of what we know today as the Great American Songbook. Not only that, many music critics and historians today agree that Astaire was in fact an extraordinary singer who sought as much perfection in that genre as he did in dance.
Astaire and Ginger Rogers in a publicity still from the film Top Hat
Some readers may be prone to ignore a post about a 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 - his partners, Rogers and Charisse, are tops - in action rather than read about him, here is a sample of his work:
Today is the birthday of the American entertainer, Fred Astaire (1899-1987). 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.
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. 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, the following media should suffice:
For fifty years I thought the end of the Swing and Big Band eras was simply a result of the evolution of popular culture in a nation well-known for reinventing itself. Though my wife and I were toddlers when those eras ended, we both came to embrace the music and enjoy it to this day. How stunning it was for me to learn today that this music did not die a natural death. It was killed by something called the Cabaret Tax of 1944. Given a federal government desperate for revenue following World War II and the astounding success of the cabaret industry since the mid-1930's, it's reasonable to see ballrooms with their dancing, orchestras and alcohol as a tax target. So desperation on the part of the government led to a 30% tax on cabarets in 1944. The industry wobbled for three years, bearing its tax burden and other issues involving unions and music rights, then died like a goose, along with the golden eggs, in 1947. A few bands survived, but most were broken up, often reforming into smaller groups that played non-dance music. The Age of Bebop was upon us. There's superb music there, but I'd say 99% of Americans today wouldn't know Bebop if it hit them in the ears.
And what is to be learned from all of this? It's always a good lesson to remember that actions have consequences, especially when a government goes looking for money when money is tight. This afternoon, while panicked Cypriots try to empty their bank accounts before their government confiscates the cash, you can bet there are more than a few Americans wondering if our "leaders" s had the nerve to try confiscation here.
There's no doubt we've come a long way from the Founding Fathers's intentions of a citizenry shaping a government. Thanks to our friends at Instapundit, here's your link to the story of how our government tax policy unintentionally destroyed a multi-billion dollar industry that was enjoyed by millions of Americans. Be sure to click on the "cabaret tax" hyperlink in the fourth paragraph to be taken to a 2010 article that provides more information on the story.
For your enjoyment, here is Benny Goodman's band at Carnegie Hall in January 1938, one of the most important musical events in the U.S. in the 20th century. Piano improv at the end always leaves me speechless. BTW this recording has never been out of print since its issue in 1950.
If you didn't tap your feet, you need to see a doctor stat!
If you want entertainment instead of warblers, screamers, and low-rent
vaudeville, you can experience this even if the art form is at the
bottom of your list:
Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg are a couple on and off stage. Considered among the best dancers of all time, observers compare them to Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev who dazzled the world of dance for almost twenty years beginning in 1962.
William Katz (Urgent Agenda) is a remarkable resource for a broad range of subjects, including the entertainment industry. As an occasional contributor at Powerlineblog.com, he reminds us that today is the birthday of Fred Astaire (1899-1987), an American dancer, singer, and actor who was the definition of "class" in everything he did. [OTR thinks he is the most under-appreciated male singer of his century.] 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.
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. After enjoying Katz's kind words and fine selection of videos, here is a link to Astaire's Wikipedia entry for readers would like to learn more.
