A Tribute to Fred Astaire

Just re watched my old Laser Disc of this show, a brilliant tribute to the King of dance,Fred Astaire was to dance what Bing Crosby was to song in the movies, the Tops in other words. The sad part of watching this show now is to realise so many of the famous faces there, are now gone, but fortunately, if the films are preserved, they'll live forever in a sense! Charlton Heston says at the start that we will be dazzled, and how true that is, but as the great Eleanor Parker pointed out, so much work went into those routines to make them look easy and spontaneous! One things for sure, we'll never see the likes of Fred Astaire, or that era again, and the world will be the poorer for it! If you can find this show, grab it!

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this heartfelt tribute is, the genuine humbleness of Fred Astaire himself. I felt he was semi hidden behind an invisible veil of discomfort. As if he was putting himself through this golden ordeal four our benefit, just and only for us. To give us a chance to give him thanks and express one way or another how we felt about him about his entire opus but I couldn't help feeling that if it had been up to him, he would rather be in Philadelphia. He even mentioned Ginger Rogers with love and admiration, although she wasn't there to do the same. I think Eleanor Powell put it in the most moving and powerful way, looking at Fred Astaire she said with a smile that masked the pathos of her remark "I wish we could do it, just one more time"