The following is a guest post from Reader Services Technician Melanie Guitreaux.
Scene from "Follow the Fleet"; Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in ballroom dance pose. Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
Today would mark the 100th birthday of Ginger Rogers, a performer who emanated energy and romance and, together with her alluring partner Fred Astaire, struck the film world by storm. The world famous dancing duo dazzled audiences with their spectacular performances in “Top Hat,” “Follow the Fleet,” “Roberta,” and “Swing Time.” The Music Division holds sheet music from the films in which Rogers starred, all of which is searchable in the It’s Showtime! Sheet Music from Stage and Screen database, a resource that provides bibliographic information for over 18,000 shows and productions dating from the 1690s to the present.
Rogers managed a successful screen and stage career and, as a singer and dancer, utilized her multiple talents to perform with natural grace and charm, from her elegant waltzes to her exuberant tap dances. Rogers demonstrated her versatility as a performer by starring in a variety of films, from musicals to dramatic movies. She participated in a total of 73 films in her career and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for the movie “Kitty Foyle” in 1940. Some of her stage performances include George Gershwin’s “Girl Crazy,” “Hello, Dolly!”, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” and “Mame” the music for which is housed in the Music Division’s collections and you can see records for in the “It’s Showtime!” database.
July 15, 2011 at 11:38 am
As she said, she did everything Fred did, except backwards and in high heels. Happy birthday, Ginger!