Fred Astaire Books

The Toby Peters mysteries are set in Hollywood during the 1930's and 1940's and they always involve Peters ,a PI ,becoming involved with the luminaries of the movie world .This time it is Fred Astaire who engages his services .The great hoofer is being inveighled into giving free dance lessons to the paramour of one Arthur Forbes ,a Detroit mobster who goes by the nickname Fingers Intaglia from his anti-social habit of removing the said digits from his numerous victims .Peters poses as a dance tutor and tries to persuade the lady not to take up the lessons .However things rapidly get more complicated when murder rears its ugly head .The lady in question is murdered folowed soon by the owner of a shady dance academy where she used to work and then by Forbes himself .Peters ,aided by Astaire ,sets out to track down the killer or killers

Astaire ,like all the stars in the series' books ,receives sympathetic treatment and is shown as a dab hand in a fight as well as being something of a police junkie well used to riding in squad cars as a guest of the force

The usual colourful support cast is in evidence -Peter's eccentric landlady and her interminable family history ,Jeremy the poetic ex-wrestler,Shelodon Minck the world's worst dentist

The book,like others in the series ,is light and diveting being full of charm and a great love of movies and movie people ,the whole series being thoroughly recommendable to all who enjoy vintage cinema as well as a good mystery

I found this book and series while doing an auction "online" search for movie star memorabilia. Typing in "Rita Hayworth" and "Betty Grable" brought up a list of all kinds of "goodies," among them a book called, "Dancing In The Dark." The auction write-up mentioned that Toby Peters, a 1940's Los Angeles Private Investigator for the stars, hoofs it onstage with these two Hollywood lovelies after taking dancing lessons from Fred Astaire. Well, that hooked me, so I bought this book! What a hoot! Toby is modeled after such classic hard-boiled gumshoes as Sam Spade & Philip Marlowe, but he has a heart of gold and his narratives are witty and funny. Fred Astaire turns out to be a "crime aficionado' and sounds like, uh - Fred Astaire! Mr. Kaminsky does such a marvelous job of bringing Astarie to life that you feel like you are "watching" him in the movies! The action takes place in 1943 during WW II and the descriptions of the place and times are very authentic and interesting. Any fan of the old "classic" movies of the 1940's will thoroughly enjoy this book - and the Toby Peters series!

Joseph Epstein is a superb commentator and author. Even-handed, even brilliant. This is a superb bio that -- unfortunately for the dirt mongers -- shows Fred Astaire to be a great entertainer and dancer and a very decent man. I am conversant with this genre and with several of the great dancers and film entertainers of the 30s and 40s. I am a good friend of the lady whom was a close chum of the deelicious Eleanor Powell and knew many of the Hollywood Stars. This book is an easy reading, enchanting, five-star tour de force. It is a celebration of life. Let the grungy nit-pickers pic nits and stay out of the way. For aficionados of this era, culture, and history, this is first class, must read.

The inspiration for this paean to Fred Astaire can be found in Epstein's introduction. The sorry state of contemporary popular culture has prompted him to celebrate Astaire's inimitable style in his own inimitable style: hard work, integrity and meticulous attention to detail. In the darkness of the Great Depression, with W.W.II looming, escape was possible at the movies. A model of innocence and beauty provided by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers fantasies offered respite from the woes of the day.
After assasinations, a lost war,911, a world in economic chaos, and general social disintegration, there is no such refuge. The movies and now television depict the sadness and ugliness of the present. Epstein's appreciation of Astaire's "democratic aristocracy" is important because it shows us what we have lost and what we must recover.

Part of Yale University's Icons of America series, this fascinating Joseph Epstein study of Fred Astaire and his success is not a biography and contains nothing "juicy" about his personal life. Astaire himself did not share personal information. As "tough guy Chicago journalist" Mike Royko says, "He did his work, went home, closed the door, and said: `That's it, world. You get my performance. The rest belongs to me.'" Epstein instead concentrates on how Astaire became an "icon," analyzing the secrets of his success as a dancer and singer--what made him a man that other men wanted to emulate and made women want to love.

