Ginger Rogers was married five times and divorced five times. But were any of those marriages
broken up by her partnership with Fred Astaire? Keep watching to find out!
Ginger Rogers' fame had an early start and was possibly all thanks to the dance craze
of the 1920s — the Charleston. In 1925, the 14-year-old Rogers, then known by her
birth name Virginia McMath, won a dance competition and was crowned the "Charleston Champion of
Texas."
"I won this contest."
"What kind of contest?"
"A Charleston contest."
The prize for winning the competition was a vaudeville contract. With the help of her
mother, "Ginger Rogers and Her Redheads" was born. "Ginger" was a nickname — which came
about when a cousin couldn't pronounce her given name of Virginia — while Rogers was
the last name of her stepfather.
She played vaudeville stages until 1929, eventually making her way to New York City. From there,
a star was born.
Dancing was sometimes painful, particularly alongside Fred Astaire, who was a notorious
perfectionist. While filming "Swing Time," Rogers coped with extreme foot pain. She wrote
in her autobiography that she kept dancing even though her feet really hurt. At one point,
she removed her shoes and they were filled with blood. "I had danced my feet raw," she
explained. Producers recommended they stop filming, but Rogers wanted to complete the
scene. They finally got what they wanted by 4 a.m.
Astaire had a lot of confidence in his dancing partner. He once remarked that the other women
he worked with over the years often cried because they didn't think they could make
it through the routines. Rogers was the exception. According to the book, "Texas Entertainers:
Lone Stars in Profile," Astaire said, quote, "No, Ginger never cried."
Astaire, on the other hand, may have had to hold back some tears during the filming of
the 1936 film "Follow the Fleet." Ginger Rogers wore a stunning beaded gown that weighed over
25 pounds. The sleeves were also covered in heavy beads and had a tendency to hit Astaire
in the face.
Rogers admitted she was, quote, "completely unaware" that her gown was causing Astaire
so many problems — he winced and was forced to physically move out of the way while she
kept on dancing.
Rogers, of course, became an icon by dancing with Astaire. Ironically, when they first
met on a dance floor, she didn't know who he was.
"I was from Texas, I had never heard of Fred Astaire. And so it didn't mean anything to
me. That's why I guess I had such fun."
In addition to dancing, Ginger Rogers also had some impressive acting abilities. In 1940,
she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in "Kitty Foyle." Over the next
few years, she devoted much of her time to polishing her comedy routines and working
for the war effort. Like many celebrities of the time, she was prominently involved
with the United States Service Organization and participated in rallies to help sell war
bonds. In her book, "Ginger: My Story," she said, quote, "We were all proud to do our
part."
All of Rogers' hard work and popularity paid off, as it resulted in the actress becoming
the top-paid star in Hollywood in 1945. Her earnings were around $300,000, and she was
the eighth highest money-maker in America that year. Rogers was also career savvy. Willing
to change with the times, she transitioned to television in the 1950s. She appeared in
several comedies, dramas, and variety shows, which were popular at the time. And she later
returned to the stage, appearing in "Hello Dolly" in 1965 and "Mame" in 1969, among others.
Ginger Rogers famously dated celebrities such as Howard Hughes and Jimmy Stewart, but she
was unlucky in love. She tied the knot five times, but none of them stuck. She was just
17 years old when she married her first husband, vaudeville dancer and comedian Jack Pepper.
They split after two years together. She married her second husband, Lew Ayres, in 1934, but
they divorced six years later. She also married actor Jack Briggs from 1943 to 1949, French
actor Jacques Bergerac from 1953 to 1957, and actor-producer William Marshall from 1961
to 1969.
Despite persistent rumors, however, it's unclear whether she was romantically involved with
dancing partner Fred Astaire. Either way, Rogers wrote in her autobiography,
"Yes, I have had some failed marriages [...] [but] I always loved being married. Caring, cooking,
and being a companion with a husband were as natural to me as breathing."
Despite all her relationships, Rogers never had children. Her personal assistant of nearly
20 years, Roberta Olden, told Fox News that one of the reasons why Rogers didn't have
children was because she was so busy with her career. Olden also speculated that Rogers
simply didn't find the right man to have children with. And while other women gave up certain
things to have kids, Olden explained that Rogers enjoyed her career, so she focused
on that instead.
In 1936, Ginger Rogers became one of the first people to be named an Admiral by the Texas
Navy. What's the Texas Navy, you ask? Well, in the 19th century, it was literally a navy
for the independent Republic of Texas. A century later, it had basically become a historical
organization with ceremonial titles — kind of like those Kentucky Colonels.
It was Texas governor James Allred who made Rogers an Admiral in the Texas Navy during
the opening of the Texas State Fairground in Dallas. Rogers later wrote in "Ginger:
My Story,"
"I never knew Texas had a Navy. Salute me, you all!"
Ginger Rogers had her share of fashion moments over the years. She lived during a time long
before social media influencers persuaded fans how to dress. However, she told the New
York Times that when she wore a blue feather dress in the 1935 film, "Top Hat," feather
sales skyrocketed. This cemented her status as a movie style icon. Then, her 1940 film
"Kitty Foyle" made white-collared c dresses a hot commodity. She wrote in her autobiography,
"I can never emphasize enough how important clothing was to me."
