Fred Astaire: His Friends Talk

I devour any thing that is written about Fred Astaire. Thought it might be a little more interesting. Read a similar book about Bette Davis and her friends did not pull any punches. These friends seemed to almost try too hard to say nice things.

Fred Astaire defines 'star' just in his name, but he embodies what it means to achieve self-perfection to such a degree that his genius stands alone. Seriously. This is part of the immediate appeal of this book by Sarah Giles. Most of Astaire's admirers have all his movies on film, but here, she captures him so many times in wonderful stills from his private life enough that I can savor for many years. His simplicity, generosity and thoughtfulness come through the candid remarks of Hollywood insiders page by page. Although he had the 'English look' about him, this is remarkable for an Omaha, Nebraska boy. When you see his family photos you will understand the reach of his understated elegance goes much beyond fashion. His self-control, modesty and conservative ways shaped his family into one self-confident, close-knit family. Beyond that is speculation and that is how Astaire would want it in a book about himself. It was surprising, to me, to see mention of Barrie Chase, finally getting her due, and a bonus to see this wonderful dancing partner in motion with her soul-partner in dance. There is something to say about a society that was once class-conscious,which produced the likes of Cary Grant and Fred Astaire, both from the lower, working classes who rose to prominence through hard work and struggle. With Fred Astaire, his stylish panache was just a patina to his wonderfulness and unrivaled talent.

I enjoyed the book, though I must admit that I thought there was a certain snobbery and lack of empathy for Ginger Rogers, by a number of Fred's British friends, a line of thinking which Fred would never would have countenanced. It was Rogers among very few, who had contributed so mightily to the establishment of Fred's film career. And, as Hermes Pan emphasized, it was Rogers, and no one else, who was Fred's best dance partner.The reason you read such books, which have so little author editorial content, is to understand the different point of views, vis a vis the subject. The book after all, is about Astaire, not Rogers. As a compendium of quotes about Fred's life, it is a nice short adjunct to other sources for a clearer vision of the man. What a man, and what a life.

The book is all about opinions of various celebrities of Fred Astaire. Needless to say, there wasn.t a bad remark among them. He was liked and respected by all who came in contact with him. As for his dancing, he was one of a kind. No one like him. Even Nureyev said he was the greatest in the world. Edna Cornford

Pages of interviewees and contributors--must total 100+ of top names in entertainment business. Photographs are the best to find of Fred and anything related. Impressive book. Great detail. Rich in every way (so far)..

Intimate details of friends memories of the great generous man.

Lovely book. Great pictures and a peek into the life of this genius through the eyes of the people who knew him, both in and out of show business. There are also lots of family photos which I hadn't seen before.I was also delighted with how quickly it arrived and in such good condition. I've had hours of pleasure going through it and it'll be a highlight of my book collection. Highly recommended.

This is a great biography, not only for the comments by anyone and everyone.......but for the photographs, which are REALLY the soul of the book. Beautiful book, cant take your eyes off it. Perfect tabletop book, because anyone who has EVER watched him dance will get lost in it.

classy like fred astaire