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.
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3 comments:
This is very interesting and I like the shows they created. THe time spent in London was my favorite part of the book andeverything they did made me want to go to England and experience it. Fred did have a very rough time and I think he was made stronger because of it. Very good thoughts and a very thurough summary of that part of the book. Very nice post.
This gives great insight into the personal life of Fred Astaire. It's interesting to see the struggles and joys as well as downfalls that people experience. You just have to look behind the outer shell of celebricy. Nice post!
I admire Fred for being able to let things go, and change when they need to. That is a quality I personally have trouble with. I greatly admire him.
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