Vernon and Irene Castle were pioneers in ballroom dance and gave us such famous moves as “The Castle Walk.” Irene wrote two loving books in memory of her husband, and those books became the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie, “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.” Irene was a consultant on the film and oversaw the production, although not everything was done to her liking, and she clashed quite a bit with Ginger Rogers over some of the costuming. When Vernon and Irene meet, he’s already somewhat established in show business and she wants to break into it. She … Continue reading →

“Three Little Words” is loosely based on the true story of songwriters Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. Starring Fred Astaire as Bert Kalmar and Red Skelton as Harry Ruby, we start the movie with Fred as a song and dance man, engaged to his dance partner Jessie (Vera-Ellen). He keeps trying to interject some magic into the show, but she thinks they’re better off sticking with dancing. What she doesn’t know and what he doesn’t tell her is that he’s moonlighting at another theater as a magician. One night his regular assistant doesn’t show up, and he has to rely … Continue reading →