Eastbourne UK bandstand and pleasure pier

entertainment facilities on Eastbourne Pier

Like other coastal towns, Eastbourne began to grow rapidly as the medicinal and leisure benefits of sea air and sea bathing became well known. Locals scrambled to provide a wide variety of facilities and amusements for the thousands who flocked to Eastbourne each summer. My favourite would have been Devonshire Park which was first designed in 1874 with terraces, walks and a cricket ground. As the money flowed in, the owners added tennis courts and a roller skating rink. Very sensibly they located Devonshire Park next to the baths, the Winter Gardens and the Theatre. 

In this post, I am interested in publicly funded facilities. There were many pleasure piers built around the coastal resort towns of Britain, and then in other countries. The earliest was probably Ryde’s on the Isle of Wight (1813) although the majority did not start until the late C19th. Early pleasure piers were made of wood; iron structures only became more popular with the construction in 1855 of Margate Jetty. The National Piers Society suggests that only 55 seaside piers survive today in England and Wales, the oldest extant iron pier being in Southport (1860).

Eastbourne's pier was designed by Eugenius Birch in 1865 and built by the Eastbourne Pier Company for £15,000. Originally a landing stage for steamers, it soon became a "pleasure pier" because it enabled the gentry to walk over the water and to participate in the social life there.

Spouse and I loved the pier when we first lived in Britain. But decades later it was starting to look just a little bit old fashioned. The only innovation that I remember was The Victorian Tea Rooms which  specialised in Sussex Cream Tea and attractive table settings.

Agatha Christie's story, The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan, was set in Brighton but partially filmed in Eastbourne. Just as well the film was finished in 1993. Firstly the owners put Eastbourne Pier up for sale in 2009; included were Victorian tea rooms, an amusement arcade, bars and a nightclub. Secondly Eastbourne Pier experienced a fire in July 2014 that burned through a large amount of the central domed building. The two-thirds of the 305-metre pier that were not destroyed ...were quickly reopened.

Even more popular than pleasure piers, re leisure time activities, were the bandstands built in the UK, Australia and other countries in the world. Presumably they too resulted from changing social life in late Victorian & Edwardian years.

Normally bandstands were built in the centre of a public park, surrounded by lawns & gardens where families strolled or sat on portable chairs. The old practice of military bands marching through built up areas in town, surrounded by scruffy children and hangers-on, was no longer acceptable.

Each coastal town sought to unify the pleasure activities in the centre of the town’s beach area. Many towns liked to choose from amusement arcades, theatres, restaurants, tea rooms, striped deck chairs, slot machines, lunar park rides, fishing sites, fairground stalls and walking areas. What was less common was a bandstand being located right next to a beach, very close to that coastal town’s pleasure pier.

Eastbourne bandstand, pleasure pier and beach

This East Sussex town had its bandstand by 1893, standing on cast iron stilts right on the seafront. Decades later, as a part of the town’s plan to improve its resort facilities, a newer Eastbourne Band stand went up. The 2nd bandstand, built in 1935, had a rather special semi-circular design, Orientalist blue domed roof and silver finial. Still today, see its main arena with middle and upper balconies seating 3,500 people.

Ten thousand people attended the three concerts given in that special summer of 1935.

For many years Eastbourne bandstand ran a daily programme of military bands, at least until the end of each summer season. But new audiences don’t necessarily love what their grandparents loved. So in 2010, the 75th anniversary of the new bandstand, big band nights, rock 'n' roll and Last Night of the Proms were added to the programme. The concert music ended triumphantly with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture, accompanied by a spectacular firework display.

Clearly the organisers are making the programme more relevant for modern audiences and the bandstand is having a new lease on life. Some 150 concerts are now held per year in Eastbourne (pop 90,000).

Eastbourne bandstand and concert

One last thought that I have raised before - a connection between bandstands and the Titanic. See a commemorative plaque at the rear of the original Eastbourne bandstand, in memory of a local  bands-man who was playing on the Titanic when it sank in April 1912. That plaque was transferred to the newer, 1935 bandstand.

Grand Hotel, Eastbourne

I hope you enjoy Eastbourne History Tour by Kevin Gordon, Amberley Publishing, 2019.

Guernsey is fun but have you visited?

Examine the legacy of the islands’ knitting industry. Started in the 1500s, the knitting industry first produced garments for commercial sale incl stockings & undergarment Guernsey frocks. Using a soft worsted wool, they supplied warmth. Their stockings were popular, worn by Queen Elizabeth I & Mary Queen of Scots!

The industry was so large in the 1680s that 6,000 of the 14,000 population were employed as knitters! This resulted in lacking food production workers; rumour had it that men were banned from knitting in daylight hours, to encourage them to work on land & sea. In Sark and perhaps Guernsey too. By mid-1700s the industrial revolution started, and hand-knitted items couldn’t financially compete with factory-made items. Fewer knitters were needed, so focus turned to providing warm garments for sea workers.

 Guernsey's fishermen wearing their jumper

The guernsey jumper was first noted in the 1800s, made with 100% worsted wool, a strong yarn with long fibres, moisture-proof. When knitted at a tight gauge, the fabric became almost windproof, to keep the wearer dry & warm. Note the original diamond shape in underarms for easy movement. The popularity spread, becoming the best garment for coastal workers across Britain. In 1804 the jumper was recommended by Adm Nelson for naval troops saying the jacket was the best and most valuable seaman's clothes ever introduced. As the jumper spread in UK and beyond, it became almost the classic fisherman’s item.

Guernsey, closer to France than to the UK

With modern alternatives available, the hand-made guernsey slowly vanished in early 1900s. Only when war broke out in 1939, was the group Guernsey for Seamen started by local ladies. They knitted guernseys for local Navy sailors; from Dec 1939 to June 1940’s Occupation, 102 guernseys were gratefully accepted at sea. 

After being handmade for years, local companies began commercial production of beloved guernsey in C20th. Incorporating traditional techniques, they brought jumpers to a new audience. Across the islands, the 3 producers of guernsey jumpers: Le Tricoteur, Guernsey Woollens and Channel Jumpers. Le Tricoteur were producing in 1964, after the founder’s product was admired on an American trip. In late 70s, peak production time, c400 hand knitters & 100,000 garments a year! Channel Jumpers opened in 1976, to revive the traditional sweater unproduced since WWI. During royal visits, they gifted guernseys to the Royals!  Join heritage spinners on the Courtyard at the Folk and Costume Museum for a hands on demonstration, to see the island’s great textile heritage.

