One of the greatest artists of the 20th century, & arguably the finest dancer to appear in films. I always have felt he was very under appreciated as a singer. Fred Astaire is an incomparable male style icon (I can't imagine any other man who could get away with wearing a necktie as a belt... well, maybe Justin Timberlake).
I once spotted him in a vintage Jaguar convertible while driving on Benedict Canyon Drive. In the early 1970s, I loved nothing more than to drive around Bel Air, Beverly Hills, & the canyons in my 1959 black on black T-Bird, looking at the homes & hoping to spot a star. Well, you couldn't get bigger than Fred Astaire! I followed him on to San Ysidro Drive in Beverly Hills & watched him park his car in an un-gated driveway of a modern house. To the horror of my passengers, I chose to turn around in Fred Astaire's driveway in order to get a better look.
Fred Astaire was born Frederick Austerlitz, 111 years ago, on this day- May 10th. His transcendent work in dance on film is legendary & his example in men's fashion is sans pareil.
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