Fred and Who?

Everyone knows Fred Astaire, the screen legend who made more than thirty musical films, ten with famous partner Ginger Rogers. His honors and awards are legion, and many consider him to have been the greatest dancer of the twentieth century. He was also an actor, comedian, and singer, although no one would rank him at the top of those categories. No, Fred Astaire was a dancer and choreographer par excellence.

Few remember his vaudeville origins with his original partner—his older sister Adele. Fred and Adele Austerlitz began as a brother and sister kiddie act, dancing and hamming it up on the Small Time vaudeville circuit. The year was 1905 and Fred was six years old. Look how cute they are in this picture! Their parents changed their name to Astaire for a more elegant sound. 

The children’s talents allowed them to move quickly up to the prestigious Orpheum Circuit where they played Big Time theaters. They performed a “Donny and Marie” sort of show, with some sibling banter, music, and dancing of all sorts, notably ballroom and tap. Adele was older, taller, and—hard as it is to believe today—widely acknowledged to be the more talented dancer.

Adele and Fred reached Broadway in 1917 where they played in many shows, including several George Gershwin musicals. The duo split in 1932 when Adele married the son of an English duke and retired from the stage. Fred went on to further stardom in the movies. 

Fred and Adele Astaire’s age and vaudeville background make them perfect minor characters in my vaudeville mysteries.  

Last Houdini Assistant Dies at 103

It’s hard to believe that anyone who shared the stage with the great magician, Harry Houdini, could have died just last week. Dorothy Young was 17 when she first went on stage with Houdini and his wife in 1925. She toured with his show, participating in some of his greatest magic acts–Radio Girl, slave girl to butterfly–but only for a year and a half, because Houdini died in 1926 of a ruptured appendix. She had promised him she would never reveal any of his secrets and, for over 85 years, she kept her word. 

After Houdini’s death, Dorothy continued in show business for many years as a dancer, touring with her husband and later appearing in a movie with Fred Astaire. According to the New York Times, she had talked with Houdini about returning from the dead. He told her, “It’s humanly impossible, but I’ll be there in spirit.” She occasionally attended seances sponsored by Houdini fans and other magicians, but Houdini never made an appearance.

WAMPAS Baby Stars

Once upon a time, a sure-fire way for an aspiring screen actress to get noticed was to be named a WAMPAS Baby Star. Each year from 1922 until 1934, the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers chose thirteen young women whom they believed would be the screen’s next stars. The girls got lots of attention, party invitations, publicity, and small parts, and some did break into big time stardom. I found this photo at an antiques mall hanging on a pegboard wall in a shoddy frame and bought it for $10. It was taken in 1934, the last year of the promotion.

WAMPAS Baby Stars you might know include Clara Bow (the “It Girl”), Joan Crawford, Janet Gaynor, Loretta Young, Ginger Rogers (Fred Astaire’s dance partner), Sally Rand, and Fay Wray (of King Kong fame).  For a complete list, see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAMPAS_Baby_Stars