Join a local guide on a spooktacular evening walking tour. Hear real-life stories of hauntings, the infamous witch trials and Guernsey's most gruesome tales of punishment, torture & horror. Or go on a Seaweed Foraging Tour which teaches seaweed’s uses in farming, cosmetics, cooking & fashions.

Guernsey dairy cows

Trio Bohémo (Jan Vojtek piano, Matouš Pěruška violin and Kristina Vocetková cello) plays at leading international venues and at major festivals eg Prague Spring. See the Trio at St James Concert Hall, playing Smetana, Schoenfield and Dvořák. Symphonic Winds present a programme of things French, also at St James. Guernsey has a historic link to its Normandy neighbours. Or experience French Connection for a month at the Big Eat Food Festival which showcases with special events and festival menus. At The Great Outdoors events & Meet the Locals, discover hidden flavours and wild ingredients with Foraging and Fine Dining.

Built in 1796 to serve as the Lieutenant Governor's residence, this historic Old Government House Hotel has perfect sea views sitting on the hill in central St Peter Port, close to the quay side. Rich friends of ours loved the special food, traditional hospitality and beautifully designed rooms.

    

Old Government House Hotel 

museums and gardens of Castle Cornet

WorldWideWriter

Castle Cornet has 4 historic gardens. Governor's Garden was planted in a formal C18th style, was designed to resemble a tapestry. The plants on display were chosen specifically for their ability to be clipped into a desired shape. Sutler's Garden was planted in 2 parts: a C16th herb and vegetable garden, and adjacent pleasure gardens. Lambert's Garden was named for castle prisoner Gen Sir John Lambert, the garden being where he cultivated medicinal and cooking herbs. The Master Gunner's Garden is displayed in a C19th domestic pattern, used for growing vegetables, fruits & herbs, with a closed area for small livestock

 

The Guernsey Literary Festival, now one of the biggest annual arts events in the Channel Islands, features 50+ events, including a full education and community programme. With the National Year of Reading, the 2026 Festival brings together a varied programme.

Spring comes 4 weeks earlier in Guernsey than the mainland, so beautiful island flora flourish in the La Seigneurie Estate gardens. Woodland walks go past the Monk's Well, duck pond and across the bridge to St Magloire's island placed by military engineer Seigneur. & an Amphitheatre.

Recommended by the Royal Horticultural Society, these gardens provide interest all year. Guernsey's mild climate allows plants that would typically need protection to grow to thrive in the outdoors at Sausmarez Manor. Wandering on the winding paths and jungle-like glades, discover many plants inc Giant Geraniums, Palm trees, Bamboos, Banana trees, Tree Ferns and Camellias. Saumarez Park was once part of the family's private estate, acquired following the death of 4th Lord de Saumarez in 1937. The award-winning Victorian walled garden eventually fell into a ruined state so since 2006, the garden has been tended in a community-based project, preserving the Victorian heritage.

St Peter Port

The Telegraph

Offering views over St Peter Port harbour and across to Herm, Sark, Candie Garden is a late C19th public flower garden with global plants. Home to Britain’s late C18th heated glasshouses, the gardens have a museum, art gallery and cafe. Tour St Peter Port's Seafront Sunday where a busy market fills with local arts and crafts, produce, drinks & food in summer. Stroll the seafront and see a Victor Hugo statue, gifted from the French government with thanks.

Candie Gardens in St Peter Paul

Expedia

Guernsey has a land surface area of 63 km2 and supports c60,000 people. The traditional industries of fishing and agriculture used to contribute much to the island’s economy. Now the importance of agriculture is mainly associated with the preservation of the island’s own Guernsey dairy cow. Clearly my Guernsey history focused on knitteds, agriculture and gardens. Thanks to the History of the Guernsey.

                                            

Edgar Degas, impressionist or modernist?

Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was born in Paris, son of banker Augustin De Gas. At 11 Degas enrolled in Lycée Louis-le-Grand, graduating in 1853. He was painting seriously and by 18, his bedroom became an artist's studio. He began making copies in the Louvre, but his father wanted him to study. So Degas enrolled in Law at Paris Uni in Nov 1853 but was bored. In 1855, Degas met Jean Auguste Ingres whom he revered. In Ap that year, Degas enrolled at Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he studied drawing & flourished. In Jul 1856 Degas moved to Italy for 3 years, copying Renaissance art.

After returning home, Degas continued copying paintings at the Louvre, still remained a keen copyist. He first exhibited at the Salon in 1865, when the jury accepted his painting Scene of War in the Middle Ages, attracting little attention. Although he exhibited annually in the Salon for 4 years, he submitted no more history paintings; his Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey (1866 Salon) signalled a new commitment to modernity. The change in his art was influenced by Édouard Manet who he met in the Louvre.

Degas, Cotton Office in New Orleans, 

1873, Wiki

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When the Franco-Prussian War erupted in 1870, Degas enlisted in the National Guard, defending Paris. During rifle training, his eyes were damaged. Post-war Degas enjoyed a long stay (from 1872) in New Orleans LA where his brother René and other relatives lived. One of Degas' New Orleans works, Cotton Exchange at New Orleans, won positive notice in France. Note it was his only work purchased by a museum during his lifetime!

Impressionism emerged in the 1860s, and grew in part from the realism of men like Courbet and Corot. The Impressionists painted the world's realities using notable colours, concentrating mainly on light effects. Degas hurt the Impressionists when he constantly belittled their en plein air art. He was anti-Impressionism, just like the critics who reviewed their shows, saying: What I do is the result of reflection and of the study of the great masters; I know nothing of spontaneity. See his Parisian scenes, off-centre compositions, experiments with colour & form, and friendship with key Impressionists.

Degas returned to Paris in 1873. Alas his father died and in settling the estate, it was found that brother René had amassed huge business debts. To preserve the family name, Degas had to sell his house and a collection of art he’d inherited. He suddenly found himself dependent on his own art sales for income. By now very unhappy with the Salon, Degas joined forces with young artists who were organising an Independent Art Society. Their first Impressionist Exhibitions started in 1874,  and they later held 7 additional shows until 1886.

Degas’ distinct style showed his respect for the old masters and his admiration for Ingres and Eugène Delacroix. And he liked the vigorous realism of popular illustrators. When he became famous for horses and dancers, his treatment of traditional historical subjects became less idealised. Degas already showed the mature style that he would later develop more, by cropping subjects awkwardly and by choosing unusual views. By late 1860s, Degas had shifted from his initial history paintings to contemporary life.

