And we thought we'd ask the question: was Gene Kelly the greatest dancer and innovator in American movie musical history, or was Fred Astaire - who was 13 years older than Kelly? Historian and theater and dance critic Iris Fanger told Here & Now, "They were both great...

Who came first Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly?

Starting Out: The Broadway Stage

Fred Astaire was 13 years older than Gene Kelly and on Broadway by the time he was 18 (Gene didn't go to Broadway until he was almost 30). Because Astaire arrived so much earlier and there was little to no competition from the cinema, Fred spent much more time on Broadway than Gene.

Who is taller, Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire?

Gene Kelly was officially 5 ft 7 in., and that is accepted as true. Fred Astaire claimed to be 5 ft 9 in., but many people who worked with him claim that 5 ft 7 in. is closer to the truth.

Why didn't Ginger Rogers like Fred Astaire?

Rogers was interested in more dramatic roles than those she was offered with Astaire. Meanwhile, Astaire, who worked with many dancers throughout his career, wished to be known as a dancer in his own right, rather than always being paired with one permanent partner.

Were Fred and Ginger lovers?

“Fred and I were colleagues… and we worked together beautifully,” Rogers writes. “True, we were never bosom buddies off screen, we were different people with different interests. We were a couple only on film.”

The Untold Truth Of Fred Astaire

Did Fred Astaire have biological children?

In 1931, Astaire met and soon fell in love with Phyllis Livingston Potter, a woman who came from one of Boston's most aristocratic families and who had never seen him on the stage; they were married in July 1933 and had two children: Fred Jr., born in 1936, and Ava, born in 1942.

Did Ginger Rogers ever marry?

Rogers married and divorced five times. She did not have children.

Who did Fred Astaire like to dance with the most?

He was typically paired up with Ginger. Rogers, but, when he was asked about it, he secretly. confessed that his favorite dance partner just. happened to be Rita Hayworth.

Why was Ginger Rogers in a wheelchair?

She had planned to make more appearances but a stroke left her partially paralysed and wheelchair bound. She never went to a doctor or even a hospital, in accordance with her beliefs. On April 25^th, 1995, Ginger Rogers died at her Rancho Mirage home at the age of 83.

Did Fred Astaire ever marry?

Astaire was also an excellent actor, and a successful, though personally modest, singer. He introduced some of the most celebrated songs from the Great American Songbook. He married Phyllis Potter in 1933; they had two children. After her death, he remarried in 1980 to Robyn Smith, a female jockey 45 years his junior.

Who inherited from Fred Astaire?

Fred Astaire had passed on a chunk to his two children because he wasn't expecting to marry again so long after the death of his first wife, Phyllis, in 1954. So Fred left Robyn the jewel of his estate - the right to manage his intellectual property and buff the sheen on his legacy.

Did Gene Kelly do his own singing?

Gene Kelly possessed a unique tenor voice and great control of his sound, and he more than ably serenaded his many leading ladies. The next time you watch him in a movie—while you'll likely always gravitate to his dancing first—perhaps also pay attention to Kelly's singing voice.

Who taught Gene Kelly to dance?

It was younger brother Fred who taught older brother Gene to tap dance in order to earn extra money for college, and also so Gene could impress the girls. From grades seven through twelve in Pittsburgh, Fred starred in a show for children at the Warner theaters in Pittsburgh.

Who is considered the greatest dancer of all time?

Did Gene Kelly ever marry?

Patricia Ward

She met Gene in 1985: he was narrating a documentary for the Smithsonian Museum, and she was the scriptwriter. Gene invited her to move to California, and in 1990 they wed.

What size waist did Ginger Rogers have?

That platinum blonde coif, that 24-inch waist, those perfectly toned legs—the last of which famously got hearts racing, with Rogers' sculpted calves and lithe outer thighs peaking out from underneath her long, billowy evening dresses as she and Astaire danced cheek to cheek in perfect sync.

Is Ginger Rogers related to Rita Hayworth?

Was the 16th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for Kitty Foyle (1940) at The 13th Academy Awards on February 27, 1941. Sort-of cousin of Rita Hayworth. Rogers' aunt married Hayworth's uncle.

Was Ginger Rogers a trained dancer?

Dancers are trained. Ginger knew how to dance when they teamed up. She won a dance contest at age 14. She began performing dance routines in vaudeville afterwards.

How did Fred Astaire feel about Rita Hayworth?

Astaire and Hayworth adored working together, with Fred privately admitting that she was his favorite partner, and it absolutely shows on the screen.

Who was a better dancer, Fred or Gene?

And for those reasons, and more, we can definitively say that in the question of Fred Astaire vs Gene Kelly, old Twinkle Toes surely comes out on top.

Why did Fred Astaire not like dancing with Eleanor Powell?

the Beguine' in Broadway Melody of 1940. It had been. reported that Fred was intimidated by Eleanor. because she was one of the few female tap dancers.

Did Fred Astaire have a daughter?

In an interview, Astaire's daughter Ava Astaire McKenzie, observed that he was often given a top hat to make him look taller. In November 1905, the comedic act debuted in Keyport, New Jersey at a "tryout theater." The local paper wrote that "the Astaires are the greatest child act in vaudeville."

What did Ginger Rogers pass away from?

She was 83. Barry Freed, Rogers' agent for 26 years, said she died in her sleep about 7 a.m., apparently of natural causes. A stroke in the mid '80s left the once light-footed dancer reliant on a wheelchair, but she did not shy away from public appearances.

Did Ginger Rogers have red hair?

Her natural red hair having been dyed blonde early in her movie career, Ginger tended to be type-cast as young starlets or molls.