Fred Astaire famously put on-screen dance partners through their paces during practice. Ginger Rogers not only kept up, but did it in heels.
"The first 100 hours are the most difficult because they are a kindergarten course for the new routines," Rogers (1911-1995), who became Astaire's most successful partner, said in an interview. Astaire insisted on spending six to nine weeks in daily rehearsals on new routines.
But Rogers efforts paid off over a career spanning decades. She's considered a legend from Hollywood's Golden Age. She also won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1940 for her role in "Kitty Foyle." And in the following decade she was a top box office draw and one of Hollywood's best-paid actresses.
"Rogers' contribution has not always received due credit," wrote Hannah Hyam in "Fred and Ginger: The Astaire Partnership 1934-1938."
Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone Like Ginger Rogers
It's interesting Rogers became so well-known for teaming up with Astaire. Rogers wasn't primarily a dancer. Musicals weren't even her preference. But she also knew an opportunity to stand out when she saw one.
"She imprinted her own unique stamp to their duets, bringing to them qualities that owed nothing to Astaire's influence, and that are conspicuous by their absence with others," Hyam said. "Rogers' mastery of the increasingly demanding choreography is so complete and apparently effortless that it almost belies the true extent of her skill."
And in many ways, Rogers' role was even tougher than Astaire's.
Bob Thaves, the cartoonist behind the Frank and Ernest strip, famously observed in an installment in 1982, "Sure he (Astaire) was great, but don't forget that she (Roger) did everything he did, backward and in high heels."
Find Mentors Like Rogers Did
Rogers was born Virginia Katherine McMath in 1911 in Independence, Mo. She earned the nickname Ginger because a young cousin pronounced Virginia as "Ginga."
Her parents divorced. And her mother, Lela Owens, married John Rogers when Ginger was nine. The family lived Fort Worth, Texas, where Lela was the theater critic for the local newspaper. Waiting in the wings, Ginger sought any chance to sing and dance in front of an audience.
With her mother's coaching, Rogers won a dance contest at age 14. That led to a six-month tour as "Ginger Rogers and the Redheads." And then in 1926, the MGM film "The Barrier" featured her vaudeville routines.
Rogers knew even at a young age to jump at any opportunities. Ginger launched her Broadway debut in the musical "Top Speed" in 1929. The following year, George and Ira Gershwin chose her as the lead in "Girl Crazy." At just 19, Rogers was already a star.
She soon caught Astaire's attention. Just in her 20s, she appeared with Astaire for the first time in "Flying Down to Rio" in 1933. And their dancing stole the show.
Work Hard And Smart
Rogers found out early in her career success only comes to those who put in the time.
She'd often perform six shows a day, seven days a week in her early years. Broadway's schedule was also intense. Rogers appeared in roughly 20 movies by the time she met Astaire.
"Many long hours of arduous creative effort go into the preparation of a dance number," she recalled in "Ginger Rogers: My Story," published in 1991. "Fortunately, I love rehearsals. I had more fun rehearsing than in actually performing. Inspiration comes during the preparation as you seek a better turn, step or jump. In performance, you do it once and that's it!"
Roger's love of performing gave her a spark others lacked. "Rogers was outstanding because, as a skilled, intuitive actress, she realized that acting did not stop when dancing began," John Mueller wrote in "Astaire Dancing: The Musical Films." "She seemed uniquely to understand the dramatic import of the dance ... and cunningly contributed her share to the choreographic impact of their numbers together."
Roger's team-up with Astaire breathed new life into Hollywood. Their eight musicals as a couple in the 1930s revolutionized the tired genre. Together they made box office smashes of "The Gay Divorcee," "Top Hat," and "Swing Time."
Rogers, though, knew her value and would defend it if needed. She refused to come to rehearsals for "Swing Time" until her contract was improved.
Set New Goals And Constantly Improve Your Performance
Rogers, though, wisely avoided getting type cast as just Astaire's dancing partner.
During the height of the movies with Astaire, Rogers also had many nonmusical successes, including the drama "Stage Door" in 1937 opposite Katharine Hepburn.
Careful manicuring her career propelled her success. Rogers won the Academy Award for best actress for "Kitty Foyle" in 1940.
The variety of some of her biggest box office smashes was impressive. In 1941's "Tom, Dick, and Harry," she portrayed a woman having trouble deciding which suitor to marry. In 1942, she starred in director Billy Wilder's first film, "The Major and the Minor," in which, though a grown woman, she benefited from pretending to be 12 years old. The same year, she was a flapper on trial for the murder of her lover in "Roxie Hart."
Pivot Your Business Model When Your Market Changes
In the 1950s, Rogers found fewer parts for older actresses. But she still managed to break through.
She appeared in films with Ronald Reagan, Marilyn Monroe and Edward G. Robinson. Her last of 73 films was "Harlow" in 1965. But her ticket in film history was already punched. The American Film Institute's list of the "legendary female movie stars of all time" puts Rogers at No. 14, just behind Grace Kelly (Laurence Olivier is her counterpart in the men's ranking).
In the 1960s, Rogers switched to TV and the stage, starring in "Hello, Dolly!" on Broadway for a then-record of 1,116 performances. This was followed in 1969-70 by "Mame," which was in London's West End for 14 months. There Rogers became the highest-paid performer in its history.
Rogers knew later in her career it was time to pivot to mostly celebrate her past hits. From the mid-1970s to 1980, she toured the world with "The Ginger Rogers Show." It featured songs from her entire career.
But she still found ways to try new things. In 1985, at 74, Rogers directed the musical "Babes in Arms" off-Broadway. And two years later made her final screen appearance on the TV program "Hotel."
Rogers: Lead A Fulfilling Life By Living Your Values
Rogers' mother was a Christian Scientist. And she adhered to the faith all her life. She thought prayer for healing can bring miracles, rather than resorting to medicine. She was also an ardent campaigner for Republican candidates and active in helping animals.
Through these activities, Rogers found the true joy of life is sharing value you have with others. "The most important thing in anyone's life is to be giving something," she said. "The quality I can give is fun and joy and happiness."
Rogers' pursuit of joy is still contagious, Patrice Tanaka, author of "Becoming Ginger Rogers: How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, Better Partner, and Smarter CEO," told Investor's Business Daily.
For sure, her flowing moves on screen drew adoration. "When I was young, I was enthralled watching Fred and Ginger flow together effortlessly," Tanaka said. "She was light and luminous and I was awe-struck by their poetry in motion."
But Roger's life philosophy is what made her more than just a pretty face. "Choose joy, be mindful of joy and share joy with others," she said. "Thank you Ms. Rogers for taking the lead and showing the way."
Ginger Rogers' Keys
- Legendary singer and dancer during Hollywood's Golden Age, culminating in an Academy Award for best actress in 1940.
- Overcame: Tremendous demands of Fred Astaire's choreography.
- Lesson: "The only way to enjoy anything in life is to earn it first."
