Subject: Re: [Harp-L] On-Stage Persona / Fred Astaire

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Not even close.  After Fred Astaire's first screen test, the  evaluation was:
 
 "Can't act. Can't sing. Balding. Can dance a little."  ...at  least 
according to 'lore'.
But then there's this:
 
"The producer of the Astaire-Rogers pictures Pandro S. Berman claimed he  had 
never heard it in the 1930s and that it only emerged years later. Astaire,  
in a 1980 interview on ABC's 20/20 with Barbara Walters, insisted that the  
report had actually read: "Can't act. Slightly bald. Also dances". 
 
He'd even taken some ballet lessons (which he didn't like) at some point,  
but began his career at age 5 and toured to wide  acclaim as a dancer on the 
vaudeville circuit with his sister Adele.   His dancing chops were never the real 
issue, since the pair had  danced together on Broadway for over a decade, and 
then Fred had succeeded  by himself on Broadway and in London AS a dancer by 
the time he decided to try  acting. 
 
It was his singing, acting (and look) that was being  questioned when he 
headed off to Hollywood to break into Movies after  his sister married an English 
Lord and retired from their partnership.
 
Elizabeth
 
 
 
Message: 8
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:20:50 EST
From:  IcemanLE@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] On-Stage Persona
To:  harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:  <d63.14518bd9.34f6bdb2@xxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain;  charset="US-ASCII"

Fred Astaire failed his first screen test - was told  he was a lousy dancer.  
He had a fire in his belly, kept at it  and........


In a message dated 2/26/2008 6:18:00 P.M. Eastern  Standard Time,  
donkneal@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:

But if  you  ain't got 
IT, you ain't got  IT.




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