Elegance is usually an imposition, a set of mannerisms employed by the swells to cover their emptiness and maintain their distance from us plebeians. Fred Astaire's achievement — no, his glory — was ...

In 1952, record producer Norman Granz brought six jazz stars into the studio to back a singer from outside their circle: Hollywood song and dance man Fred Astaire. This is FRESH AIR. In 1952, record ...

It seems as if there always has been a Fred Astaire and that Astaire always has been synonymous with grace and elegance. And when one thinks of movies and dance together, Astaire immediately comes to ...

It was the Great Depression and movie goers flocked to theaters just to get a few hours of escapism, which is exactly what they got on December 29, 1933 with what turned out to be the very beginning ...