Born in 1899 as Frederick Austerlitz, Fred was three years younger than his beautiful sister Adele, who was expected to be the family's star when his mother took both children to New York from Omaha. With a succession of mentoring dance teachers, their song and dance act became successful enough they eventually went to England, where they became a huge hit and often went to dinner with Prince George, later King George VI, after performances. After Adele's marriage to Lord George Cavendish, Fred was on his own.

His unprepossessing appearance, combined with his fanatical attention to detail--exactly the right way to hold his overly large hands to keep them from being distracting, when to raise his eyebrows for emphasis--made him a very different performer from Gene Kelly, who was far more athletic, and Epstein gives fascinating descriptions of Astaire's dance partners. Ginger Rogers, with whom he appeared in ten films but with whom he was never close, Rita Hayworth, Eleanor Powell, Paulette Goddard, Joan Leslie, Vera Ellen, Betty Hutton, and Judy Garland, who was the only one ever to supersede him in billing, all became part of his "act" in films. Later he performed with Audrey Hepburn, Leslie Caron, and Cyd Charisse, their dance characteristics described in detail, and the plots of their films analyzed.

Songwriters, especially Irving Berlin and the Gershwins, regarded Astaire as one of the great interpreters of their songs, and many wrote specifically for him and for his films. Admired by all choreographers, he was praised by George Balanchine, who called him "terribly rare...like Bach, with the same concentration of genius." He was also praised by Rudolf Nureyev as "the greatest dancer in American history." Even though he transformed entertainment into art, was recognized as brilliant in both dance and song, and achieved enormous personal popularity, however, Astaire the determinedly private man, remained an enigma throughout his life. As author John O'Hara says, "He takes a job, he works and works on it until he is ready, and then he delivers." Epstein conveys the importance of Astaire in this fascinating study, but Astaire remains an enigma as a person. n Mary Whipple

Frankly, My Dear: "Gone with the Wind" Revisited (Icons of America)
Gypsy: The Art of the Tease (Icons of America)
King's Dream (Icons of America)
Inventing a Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson (Icons of America)
Alger Hiss and the Battle for History (Icons of America)

The other folks whose reviews appear on this page seem to have read a different book from the Fred Astaire (Icons of America) that I finished. I thought it was a complete waste of the publisher's investment. There is no new material. There are errors in recounting plots of the films that made me certain the author had no familiarity with them. Two photographs--one as a frontispiece and the other at the beginning of the first chapter--left me wondering if they simply forgot to put the rest in. Really odd! About the tone of the book, I hope I never see such a disrespectful, slovenly work again. At the end the author says no one has been able to dig up any dirt about Fred Astaire, yet (not in so many words); it seems inconceivable to this author that a man could be a film star and not have nasty gossip come to light after his death. What a creep! Sorry, buddy. After the 100% solidity of the opinion that Fred Astaire was one of if not the greatest entertainer of the 20th century, you can't come along and say any different. It would be nice to discover something new about Fred Astaire, but this guy didn't do it. He wasn't even looking in the right places. And honey, don't waste my time writing at length about Gene Kelly in a book on Fred Astaire. Kelly simply is not in the same class.

The apparent premise and presumption of Joseph Epstein's book "Fred Astaire" is that the magic of Fred Astaire will be analyzed, described and explained to the reader. In the words of Mr. Esptein: "Whence derived Fred Astaire's sublimity, his magic? That is the great, happy question at the center of this little book." While Mr. Epstein is a witty and sometimes pleasantly irreverent writer, this slim volume of mostly recycled information falls far short of answering this question.

The initial attempt to define Mr. Astaire's magic is directed at the physical appearance of this "most attractive of men". Epstein begins this exercise by spending an inordinate number of pages describing and belittling Astaire's physical features, while admiring his clothes. However, he describes at the outset that Astaire was like a male version of "belle laide" : homely feature-by-feature yet stunning in totality. By his own words he therefore admits that this exercise is pointless. It is doubly pointless since nothing is said that has not appeared elsewhere or is not obvious from watching the films.

