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Wednesday 30 May 2012

The Astaires


Brother and sister Adele and Fred Astaire first got noticed in London when they starred in their production "Stop flirting" in 1923 at the Shaftesbury Theatre.
Kathleen Riley's biography of the Astaire's takes you through the adventure of their lives.
Their early days were comic, more the vaudeville style that they grew up in. However, they weren't ordinary and their talent was quickly recognised. In a very short time they were the new best thing, in no small way due to the fact that Adele oozed personality and charisma, on and off the stage. "The dance around" was one of their creations and they were soon the darlings of London and New York. The Gershwin's were writing music just for them and they became the catalysts that changed dance forever.
Life changed for both of them though when Adele accepted a marriage proposal from Lord Charles Cavendish and stopped performing.
The story of their lives is interesting and enlightening. You really must read Kathleen Riley's book to get all the details. Ginger? Well surprisingly she is not really a big part of the Astaire story.

9 comments:

Angie said...

I'll see if I can get a copy. (1923? This was before even MY time!!)

Unknown said...

A great post, and a lovely theater!

Luis Gomez said...

Wonderful post Mo. Love the theater in your picture.

Dave Williams of Hyde, Cheshire said...

One Hollywood studio apparently said of Fred Astaire after a screen test: "Can't act, can't sing, balding, can dance a bit."

Jenny Woolf said...

Oh that is interesting. Shows how ignorant I am, I always thought they were husband and wife !

My name is Riet said...

FRed Astaire was one of my favorite dancing movie stars. I only saw him in films when he was a bit older because I never saw him dancing with his sister.Gene Kelly was another favorite.
I love this theater.

Sharon said...

You give some of the best recommendations so I think I'll search out this book. It does sound like an interesting read. I remember my mom loved to watch Fred Astaire dance.

Jack said...

What an interesting commentary. I didn't even know that Fred Astaire had a sister in his act.

Caroline said...

Definitely want to read that! Thanks for the story.

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