Fred Astaire Met His Match In 1940 – And Then He Never Worked With Her Again

Fred Astaire is hailed as one of the best dancers and performers in the history of the entertainment industry. This vintage video features one of his most amazing performances. This famous footage from the movie “Broadway Melody of 1940” shows one of the greatest dance sequences of all time.

But in fact, only half of the credit goes to Fred: the other half belongs to Eleanor Powell. It it was a seminal moment for both of them. You see, throughout his career Fred had many dancing partners. But when he teamed up with Powell, he decided he couldn’t work with her anymore. The reason? She was too good!

Eleanor Powell had trouble finding work because she was just too talented for her own good. Back in the 40s, a woman’s role in dance was to make the male lead look good, but Powell always ended up becoming the main focus. She was believed to be equaled only by Fred Astaire in terms of dancing talent. In 1965, she was named the World’s Greatest Tap Dancer by the Dance Masters of America.

Narrated by Frank Sinatra, this wonderful clip captures the talent of these two dancers perfectly. Watch their performance below and please leave us a Facebook comment to let us know what you thought!

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