 
The artist organised the shows and displayed his style in all of them, despite conflicting with other group members. He had little in common with Monet & other landscape artists whom he mocked for painting outside. Conservative socially, he disliked the scandal created by the shows, plus the publicity that his colleagues sought. He rejected the name Impressionist that the press popularised, and his insistence on having traditional artists in the shows annoyed the group, disbanding in 1886. As his financial situation improved via selling his own works, he was keen to collect works by old masters eg El Greco, and moderns eg Manet, Pissarro, Cézanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh. Loved artists, Ingres & Delacroix, were well represented.

The Ballet Class, c1875

Wiki

The Dancing Class, 1870s

The French Desk

Degas became isolated, due partly to his belief that an artist could have no personal life. The Dreyfus Affair (1894->) brought his anti-Semitism to the fore and he separated from all his Jewish friends. His interest in portraiture led him to study the ways in which peoples’ social stature and employment type were revealed in their features, posture & dress. In Portraits At the Stock Exchange 1879, he anti-Semitically showed a group of Jewish businessmen. With his athletic dancers and solid laundresses painting, he revealed their occupations by their dress, activities and body type.

His subject matter & his technique changed. The dark palette displaying Dutch art’s influence gave way to colour use and bold brush strokes. Place de la Concorde 1875 “froze” to portray them accurately, seeing movement. The changes to his palette, brushwork & composition displayed the influence that both Impressionism’s & photography’s natural images had.

Jockeys, 1881

all that's good

Race horses, 1884

While visiting a childhood friend in Normandy, Degas made his first studies of horses. Then his treatment of traditional historical subjects became idealised. Degas did racing scenes throughout his career, using his horses and jockeys from one picture to the next. All the figures had been in earlier works and some of the poses were quite distinguished. The prancing mount and rider derived from Benozzo Gozzoli's Journey in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi Florence, which Degas copied earlier. Yet this picture was unusual for its medium—pastel, colouring the sky and landscape, & giving a warm undertone in front. Race course scenes allowed Degas to depict horses and riders in a modern context.

Laundry Girls Ironing, 1884

WikiArt

When he painted working women eg milliners & laundresses, his treatment of traditional historical subjects became less idealised. Portrait of Mlle Fiocre in Ballet La Source, in the 1868 Salon, was his first major work to introduce his favourite models: dancers. In many later paintings, dancers were shown backstage or rehearsing, focusing on their status as working professionals. Degas also began to paint café life. He urged other artists to paint real life instead of traditional mythological or historical art, and his few literary scenes were modern. By the later 1870s Degas had mastered not only the traditional oils, but also pastels. The dry medium enabled him to reconcile his interest in line and in expressive colour. In the mid-1870s he returned to etching and less traditional printmaking.

These changes in media engendered the paintings that Degas produced in later life. Degas drew and painted women drying themselves with towels, combing their hair and bathing. The backgrounds were simplified.

Except for his skilled draftsmanship and obsession with figures, his later work bore little resemblance to his early era. Ironically the works created after the heyday of the Impressionist movement that most obviously used the colouristic techniques of Impressionism. Certain features of Degas's work remained for life. He always painted indoors, working IN his studio using models. The figure remained his primary subject; his landscapes were produced from memory or imagination. His works were prepared, calculated, practised and developed in stages.

Public reception of Degas' work included both admiration to contempt. As a promising artist in the conventional mode, Degas had a few works accepted in the Salon in the early years. These works received praise from some French critics. But Degas soon joined forces with the Impressionists and rejected the rigid rules, judgements, and elitism of the Salon. The Salon initially rejected the experimentalism of the Impressionists!

Degas' work was controversial, but in time it was admired for its draftsmanship. The nudes Degas exhibited in the 8th Impressionist Exhibition in 1886 produced "the most concentrated body of critical writing on the artist in his lifetime. ... The overall reaction was positive and laudatory." Little Dancer of Fourteen Years was probably his most controversial piece, with some critics said they saw ugliness.

He was a key artist late in life, esp by his great admirer Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec; it was his lively creation of daily activities and his bold colours that urged him into late Impressionism. But his paintings, pastels, drawings & sculptures weren’t intended for exhibition. Degas had no formal pupils, although he did influence painters like Mary Cassatt & Walter Sickert. He was working more, only ceasing his art in 1912. With demolition of his home, he spent the last years of his life, single and nearly blind, wandering Paris streets. Degas died in 1917. His paintings were discovered only after post-death, now prominently displayed in important museums.

Jugendstil - Art Nouveau in Prague

Jugendstil was the art­is­tic style that arose in Germany in mid-1890s and continued until WW1 loomed. It derived its name from the Munich magazine Die Jugend-Youth, which featured Art Nouveau designs. Two phases were seen in Jugendstil: 1] the early pre-1900 style that was mainly floral in character, rooted in English Art Nouveau; and 2] a later, more abstract phase, growing out of the Viennese work of the Belgian-born architect Henry van de Velde.

The fate of Alfonse Mucha (1860-1939), Czech painter, ill­ustrator and graphic artist, worked in Paris at the turn of the century, then some time in the U.S. He returned to Prague in 1913. There he particip­ated in the décor­ation of several buil­dings, being an active proponent of Czech modern art. So if some of the Prague Art Nouveau artists came from Vienna or learned in Vienna’s architectural schools, especially Otto Wagner's, Czech artists grew their way into Art Nouveau. Wander around AN sites in Prague and notice that Prague Art Nouveau artists had their favourite decorative pattern: a set of tree branches with flat and overlapping leaves.

Some areas of the town were designed in Jugendstil style. But out­side the city’s inner centre, the general state of the buildings did not look good. The broken windowpanes, the falling plaster and the Art Nouv­eau door han­dles repl­ac­ed by standard ones were certainly due to the Russ­ian legacy. But there haven't been many reconstruction programmes as there were in western Europe, so most or­iginal Art Nouveau buildings were not pulled down in Prague.

Sunflower Door, Prague, 1900

Quora   

A romantic walk across the Vlata on Charles' bridge will show the great astronomical clock (unique except for Strasbourg Fr­ance), rectan­g­le stone towers, part of the ancient city wall with typ­ical steep slat­ed roof and four peaks in the angles. For Classical Music lovers, there is a concert in every church every day. Till 1918, Prague was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and then became the capital of Czechos­lov­akia (and later the Czech Republic).

