Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, singer, actor and choreographer. He is widely regarded as the most influential dancer in the history of film. Born as Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 10, 1899, to Johanna (Geilus) and Fritz, a brewer, he entered show business at age 5. He was successful in vaudeville and on Broadway as well as in London's West End together with his sister Adele, a partnership that lasted 27 years. After Adele retired to marry in 1932, Astaire headed to Hollywood. Signed to RKO, he was loaned to MGM to appear in Dancing Lady (1933) before starting work on RKO's Flying Down to Rio (1933). In the latter film, he was teamed with Ginger Rogers, with whom he worked in 9 RKO pictures. Astaire later appeared opposite a number of partners, including Cyd Charisse, Rita Hayworth, Vera-Ellen and Barrie Chase. Astaire remained active well into old age, starring in musicals through 1968, and also performed a number of straight dramatic roles in film and TV. Throughout his career, he was also active in recording and radio. He died of pneumonia on June 22, 1987 in Los Angeles.
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 18.847 |
| Birthday | 1899-05-10 |
| Place of Birth | Omaha, Nebraska, USA |
| Also Known As | Frederic Austerlitz Jr., Frederick Austerlitz, |
1935
Top Hat
7.273/291
Showman Jerry Travers is working for producer Horace Hardwick in London. Jerry demonstrates his new dance steps late one night in Horace's hotel room,...
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Top Hat
1936
Swing Time
6.8/220
Lucky is tricked into missing his own wedding to Margaret and has to make $25,000 so her father will allow him to marry her. He and business partner P...
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Swing Time
1974
The Towering Inferno
7.015/926
At the opening party of a colossal—but poorly constructed—skyscraper, a massive fire breaks out, threatening to destroy the tower and everyone in it.
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The Towering Inferno
1977
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town
5.5/12
The Mailman decides to stop another deluge of letters by answering questions about the Easter Bunny: Sunny, a baby rabbit found and adopted by Kidvill...
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The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town
1937
Shall We Dance
7.2/105
Ballet star Petrov arranges to cross the Atlantic aboard the same ship as the dancer and musical star he's fallen for but barely knows. By the time th...
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Shall We Dance
1935
Roberta
7/43
Football player John Kent tags along as Huck Haines and the Wabash Indianians travel to an engagement in Paris, only to lose it immediately. John and...
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Roberta
1981
Ghost Story
6/145
Four successful elderly gentlemen, members of the Chowder Society, share a gruesome, 50-year-old secret. When one of Edward Wanderley's twin sons dies...
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Ghost Story
1941
Second Chorus
5.8/32
Danny O'Neill and Hank Taylor are rival trumpeters with the Perennials, a college band, and both men are still attending college by failing their exam...
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Second Chorus
1955
Daddy Long Legs
6.3/85
Wealthy American, Jervis Pendleton has a chance encounter at a French orphanage with a cheerful 18-year-old resident, and anonymously pays for her edu...
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Daddy Long Legs
1962
Flashing Spikes
6/2
An old ballplayer, thrown out of baseball due to a bribery scandal, becomes friends with a young phenom. The younger player is at first tainted by his...
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Flashing Spikes
1957
Funny Face
7/676
A shy Greenwich Village book clerk is discovered by a fashion photographer and whisked off to Paris where she becomes a reluctant model.
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Funny Face
1970
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
7.07/221
A postman, S.D. Kluger, decides to answer some of the most common questions about Santa Claus, and tells us about a baby named Kris who is raised by a...
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Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
1942
Holiday Inn
6.995/199
Lovely Linda Mason has crooner Jim Hardy head over heels, but suave stepper Ted Hanover wants her for his new dance partner after fickle Lila Dixon gi...
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Holiday Inn
1934
The Gay Divorcee
6.8/124
Seeking a divorce from her absentee husband, Mimi Glossop travels to an English seaside resort. There she falls in love with dancer Guy Holden, whom s...
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The Gay Divorcee
1936
Follow the Fleet
6.846/65
When the US Navy fleet docks at San Francisco, sailor Bake Baker tries to rekindle the flame with his old dancing partner, Sherry Martin, while Bake's...
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Follow the Fleet
1933
Flying Down to Rio
6.194/62
A dance band leader finds love and success in Brazil.
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Flying Down to Rio
1959
On the Beach
6.6/202
In 1964, atomic war wipes out humanity in the northern hemisphere; one American submarine finds temporary safe haven in Australia, where life-as-usual...
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On the Beach
1941
You'll Never Get Rich
6.6/52
A Broadway choreographer gets drafted and coincidentally ends up in the same army base as the boyfriend of his object of affection.
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You'll Never Get Rich
1953
The Band Wagon
7.1/208
A Broadway artiste turns a faded film star's comeback vehicle into an artsy flop.