That was one of the reasons why she decided to partner with J. C. Penney in the 1970s,
serving as a fashion consultant from 1972 to 1975. Rogers hand-picked clothes for the
mail-order catalog and traveled around the states to help women find affordable but fashionable
clothing options. The star developed a wardrobe for hundreds of stores in America. According
to her book, she had a particular interest in lingerie.
It was a big get for the department store because it had secured one of America's most
popular Golden Age stars as their spokesperson. J.C. Penney executives chose Rogers as their
representative due to her fashion knowledge and because they believed her famous gams
would help the company sell pantyhose. The partnership made perfect sense because as
a dancer, Rogers had kept her legs in top shape.
Some celebrity watchers may be surprised to learn that Ginger Rogers not only played tennis
but was a formidable opponent. In fact, she was such a good player that in 1950, the 39-year-old
actress competed at the U.S. Open in a mixed doubles match with tennis player and actor
Frank Shields, who today is most known for being actress Brooke Shields' grandfather.
At the time, Rogers was still a popular film star and had recently appeared with Fred Astaire
in "The Barkleys of Broadway." So, it may have seemed odd that she was competing in
a professional sporting event. There was reportedly some consternation over her participation
due to her celebrity status. Even so, she was a skilled player who was good enough to
qualify for the event.
Her former assistant, Roberta Olden, told Fox News that Rogers was a very good tennis
player. She initially played the sport alongside Hollywood legends such as Errol Flynn and
Katharine Hepburn, but she was looking for a challenge, and she certainly got it at the
tournament.
Unfortunately, she and Shields lost to a much younger team. Rogers also competed in a celebrity
tournament that took place in conjunction with the U.S. Open, but she and her partner
lost before the final match.
Around 1940, Ginger Rogers purchased a ranch in southern Oregon. According to her long-time
assistant , she loved the ranch because it was the perfect place to relax, and it was
likely a good retreat from Hollywood. She spent her time there cooking, fishing, horseback
riding, reading, and skeet shooting. Olden told Fox News,
"She would let her hair down, wear no makeup and just be a regular person. She loved that,
too."
"It's very easy for me to go up to my ranch and can fruit."
The ranch was more than just a home for Rogers and her mother, who also resided there. Her
ranch provided some support during the war effort as well. Its Guernsey cows produced
milk for local army men at Camp White, which was home to approximately 25,000 soldiers
during World War II. Rogers was even featured on the cover of Life Magazine in 1942, with
the article inside offering a glimpse of her life there.
She and her mother lived at the ranch for over half a century before the star sold the
property in 1990 and moved to nearby Medford, Oregon.
Ginger Rogers' mother raised her as a Christian Scientist, and the religion was a huge part
of her life. One of the ways in which she practiced her faith was by living a clean
life without alcohol and avoiding the temptations that Hollywood had to offer. Her religion
and relationship with God were part of her life both on screen and off. Rogers’ longtime
assistant, Roberta Olden, told Crosswalk.com that her faith was very important, and that,
"She knew that it was God's gift of goodness that shone through [her performances]."
However, it wasn't always easy for Rogers to avoid the pressures of the industry. Privacy
was difficult to attain because she was so famous, and not everyone understood her Christian
beliefs. Plus, she endured several failed marriages and had other struggles that could
have caused some people to quit Hollywood. Instead, she took refuge in her church and
through prayer. Olden explained,
"I don't think there was a day that went by when she didn't thank God for something."
Due to her beliefs as a Christian Scientist, Ginger Rogers was one of those rare celebrities
who neither smoked nor drank alcohol. She loved hosting parties but served cold non-alcoholic
drinks. Her favorite was ginger ale, and one of her favorite indulgences was ice cream
sodas.
So it's somewhat ironic that over the years, she's had at least two different alcoholic
beverages named after her. Of course, as one of America's most iconic movie stars, she's
in good company, as there are drinks named after many other stars of Hollywood's golden
age, including Shirley Temple, Charlie Chaplin, and Mary Pickford.
The Ginger Rogers is simple to concoct and a pleasant summertime cocktail. Unsurprisingly,
the ingredients include gin, ginger, and ginger ale, which not only pay homage to the star's
famous name, but to her personal preferences as well. There's also a different version
you can get at Disneyland of all places, though it too has gin as its base ingredient.
Ginger Rogers was born in northern Independence, Missouri — a town that in recent years has
made an effort to commemorate her achievements. But it wasn't always that way, and the star
felt she deserved some recognition. President Harry Truman, who spent decades living in
Independence, planned a special event there for Rogers in 1964 after she complained that
the residents celebrated his birthday but didn't commemorate hers. She was also honored
at an event in town in 1994.
The actress, who passed away in 1995, likely would have been pleased that in 2018 her former
home — a registered historic landmark — was officially turned into a museum. Rogers and
her mother lived on the property for four years, and the home was restored so it looked
like it did when they resided there. The property also became the site of the Ginger Festival
that year, which celebrated the life of the Hollywood icon. The money raised during the
festival was allocated towards repairing the home's roof and upgrading the landscaping.
The festival included the presentation of two Ginger Roger films, a fan club meeting,
and presentations about the house. Unfortunately, the museum closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
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