But from the later C19th, independence movements arose. These voi­c­es claimed political autonomy and also cultural autonomy. In any case, Prague was not as broadly spread then as it is today. So a lot of Art Nouv­eau buil­d­ings that are today in Prague were in fact in other little indep­endent towns eg Smichov. Modern Prague started in the 1920s, and like many other large towns of that time in Europe, the capital city grew rap­idly. The era was contem­porary with fast rural depopulat­ion com­bined with start of industry. All the city walls were razed during later in the century.

The Sunflower Door was part of a building designed in the Art Nouveau style that was popular ac­ross Europe at turn of C20th. This decorative style was charact­erised by its use of nat­ural forms, curved lines and intricate floral-plant inspired motifs. The door bel­onged to the Art Nouveau movement expressing love for nature, with a prominent sunflow­er being a central design element. The door was created in historic Prague, a city known for its wide range of architectural styles, from Gothic & Baroque, to Renaissance & modernist. The Sunflower Door contributed to the city's reputation as an architectural treasure trove and is a bel­ov­­ed detail among the city's many historic buildings. It was a beau­t­­iful example of how everyday obj­ects like doors were transformed into works of art in Art  Nouveau period, and remain today.

Hilbert House, 1904

Sidewalk Safari

This door was built in 1900 by Czech architect Osvald Polivka (1859-1931), associated with the Secession-Art Nouveau period in Prague. Expl­ore the feminine con­tent of image graphics. There is an ancient language structure that assigned either a feminine or mas­cul­ine attribute to an action. The person waiting to catch a ball is in fem­inine-passive; the ball thrower is in masculine-active mode. Sex­ual designations based on body functions have been part of lan­guage as a form of classifying & understanding the world.

Designed in 1904 by Czech architect Kamil Hilbert with period decorations by Karel Novák, this is Hilbert House. The nicely curved arabesque metal work integrates very well with the carving on this street entrance door. The arabesque style glass bord­er­ing etching adds an additional transitional detail between the interior and exterior of the window. The arabesque radial pattern above the door functions like other Art Nouveau doors.

Villa Henlenka 

designed by Alois Korda in 1903

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Villa Henlenka was designed by Alois Korda in 1903. With its angle tower and floral glazing, this villa accumulated many Art Nouveau and tradit­ional features. Although it is the best example of Jugendstil villa near Prague, today the villa requires a lot of renovations.

                                      

Municipal House, 1905-11

architect Osvald Polivka
Prague Now

Municipal House (1905-11), designed by Osvald Polívka, was Prague’s most vigorously art-nouveau building. Every detail of its design and decoration was carefully considered and every painting and sculpture was loaded with symbolism. The city authorities wanted a multi-purpose building which offered not only public services but also cultural events eg concerts in Smetana Hall. The most symbolic nationistic event in Municipal House was Czechoslovak Declaration of Independence, 1918. Extrav­agantly decorated both inside and outside by leading Czech artists, it conjures up fin de siècle atmosphere. Restored in the 1990s after decades of neglect, the perfect decorations are in the restaurant.

Grand Hotel Europa was once the jewel-in-the-crown on Wenceslas Square. When the hotel opened in the 1870s, it was a symbol of luxury unprecedented in Czechoslovakia. Over the years, the hotel rooms became outdated, but the facade remained sparing with Art Nouveau details.  After renovation in 1906, the hotel once again luxurious.  

Royal Hotel Europa, 1906

Wiki

Hilbert House (1911) was sculptor and architect František Bilek’s studio and home, complete with semi carved stones and bricks. The whole building has beklen designed by Bilek from the furniture to the door handles, a perfect building to be used as a Museum about Bilek’s sculpture work. Brick work masonry was articulated by pillars in form of corn sheav­es, trying to express Bilek’s view on substance of life. See Bilek Villa in WanderBook.

Dancing House, 1992-6

modern and deconstructivist architecture

Wiki

 

Dancing House was designed by Czech architect Vlado Milunić & Canadian Frank Gehry on a perfect riverfront space. It consists of 2 cylindrical towers in daring shapes, it resembles two people swaying and dancing to music. One tower one bends at the middle, curving back, inspiring many to think of Ginger Rogers twirling about in the arms of Fred Astaire. In a city known for 1000 years of art & architecture, this modern building in Prague provided a sleek and modern contrast to the Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau standouts all around the town. The French restaurant on the top floor is very elegant.

Read Petr Wittlich's book, Art Nouveau Prague, 2000

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Picnics from noble feasts to rural relaxing

Picnics were the very epitome of innocent pastoral delight, but allow Alexander Lee to give us the history of this form of fun. Then I will add my own histories.

The French root of picnic may derive from piquer/to peck and nique/small amount. The word first appeared in 1649, a burlesque satire on Fronde hypocrisy, an insurrection chal­l­enging French absolutism. Ironically the main character, Pique-Nique, was a guzzling millitary hero.

In any case, it caught the imagin­ation of Paris’ beau monde and soon lost any pejorative assoc­iations. As Gilles Ménage’s Dictionnaire (1694) showed, a pique-nique had become a fashionable dinner, to which each guest contributed.

Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe, 
Édouard Manet, 1863 
Pushkin Museum, Moscow. 

Picnics really started to come into their own during the C18th. A favourite pastime of the aristocracy, they were indoor affairs, held at home or in hired rooms. They were contrasted with the elab­orate fêtes champêtres depicted by Antoine Watteau etc. Att­end­ees could either bring a dish or drink, OR pay a share of the cost.

Like cultural salons, picnics were linked to intellectual refinement. Typical was Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who, while rewriting the first act of Les Muses galantes in Paris, would often dine with the Abbé de Condillac ‘tête à tête en pique-nique’. At larger gatherings, there was also music or a dance, just like a party.

The French Revolution changed everything. Many aristocrats fled abroad to Austria, Prussia or America; but more chose Britain. Settling prim­arily in London without much money, they did their best to maintain their old lifestyle. But in London, the picnic became more raucous, thanks to a group of 200 wealthy young Francophiles, who founded the Pic Nic Society in late 1801. Held in hired rooms in Tottenham St, their gatherings were extravagant. Every member was required to bring a dish and six bottles of wine, and each strove to outdo the others in luxury. After dinner there was singing, dancing and gambling; but the key entertainment was always an amateur play.

Before long journalist-politician  Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816) , owner of Drury Lane Theatre, was alarmed at losing business to the Pic Nics. Sheridan used his influence to have the Pic Nics shut down; but not before the caricaturist James Gill­ray had ridiculed the lot of them in 1802.