Recognizing after two chapters, that perhaps the force of Mr. Astaire's personality may be important to explaining his attractiveness, Epstein spends more fruitless pages trying to define his great charm; to pin down the indefinable. Charm is a characteristic that needs to be experienced and words are simply not adequate, as Mr. Epstein himself handily proves. During this discussion he says time and time again, that by his definition, Astaire is "not at all sexy". Of course, Epstein's definition of sexy includes features such as brutality, manly reticence, handsome features, and ample height and muscle. He fails to comprehend that romantic, gentle and graceful sensuality can also be sexy and that Fred Astaire excelled at projecting these qualities and has had, and continues to have, great appeal to women.

Mr. Epstein then proceeds to brutally spear the genre of musical comedy, mainly on the basis of "absurd scripts". To illustrate the point he provides examples from plot summaries of many Astaire films. Not only is this rather tedious, it is also unnecessary since he says absolutely nothing new. In my opinion, judging musicals on the basis of plots is not the best criteria since plots are usually the least important aspects. It is the execution that is critical, and that depends on successfully melding superior acting, singing and dancing against a background of lovely music and imaginative staging. The integrity of Mr. Astaire's acting, whether in dialog, song or dance, makes almost any character and situation plausible within the film's context no matter how irrational or absurd-seeming. Mr. Epstein is also somewhat puzzled by how the nonsense of the musicals can charm and be unforgettable. But he does finally concede that this "frivolity" (as he calls it) can produce uncomplicated happiness and joy.

Another surprising conclusion is that Mr. Astaire's acting abilities were limited to light comedy. He says that it is "unimaginable for Astaire to play heels" and that "being mean or dispirited was not in his range". In making these assertions, Mr. Epstein reveals his unfamiliarity or lack of understanding of many of Astaire's roles. Mr. Astaire has in fact successfully projected those very traits in post-1939 films like "The Barkleys of Broadway", "The Pleasure of His Company", "The Sky's the Limit", "On the Beach" and even in the 1936 movie"Swing Time". Mr. Epstein should have done more research.

The concluding section of the book is devoted to examining how to categorize Fred Astaire. He is being measured by Mr. Epstein for the roles of genius and icon. According to Mr. Epstein's judgment he qualifies as an icon, but not as genius. It seems that to be a genius "by any serious definition" it is necessary to produce something that others cannot immediately appreciate. So even though Mr. Epstein recognizes that Fred Astaire elevated popular entertainment into art, his deficiency was that it was too appealing to mass audiences. Although there is no question that Mr. Astaire's innovative artistry appealed to children and other unsophisticated people, it was also lauded by the most discerning of professionals in the dance and ballet world, as Mr. Epstein himself notes. The complexity and layers of meaning in his dances are still being unraveled and are not yet completely understood. In fact, Fred Astaire did not aspire to create art. He did what he did to please himself, and us, with his drive for perfection, amazing musicality and creativity, and a surplus of talent, charm and style. All he did was to produce magic.

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.

He has been gone for almost twenty years now. Yet, his dancing is still fresh. When the world becomes too coarse, when things are going too fast and everything needs a good dose of class, I think of Fred Astaire. He was the epitome of grace, enthusiasm and kindness. Like Audrey Hepburn, if there ever was a way of conducting oneself and enjoying life, Fred was it.

This book is fun to read. It's a nice overall look at the various facets of his life: his daughter, mother, first wife Phyllis and the controversial Robyn. There's also a lot on how he lived, tidbits from good friends such as Carol Lynley, Bill Self, Hermes Pan and most notably, his housekeeper Jo. Daughter Ava also pipes in. The most telling thing in the book about his personal rhythm is a letter he wrote to his sister Adele. His use of language reads like a great jazz riff.

