We’re celebrating 80 Years of Fred Astaire’s “Carefree.”
It was the year 1938, and RKO studios brought together two of their brightest stars for another screwball comedy full of classic mix-ups along with snazzy songs and dizzying dance routines – and of course a dose of romance. The movie was called “Carefree” and, along with it being 80 years old, it has a few distinctions in the Astaire-Rogers partnership:
- It’s the shortest of the Astaire-Rogers films.
- It was nominated for three Academy Awards.
- It was the first Astaire-Rogers film to not show a profit.
- It featured a long on-screen kiss between the two stars.
Still, it’s probably the movie best known for one thing: It’s the movie where Fred Astaire danced with a golf club!
“Since They Turned ‘Loch Lomond’ into Swing”
Is there anything more impressive than Fred Astaire’s dance abilities? Here at Fred Astaire Dance Studio, we have to admit we get pretty jazzed when he throws a surprise into the mix! When you take a man with legendary dance skills and he incorporates his impressive golf swing, you get a dance number that you’re not likely to see on the greens in your hometown. Of course, YOU could be the dandy dancing on the greens after a couple of lessons from our experts!
“I Used to be Color Blind”
Have you ever noticed how much time Ginger Rogers spends flying through the air in this “dream sequence” number? Her flowing hair and rippling dress are only highlighted by the slow-motion effect used to convey the dream-like plot in this beautiful number. Rumor is that the movie was supposed to be filmed in Technicolor, but RKO balked at the cost, so it was maintained in black-and-white.
And have you ever seen a more perfect ending? The pose is beautiful. And that kiss! No quick peck on the cheek there. But was it by design or simply a side effect of the slow-motion? No matter, it was a perfect ending to a beautiful number.
“Change Partners” (“The Night is Filled With Music”)
Considering it was 1938, this was one sexy number! Astaire, who plays a psychiatrist, has hypnotized Rogers. He asks her to dance, and she refuses, so he puts her into a sort of hypnotic trance, and together they move. The close-but-no-kiss between the two absolutely sizzles with chemistry.
“The Yam”
Ginger Rogers is back in the air again with this striking number! The rousing show-stopper finds the entire country club dancing as they move conga-line style across the set. Astaire and Rogers make use of the entire set, including chairs and of course, at the end, tables. It’s amazingly creative and well executed and is sure to satisfy dance fans!
We can’t promise that we’ll have you dancing across tables, but we can promise you that with our proprietary dance instruction program, you’ll be on your way to confident dancing by the end of your very first lesson! Find a Fred Astaire Dance Studio near you to get started.
