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Fred Astaire: His Friends Talk
This is the personal side of a very private man who danced for us for seven decades with several partners. Many wonderful photo's. 11 By 8 1/2" 1988, 210 pages, many full page photos.
210 pages, Hardcover
First published October 4, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 28, 2013
Reading this book because Jackie O was the editor of this book at Double Day, and also asked or commissioned Sarah to make a book out of the interviews/comments she had from an article tribute she wrote in Vanity Fair. It was said that Fred’s widow (Robyn) did not want it published because it had some unflattering info in it. This is exactly why Jackie wanted it published!
After reading this cocktail size book, Robyn did have her reasons…for one thing; one friend said that Robyn had once commented that she was good at dating older men. The person agreed and said she was looking for security and an affluent lifestyle. She was 35 and he 81 when they married. What else could it look like? It was also mentioned that Robyn changed Fred’s phone number and did not tell any of his long time friends.
There were other comments here and there alluding to a very slightly negative side of Astaire. He was sometimes cranky and didn't have patience for the adulation….but the negatives were so few and just confirmed that he was a very shy man. All in all I did enjoy this book; it was a very beautiful pictorial tribute as well.
After reading this cocktail size book, Robyn did have her reasons…for one thing; one friend said that Robyn had once commented that she was good at dating older men. The person agreed and said she was looking for security and an affluent lifestyle. She was 35 and he 81 when they married. What else could it look like? It was also mentioned that Robyn changed Fred’s phone number and did not tell any of his long time friends.
There were other comments here and there alluding to a very slightly negative side of Astaire. He was sometimes cranky and didn't have patience for the adulation….but the negatives were so few and just confirmed that he was a very shy man. All in all I did enjoy this book; it was a very beautiful pictorial tribute as well.
March 21, 2026
This easy-to-read book provided so many insights into this great, yet humble and talented man. He has become one of my favorite people in history--and I have several more books to read about him (and maybe some of his family members). I liked how it was organized into chapters topically and then his friends and associates provided their memories of him on that particular topic.
I appreciated the two-page list (at the beginning of the book) noting who each of these people were--particularly as some I had no clue about--but I wish author Giles (or her editors) had made that list alphabetical by last name, since I kept my finger there throughout the book to look at who was who. As it is, the list is loosely alphabetical and *sort of* grouped, but more alphabetical than anything else. It just slowed me down as a reader to have to search all up and down that list (numerous times) for whoever was telling about Mr. Astaire.
I'm also reading "Starring Fred Astaire," which is a synopsis of all of his movies, so I'm reading those chapters as I see his movies, and they provide plot summaries and little insights from the filming of those. It's a good companion and reference for his film work, but an enormous book (containing black and white photos, unfortunately--as does this book). That's another treat about this book is all the personal photos of Astaire and his family and friends--including a couple that I never expected to see of him without a toupee!
O, this was time well spent delving into old Hollywood and Mr. Astaire's charmed, yet essentially ordinary life. It's a supreme pleasure anytime I can luxuriate in the land of Fred.
I appreciated the two-page list (at the beginning of the book) noting who each of these people were--particularly as some I had no clue about--but I wish author Giles (or her editors) had made that list alphabetical by last name, since I kept my finger there throughout the book to look at who was who. As it is, the list is loosely alphabetical and *sort of* grouped, but more alphabetical than anything else. It just slowed me down as a reader to have to search all up and down that list (numerous times) for whoever was telling about Mr. Astaire.
I'm also reading "Starring Fred Astaire," which is a synopsis of all of his movies, so I'm reading those chapters as I see his movies, and they provide plot summaries and little insights from the filming of those. It's a good companion and reference for his film work, but an enormous book (containing black and white photos, unfortunately--as does this book). That's another treat about this book is all the personal photos of Astaire and his family and friends--including a couple that I never expected to see of him without a toupee!
O, this was time well spent delving into old Hollywood and Mr. Astaire's charmed, yet essentially ordinary life. It's a supreme pleasure anytime I can luxuriate in the land of Fred.
September 18, 2023
This was a mercifully short book that I’ve largely forgotten, and I finished it less-than an hour ago. Even the title rankled me a bit. I desperately wanted the title to be: Fred Astaire: His Friends Talk, But His Dog won’t. That would have made it a much better book for me somehow.
This is a herky-jerky collection of observations from Astaire’s friends and family. There’s a lot of focus on his clothes. This was a yawn fest mostly. The upside is you come away with the conviction that Astaire was a genuinely decent person. He’s skateboarding at age 78 and marrying a 35-year-old woman at 81. I say more power to him.
This is a herky-jerky collection of observations from Astaire’s friends and family. There’s a lot of focus on his clothes. This was a yawn fest mostly. The upside is you come away with the conviction that Astaire was a genuinely decent person. He’s skateboarding at age 78 and marrying a 35-year-old woman at 81. I say more power to him.
June 28, 2022
My recollection is that the photos were nice and that the text wasn’t great. So it was nice but nothing special
June 16, 2026
Imperfect, but thank goodness it exists.
April 12, 2011
As this book was full of lots of excellent, well-arranged photographs, it was lovely to look at. The written contents, however, were on the whole, rather unenlightening and frequently insipid. To be fair, Fred Astaire seems to have been a rather quiet, jejune sort of person outside of his dancing and acting, but Giles could have left out some of the pointless quotes, and put in more pictures.
June 9, 2016
An unique and loving look at one of the greatest stars ever born.
August 10, 2021
#35 of 130 books pledged to read during 2020
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews