Let me tell you a story about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, two legends who changed the world of dance and film. Picture this: it’s 1933, and Fred takes Ginger’s hand in the movie Flying Down to Rio. He says to her, “I’d like to try this thing once,” with that charming smile of his. He adds, “C’mon, Honey.” Ginger, always quick with a witty response, heads to the dance floor and quips, “We’ll show them a thing or three!”
The Magic on the Dance Floor
And oh, did they ever show them something special! The moment they hit the dance floor, the screen lit up with their incredible chemistry. They performed a joyous Latin-inspired number filled with humor and grace, and it was so captivating that it stole the spotlight from the film’s star, Dolores del Rio. Fred and Ginger’s pairing was magical, and it sparked a lifelong partnership that would span 33 unforgettable dances in 10 films. Ginger even revealed later in life that there was one very R-rated kiss between them off-screen—talk about chemistry!
A Reluctant Partnership
But here’s the interesting part: after the success of Flying Down to Rio, Fred wasn’t exactly thrilled about working with Ginger again. You see, Fred had spent much of his childhood in vaudeville, where he was often overshadowed by his older sister, Adele. He didn’t want to be in the same boat with another partner. In fact, Fred wrote to his agent expressing his reluctance, saying, “I did not go into pictures to be teamed with her or anyone else.” His wife and manager, Phyllis, wasn’t too thrilled either. According to biographer Joseph Epstein, Phyllis came from high society and didn’t think much of Ginger, feeling she was beneath her.
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Behind the Scenes Drama
There might have been more to Phyllis’s dislike of Ginger than just class differences. In Ginger’s 1991 memoir, Ginger: My Story, she recounts a romantic evening with Fred shortly after he choreographed her in the 1930 Broadway show Girl Crazy. The night began with dinner and dancing and ended with a ride home in Fred’s chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce. Inside the car, Ginger wrote, “Fred had me in his arms, and the kiss that we shared in that five minutes would never have passed the Hays Office code!” While their romance didn’t last, the spark they shared on the dance floor and the friendship that followed certainly did.
In the end, Fred couldn’t help but admire Ginger’s talent and determination. Later in life, he gushed about her, saying, “She made everything work for her. Actually, she made things very fine for both of us, and she deserves most of the credit for our success.” It’s clear that their on-screen magic was matched by their deep respect and friendship off-screen.
