Dear "Ginge", Love Fred: Fred and Ginger's Correspondence

 

            For one of cinema's most beloved screen partnerships, we don't know a whole lot about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers's offscreen relationship. Of course, there are the usual rumors. They hated each other! They were in love! As for hating each other, they spent their whole lives trying to disprove that one. Watch any interview of Fred in the 70s or 80s when he gets the inevitable "who was your favorite partner?" question. He'll try and avoid it for a while, but eventually the conversation always comes around to Ginger, who "had style and talent and improved as she went along. She got so that after a while everyone else who danced with me looked wrong." Fred's words.

            After their final movie together in 1949, The Barkleys of Broadway, all evidence shows that they stayed close. When they couldn't be together, dancing at parties or having dinner with their mutual friend and choreographer Hermes Pan, they wrote each other plenty of letters. Happily, lots of Fred's letters to Ginger are floating around online (I can only assume Ginger's replies are protected by Fred's estate, as his widow Robyn isn't known to be the most...magnanimous caretaker).

        Hi "Ginge": Hope I signed this O.K. It's one of my favorites too - of the many we've made. If you like - I'll get ahold of the great Hermes one of these days pretty soon and we'll all have dinner someplace. Best love - Fred A

            In this one, Fred's referring to a photo of himself and Ginger in The Barkleys of Broadway that he'd autographed. "The great Hermes" would be Hermes Pan. The three of them stayed lifelong friends after their collaboration on all ten Astaire-Rogers movies.

            Dear Gin: Thanks for the kind words about the book. I sure am glad that you and your ma liked it. Your letter pleased me so much - it is one of the nicest things ever to come my way. I am so proud of it that I plan to read it in a speech I'm booked for at a booksellers' convention in Washington in June. I have to speak to a thousand people at a dinner. I yi yi! What did I get myself in for? So long sweetie - and have a wonderful trip - As ever - Fred

            Fred published his autobiography "Steps in Time" in 1959. Apparently Ginger's praise of the book was so meaningful that he read it in a speech - if only we knew what she said! "Steps in Time" is a wonderful read if you're at all interested in Fred Astaire, and it provides a lot of insight into his partnership with Ginger (one of the chapters, about the 1937 break when they made separate films, is titled "Gingerless"). As an aside, I think it's charming how he admits his stress about the speech, because most stories about Fred seem to confirm his no-nonsense, methodical approach to both dancing and life. At this point he'd known Ginger for 30 years, and I can imagine she was one of the few people he would open up to.

            Dear "Ginge": Thanks for your very nice Christmas thought. I didn't know where you might be. Best love always - Fred

            A Christmas note from 1974 - many of these letters and cards appeared in an exhibit about Ginger's life called "Ginger Rogers' Century" at Boston University in 2012. If I hadn't been five years old, you can bet I would have been there!

            Dear "Ginge": Thanks for the champagne! You were sweet to send it. Isn't T.V. cute? Reminds me of a space operation or something. A day at Cape Canaveral or what ever the hell they call that place. Love, F

            In this one, Fred experiences the wonders of television. I can only imagine how strange it would have been for two people who lived through the birth of talking pictures.

            Dear Ginger: - Just a note to express deepest heartfelt sympathy from myself and family on the loss of your sweet ma! As ever - Fred A

            Lela Rogers passed away in 1977 and was buried in the same cemetery as Fred's parents, where Fred and Ginger themselves would later be buried (an arrangement that was obviously planned and really makes you think...especially when you consider that this wasn't Hollywood Forever or another place full of stars).

            Dear "Ginge": Thanks so much for the beautiful flowers! Seems that my birthdays are always here!?!! Best love from Robyn + Fred

                Fred married horse jockey Robyn Smith in 1980. She is younger than his daughter Ava, and the two of them have had frequent battles over the use of Fred's image and the limitations of his estate.

            Miss Ginger Rogers: Phyllis delighted with lovely flowers you sent also with your mother's telegram all went well hope you have nice vacation grab a few steps here and there we will be needing them, Fred

            A telegram Fred sent Ginger in 1936, during the break between Top Hat and Follow the Fleet. Fred's son Fred Jr. had just been born, which is why Ginger had sent his wife Phyllis flowers. He tells her to "grab a few steps" for their next film - a little hint that Ginger did in fact help with choreography, as she writes in her autobiography.

            I love so many things about these letters. Fred almost never calls Ginger by her full name, she's always "Ginge" or "Gin", and he always signs off "Best love" or "As ever". It's evident that they stayed close their whole lives, sending each other Christmas presents and birthday flowers. They paid attention to each other's projects, from autobiographies to solo movies (according to one movie magazine at the time, when Fred's 1937 solo effort A Damsel in Distress flopped, he sent Ginger a telegram that just said "Ouch"). With proof like this, it's impossible to believe Fred and Ginger could ever have hated each other - or been anything but the closest of friends.

            Bonus: a gold watch that looks like a letter! This was gifted to Ginger from Fred around 1940, after they had stopped making movies together at RKO, and reads By hand To Feathers All best love - Fred. Feathers was Ginger's nickname following the whole Top Hat shedding-feather-dress debacle. Isn't that the sweetest?