fred and ginger 101

I was recommending some classic films to a friend of mine, and I got to thinking about the sad, sad state of our world. There are so many poor souls who do not know the value of black and white – not even just black and white, but anything with any real value. I actually know people who have never heard of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. For shame. I thought that that was just common knowledge. Well – I guess it isn’t. And surely those lives aren’t as rich as they could be. So, in tribute to my love for Fred and Ginger, my love for dance, and my love for all things classic – here are some of my favorite numbers from the ten Astaire/Rogers films, along with a little trivia for any curious minds. There are several... but so worth the time. So sit back and culture yourself. Don't forget to pause the tunes. My mom will be so proud… Chinese food and Fred and Ginger are the perfect combination by the way.

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{1} Lovely to Look At. This one if from Roberta, and Fred and Ginger are not the stars, though they make the film.

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{2} Let's Face the Music and Dance. This one is from Follow the Fleet. If you watch closely you can see Ginger's beaded gown smack Fred in the face – causing him to see stars, he says – but finished the number without skipping a beat.

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{3} Night and Day. This one is from The Gay Divorcèe. What girl wouldn't want Fred Astaire to sing to her?

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{4} To Hot to Handle -or- To Hard to Handle. This one is also from Roberta – and this is the only film in which you hear the pairs actual taps on film. Any other time their taps were recorded at another time. Ginger's taps were actually usually done by dancer/choreographer Hermes Pan, who worked with Fred staging numbers.

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{5} Cheek to Cheek. This one if from Top Hat – with the infamous feather dress whose flying feathers drove Fred mad. Watch closely and you can see them flying around. Fred thought the dress was all wrong – later having to apologize to Ginger with a feather charm and note saying, "You were right.". Afterwards, he was said to call her “Feathers”.

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{6} Isn’t It A Lovely Day. This one is also from Top Hat. I sing this song to Ammon on rainy days.

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{7} Let’s Call The Whole Things Off. This one is from Shall We Dance – and it's one of my favorites. It's fun to see Ginger's facial expressions as she is willing herself to not wipe out. Some nice little dialoge that you will miss from this clip:

Peter/Petrov (Fred): “Yes. It was my idea.”
Linda (Ginger): “Have you any more of them?”
Peter/Petrov (Fred): “No.”

You’ll see why.

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{8} Never Gonna Dance. This one is from Swing Time. Fred always insisted on perfection – this dance was shot continuously with no breaks. Afterwards, it was noticed that Ginger's feet were bleeding through her shoes – though she never complained.

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{9} Just the Way You Look Tonight. This one is also from Swing Time – Fred singing one of my favorite songs to Ginger. Brian dances with me to this song.

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{10} I Won’t Dance. This one is also from Roberta – and a rare glimpse at Fred playing the piano. With a little jazz, no less.

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{11} No Strings. This one is also from Top Hat. This is the song that most frequently gets stuck in my head. If I can’t sleep at night, I think really hard, and start to hear those soft, brushing, sweeping taps on the sand. Not kidding.

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{12} Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails. This one is also from Top Hat. This number is said to contain one of the only times that Fred actually adlibbed. The “shots” made with his cane and taps are not necessarily rehearsed down to a science like his other routines.

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{13} They All Laughed. This one is also from Shall We Dance. This is my favorite song from the films, and my second favorite Fred and Ginger dance. I can even play it on the piano.

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{14} Pick Yourself Up. This one is also from Swing Time – and is my favorite dance number out of all ten of the pair’s films.

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Hope you enjoyed. I sure did. It’s always good to soak up some good culture. And there are so many more… I had a hard time picking favorites. Maybe I’ll share some more another time. Maybe some Gene Kelley or Howard Keel. Cary Grant is always good, too. But now, it’s time for me to try and catch a nap while the bug is sleeping… and perhaps I’ll dream in black and white.