Noticeably missing are contributions from his sons Fred Jr., and Peter and his grandchildren. One day you hope the entire Astaire tribe will write something together, a tribute to the man that gave them a swell childhood, and raised them to be non-Hollywood adults.

You'll only find it used, and the photos and insights from his friends make it well worth it.

This book is a little treasure trove of anecdotes from people who worked with or were friends of Fred Astaire. While those anecdotes are interesting and often insightful, for my money it's the photos that make this book a real keeper. The effortless grace and style that Astaire showed in moving pictures is captured in still photos. Fred Astaire was a man who, though he was not conventionally handsome, was appealing to millions and used what he had to make magic. He was effortless charm personified: a gentleman, a wit, and a remarkably snappy dresser too! And as we all know, he could dance like nobody's business. Gravity seemed to have little effect on Fred ... no special effects required!

Though he was brilliant at what he did, Astaire was self-effacing and modest almost to a fault, so a book like this is a nice way of learning more about him. Once you've read the book, you'll want to watch the movies (if you haven't already had that delicious experience). Start with Top Hat or Shall We Dance -- classic Fred and Ginger! Fred was also well paired with Rita Hayworth (in "You'll Never Get Rich"), and -- surprisingly -- simply marvelous with a much younger Audrey Hepburn (Funny Face), which has the added attraction of being set (mostly) in Paris.

Those old films are time capsules from an era when graciousness and gentle humor meant something -- and as the epitome of those things, as well as perhaps the most talented hoofer America has ever produced -- Fred Astaire has earned his place as a large and living footnote in American popular culture. This book is part of a well earned homage, and deserves a place on every Astaire fan's bookshelf!

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.

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.

I have read this book several times and recently got on Amazon to order several copies for Christmas presents. This book, while it discusses Fred Astaire, is actually the love story of his daughter and her husband, their journey to leave Hollywood behind by buying a cottage in Ireland and the many joyous and wonderful stories that come from that move. This is not a Fred Astaire biography by any means--but rather a touching, often hilarious story of one family, their adventures in setting up house in a culture different from their own and their personal journey with each other. It remains one of our family favorites and I would highly recommend it to anyone with their own sense of adventure.

If you read this for tidbits about Fred Astaire, that's all you get are tidbits. If you read it seeking the feeling of Ireland, there are some nice descriptive moments in the book. Mostly it focuses on the author whose life and celebrity contacts did not make up for my disappointment in the skimpiness on Astaire and Ireland.
I recommend instead titles by Niall Williams or reread Frank McCourt.

Turn Left at the Black Cow offers Fred Astaire fans some wonderful anecdotes, as the legendary dancer visits his daughter and her husband in Ireland. However, author McKenzie's constant name dropping and continuous negative comments about Fred's second wife wear thin. Worth a look, but feel free to skim.

I stumbled upon this book searching for books about Fred Astaire and was so glad that I found it. Richard McKenzie has such a good eye for people. I loved the stories about his neighbors in Ireland as well as the unique insight into Fred Astaire. I highly recommend this book.

There are many remarkable qualities to this book, chief among them the wonderful people that inhabit it. With an engaging, almost poetic style, we are invited into a world of personal impressions and happenings that are both deft and trenchant. This is a universe that contains the likes of David Niven, Barbara Stanwyck, Hermes Pan along with the likes of Kevin O'Mahoney and countless neighbors and un-famous friends--all remembered with a discerning wit and a loving appreciation. You have to love a book that shares insights about Hollywood royalty AND the personalities of cats and cows and other assorted creatures dear to the author and his family. It is full of grace, as you might imagine, humor that might not, and a heart that will always envelope you. For my money, it's a family I'd love to be a part of--if only to meet a woman who dries her garden-fresh lettuce in the spin-cycle of her washing machine! There are many such gifts along this singular journey.

Yes, this book tells the story of Fred and Adele Astaire in a way that kids understand, but it doesn't give a child any reason to care about them. It reads like a resumé -- "first they did this, then they did that, then they did the other thing."
The illustrations are nice out of context, but a ghastly choice for this particular subject. Perhaps the rubbery style was supposed to suggest the fluidity of dance, but it simply makes the dancers look formless and off balance, everything that the Astaires were not.