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The Band Wagon
1948
Easter Parade
6.9/135
On the day before Easter in 1911, Don Hewes is crushed when his dancing partner (and object of affection) Nadine Hale refuses to start a new contract...
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Easter Parade
1938
Carefree
6.598/61
Dr. Tony Flagg's friend Steven has problems in the relationship with his fiancée Amanda, so he persuades her to visit Tony. After some minor misunders...
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Carefree
1949
The Barkleys of Broadway
6.9/46
Josh and Dinah Barkley are a successful musical-comedy team, known for their stormy but passionate relationship. Dinah feels overshadowed by Josh and...
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The Barkleys of Broadway
1968
Finian's Rainbow
5.8/42
An Irish immigrant and his daughter arrive in Kentucky with a magical piece of gold that alters the course of several lives, including those of a stru...
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Finian's Rainbow
1950
Three Little Words
5.9/12
Song-and-dance man Bert Kalmar can't continue his stage career after an injury, so he has to earn his money as a lyricist. By chance, he meets compose...
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Three Little Words
1957
Silk Stockings
6.7/57
After three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to retrieve a straying Soviet composer from Paris, the beautiful, ultra-serious Ninotchka is...
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Silk Stockings
1952
The Belle of New York
5.6/12
In squeaky-clean New York at the turn of the century, playboy Charlie Hill falls so much in love that he can walk on air. The object of his affections...
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The Belle of New York
1945
Ziegfeld Follies
6.1/50
The late, great impresario Florenz Ziegfeld looks down from heaven and ordains a new revue in his grand old style.
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Ziegfeld Follies
1945
Yolanda and the Thief
5.7/11
Johnny Riggs, a con man on the lam, finds himself in a Latin-American country named Patria. There, he overhears a convent-bred rich girl praying to he...
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Yolanda and the Thief
1943
The Sky's the Limit
6.1/19
Flying Tiger Fred Atwell sneaks away from his famous squadron's personal appearance tour and goes incognito for several days of leave. He quickly fall...
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The Sky's the Limit
1942
You Were Never Lovelier
7.1/50
An Argentine heiress thinks a penniless American dancer is her secret admirer.
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You Were Never Lovelier
1940
Broadway Melody of 1940
6.7/37
Johnny Brett and King Shaw are an unsuccessful dance team in New York. A producer discovers Brett as the new partner for Clare Bennett, but Brett, who...
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Broadway Melody of 1940
1933
Dancing Lady
7/38
Janie lives to dance and will dance anywhere, even stripping in a burlesque house. Tod Newton, the rich playboy, discovers her there and helps her get...
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Dancing Lady
1937
A Damsel in Distress
6.4/34
Lady Alyce Marshmorton must marry soon, and the staff of Tottney Castle have laid bets on who she'll choose, with young Albert wagering on 'Mr. X'. Af...
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A Damsel in Distress
1951
Royal Wedding
6.4/92
Tom and Ellen are asked to perform as a dance team in England at the time of Princess Elizabeth's wedding. As brother and sister, each develops a Brit...
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Royal Wedding
1939
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
7/36
In 1911, minor stage comic, Vernon Castle meets the stage-struck Irene Foote. A few misadventures later, they marry and then abandon comedy to attempt...
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The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
1962
The Notorious Landlady
6.7/51
An American junior diplomat in London rents a house from, and falls in love with, a woman suspected of murder.
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The Notorious Landlady
1982
Showbiz Goes to War
10/1
While a few Hollywood celebrities such as James Stewart and Clark Gable saw combat during World War II, the majority used their talents to rally the A...
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Showbiz Goes to War
1946
Blue Skies
6/25
Jed Potter looks back on a love triangle conducted over the course of years and between musical numbers. Dancer Jed loves showgirl Mary, who loves com...
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Blue Skies
1968
The World Premiere of 'Finian's Rainbow'
0/0
This documentary has interviews with actors and the director as they arrive for the 1968 New York world premiere of "Finian's Rainbow."
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The World Premiere of 'Finian's Rainbow'
1976
That's Entertainment, Part II
6.8/35
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time including comedy and drama as well as classic musical num...
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That's Entertainment, Part II
1970
The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again
5/7
Walter Brennan is back as the clever and funny over the hill Texas Ranger Nash Crawford. This time the gang must face corruption in their own home tow...
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The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again
1977
The Purple Taxi
5.8/26
With his mauve taxi, the old philosopher Dr. Seamus Scully runs around the small green roads of the south of Ireland, becoming confident of his patien...
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The Purple Taxi
1972
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
6/2
A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading to the sale of its back lot and props. By extension th...
