The Astaires : Fred & Adele

267 Pages·2012·2.924 MB·English

by  Astaire, Adele, Astaire, Fred, Riley, Kathleen

Th e Astaires
Fred and Adele Astaire photographed by Cecil Beaton in Condé Nast’s
apartment, 1929.
Cecil Beaton Studio Archive, Sotheby’s
Th e Astaires
Fred & Adele
KATHLEEN RILEY
1
1

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Riley, Kathleen, 1974-
Th e Astaires : Fred & Adele / Kathleen Riley.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-973841-0 (alk. paper)
1. Astaire, Fred. 2. Astaire, Adele. 3. Dancers—United States—Biography. 4. Actors—United States—
Biography. 5. Actresses—United States—Biography. I. Title.
GV1785.A64R55 2012
7 92.802’80922—dc22 2 011018462
[B]
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
As always, for my beloved parents
Jean and Frank Riley
And in memory of my aunt
Joy Levins
(1926–2010)
On with the dance! let joy be unconfi ned;
No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet
To chase the glowing Hours with fl ying feet.
—Byron, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations ix
Foreword by John Mueller xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Preface xix
Abbreviations for Archival Collections Researched xxiii
Introduction: Moaning Minnie and Goodtime Charlie 1
1. Opening the Bill
CHAPTER 15
2. Over the Top
CHAPTER 39
3. Dancing Comedians
CHAPTER 58
4. Nightingales in Berkeley Square
CHAPTER 79
5. Fascinating Rhythms
CHAPTER 98
6. Th e Golden Calf
CHAPTER 120
7. Frater, Ave atque Vale
CHAPTER 134
8. By Myself
CHAPTER 156
9. After the Dance
CHAPTER 176
vii
viii Contents
Chronologies 192
1. (A) THE SHOWS 192
(B) CHARITY PERFORMANCES 208
2 . OTHER NOTABLE EVENTS IN THEATRE, 1917–1933 210
Notes 218
Bibliography 229
Index 231
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Frontispiece
Fred and Adele Astaire photographed by Cecil Beaton, 1929 ii
1 Adele and Fred, 1920s 4
2 Cartoon of Adele in Th e Stage 6
3 Fred, in 1914 8
4 Ann Astaire, 1928 10
5 Fred and Adele in London, 1944 14
1.1 Fritz Austerlitz listed in the ship’s manifest for SS W esternland 17
1.2 2326 South Tenth Street, Omaha 19
1.3 Postcard of Luchow’s Restaurant 22
1.4 Adeline Genée in Th e Soul Kiss , 1908 24
1.5 Adele and Fred at the time of “Th e Wedding Cake Act” 29
1.6 Fred dancing e n pointe at the age of eight 31
1.7 “Musicale,” Weehawken, New Jersey, December 1909 34
1.8 Adele and Fred, 1911 37
2.1 Adele and Fred on Lake Lenape, Delaware Water Gap 41
2.2 Adele, Ann, Fred, and Fritz at Delaware Water Gap, August 1913 42
2.3 Th e Castles, c. 1915 47
2.4 Adele, 1916 52
ix