Love Letters to Old Hollywood

The first time I met Fred Astaire, I hated him. Except I didn't know him as Fred Astaire, I knew him as Ted Hanover, the conceited hoofer who kept stealing the girlfriends of the man who was supposedly his best friend, Jim Hardy. My poor, six-year-old heart felt so sad for Jim every time trouble-making Ted appeared -- and yet I still found the man compelling. After all, while Jim could do beautiful things with his voice, he didn't do anything like what Ted did with his feet. As I grew up and revisited the classics like Holiday Inn that I had watched as a kid, I finally separated Fred from his character and it was like meeting him all over again. To say I was enchanted would be an understatement. Six-year-old Michaela would've felt so betrayed. I can't remember much else about my reintroduction to Fred. I don't know what my next films of his were, or even what my first Astaire & Rogers collaboration was. That initial rush of classic film discove...

Are you guys ready for three days of the absolute dreaminess that is Astaire and Rogers? Crystal of In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood and I cannot wait to pay tribute to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers with our second blogathon dedicated to these magical humans. Participants, please leave us a comment below or on Crystal's blog once you are ready to submit your entry and we'll try to post them as soon as we can. And now, it's time to do the Continental -- or the Yam, or a waltz in swing time -- with two of Hollywood's most brilliant stars! Silver Screenings | Top Hat (1935) The Story Enthusiast |  Forever Female  (1953) Love Letters to Old Hollywood |  Ginger's work in Kitty Foyle  (1940) Maddy Loves Her Classic Films |  a tribute to Fred & Ginger Caftan Woman |  Professional Sweetheart  (1933) Poppity Talks Classic Film |  Swing Time  (1936) Musings of a Classic Film Addict |...

When Ginger Rogers was named Best Actress at the 1941 Academy Awards, no one was more surprised than Ginger Rogers. For almost a decade, she had been the sassy chorus girl, the sharp-tongued comedienne, and the perfect match for Fred Astaire. But that wasn't enough for the actress, who longed to prove that she was more than the wisecracking blonde with magic in her feet. Despite illustrating that she was incredibly talented in this type of role, comedies and musicals, as we all know, don't garner the respect and honors that dramas do and Ginger was dying to show that she had what it took. 1940's Primrose Path was her chance. But the censorship of the film's subject matter -- an impoverished young woman struggling with her mother and grandmother's history of prostitution -- and modest box-office receipts hindered Ginger's dramatic breakthrough. Luckily 1940 brought about another opportunity: Kitty Foyle . Spanning 11 years in the life of a lower-class ...