Footwork: The Story of Fred and Adele Astaire is a children's picturebook biography of the early years of celebrated singer, dancer, and movie star Fred Astaire and his older sister Adele Astaire. When both siblings were young, they had to work hard learning to dance and perform for vaudeville theater; the money they brought in helped support their family, and in hard times dinner might be no more than a single egg split between the two of them. In their youth, Adele was recognized as the better performer when both were children; Fred labored to match her natural talent, and honed his creativity inventing new acts to perform. They grew up together, and when Adele chose to get married and retire from dancing, Fred faced a whole new challenge - he'd almost always performed with her before; now he had to face the stage by himself. He dared to venture to Hollywood, and so began his legendary film career. The illustrations are upbeat without making light of the hard times of the Great Depression, and the text of Footwork is just involved enough to be suitable for young readers who are almost ready to move on to chapter books. Highly recommended.

Both Balanchine and Nueyev called Fred Astaire the best dancer of the 20th century. Even today, some two decades after his death, he is well remembered when one of his 30 movie musicals is shown on television, and he is still considered to be one of the world's most debonair gentlemen, an icon of male fashion. We think of Fred and Ginger, as together with Ginger Rogers he made ten memorable films. But, how many remember that his first dancing partner was his sister, Adele?

She was the one considered to be a born dancer. So, in 1905 Adele (age 7), Fred (age 5) and their mother boarded a train for New York City so Adele could attend dancing school. Father remained in Omaha where he worked for a brewery.

Fred joined his sister in taking lessons and before long their instructor put them in a show, as a bride and groom who "tap-danced on top of a pair of wooden wedding cakes." At that time vaudeville was all the rage, and the talented youngsters soon won a spot on the vaudeville circuit. Mother, daughter and son began traveling from town, eventually returning to Omaha where they were enthusiastically received. At that time, Adele was the star of the act.

However, the time came when they were no longer children, not "adorable little kids," so they were reduced to playing on a small-time circuit. Times were tough as they shared the stage with trained seals. But they worked hard, perfected new acts and finally won the hearts of theater goers. They were offered a part in a Broadway show in 1917. Success followed success until in 1932 Adele announced her intention to marry and retire - they had danced together for almost 30 years.

Shortly thereafter Fred flew to Hollywood and the rest is cinema history.

Footwork is a charming biography of a persevering family, his talented sister, and the man many consider to have had the most influence on movie musicals. Who else danced on a wall?

- Gail Cooke

The work contains details on Fred Astaire- his celebrated dancing
and many unique routines. He was suave, smooth and dapper. The
Astaire house overlooked the Beverly Hills hotel. Both Fred and
his wife Adele Astaire gave whirlwind dancing exhibits which contained toe dancing and other famous styles. Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers performed in films which were considered to be
RKO's most valued property. The volume is well worth the price
for enthusiasts of Fred Astaire and his famous dancing performances.

For any Fred fan out there, this book is a must. It begins with his career in Vaudeville with his sister Adele. It then chronicles his transition into Broadway and then movies (when his sister retires). There are interesting anecdotes about making the movies (including the one about the troubles with Ginger's feather-y dress in Top Hat). It then tells about Fred's "retirement", his love of horse racing, the death of his wife Phyllis, and meeting his second wife Robyn. This is a good book because throughout the book are Fred's thoughts on certain topics. However, since this is the large-print version, the wonderful pictures from the original version are not present. But, true fans will love reading about this classy gentleman.

I found this book to be a very in depth look at the life of Fred Astaire. It's a must for any fan. However, after reading his autobiography, this book doesn't have the same amount of humour and charm. For a biography, it's great.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were a wonderful on-screen pair and everyone loved their simple charm. I think Baxt captures that charm in this little book. Like all of his celebrity mysteries, this is a satire, and I think it portrays the McCarthy hearings quite well. Life in Hollywood in 1953 was difficult and everyone looked at everyone else to try to figure our whether or not they were "commies". In this book we see Fred and Ginger smack in the middle of a Russian espionage scam. Ginger's therapist dies and Villon and Mallory know that he was poisoned. What's his background and history? They find out and its a world of double agents, family rivalries and Communist underworld. Of course Villon figures it out, but even he is surprised to find out who the "kingpin" is.