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Hollywood: The Dream Factory
1961
The Pleasure of His Company
6.2/12
Biddeford "Pogo" Poole, an urbane charmer, has been absent for most of the life of his daughter, Jessica, but he pops up again as she prepares to marr...
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The Pleasure of His Company
1976
The Amazing Dobermans
5.6/11
An ex-con man and his five trained Dobermans help a Treasury Dept. agent stop a racketeer and his gang.
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The Amazing Dobermans
1998
Doris Day: It's Magic
0/0
When the cameras rolled, Doris Day wore a happy face, never hinting at the pain she endured in her personal life. This documentary brings viewers clos...
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Doris Day: It's Magic
1950
Let's Dance
5.5/6
Years after the death of her husband, Kitty McNeil takes her son and flees from the home of her wealthy and controlling mother-in-law. Alone and joble...
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Let's Dance
1985
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
5.4/11
Biography of the legendary filmmaker directed by his son.
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George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
1969
Midas Run
4/4
A veteran secret service officer from Britain hijacks a government shipment of $15 million of gold out of an irritation for never being knighted.
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Midas Run
1979
The Man in the Santa Claus Suit
5.167/6
The mysterious owner of a costume shop rents a Santa Claus suit to three very different men: a math teacher trying to get the nerve to propose, a home...
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The Man in the Santa Claus Suit
1942
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
0/0
The edition of Screen Snapshots celebrates 25 years of production. It looks at the content of edition #1, then a tribute to movie people who have died...
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Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
1978
A Family Upside Down
7/2
An elderly married couple find that as their physical and mental health deteriorates, they find themselves dependent more and more upon their grown ch...
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A Family Upside Down
1984
Going Hollywood: The '30s
10/1
Robert Preston hosts this documentary that shows what people of the 1930s were watching as they were battling the Depression as well as eventually get...
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Going Hollywood: The '30s
1961
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
3.3/3
Henry Fonda hosts this retrospective on the career and films of iconic filmmaker David O. Selznick, who epitomized the era of the auteur producer in t...
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Hollywood: The Selznick Years
2019
In Full Swing
0/0
A documentary on the making of the 1936 film Swing Time, featuring interviews with jazz and film critic Gary Giddens, dance critic Brian Seibert, and...
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In Full Swing
1990
You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
0/0
Biographical portrait of one of Broadway's most brilliant songwriters. Told through the use of archival material and interviews with the rich and famo...
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You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
2022
A Life in Technicolor
0/0
Alone in her apartment during the pandemic, Natalie turns to her favorite classic movies to keep her company. When her life in color gradually begins...
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A Life in Technicolor
1990
Dance Crazy in Hollywood
6/1
American dancer and choreographer Hermes Pan recalls his life and work as he relives the glorious history of the Hollywood musical.
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Dance Crazy in Hollywood
2006
"All -Singing All-Dancing" Before And After
0/0
The development of sound and song dance production techniques, and how they come together in 'Holiday Inn'
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"All -Singing All-Dancing" Before And After
1973
The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli
0/0
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The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli
2005
Easter Parade: On the Avenue
0/0
This documentary tells the story of the making of Irving Berlin's Easter Parade.
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Easter Parade: On the Avenue
2003
Cole Porter in Hollywood: Begin the Beguine
0/0
An overview of Cole Porter’s musical contributions to the film Broadway Melody of 1940.
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Cole Porter in Hollywood: Begin the Beguine
2003
Cole Porter in Hollywood: Satin and Silk
0/0
This documentary short subject details the making of the 1957 MGM musical, "Silk Stockings". Hosted by its star Cyd Charisse, the film gives behind-th...
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Cole Porter in Hollywood: Satin and Silk
1974
That's Entertainment!
7.2/60
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.
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That's Entertainment!
1985
The Purple Rose of Cairo
7.4/1042
Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. Her only escape from her mundane reality is the movie theatre....
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The Purple Rose of Cairo
2005
Get Aboard! 'The Band Wagon'
0/0
Documentary on the 1953 musical "The Band Wagon."
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Get Aboard! 'The Band Wagon'
1993
Audrey Hepburn: Remembered
7/3
Audrey Hepburn was one of the movies' best-loved stars, blessed with beauty, talent, an elegant sophistication and an enduring aura of youthful innoce...
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Audrey Hepburn: Remembered
2012
Bad 25
7.3/69
Spike Lee pays tribute to Michael Jackson's Bad on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the epochal album, offering behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson re...
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Bad 25
1998
A Bing Crosby Christmas
0/0
The program on this DVD is basically a retrospective produced in the early 1990s for public television that was originally called «A Bing Crosby Chris...
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A Bing Crosby Christmas
2015
Perspectives: For the Love of Fred Astaire
0/0
Strictly Come Dancing's Len Goodman shows his softer side in Fred Astaire tribute. Includes interviews with Astaire's daughter Ava as well as dance pa...
