* Ginger Rogers and her frequent on screen film partner Fred Astaire put musicals on the map.
They brought a sense of light and happiness in a seemingly drama fueled Hollywood. It was
always Gingers dream to be on the stage and on the screen. And with the support of her mother
her dreams quickly came true! Ginger Rogers was at the right place at the right time.
She was just what Hollywood needed. And she ultimately received an Academy Award in 1941.*
AYA She started in vaudeville, then
Broadway and then finally landed in Hollywood. By 1930 she was very popular on Broadway and acted in
a few short films for Paramount at Astoria Studios. After being in three Pathe films,
Ginger decided to move to Hollywood and begin her Hollywood dream. By that point,
she was in her early 20’s and had a great resume of being a wonderful dancer and singer.
AYA So since 1933 -1939, Ginger and
Fred Astaire united to bring nine major musical films. Roberta, Swing Time and Shall We Dance to
name a few. Watching them float so elegantly in sync is a pleasure to watch. Ginger was a
natural. Her ability act, dance, sing made her hot commodity. On top of that she was
beautiful. And you know what happens when you're the full package, you get pigeonholed in playing
the parts you're best at. And on top of that she kept getting underpaid! She was the star of
all her films, yet she was not top billing. Unlike other previous Oscar winners like Mary Pickford or
Katharine Hepburn who asserted their expectations early on, Ginger fought for higher pay and better
scripts for a very long time. (MORE)
AYA (CONT'D) Luckily Rogers had her incredibly
supportive and business minded mother every step of the way to
help with negotiations and scoring roles. * Musicals kind of died out by late 1930’s.
They were more expensive to produce and so production companies rather invested in non
musical features. This was actually really good for Roger’s career track, as it was a portal for
her to dive into serious roles. She terminated her long contract with RKO and that gave Ginger lots
of freedom. She secured the main role of Kitty in Kitty Foyle. This dramatic performance was praised
and lead to Ginger winning the Oscar for Best Actress in 1941. The year the US entered WW2*
Can you believe she was up against drama queens like Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Fontaine
and Martha Scott?! After this, she went on to headline in more major motion pictures, like Roxie
Hart, which was based on the play Chicago stemmed from, Lady In The Dark, Weekend At the Waldorf and
more. The 1940’s were Gingers golden years. In the year 1942 She was the highest paid actress.
That just proved how beneficial it was for Ginger to not be managed by RKO or any other company.
AYA As the 1950’s rolled in it was more
difficult for Ginger to secure major roles, but nonetheless her collaboration with other stars
like Doris Day, Cary Grant and Marylin Monroe kept her in the spotlight in films like Storm Warning,
Tight Spot and Monkey Business to name a few. (MORE)
2. AYA (CONT'D) Rogers realized the realm of
theatre was something worth exploring again, so she spent most of the 1960s doing major
West End productions like Hello Dolly!, Mame and Queen Elizabeth 2. At the end
of the 60’s she was the highest paid performer on West End at that time.
AYA Ginger Rogers lived a long and
fruitful life, the cherry on top is that she had the chance to direct an off broadway musical
called Babes In Arms. She was 74 years old. * Ginger Roger’s innate sophistication and
multi talent kept her career going for a very long time. Her professionalism, clean living lifestyle
and artistic streak made her very likable and admired. She was definitely the Golden girl of
Hollywood's Golden Age. * 3.