Just as Sheridan was becoming furious in London, picnics were taken up by the emergent middle classes and moved outdoors. Why? Possibly the socially asp­irat­ional applied a fash­ion­ab­le French word to a pre-existing prac­t­ice, without being aware of its connotations. Anyhow picnicking ceased to be associated with music-dancing and became a simple, hosted meal. And thanks to the ideal­is­ation of the countryside, the event became more innocent.

The earliest reference appeared in John Harris' The Court­ship, Merry Marriage and Pic Nic Dinner of Cock Robin and Jenny Wren (1806), a children’s book. But such was its popularity that it soon found its way into literary works. In 1808, writer Dorothy Word­sworth picnicked with others on Gras­mere Island. In Emma (1816) Jane Austen gave a vivid port­rait of a rustic picnic on Box Hill.

James Tissot 
Holyday, aka The Picnic, c1876. 
Tate Gallery 

In the Victorian era, picnics were grand affairs! In 1861, a definitive list of upper class Victorian picnic fare appeared in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Manage­ment. One couldn't eat outdoors without tables, linens, crystal and servants!

The development of new modes of transport (trains, cars, bikes) and the acceleration of social change made the country­ accessible to a greater proportion of the population. Be­fore long, their popularity had grown so much that picnic baskets were being produced for the mass market eg Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows (1908).

Though restoration of the French monarchy accompanied the ret­urn of picnicking to French aristocracy, the indoor version prev­ail­ed. When outdoor picnics eventually gained ground in France, they were regarded with sus­pic­ion. Perhaps because of a growing reaction against the Romantic ideal­is­ation of nature, they were not seen as innocent and whole­some. But as decadent. This was most ev­ident in Édouard Manet’s Le Dé­jeuner sur l’herbe (1862-3), depict­ing one naked and one scantily clad woman, picnick­ing with two fully dressed men.

As the outdoor picnic found its way to the USA, it remained a gent­eel pursuit of the urban middle classes. But unlike in Britain, its bucolic setting was associated more with a flight from civilisation than with childlike simplicity. Though still tinged with innocence, depictions of American picnics eg by Thomas Cole and Winslow Homer, tended to be craggier.

Pierre-August Renoir's 
Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1881 
The Phillips Collection, Washington DC 

Now allow me to add important possibilities that had noth­ing to do with France. People have been eating outside since the beginning of time. The outdoor affair was like a lucky-dip meal; a group of people got together, each contributing to the meal. Cons­id­er Robin Hood and his Merry Men who informally dined outside on bread, cheese and ale. And during the C14th, the earliest picnics were mediev­al hunting feasts in England. These pre-hunt feasts were important, specialising in hams, baked meats and pastries.

Now consider that outdoor summer meals were very popular in countries with long, cold winters. The concept of a picnic was known in Russia, Ger­­many and Sweden be­f­ore it became part of English soc­iety. Russians loved holding picnics, partially because sunny weather was a rare delight to be treas­ured. Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) cited the experience in a number of his stor­ies, usually along a river or beach. The Romanovs had elab­orate feasts that richly fed dozens of people; my grandmother had Friday night left-overs, just for the immediate family.

Picnic at Freshwater NSW,  1895, centred around cricket
photographer Arthur Phillips
Collection: Powerhouse Museum

But in Australia, the hottest, most outdoorsy time of year was al­ways Christmas to New Year, when workers were given paid hol­idays and schools were closed. See the Australian picnic with young men and women: cricket stumps and bat were visible, as were the billy and picnic hamper. Kitchen items eg cheap versions of cups, plates and picnic cases, were ad­ver­tised in the catalogues of turn-of-the-century shops eg Anthony Hordens and later David Jones.

School girls enjoying a picnic at Hanging Rock

set in 1900 in Macedon Ranges Vic
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Joan Lindsay’s Picnic at Hanging Rock (1967) was one of Australia’s most famous books and films. The teenage girls came from a classy private boarding school in the City.

Zoffany painted heroic Sharp family c1780

As well as individual achievements, the Sharp family functioned collectively. The son of an arch­deac­on, William Sharp (1729-1810) lived with his 3 brothers & 3 sisters in a Northumberland rectory, where they created strong family ties that lasted for life. Clearly the Sharps had a common value system of free think­ing; they neg­otiated the competing demands of an elev­at­ed social position with their commitment to social reform.

a musical water party on the Thames near Fulham.

The Sharp family by Zoffany, c1780. Wiki

 

The Union, William’s large, elegant pleasure boat, sailed from Kew Bridge in 1777 on its first voyage. As she sailed along the Thames to Reading, her passengers lived in great comfort with all am­en­it­ies. And the entire Sharp family gave fortnightly orch­es­tral con­certs on board.

Despite the boat and orchestra, William Sharp was not a gilded ar­is­tocrat of independent means, but a hardworking Lon­­don surgeon from an educated background. He was accomp­anied on the voyage by most of his siblings, dem­ons­trating the extent of the doctor’s pro­fessional success and his fame as surgeon to King George III.

The siblings were known by the art world as the subject of Johan Zof­fany’s celebrated group portrait, The Sharp Family. Will­iam, who commissioned the work in 1779, wanted the art­ist to depict the 7 sib­lings playing music on their Thames barge. The Zof­f­any master­piece com­mem­or­at­ed the concerts they gave on board their barge Ap­ollo at Ful­ham, when Sharps were at the height of their soc­ial suc­c­ess. Their harmonies were an apt meta­phor for the strong ties that bound them together.

 
How appropriate! Sharps were a famously musical family, who had played music together from early childhood and be­tween them master­ed a wide array of instruments. Youngest broth­er Granville Sharp (1735–1813) was skilled on the oboe, clarinet, flute, double flute, trav­erse harp & kettle­drums. William gave famous concerts at his City mansion, with per­form­­an­ces by the most popular virt­uosi back then; and the family hosted water parties on barges sail­ing along the Thames in summer. In the Sharp band, often led by the Italian violinist Felice Giardini, family members and profess­ional musicians played chamber music. To a rous­ing Hand­el overture, the Sharp barge was accompanied by many boats who sailed to enjoy the festivities.

Examine the painting carefully. Granville held his favoured flutes in one hand, his clarinet being nearby on the piano he was shown hold­ing a sheet of music. Beside him was his sister, Elizabeth Sharp Prowse (1733-1810), who was play­ing the harpsichord /forte-piano. Dr John Sharp was on the right and had laid his cello aside, next to Franc­es Sharp (1738-1799) with an oboe, in blue. James Sharp, an engineer, held a serpent brass instrument. James’ wife was Mrs Lodge Sharp, his daughter was Catherine Sharp (1770-1843). William Sharp was seen standing at the tiller, hat raised, wearing the Windsor uniform with its distinctive red collar. His instrum­ents were the French horns that rested on the piano. William’s dau­ghter was Mary Sharp Lloyd-Baker (1778-1812), his wife was Cather­ine Barwick Sharp (c1741-1814). Judith Sharp (1733-1809), music in hand, played the lute.