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Perspectives: For the Love of Fred Astaire
1985
That's Dancing!
7/18
A documentary film about dancing on the screen, from it's orgins after the invention of the movie camera, over the movie musical from the late 20s, 30...
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That's Dancing!
1994
That's Entertainment! III
6.943/35
Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929 to Brigadoon, from the first musical talkies to G...
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That's Entertainment! III
1975
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
5.7/7
Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American entertainment industry during the Great Depression.
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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
2000
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
0/0
Highlights from the great musicals of the 1940s. Stars featured include Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Doris Day,...
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Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
1958
An Evening with Fred Astaire
8/1
A one-hour live television special starring Fred Astaire.
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An Evening with Fred Astaire
1959
Another Evening with Fred Astaire
0/0
A one-hour live television special starring Fred Astaire.
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Another Evening with Fred Astaire
1960
Astaire Time
8/1
A one-hour live television special starring Fred Astaire.
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Astaire Time
1968
The Fred Astaire Show
7/1
Ten years after the award winning "An Evening With..." Astaire shows us his "hip" credentials in this paen to the flower power era,larking about with...
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The Fred Astaire Show
2003
Complicated Women
6.7/11
Looks at the stereotype-breaking films of the period from 1929, when movies entered the sound era, until 1934 when the Hays Code virtually neutered fi...
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Complicated Women
1944
Twenty Years After
6/1
This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits, then from a number of 1944 releases.
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Twenty Years After
1972
Imagine
7/29
A surreal, half-fiction, half real life footage of a day in the life of John lennon and Yoko Ono, composed to music from John's historic 'Imagine' alb...
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Imagine
1975
The Lion Roars Again
0/0
A chronicle of the 1975 International Press Conclave hosted by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer over two days in May 1975.
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The Lion Roars Again
2018
La La La
7.25/4
When the silent cinema learned to speak, the audience was surprised not only by the voices of the actors and the sound effects, but also by a new elem...
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La La La
1956
Stars of Cabaret
0/0
A collection of amateur films made by photographer Roderic Vickers and friends.
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Stars of Cabaret
2006
Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm
6.5/2
Featuring clips from all 10 films which Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers made together from 1933 to 1949. Includes candid photos and behind-the-scenes tid...
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Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm
2009
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
7.5/12
This documentary focuses on 1939, considered to be Hollywood's greatest year, with film clips and insight into what made the year so special.
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1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
2014
And the Oscar Goes To...
6.971/51
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy...
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And the Oscar Goes To...
2014
Bing Crosby: Rediscovered
7/2
Bing Crosby was, without a doubt, the most popular and influential multi-media star of the first half of the twentieth century, pulling audiences in w...
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Bing Crosby: Rediscovered
2019
Sid & Judy
7.6/12
Explore the dramatic career and personal struggles of the talented and tragically short-lived entertainer Judy Garland through rare concert footage, n...
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Sid & Judy
2017
Fred Astaire donne le 'la'
0/0
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Fred Astaire donne le 'la'
2017
Darcey Bussell: Looking for Fred Astaire
0/0
Documentary in which Darcey Bussell profiles Hollywood dancer Fred Astaire, marking 30 years since his death.
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Darcey Bussell: Looking for Fred Astaire
2005
Reunited at MGM: Astaire and Rogers Together Again
0/0
A cherished remembrance of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers reunited for the film, "The Barkleys of Broadway."
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Reunited at MGM: Astaire and Rogers Together Again
1991
The Fred Astaire Songbook
0/0
A loving tribute to Astaire the singer, hosted by Audrey Hepburn.
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The Fred Astaire Songbook
2010
Astaire and Rogers Sing the Great American Songbook
0/0
Compilation of memorable songs from the Great American Songbook sung by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their films. Includes songs written by Georg...
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Astaire and Rogers Sing the Great American Songbook
1972
S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin
5/1
A musical tribute to brothers George and Ira Gershwin
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S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin
2014
Sem Título #1: Dance of Leitfossil
10/1
Experimental Short, Brazil
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Sem Título #1: Dance of Leitfossil
2024
The Rudolph, Frosty & Friends Sing Along
0/0
Ten Musical Yuletide treasures featuring the voices of Fred Astaire, Jimmy Durante and Burl Ives. Create A tuneful new family tradition with this fest...
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The Rudolph, Frosty & Friends Sing Along
2009
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
0/0
A two-hour in-depth exploration into the Hollywood musicals of the 1930s.
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Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
2009
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing
6/1
This is a two-hour in-depth exploration into the Hollywood musicals of the 1940s.
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Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing
2016
Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall
6.9/74
Director Spike Lee chronicles Michael Jackson's early rise to fame.
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