Fred Astaire

Not a biography, but an exploration of what made Fred Astaire the American icon he is. Through an exploration of his sartorial style, his dance and singing technique, and the way in which he partnered each of his of his different female partners, Epstein makes an assessment of Astaire, the master of American dance. One chapter compares him to that other American master, Gene Kelly. A brief, but charming book for anyone who has either dreamed of dancing like or with Fred Astaire.

I bought this book for my husband's birthday. He is a fan of Fred Astaire. He loved the book very much. I am pleased that it was loved so much. Gifts are not always that easy to pick. This was great.

This is a well-written, well-researched book. I have loved Mr. Astaire for 40 years (since the age of 8), and have a collection of 18 books on him (including this one). Knowing all that I know about this true superstar makes it a challenge for an author to keep me enthralled from start to finish. Mr. Epstein did just that... I couldn't wait till I could read the next few chapters (at bedtime). Mr. Epstein also taught me new things about my lifelong hero. In essence, this book is very much like Pete Hamill's superb "Why Sinatra Matters". My only criticism is that the chapter entitled Peculiar Looking is completely unnecessary. We all know that Mr. Astaire was not as "handsome" as Gary Cooper/Clark Gable/Cary Grant. We also know that none of those gentlemen could sing and dance like Fred. When Astaire takes flight he is peerless. Not only that, none other than Audrey Hepburn said she thought Fred was sexy because, "...nothing could be sexier than charm." Otherwise, this well worth reading and adding to your Astaire library.

Alexander Woollcott was dazzled by a dance act on Broadway in 1918. The often acid-tongued reviewer praised "... that nimble and lack-a-daisical Adaire named Fred. He is one of those extraordinary persons whose sense of rhythm and humor have been all mixed up, whose very muscles of which he seems to have an extra supply, are facetious." Woollcott spelled the name wrong, but he got the praise right, and everyone knew about Fred Astaire once movie musicals came in vogue. _Fred Astaire_ (Yale University Press) by Joseph Epstein is not a biography, although it contains many biographical details. It is a small personal volume of essays, insightful and appreciative, about a performer who reached perfection, and was beloved by critics and the public. There is research here, and many quotations from others who have admired Astaire's work, but Epstein, who is a lecturer, editor, and author of essays and books not about Hollywood, has taken the tough assignment of coming to an understanding of Astaire's greatness. "After one has identified Fred Astaire's multiple and several steps and manifold moves," writes Epstein in a typical inclusive and lyrical manner, "his swirling leaps, his lifts, crazy-legged noodling, skips, hops, leg jabs, tap spins, struts, lunges, back kicks, tap barrages, high-stepping, stamping, darting, soft spins, arabesques, hip flips, saunterings, cross-overs, knee-and-pelvis jerks, strolls, turning jumps, steps done with a slight retard, syncopations, quick circling steps - after one has noted all these and the scores more of different moves he made, one still hasn't accounted for the magic in his performance. Can it be pinned down?" No, the magic cannot be pinned down, not completely, but it can be completely appreciated. Even Astaire didn't profess a deep understanding of it. "I'm just a hoofer," he'd say. If perfectionism is a flaw, he harnessed it for his performances and for those of his fellow dancers. Of course there is a great deal about his partnership with Ginger Rogers here, and comparisons between her and the other partners he had before and after. They may not have liked each other much, but they hid any respectful chilliness between them, acted convincingly as if they were becoming infatuated in each film, and it worked. They were pros. For all the superb dancing, Epstein spends a welcome chapter on Astaire's singing. "Standard descriptions of Astaire's singing voice include the words _reedy_ and _wobbly_. Some said that his full vocal reach was only an octave, but if so, within that octave he could get an awful lot accomplished." Songwriters liked him to deliver their songs, and wrote specifically with Astaire in mind. "You gave Astaire a song and you could forget about it," said Irving Berlin. "He knew the song. He sang it the way you wrote it. He didn't change anything. And if he did change anything, he made it better." Epstein is surely right when he says that at least part of the secret was

The inspiration for this paean to Fred Astaire can be found in Epstein's introduction. The sorry state of contemporary popular culture has prompted him to celebrate Astaire's inimitable style in his own inimitable style: hard work, integrity and meticulous attention to detail. In the darkness of the Great Depression, with W.W.II looming, escape was possible at the movies. A model of innocence and beauty provided by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers fantasies offered respite from the woes of the day. After assasinations, a lost war,911, a world in economic chaos, and general social disintegration, there is no such refuge. The movies and now television depict the sadness and ugliness of the present. Epstein's appreciation of Astaire's "democratic aristocracy" is important because it shows us what we have lost and what we must recover.