These amateur music­ians illustrated the transition between private music part­ies and public concerts in C18th musical life. The private world of the barge open­ed into that of an invisible audience list­en­ing from the bank to the open-air concert, a fashion set by Hand­el’s Water Music.

Johan Zoffany’s glowing depiction of the siblings was their defining image. But the family was not just about music. Granville Sharp was a  civil servant, philanthropist and a leading campaigner for the abolition of sl­av­ery. In 1772 Granville was visited and asked for help by a young African who had been sold into slavery. This eventually led to one of the great set pieces of Eng­lish legal history, deliv­er­ed by Lord Mansfield in West­min­ster Hall in 1772: the slave was freed since no English law sanct­ioned slavery. So Sharp co-founded the Soc­iety for the Abolition of the Slave Trade!

When Granville gave up his Ordnance Office post, he totally relied on his brothers’ incomes. Fortunately William was a noted surgeon. Was Granville’s commitment to the emancipation of slaves supported by his family? Yes! His political idealism began at Will­iam’s Surg­ery for the Poor, Mincing Lane; it was James’ membership of the Common Coun­cil of London that most supported Granville.

4 siblings contrib­uted to John’s char­it­ab­le enterprises at Bamburgh, which in turn pro­vided the model for Elizabeth’s philanthropy at Wick­en Park. The 2 unmarried sis­t­ers, Judith and Frances, enjoyed priv­il­eged positions in their bro­thers’ households in their adult lives. Judith actually tur­ned down two good marriage offers, concluding that fem­ale autonomy would flourish better in the household of a compliant brother. And when James became paral­ysed in 1783, 9 members of the extended family accompanied him to Weymouth for a seaside cure.

The Sharps were remarkable late C18th individuals in their own right. John, the eldest brot­h­er, established an extra-ordinary social enterprise at Bamburgh Cas­tle in Northumberland, providing free healthcare and education and subsidised food to the poor. Elizabeth ran a large estate in Northamptonshire on the philanth­ropic principles espoused by her brothers. James was a manufacturer, invent­or and canal pioneer.

 

William Sharp

surgeon

Granville Sharp
Clerk in the Ordnance Office and abolitionist

Thanks to,  and I recommend Ariane Bankes in Spectator Australia.

Margot Fonteyn: ballet star, sex, politics

Born Margaret Hookham (1919–91) in Surrey, she showed early promise at ballet which her mother encouraged. Margot's fath­er worked for The British American Tobacco Co., so the family moved to Sh­anghai. Her mother brought her back to London when she was 14 to pursue ballet, and once she chose to abandon school comp­letely, she chose Mar­got Fonteyn for more re­fined, professional name. 

Helpmann and Fonteyn

Façade 1936, Wiki

In 1934 she joined Sad­ler’s Wells Sch­ool. When Alicia Markova left the Co. in 1935, Fonteyn took her roles and developed a fine partnership with Aus­tralian dancer-choreo­grapher Robert Hel­pmann into the 40s. The Help­mann part­ner­ship helped to dev­elop her theat­ric­al­­ity.

Inspired by a Markova performance in Les Syl­ph­ides, Margot devoted herself to ballet full time. Sadler's Wells Director Ninette de Val­ois spotted the lass and gave her the pr­in­cipal roles in Giselle, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.

Although Fonteyn’s dancing seemed very innocent, she apparently had many lovers. Her affair with the married older cond­uctor Const­ant Lambert was problematic, due to his alcohol and women. And when Mar­got visited Cambridge Uni in 1937, she met Roberto Tito Arias (1918–89). The young law stud­ent from Panama fasc­in­ated her, so the pair enjoyed spending time to­get­her for the week. But when he return­ed to Panama, they ceased com­mun­ication.

 Throughout WW2, Margot danced nightly and sometimes daily, to ent­ert­ain troops. In Sep 1940, as the London Blitz began, Sad­l­er's Wells Theatre was turned into an air raid shel­t­er. The Co. was temp­orarily displaced, so in 1940 they went on tour to Eur­ope, start­ing in Hol­land which was full of Germans. When the bombing started, the dancers had to be rescued by a car­go boat.

In 1946 the Co. moved to the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. One of Fonteyn's best roles was Aurora in Tchaik­ovsky's Sleeping Beauty, the bal­let that became a signature production for the Co. and a major role for Fonteyn. Reprising Aurora in 1949 when the Royal Ballet tour­ed the U.S, Fonteyn instantly became a celebrity with Americans.

On another American tour in 1953, Fonteyn re-met Tito Arias when he surprised her, after seeing Sleeping Beauty. Arias was now a pol­it­ic­ian and Panamanian delegate to the United Nations. Although he had a wife and 3 children, Arias win­ed and dined her, and bought her fur coats. She re­sisted, but in 1955 they married in Paris!

Arias and Margot, 1965

whosdatedwho

 Fonteyn became Pres­ of the Royal Academy of Dance, and was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1956. Tito had been appointed an amb­assador to the Court of St James, so Fonteyn also fulfilled a dip­l­omat's wife duties. In 1956 she was critic­ised for performing in racist Johannes­burg, and she and Tito were also criticised for be­friending Imelda Mar­c­os & Nor­iega. Was it to help Tito in his schemes to obtain power in Panama? She did believed her husband would become head of Panama, and that she would the Queen.

In April 1959, Arias staged a failed coup d'état again­st Panama’s President Ernesto de la Guardia, ? with the support of Fidel Castro. Fonteyn said the plot was hat­ch­ed in Cuba in Jan 1959, with Cas­t­ro promis­ing to assist Arias with arms or men. During a sea voyage, Arias jumped ship while Font­eyn used her own yacht, to divert the government forces. She returned to Panama City to turn herself in, and meeting at the prison with the British ambassador to Panama, she confes­s­ed her involve­ment. While the Bri­t­­ish Foreign Office got her to NY, Arias hid in Brasil’s Panama embassy and got safely to Peru.

