[Dixielandjazz] Re: Fred Astaire & Tom Wiggins

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/2/04 8:22:30 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
s3856lpa at webtv.net writes:

> 
> Egads, sir?  You conjure up visions of Lawrence Welk whenever you see or
> hear Fred Astaire??????
> 
> You should live so long to be as hip as Astaire was.  His verve,
> phrasing and understanding of what a given song was all about, not to
> mention his timing and syncopated style, certainly would qualify him
> among one of the great songsters.
> 
Egads Hal,  yes indeed I have misinterpreted myself again it seems, :))

I did not intend to imply that Fred Astaire was not a great Artist or master 
of several aspects.  I merely stated that he and others of his era to a 
youngster like me conjurs up visions of the Lawrence Welk generation of 
entertainment.

Lawrence sometimes had good acts on his show as well, even if he was strange 
character, but then again so was Ed Sullivan, seemed to be the traits of 
Television show hosts in that time period.

I still like Audrey Hepburn's statement about Fred & Ginger however, 'He gave 
her Class and she gave him Sex"   Not that there was anything wrong with 
that. :))   Lucky Fred.


Most of that era was just presented as a bit too Wholesome for my tastes 
which made it boring, however my 80 year old mother and 86 year old mother in law 
adored them all and still do as well as Andy Williams and the Osmonds.

I preferred Rusty Warren and Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. Billy 
Ekstine.  Duke Ellington and Count Basie and Fats Domino personally. not to 
mention listening and seat dancing on the back seat of my dad's merry Oldsmobile 
to the sounds of Johnny Mathis and Tony Bennett.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins