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Customer Reviews of Fred Astaire

A towering figure in 20th century culture
Fred Astaire's richly deserved reputation as one of the world's greatest dancer is enhanced with this book, which does a superb job of moving beyond the dance and into his personal life, his professional relationships, his Anglophile tendencies and more. Did you know that the Gershwins and Irving Berlin composed more songs for Fred Astaire than for any other single person? These men latched onto the carefree, wholly American ease projected by Astaire and made him the vehicle for some of their most memorable classics.

The quotations Giles gleans from Astaire friends, colleagues and family do the trick of supplementing the very little we know of this very private man. Ginger Rogers tartly observes, "Well, I think when you work with somebody all day long, for ten movies, you become good friends, though he was as delighted not to see me at night over dinner as I was." Then here's Liza Minnelli asking Halston to dress her like "Fred Astaire in the daytime and a movie star at night." Cary Grant apparently felt that Astaire was the pinnacle of style--after watching "Broadway Melody of 1940," Grant desparately searched everywhere for a white tuxedo identical to the one worn by Astaire in this film. Even his podiatrist is quoted herein, noting wryly that Fred sometimes had trouble with his toes because he wore his shoes a half size too small so as to convey a neater impression.

The photographs, many of which were published here for the first time, include studio glossies of Astaire with his many famous co-stars, Astaire at home with his family and dogs, and a hilarious shot of Astaire skateboarding in the late 1970s. This examination of a one-of-a-kind talent is summed up most perfectly when Rudolf Nureyev says, "We were all dancing. Fred was doing something else entirely." "Fred Astaire: His Friends Talk" is a must for any movie lover or dance lover's library.

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Fred Astaire - His Friends Talk
This book is a wonderful addition to any true lover of Fred Astaire. The photographs of him, his family, his friends and his dancing are rare and a must for any real collector. Agree that the book does not give much on his life as far as a biography, but it is a great collectors item. I cherish my copy.

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A Disjointed Work
Sarah Giles has unfortunately done nothing to forward a deeper understanding of Fred Astaire - her text consists of individual names and quotes of a few sentences regarding the topic at hand. Very little was devoted to Fred Astaire's dancing, and I do not think it would be possible for one more person to mention his "perfectionism". The sole redeeming quality of this book is the exemplary collection of photographs taken of Astaire throughout his life and career. I think a interested reader would be better off pursuing a traditional Astaire biography than reading this book.