Peter Levinson - Puttin on the Ritz: Fred Astaire and the Fine Art of Panache, a Biography

and the Fine Art of Panache

A BIOGRAPHY

ST. MARTINS PRESS NEW YORK

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FOR GRACE

THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE

FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS

FRED ASTAIRE AND I share two important passions. We both like well-made, stylish clothes, and we share an appreciation for jazz. The producer C. B. Dillingham first made a sartorial impression on Fred during his early years of dancing with his sister, Adele, in Broadway musicals. But the Astaires subsequent excursions to Londons West End, where Fred propitiously encountered the debonair and trendsetting Edward, the Prince of Wales, had the most far-reaching influence on Freds fashion sense. After that, he was well on his way to becoming established as one of the best-turned-out men in public life, exhibiting a decidedly English bent.

Astaire first took to jazz through his excursions to Harlem to check out its unique tap dancers during the late 1920s. However, in the 1930s the swing bands of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Jimmie Lunceford, and Count Basieespecially Basie, whose music Fred became enamored withinfluenced his work. Such important jazz musicians as the late Oscar Peterson, Freds collaborator on the essential Fred Astaire Story album; John Pizzarelli; and Louis Bellson; as well as the record producers and arrangers Neal Hefti, Buddy Bregman, and Jackie Mills, expressed their keen observations on how jazz was an integral part of Astaires musical outlook. Freds stunning dancing partner on his well-remembered NBC-TV specials Barrie Chase astutely observed, Jazz was in his bones.

Johnny Mathis called Astaire the perfect singer. Andy Williams; Michael Feinstein; the late Ahmet Ertegun; the late Fayard Nicholas; Joel Grey; Leslie Bricusse; John Williams; Art Garfunkel; the critics Stephen Holden, Nat Hentoff, Don Heckman, Stanley Crouch, and Richard Schickel; the songwriter Alan Bergman; and the late Bobby Shortall applauded his understated but somehow perfect way of interpreting a popular song. This stemmed from his first learning to sing tunes that were integrated into the book of Broadway musicals he starred in, which led to his ability to convey their intrinsic meaning. For many years Astaire has been considered one of the essential pop singers in the history of American music.

All of that, however, pales in comparison with his vast contributions to the dance. If ever a performer deserved his stupendous success, it was Fred Astaire. His supreme dedication to his art seemingly never existed in any other dancer. Perfection is what he constantly strived for, and it became his norm. The results were staggering and enabled him to become Americas most popular and stylish dancer and a major film star.

I was fortunate to be guided through the dance world by a number of dancers and choreographers. I must, however, salute especially the untiring efforts of Larri Thomas, whom I justifiably nicknamed the Great One; Jerry Jackson; and the late Becky Vorno. No question of mine ever lacked an answer from them, and they were always available and eager to be of help.

Barrie Chase explained how she first met Fred while dancing in film musicals and described his rigorous rehearsals with her, before by necessity he transferred his dancing and singing from films to television and chose her to star with him on his four specials. Chase was grateful for the opportunity he provided her, though sometimes critical of his work, particularly in the fourth special. Highly opinionated, Chase is never far from the mark.

With respect to Astaires constantly evolving fashion sense, I interviewed such mens fashion experts as Alan Flusser; Joe Barrato; G. Bruce Boyer; Richard Merkin; and George Christy; the writer Budd Schulberg; along with the bespoke tailor John Hitchcock, the managing director of Anderson & Sheppard, and Norman Halsey, who looked after Astaire at that Savile Row firm for many years. Also, San Franciscos Wilkes Bashford; Cliff Grodd, the longtime president of Paul Stuart; Claudio Del Vecchio, the CEO of Brooks Brothers; John Carroll, who owns Carrolls in Beverly Hills; along with the well-dressed actors Dick Van Dyke and Robert Wagner, who were influenced by Astaire.

So much more was involved in attempting to tell the compleat Fred Astaire story. Fred had several incarnations: vaudeville and Broadway performer with his sister; his establishing the movie musical as an art form while dancing with Ginger Rogers; maintaining his superstardom in many other movie musicals; character actor; recording artist; and later distinguished Hollywood senior citizen.

On-screen he presented a likable and shy, very American persona. His grandparents were originally Austrian Jews, who converted to Catholicism; he wound up an Episcopalian. He learned exactly how the wicked world of show business worked and always kept ahead of the curve.

So many people were of great assistance in suggesting interview subjects, making introductory phone calls, offering advice, and in countless other ways. These benefactors include Peggy Alexander, Ray Arnett, Paul Block, G. Bruce Boyer, Jon Burlingame, Vince Calandera, the other Ray Charles, Iris Chester, the late Warren Cowan, Fred Curt, Jim Curtis, Dr. Ronald L. Davis (of SMU), Paul de Barros, Jessica Diamond, Margie Duncan, the late Mort Fega, Bert Fink, Ross Firestone, Dan Fortune, Eddie Foy III, Jim Gavin, the late Hal Gefsky, Julie Graham and Lauren Buisson of the Performing Arts Special Collections at the UCLA Library, Lee Hale, Barbara Hall of the Margaret Herrick Library, Marian Hall, Jay Harris, Jimmy Haskell, Tad Hershorn, Katherine Hopkins, Kevin Kennedy, Ann King, Kim Kopf, Jack Lawrence, Randy Malone, Leonard Maltin, Connie Martinson, Ginger Mason, Dottie McCarthy, Joe McFate, Lee Miller, Marianne Moloney, Dan Morgenstern, Audrey Morris, Joseph Morrison, Budd Moss, Ed OBrien, Roberta Olden, Bob Palmer, Jim Pierson, Bob Podesta, Jess Rand, Peter Rausch, Betty Rose, Jeff Rose, Gene Schwam, Reinhold Schwarzwald, Robert Scott, Paul Shefrin, Marti Spaninger, Roger Vorce, Betty Walsh, Jim Watters, and Rob Wolders.

Further, I want to single out a group of individuals who from the beginning of my work on this project were unceasing in their attempts to be of assistance: Ned Comstock, librarian at the Cinema-Television Archive at USC, Michael Russell, Roger Mayer, Joe Barrato, Al Schwartz, Bill Self, Stacey of the Margaret Herrick Library, and film historian Rudy Behlmer, Dale Olson, and the late Dick Martin.

I cant forget the professionalism exhibited by my literary agent, Al Zuckerman of Writers House, and Diane Reverend, who signed me to St. Martins Press. I would also like to thank Vicki Lame and Regina Scarpa at St. Martins Press. John Morrone proved to be a thorough production editor with a keen knowledge of the musical film. Most of all, however, the care and inspiration of Michael Flamini, my editor, made writing the life of Fred Astaire such a pleasurable experience. And far from least, I must thank the supreme efforts and dedication of Petra Schwarzwald, the best assistant one could ever find. In researching my book, I screened all of Astaires movies with the exception of Midas Run, which seemingly is not available. This is in addition to viewing the bulk of his vast array of television appearances.