I picked up this book because I have always loved Astaire and Rodgers. However, when I started reading, I was dissapointed. The plot seems a little farfetched. I think there were too many characters, and I kept wondering why everybody knew each other. Russia is a large country, but reading this book makes it seem like a small town. However, this book did manage to keep me interested in what happened at the end. I would read it for distraction because it is by no means great literature.

Like many of Baxt's novels, this one goes a little off-track with all the characters and spies, et cetera. However, that, in this humble reader's opinion, is part of the charm. These mysteries were obviously not written for deep, critical analysis, but for simple enjoyment. All the characters, and there are many, are fleshed out, and if the plot lacks bits that are shoved in a bit too hurriedly at the end, well that's just part of the charm. Another three cheers for George Baxt. And for Fred and Ginger.

As a huge Astaire/Rogers fan I found this book to be nothing more than a collection of over analyzed run-off with a few interesting tidbits thrown in. There's very little entertainment in the reading. One get's the impression this book was authored by Sigmund Freud. Different maybe, but yuck.

I adore Fred Astaire and his artful genius. Nobody does it better. Ginger is his best dance-partner, for certain. But this book is the dryest, most boring recitation of dead data that I have ever read. It is almost worthless, even for the most avid Astaire devotee. These two vibrant stars deserve better than this dismal book. And they get it; if you can find, "Astaire Dancing" by John Mueller, the ultimate Astaire/Rogers book, (pricey but spectacular) buy it. It is everything the Astaire/Rogers fan could possibly want.

I agree with Meriam -- this book is SO DRY, SO UNBELIEVABLY ANALYTICAL it's ridiculous. In fact, I would suggest that if anyone who has never seen an Astaire/Rogers film managed to get through this book, they would never WANT to see one. How anyone could write about Astaire and Rogers without expressing the sheer joy, fun, and overall entertainment value of their work is beyond me, but Gallafent has managed to do it big time. And verbose? The author uses 100 words to describe what could be said in 10. What a complete waste of print, paper, and time.

Gallafent reviews the films of Astaire and Rogers, both those they made separately and those they made together, from their first pairing through the late forties. Gallafent makes a plausible case for continuity and development from one musical to another. Even as you find his arguments logical and believable, you know Hollywood doesn't work that way. Few people expect or want anything more from an A & R movie than the unalloyed pleasure of the singing and dancing. Gallafent even manages to connect the films Rogers did without Astaire (of which there were many more than I had realized). In spite of his quirky premise, Gallafent is interesting and entertaining throughout, and the book is chock full of stills from the films.

This book is more about the careers and images of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers from 1934-49 than it is a study of their movies together and their dancing. If you are a dance enthusiast and want to read a detailed account of their dances, this is NOT the book for you.

However, I am not a dance person, but I like classic Hollywood films, and I found this book interesting. It shows how the Fred&Ginger films share some concerns with screwball comedy, how World War II affected the images of both stars, and how stars age in the public eye. Gallafent isn't the most graceful of writers, and I got confused in his discussion of "Once Upon a Honeymoon," but I thought he did a good job connecting the Fred&Giner phenomenon to other developments and careers in classic Hollywood.

A biography more obsessed with British Royalty than anything Fred Astaire might have done. This book is a pathetic effort by an author so insecure about his own standing in the rotten British class-system.. I could'nt believe what i was reading! Mr.Satchell is in awe of Monarchy and uses every excuse to name-drop the many Titled "Ladies??" and "Gentlemen??". As if any of their tripe exemplified a decent human being. Get a life Mr. Satchell! Truly sad.
Damien Slattery.