As a retreat from London, the couple bought a house Taplow Bucks

in the 1950s, Daily Mail Aus

Just when she might have retired, Fonteyn began her greatest artistic partnership. In 1961 Kirov Ballet star Rudolf Nureyev defect­ed in Paris and was invited to join the Royal Ballet. Fonteyn was given the opportunity to dance with him in his debut, but she was reluctant be­cause of the age gap. They first performed together in Gis­elle in Feb 1962 where Fonteyn dis­covered new energy, and thus the par­tner­­ship late in her car­­eer won them both worldwide fame. Her per­f­­ect line and lyricism were qualities evident in the roles created by Sir Frederick Ash­ton eg Ondine, Cind­er­ella, Chloë. Ashton created Marguerite and Arm­and for Nureyev and Font­eyn in 1963, a signature piece.

Nureyev said that they were lovers; Fonteyn said not. Nonetheless Margot wanted to divorce her fickle husband Arias in 1964, so she was happy to tour with Nureyev and The Australian Ballet in Stuttgart. Alas Margot learned that a Panam­anian politician had shot Arias. Fonteyn, though shaken, still dan­ced before going to Panama.

This was lucky because, despite planned retirement in her 40s, Arias was now quadriplegic and Margot had to keep earning. Luck­ily her part­ner­ship with Nureyev gave her a new lease of life and pro­longed her career by 18 years.

Fonteyn went into semi-retirement in 1972 with one-act per­f­ormances and she also mov­ed into modern ballet, dancing in 1975 with the Chi­c­­ago Ballet. She fully retired in 1979! For her 60th birthday, Fonteyn was feted by the Royal Ballet, dancing a duet with Ashton and a tango with Helpmann.

Fonteyn and Nureyev 

Pinterest

 In 1989, before Arias’ death, Font­eyn was diag­nosed with ovarian cancer. Having used all her savings to care for Arias and now retired, she had to move to a remote Panama cattle farm. But she st­ayed in touch with Nu­r­­eyev via tele­phone. By 1990, she’d had 3 oper­at­ions and had to sell her treasures to pay for her care; thankfully Nur­eyev helped. A Covent Gar­dens gala raised money for her where Placido Domingo sang & Nureyev danced. After her Feb 1991 death, Fonteyn and Arias were buried in Panama. A memorial ser­vice was held in Jul 1991 at Westminster Abbey.

Elmer Bernstein: #1 film music composer?

Elmer Bernstein (1922-2004) was born in New York, son of a Jewish dad who was a high-school music teacher in the Austrian Empire and mum was Jewish Ukrainian. He was educated at the Walden School NY and at New York Uni. He then went to Juilliard School of Music due to America's C20th great composer, Aaron Copland, wanting his protege Bernstein to go there. Elmer was no relative of Leonard Bernstein (1918-90), but they were friends & colleagues.

Elmer Bernstein Collection, 2010,

Amazon

Yet it was as a dancer that Bernstein began his working life, doubling as a concert pianist when the opportunities arose. At the same time he tried to earn a living as a painter and was also a small-time actor.

In WW2 he served in the U.S Army Air Force with Major Glenn Miller, arranging for Miller's famous Army Air Force Band and composing scores for military radio broadcasts. Luckily this led to the first serious compositions of his career.

In 1950 he began writing film music, and in 1952, he was demonstrating the drama and originality that later marked his works. These early works had included scores for new, growing United Nations radio programmes, tv and industrial documentaries. In Hollywood his first film was Saturday's Hero (1951), a university football film. After completing his film assignments, the composer became another in a long list of liberal professionals who Senator Joseph McCarthy saw a threat to the American way of life due to alleged Communist leanings. It was the time of the Red Scare and Bernstein's important thinking threatened his career activities in the mid 1950s. His scores then were for largely unremarkable films, and only one tv series was famous: Gunsmoke (1955)!

But he re-established his reputation with the very jazzy score for The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). The Frank Sinatra movie came that year as the rather less notable The View From Pompey's Head (1955), yet that film was just as significant in Elmer’s career. And he proved his versatility with his stir-ring music for The Ten Commandments (1956), one of the films where the music was more thrilling than the action. The album was an outstanding success, and his favourite project ever. Bernstein’s other notable scores included those for the Tony Curtis classic Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with Burt Lancaster, Some Came Running (1958) and Walk on the Wild Side (1962). The 1962-3 period was particularly notable and appropriately, in 1963-9 Bernstein worked as vice president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

The composer created these scores during a career that produced some of Hollywood’s most memorable film music. His original scores for films ranged over a wide variety of styles, with jazz, light musical comedies and especially westerns. He had such skill for the Western genre that over 15 years he wrote 6 scores starring John Wayne eg True Grit (1969) and The Shootist (1976).

violinist Isaac Stern, conductor Henri Temianka, composer Johnny Green 

with Elmer Bernstein, 1980

Bernstein adapted the style of his music to mirror the action of each particular film, and his scores were often seen as more notable than the films themselves. His works were viewed by many critics as great examples of contemporary music which was why Hollywood nominated him for an Oscar 14 times!! Yet he won only one Oscar for the sound-track score of Julie Andrews film Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Nominations included the scores for Sinatra’s film The Man With The Golden Arm (1955), Summer and Smoke (1961), the film of Harper Lee's novel To Kill A Mockingbird (1966), Hawaii (1966) and Return of the Seven (1966). That the 12 months included not just To Kill a Mockingbird, but also Hud (1963) starring Paul Newman, the film that consolidated Steve McQueen's stardom.

The Chosen (1981), which could have become as a concert work, blended into the music style of the Hassidic tradition, presumably for Bernstein’s Brooklyn audience’s sake. Elmer's score was matched by great performances by Robby Benson, Barry Miller, Maximillian Schell and Rod Steiger.

I didn’t know the scores Bernstein wrote for two Broadway musicals, How Now, Dow Jones 1967 and Merlin (1983). Nor did I know his later films including Cape Fear (1991), The Grifters (1990) and Devil in a Blue Dress (1995). Readers should be able to check these out, if interested.

Bernstein was married twice, first to Pearl Glusman 1965, then to Eve Adamson; there were 4 children and 5 grandchildren. Elmer's son Peter Bernstein wrote Elmer Bernstein, Film Composer, revealing dad’s life from an intimate, behind-the-scenes perspective. Elmer had the drive needed to succeed in the very competitive Hollywood industry. In a busy career in 54 years, his many landmark scores were recognisable and loved everywhere.

He composed works for symphony orchestras, scores for tv programmes and the documentary The Making of the President 1960 won an Emmy Award. In 1974 he published Elmer Bernstein Film Music Collection, Animal House in 1978, Airplane! in 1980, box-office smash Ghostbusters 1984 and My Left Foot 1989.

