Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire (1899-1987) was a film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. He is particularly associated with Ginger Rogers, with whom he made ten films (the most famous being Top Hat). His unparalleled skill as a dancer has led many critics to cite him as the best dancer ever to come out of Hollywood.
In 1966, Astaire hosted an episode of The Hollywood Palace and introduced Kermit performing "The Glow-Worm" sketch: "Jim Henson, the Academy Award nominee, has brought his mad little characters The Muppets back to The Hollywood Palace." While Astaire does not share the screen with the Muppets or Henson, he is shown cracking up with laughter and trying to regain his composure afterwards. 
==References==
*"Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" is performed as a tribute to Astaire by Rudolf Nureyev and the Muppets on episode 213 of The Muppet Show.
*In Episode 1270 of Sesame Street, Big Bird tries to get a shy Mr. Snuffleupagus to dance with him and the kids. He tells Snuffy, "I know that inside that big, shaggy body beats the heart of a Fred Astaire!"
*As Big Bird practices dancing the waltz in Episode 1323 of Sesame Street, he comments that he's just like Fred Astaire.
*During the dance marathon in The Muppet Show episode 515, First Mate Piggy is eaten by a hungry alien (Mean Mama). Gonzo warns Piggy that if she stops dancing, she'll be disqualified from the contest. As Piggy dances inside the alien's stomach, Gonzo sighs, "Fred and Ginger were never better."
*Kermit's dance number in The Great Muppet Caper, "Steppin' Out with a Star", is a reference to Astaire. The Muppet Show Fan Club newsletter referred to the sequence as "Kermit's Fred Astaire dance number.""Movie Notes", The Muppet Fan Club newsletter, vol. 3 no. 2, 1981.
*Maria and Luis parody the couple in their song "You Say Hola and I Say Hola" on Sesame Street in 1984.
*Big Bird mispronounces the dancer's name as "Red Adaire" when complimenting Snuffy's attempt at the cha-cha-cha in Sesame Street Episode 2487.
*In Episode 3608 of Sesame Street, Sherry Netherland needs a dance partner. On the phone, she chats with her partner Fred, who cancels on her to dance with Ginger instead.
*Count von Count appears as Astaire (alongside the Countess as Rogers) in A Brief History of Motion Pictures.
*Kermit appears as "Frog Astaire" in the coloring book Great Muppets in American History.
*In Episode 4003 of Sesame Street, Super Grover does a National Bird Day dance with Big Bird. When Big Bird leaves, Grover cries out, "Do not leave me alone. I feel like Ginger without Fred!"
*In "Elmo's World: Getting Dressed," after seeing Slimey do a dance routine, Elmo declares, "Fred Astaire, eat your heart out!"
* In the Blu-ray audio commentary for The Muppet Christmas Carol, Rizzo the Rat observes that Ebenezer Scrooge's Christmas Day transformation has him "prancing around like Mr. Fred Astaire." Gonzo adds, "He is, like Mister Rogers." Rizzo finally chimes in with "Mister Ed."
==Sources==
==External links==
* IMDb
* Internet Broadway Database
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Category:Celebrities
Category:Celebrity References