Fred v. Gene

Fred Astaire won our latest Rumpus Poll. It asked, "Who's better...Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly?"

Fred Astaire received 2/3 of the vote with Gene Kelly pulling in the remaining third. We didn't get any, "Fred and Gene who?" votes...thankfully.

Fred Astaire was born Frederick Austerlitz on May 10, 1899 and lived until June 22, 1987 where he died in Los Angeles. This is an excerpt from Fred Astaire.Net.

"Fred Astaire (1899-1987) is, by common consensus, the greatest dancer to ever grace the silver screen, and has been hailed as an American icon, a genius, grace personified, and simply the best dancer ever. His tremendous popularity and the continued popularity of his movie musicals attest to his appeal to people of all ages.

Fred successfully combined different forms of dancing into a unique, highly artistic, expressive and technically flawless individual style. Admired by ballet dancers and hoofers alike, he broke down barriers between so-called 'high' and 'low' art, refusing to obey artificial boundaries in his constant quest to create beautiful, entertaining dances."

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Gene Kelly, born Eugene Kelly on August 23, 1912 in Pittsburgh and died February 2, 1996 in Los Angeles.
Also from Fred Astaire.net...

"If Fred Astaire is the greatest dancer to ever appear on the movie screen, then Gene Kelly is... also the greatest dancer.

For it is simply impossible to compare the two giants. They have completely different styles and talents. If Fred is the epitome of elegance and grace, Gene represents strength and power. The only common ground is the undisputed fact is that the two are far and away better than anyone else. The two share a stratum that no one else on the silver screen even comes close to.

"If Fred Astaire is the Cary Grant of dance, I'm the Marlon Brando".

Gene Kelly also has his own page (among others) at The Gene Kelly Scene.