Later in life, Elmer gained cult status among British football fans when his familiar old theme for The Great Escape (1963) was adopted by them and shared at matches. It became a symbol of unity and defiance, for me as well as for the soccer fans. Having written the scores for 200+ films, Elmer Bernstein was one of Hollywood's most prolific composers. He was also one of the small group of outstanding musicians who devoted their careers to the cinema. His roster included some of the most memorable film themes ever written, particularly scores for The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Great Escape. Both have been reworked into concert suites. He passed in 2004 at 82.

Some movie scores that Bernstein wrote

hamlette

The American Film Industry ranked Elmer Bernstein's score for The Magnificent Seven (1960) as the 8th greatest US film score and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) as the 17th greatest US score for all time.

Fred Astaire, sister Adele & Ginger Rogers

Adele (1896-1981) and Frederick Austerlitz (1899–1987) were born in Nebraska, children of Johanna and Fritz Aust­er­litz. Johanna was born in the U.S to Lutheran Ger­man imm­igrants from East Prussia and Al­sace. Dad was born in Linz Austria to Jewish parents, and later the whole family converted to Cath­ol­icism - he arrived in New York in 1893, then found brewery work in Omaha.

Adele became a dancer-singer, and alth­ough Fred refused dance lessons, he eas­ily copied his sister's dancing and learned 3 musical instruments. So mum started a brother-sister act, common in vaudeville then, for her children.

When Fritz suddenly lost his job, the family moved to New York in 1905 to launch the child­ren’s show business careers. Adele and Fred began train­ing at the Alviene Master School of the Theat­re and Acad­emy of Cult­ural Arts. Their mother suggested they change their name to Astaire, as Austerlitz sounded too German. Did Fred mind that he was a] Germanic on both parents’ sides and b] Jewish on one side? Did he know that Fritz’s brothers Otto and Ernst remained in Austria and were soldiers during WWI? Apparently there was a tacit family agreement to mention neither.

Fred and Adele Astaire in 1921 

Adele and Fred were taught dance, speaking and singing, prepar­ing to develop an act. Their first act was Juvenile Artists Presenting an Electric Musical Toe-Dancing Novelty. In Nov 1905 their act debuted in Key­port New Jersey.

Their father's salesmanship rapidly landed Fred and Adele a major contract, playing the Orpheum Circuit of vaude­ville and cinemas in cities across the U.S. Even though Adele was older and taller, Fred wore a top hat (to appear taller) and the team was billed with Fred’s name first (to make him seem old­er). But eventually they decided to take a break from show business.

The career of the Astaire teens restarted with more polish, as they began to incorporate tap dancing into their routines. And they learned the tango, waltz and other popular ball­room dances from vaude­ville dancers. Then they appeared in Mary Pickford’s 1915 film, Fanchon, the Crick­et.

Young Fred was directing their music in 1916, just at the time he met George Gershwin who was working for the music pub­lisher Jerome Remick. Fred had been hunting for new music and dance ideas, so their meeting was a blessing to both their careers.

The Astaires had their first Broadway success with Over the Top (1917), a revue created for U.S and Allied troops. They did more shows eg The Passing Show of 1918 where fans loved Ad­el­e, owing in part to Fred's good choreo­graphy. But by this time, Fred's dancing was beginning to sparkle as well.

In the 1920s, they appeared on both Broadway and the Lon­don stage. And whilst in London, Fred was keen to study piano at Guild­hall School of Music. As Astaire's tap dancing was recognised by then as among the best in the world, he was certainly multi-talented.

Eventually Fred and Adele enjoyed stage succes­s­es. In fact, London gave them a bigger welcome than New York, but it was in Lon­d­on in 1924 that they heard of their father’s illness. Their mother ret­urned to America and soon, during the London run of Stop Flirting, their father died.

They won popular acclaim in theatres on both sides of the At­l­antic for Jerome Kern's The Bunch and Judy (1922), George & Ira Gersh­win's Lady, Be Good (1924) and Funny Face (1927) and later in The Band Wagon (1931). Fred went on to star in 10+ Broad­way and West End mus­ic­als, making 31 musical films and recordings.

The siblings split in 1932 when Adele married Lord Charles Cav­en­d­ish, 9th Duke of Devonshire’s son. Fred achieved suc­cess on Broad­way and in London with The Gay Divorcee, while consid­er­ing a Holly­wood future. But the end of the long family part­ner­ship was difficult for Fred.

His greatest dancing par­t­nership was with Virginia Ginger Rogers (1911-95), with whom he co-starred in ten Hollywood musicals! Among their most not­able films, where As­taire took the genre of tap danc­ing to a new lev­el, were Top Hat (1935) and Shall we dance? (1937). Their final film together was The Barkleys of Broadway, released by MGM in 1949.

Astaire was reluctant to become part of another team! How­ever RKO noted the public appeal of Fred’s choreography and of Astaire-Rogers dancing, which helped make dancing a key element of the film musical. Rogers maintained a busy theatre schedule, performing the title role in Hello Dolly! from 1965 on and took Mame to London audiences in 1969.

Now working with Claire Luce, Fred created a dance duo for Cole Por­ter's Night and Day. Luce stated that she had to help him to take a more romantic approach. The success of the stage play, and the film version, The Gay Div­or­cee, ushered in a new era in dance. Recently found footage of Astaire per­form­ing in Gay Divorce in 1933 survives!

RKO lent him to MGM in 1933 for his Hollywood debut in the succ­essful musical film Dancing Lady, dancing with Joan Craw­ford. On his return to RKO, he was with Ginger Rogers in Dolores del Río’s Flying Down to Rio (1933). Ginger and Fred were so thrilling toget­her, they made 9 films at RKO, including The Gay Divorcee (1934), Roberta (1935), Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), Swing Time (1936), Shall We Dance (1937) and Care­free (1938). Most Astaire–Rogers musicals became subs­t­antial money-makers for RKO.

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in Top Hat (1935)

Fred in Top Hat, 1935

Instead of using dance as a mere spec­tacle as others had done, Astaire was determined that all song and dance routines in a film be integral to the plotline. Ast­aire films usually included a solo performance by Astaire; a comedy dance routine for two; and a romantic dance duo.

In 1933 Fred married Phyllis Livingston Potter, after Phyl­l­is’ div­orce; they went to Hollywood tog­ether, had 2 children and lived happily until Phyllis’ death from lung cancer. Ginger Rogers married 5 times, but never had any children.
 
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