It’s
Fred and Ginger Day! No last names
are necessary, are they?
There was a method to prepping the nine
RKO Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers films
of the 1930’s:
On each movie, Fred would work out the
duets with his long-time
collaborator-choreographer-close friend
Hermes Pan.
Then Hermes would teach Ginger her half of
the dance while Fred went off and worked
out his solos for the movie.
When
Fred and Ginger filmed “Never Gonna
Dance” (which many Astaire-Rogers
fans consider their best dance),
Fred asked for so many retakes that
Ginger’s feet copiously bled and
turned her white satin shoes
red.
However many takes it was, they got
it perfectly right:
Never
Gonna Dance
In 1949, Judy Garland had to withdraw from
“The Barkleys of Broadway,"
and producer Arthur Freed had the
brilliant notion of reuniting Fred and
Ginger for their only film in technicolor.
Hermes
Pan was back creating the duets with Fred
and then teaching Ginger her part.
This number -- a joyful and breezy
rehearsal dance -- illustrates the
real-life affection the dancers had for
each other.
18 years later, Fred and Ginger were asked
to present an award at the annual Oscar
ceremony.
About 10 minutes prior to their appearance
on camera, they were sitting in the green
room backstage. With them was Hermes
Pan.
Hermes
told them: "You can’t just walk out
and go to the podium. You have to
give the audience a little dance tease."
Astaire, who never performed anything he
hadn’t rehearsed to death, shook his head
“no.”
Both Pan and Rogers jollied him into
agreement. On the spot -- just
moments before their entrance -- Pan
devised a little twirl that set the
audience aflame (just watch and listen):
Here
are a few items from our website devised
to set you aflame:
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