Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) and Ginger Rogers (July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) danced together in 10 films. Nine of these films were made by RKO Pictures between 1933 and 1939. Their tenth film, The Barkleys of Broadway, was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1949. This film was the only one made in Technicolor.

Career at RKO

Astaire and Rogers first worked together in the 1933 movie Flying Down to Rio. They had smaller roles, listed as fifth and fourth in the credits, but their performance in the "Carioca" dance scene was the most memorable part of the film. RKO Radio Pictures wanted to use their popularity for more movies.

In 1934, they starred in The Gay Divorcee, their first movie where they had leading roles. The film was more successful than Flying Down to Rio, earning $1.8 million worldwide. It also included the classic song "Night and Day" by Cole Porter. Another song from the movie, "The Continental," won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 1934 Academy Awards.

In 1935, Astaire and Rogers made two movies: Roberta and Top Hat. In Roberta, they were listed as second and third in the credits, behind Irene Dunne. The film earned $2.3 million worldwide. Top Hat was the first movie written just for them and became one of the most successful films of the year, earning $3.2 million. It was the most profitable film RKO made in the 1930s, with $1.3 million in profits. The film included songs by Irving Berlin, such as the Oscar-nominated "Cheek to Cheek."

Astaire and Rogers were ranked fourth on the Top Ten Money-Making Stars Poll for 1934–1935, as reported by Quigley Publishing Company.

By 1936, Astaire and Rogers were among the most popular movie stars. That year, they made two more films: Follow the Fleet and Swing Time. Both were successful, earning $2.7 million and $2.6 million worldwide, respectively. Follow the Fleet included a score by Irving Berlin with the song "Let's Face the Music and Dance." Swing Time featured the Oscar-winning song "The Way You Look Tonight," written by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Astaire performed the song for Rogers. The dance scene "Never Gonna Dance" in Swing Time took 47 attempts to film. During the scene, the dancers had to climb stairs while spinning. By the end, Rogers' feet were bleeding. In 1936, they were ranked third on the Quigley poll.

In 1937, Astaire and Rogers made Shall We Dance, again with Edward Everett Horton. The film earned $2.2 million worldwide but did not meet RKO's expectations. It was the first movie to use music by the Gershwin brothers, George and Ira, and included the song "They Can't Take That Away from Me." Although they made two more films together for RKO, Shall We Dance marked the start of the end of their partnership.

In 1938, Astaire and Rogers made only one movie together: Carefree. During the time they were apart, Rogers appeared in Stage Door, and Astaire starred in A Damsel in Distress, his first film that lost money. Carefree was different from their usual films, with Astaire playing a less typical role and fewer musical elements. The film was originally planned to use Technicolor but was filmed in black and white due to cost. It included only four songs by Irving Berlin, the fewest in any of their films. Critics praised Carefree, calling it "the greatest Astaire-Rogers picture," but it cost $1.3 million to make and lost money for the studio.

In 1939, Astaire and Rogers made The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, which ended their partnership for ten years. RKO was struggling financially, and the recent films featuring them had been expensive but not profitable. Both actors wanted to try new roles. Rogers wanted more dramatic parts, while Astaire wanted to be known as a dancer on his own. Their partnership on screen ended, but their friendship remained friendly.

Hiatus

Rogers had always been interested in taking on more dramatic roles, which she succeeded in after she stopped working with Astaire. In 1941, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the movie Kitty Foyle. By the mid-1940s, she was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. However, her career slowed down after World War II ended.

Astaire continued making musical films, including Holiday Inn (1942) with Bing Crosby, Sky's the Limit (1943) with Joan Leslie, and Blue Skies (1946), which was his second and final film with Crosby. He also worked with many other dancers, such as Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse, and Judy Garland. Worried his career was ending, Blue Skies was supposed to be Astaire’s last movie, after which he retired for two years. In 1948, Gene Kelly was set to star in Easter Parade with Judy Garland, but he broke his ankle. Because Kelly asked, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer convinced Astaire to take his place, making him return to acting.

Reunion and later life

Garland and Astaire were planning to work together again in the movie The Barkleys of Broadway, but Garland had to leave because of an illness, and Rogers took her place instead. The movie was released in 1949 and was the only film the pair made for MGM and their only movie in Technicolor. Critics were happy to see Astaire and Rogers working together again. The Barkleys of Broadway was their final movie together, even though both continued making films with other actors.

In 1950, Rogers gave Astaire an honorary Academy Award for his special talent and his work in musical films.

During the 1950s, Rogers’ film career became less active, and she focused more on Broadway plays. She was praised for her performances in Mame and Hello, Dolly!. She often said she wanted to make another movie with Astaire, but this never happened. Astaire stayed in the film industry and also worked in television. Even though they had different careers, they remained friends for the rest of their lives.

At a 1979 event celebrating Rogers, Astaire said, “She’s been such a wonderful partner. There are stories that we used to fight, but we didn’t. I’ve been saying that for many years.” The next year, Rogers agreed, saying, “Studio workers often made up stories that we fought, just to keep our names in the news.”

After Astaire died in 1987, Rogers said in an interview, “I loved and admired Fred with all my heart. He was the best partner anyone could have.”