Paper Topic:

History of the American Sound Film

American Film History : Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

Introduction

Agnes de Mille once said that the truest expression of people is in its dance and in its music . Bodies never lie (Warner , p30 ) And indeed , Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers , a most famed dancing duo epitomized the meaning of words and emotions through their dance that was ever caught in film . As such , while both film actors never gained recognition in their acting careers in their 10 renowned musicals , they nevertheless received their most deserved place in the history of American

film as iconic symbols of dance that brought poetry and song to the human body

Fred and Ginger are Broadway actors before they came to Hollywood . Fred was a stage dancer and choreographer whose career in acting and dancing started at a very early age during which he partnered with his sister Adelle in Vaudeville shows . When his sister married , he went on his own to make a name in a Broadway musical , Gay Divorce (Harvey and Sennett , pp 23-25 ) Ginger on the other hand started her Broadway debut in "Top Speed , which catapulted her to a lead role the following year in the musical , Girl Crazy . In 1931 , the movie , The Tip Off marked her entry to Hollywood (Whissen , p282-283 ) Both Fred and Ginger have outstanding and blossoming careers apart from each other until their first pairing came in 1933 in a film that will lead to the discovery of the unparalleled chemistry and charisma of their dancing...

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