Outside Reading #6

Fred was loved in his debutes in the movies and he continued to do them. Him and Ginger Roberts bacame a very very famous duo. They were a hit and people loved them. Fred said he was waiting for, "some small clue from the public as to whether or not they had had enough of it..."(218). There clearly was no clue and the two continued starring in movies together. They worked with the best including Irvin Berlin (White Christmas) and George Gershwin. They were loved so much that the public started to joke about why they had never kissed. They answered this by giving them what they wanted saying, "We held that kiss for about four minutes!" (234), and yes Fred is still married to Phyllis who thought it was funny. Fred learned through the years that he will hit bumps in his career and life, there's no doubt about it, but you just have to get through them. He was advised by a good friend, "...when you hit that slump, just go away, take a breather, get fresh ideas, and you'll get your second wind" (243). Fred found his way back to musicals and eventually flew overseas to play for the soldiers in the army. Fred Astaire trully was amazing. He started at a very young age a years later said, "...things just began to pop for me at about thirty. The movie career started to take off-- and now, 29 years later I'm still at it" (283). He is a good guy and ends his book saying, "I just dance" (325).
Fred endeavored on the journey of a star, and, unlike many others, was incredibly successful. He loved everything about what he did and put his entire life and passion into it. I think he's a good example of how to be trully devoted and in love with something and how to accomplish those dreams, unlike Flick in "The Ex-Basketball Player" by John Updike. Everyone can fulfill dreams if they try and work hard enough. I really liked this book, I feel like I know him now so if you're ever looking for an entertaining book about the journey to becoming a star read "Steps In Time".

Astaire, Fred. Steps In Time. New York: HarperCollins, 1959.

Outside Reading #5

Fred and Adele pulled off a major success in London with Stop Flirting. They were a huge hit and everyone loved and adored them. They had a great time in London seeing everything they could, meeting new people, even the Prince of Wales, and partying at prestigious places. The show ran about two years and they eventually decided to end the show, although it could have continued on much longer. The Astaire’s feared that being away from America too long could hurt their careers there.
The two returned home to New York and started a show called Lady, Be Good. This also became a hit and they had a long run with it. Critics loved it and had many good things to say about the Astaire’s. The two went through several more plays, some went well but they had a couple major flops. Adele fell in love with a guy named Charlie Cavendish whom she met closing night of Funny Face. Eventually they married which meant Adele’s leaving the business. Fred commented, “I had never felt upset about the prospect of Adele’s retirement because I knew I’d have to face it sooner or later” (168). Fred didn’t give up even though his partner he had always been with was leaving. He continued on and did more shows. Eventually he met a girl name Phyllis and fell in love with her. She had man suitors as he said, “Phyllis had so many beaus and I had to mow them down, one at a time. How I suffered!” (172). The two did end up marrying and started a very happy life together as Fred entered, for the first time, into films. They spent some good time in Hollywood and their life started very well together.
Fred pulled through a lot of rough times. Not only did he have to deal with the critics on his back but he lost his sister as his partner and was focused on fighting for his girl. His journey is definitely a distinct one and he handle’s it well. It proves how even everyday life can follow Hero Quest Pattern and that every journey is different.


Astaire, Fred. Steps In Time. New York: HarperCollins, 1959.

Outside Reading #4

Fred and Adele Astaire continue on their way to becoming big stars. They are offered their first opportunity to star in a performance by a man named Dillingham. They were to star in a play called The Bunch and Judy featuring an array of other famous and talented performers. This was their first experience as starts and their first with a true flop. The situation was made worse because they were the stars and often they were blamed for its disappointing performance. Critics luckily loved Dillingham and tried their best to stay positive in reviews. Fred commented on his thoughts as he headed backstage at the end of opening night saying, “There’s nothing worse than visiting a flop backstage. What can people say? ‘It was lousy’?” (98). The Astaires could do nothing but move on and hope that the next one would be better. They took some time off to regroup and were very distraught over the short run and failure of The Bunch and Judy.

They soon were contacted by a man named Alex Aarons. He wanted them to come to England and do a show in London. He thought they would be a hit in Europe. The Astaires were excited at the idea and eventually plans were made to bring them to London. They had a great time on the ship over and ended up performing, during a storm none-the-less. Dancing on the ship was not easy but ended up being hysterical. “At one point we fell and slid about fifteen feet. The attempts at recoveries were spontaneously hilarious” (104). While in England before the start of their show they soon realized that audiences there were much more verbal than in the USA, whether it was good or bad. This scared them but they soon fell in loved with the country.

This really reminded me of the whole hero quest pattern we were looking at and the journeys of life. Even though this is a true story it applies which I think is cool. The Astiares had to pull through a lot of hard things, some small others quite large. They did their best and never gave up or backed away from something that seemed hard. In the end they were rewarded but other trials will continue to present themselves. I think that no matter what life is a journey and the Astaires are a great example of working one hundred percent towards your dreams.

Astaire, Fred. Steps In Time. New York: HarperCollins, 1959.