Fred Astaire, The Greatest

I can write with total honesty that I probably would not have had many of the TV career highlights that I did if not for Fred Astaire.  His movies, shown on local TV in L.A. when I was a youngster, were my gateway to embracing films, classic and new films. I developed a passion to see the films, to know about the people in front of and behind the cameras and to interview them. I was at my happiest doing such interviews on TV. That passion started when I was a little boy and a Fred Astaire musical from his 1930s years at RKO came on TV one weekend afternoon.  FLYING DOWN TO RIO opened the gateway for me. TOP HAT with Ginger Rogers sparked me to dash through it. I was in the 1st or 2nd grade. Dad was in the living room with me and I asked him to read the credits to me when they appeared. When I saw Fred Astaire dance, I felt like a Christmas tree had just lit up inside me. I was in a state of sheer glee. I got books about Fred Astaire, records by Fred Astaire, I watched his movies on TV, I begged Mom and Dad to let me stay up at night to see his network TV specials. I accidentally broke a living room chair trying to imitate a Fred Astaire dance number bit from 1950's LET'S DANCE. Yes, I was that much of a fan when I was in middle school. I'm still a devoted Astaire fan.

One of my most prize possessions is an 8x10 autographed photo of him. Did I want to be a singer and dancer?  Of course. But it just wasn't meant to be. Nevertheless, he was an inspiration to my TV work. When he was no longer doing musicals, he kept working. He acted in dramas. In the 1970s, he got a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for the box office champ disaster movie, THE TOWERING INFERNO.  He did made-for-TV movies, he co-starred on an ABC TV series with Robert Wagner (IT TAKES A THIEF), made talk show appearances and he did a lot of fine work as a network host on TV specials. I'd love some bookings like that myself.

There has never been a time in my life when I have been so heartbroken that I felt I'd never laugh again when my spirit could not be lifted a bit by seeing a Fred Astaire dance number. After the loss of my partner, my parents and my apartment because of the Recession, I ultimately turned to some of his film work to bring me out of deep emotional darkness. When layoffs from two consecutive jobs triggered the long period of unemployment the led to me losing my home and being flat broke during the Recession, Astaire and Rogers singing and dancing "Pick Yourself Up" in SWING TIME helped me pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again.

There's one thing that movie bloggers and other classic film fans do -- or, rather, don't do -- that really gets my goat.  Gene Kelly is constantly praised for being "athletic." That word is never attached to compliments about Fred Astaire. It should be. He combined elegance and grace with an almost subliminal athleticism.

When he was in his early 40s, Fred Astaire starred in a wartime musical comedy called THE SKY'S THE LIMIT. In WW2, he's a decorated pilot and is recruited to do publicity to boost morale for the war effort. He's embarrassed by the attention, feeling that all GIs are heroes, so he goes incognito to New York City while on leave. He meets a magazine photographer, they fall in love, but she doesn't know he has to return to duty. Her magazine boss, however, does. The hero pilot is conflicted.

THE SKY'S THE LIMIT had original songs written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. One of them became so popular that Ida Lupino sang it in ROAD HOUSE (1948), Frank Sinatra sang it in YOUNG AT HEART (1954) and Bette Midler sang it to Johnny Carson in his final episode of THE TONIGHT SHOW with guests (1992).

The song is "One For My Baby" (And One More For The Road).  Here is Fred Astaire -- in his early 40s -- introducing the song in 1943's THE SKYS THE LIMIT and performing a dance number that he choreographed.  I could not move like this when I was in my 20s.

Some of that certainly looked athletic to me. To state my case further, watch his 1953 classic directed by Vincente Minnelli, THE BAND WAGON. When you see all his numbers in that gem, especially the private eye flavored "The Girl Hunt" jazz ballet with the sensation Cyd Charisse, keep in mind that he was in his early 50s when he did all those moves choreographed by the very athletic Michael Kidd.

Even in these modern times, I'd drop hints to immediate family members for Astaire books or DVDs when my birthday or Christmas approached. I can tell the hints weren't strong enough because I'd inevitably wind up sending a thank-you for the gift box of socks in those three festive colors -- black, charcoal and navy blue.

Dancer, singer, actor, choreographer Fred Astaire. The late, great artist was born on this day in history, May 10th. His life made my life better.