Spider-Man as Fred Astaire

 The Hollywood Reporter broke the recent news that Tom Holland, whom I thought was a very cool Spider-Man, will play Hollywood great Fred Astaire in an upcoming movie. The publication also reported that the film project will focus on Fred's relationship with his dancer sister, Adele Astaire. She was about three years older than Fred and he adored her. The two were a child vaudeville act. By 1917, The Astaires were a top Broadway act, starring in hit shows through 1931. They also took their shows to London's West End. As a youngster, Adele had shown a propensity for dance in Omaha. Her parents enrolled her in dance classes. Young Fred loved being with his sister so he joined her in classes. He too showed a propensity for dance. The Astaire kids were so good that the parents decided to move to New York City where their two children could get better, more professional training.

Come 1933, Fred appeared as himself for a short appearance in the MGM movie, DANCING LADY. He had dance number with Joan Crawford. He tried to coax Adele into joining him for film work in Hollywood, but she had retired. She married a British lord and retired in her mid-30s. At RKO, Fred had a supporting role in the musical FLYING DOWN TO RIO. That paired him with another supporting player, a buddy from his Broadway years. Her name -- Ginger Rogers. They did 1934's THE GAY DIVORCEE and 1935's ROBERTA. It was 1935's TOP HAT with an original score by Irving Berlin that fully established Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as major Hollywood stars and gave Astaire his signature attire for the rest of his innovative and groundbreaking movie musical career.

I read that Tom Holland took hip-hop classes and danced in the West End production of BILLY ELLIOTT: THE MUSICAL, based on that sweet film, BILLY ELLIOTT. Here's a bit of "Spider-Man" talking about and doing some ballet moves.

But can Tom Holland do this?

I've been fascinated with Fred Astaire ever since I was learning how to read in elementary school. The fascination began when I saw FLYING DOWN TO RIO one weekend afternoon on local Channel 9 TV in Los Angeles. I watched all of his old movies I could on TV and coaxed my parents into letting me stay up to see his multi-Emmy winning NBC TV dance specials in the 60s. By my junior high (middle school) years, I'd go to the library and head to the theater and film sections to read about Astaire. I read that his sister had a pert and charismatic stage presence. When I was in high school, one of my favorite teachers was my English Lit. teacher. She also ran the school library and noticed I'd checked out theater books. I told how much I loved Fred Astaire. She told me she'd seen The Astaires on Broadway when she was a girl. She added, "It was known that Adele was the better dancer of the two."

I asked her, "Of all the dance partners Fred Astaire had later...like Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth and Cyd Charisse...who had a style that came closest to Adele's?"

Miss McConarty thought for a moment or two and then replied, "Barrie Chase."

Barrie Chase was Astaire's dance partner on his NBC special from 1959 through the 60s. Classic film fans would know her as the stone-faced hip chick in a bikini dancing the Twist with Dick Shawn in IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD. She a dramatic role in the original CAPE FEAR as the first woman brutally molested by Robert Mitchum's crazed character.

In 1964, Fred Astaire and Barrie Chase played rival entertainment representatives competing to sign the same new talents in a breezy made-for-TV movie comedy called THINK PRETTY. At the end, the two competitors join forces -- and they dance to the title tune. Here are Fred Astaire and Barrie Chase.

OK, Tom Holland. Do your best and don't let me down.