Added: 3 years ago
From: crepehanger47
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  • Absolute elegance.

  • Anyone notice that he started to write Frederick Austerlitz?

  • 'One of the greates singers ever' You tell him anonymous lady! Fred Astaire FTW!

  • "I just don't think so.... " xD Heh. Love! Humble and super classy.

  • Gosh, I love Fred.

  • Fred Astaire was so supremely talented and devoted to his craft. It's nice to see how modest and gentlemanly he was as well. I looked up this show because I remembered the parody version in 101 Dalmatians, but I'm quickly getting addicted to it.

  • I love how he bows toward the audience as he leaves the stage. What a great guy!

  • Glorious television! Now, people watch junk like, "Jersey Shore"...

  • @LBraunhaus Glorious is right!

  • Fred Astaire was a highly underrated dramatic actor. 

  • Robert Q. Lewis was a closet homo in the 50s....Arthur Godfrey asked him once what the Q stood for...

  • @MerleOberon . . .this is an idiotic question but what did it stand for?

  • If this show was on today, I would be damned with all the bullshit "celebrities" that they would present. I wouldn't have a clue who today's bunch of people would be.

  • even his signature dances!!

  • Oh Fred, you were a fantastic singer.

  • @FangedTsuruya Cole Porter when asked who his favorite singer was and who would he like to introduce his new songs, didn't hesitate and said Fred Astaire, he was a great singer and introduced many classics.

  • At least his signature was readable, not like todays scrawls that people think set them apart from the world. I think it's because they have lost respeck for themselves.

  • I love HIM!!! i would have loved to have met him!!

  • my God they are so clever !

  • Gifted Choreographer that ever lived!

    Dorothy presumed that this was a woman when she asked that question, there is nothing funny about i

  • I love how hard they laughed when she asked "Do men whistle at you?". It was real, good pure humor. Humor wasn't always about sex, innuendos, insults, or racism. Oh I wish I grew up in the good ol days :(

  • I love how when they took off their masks Dorothy looked like she wanted to cry when she saw him.

  • Why do they all have such fancy signatures!

  • @smileyface7727

    Fancy? His signature is ridiculous

  • @anonymusum True, but at least it's not boring.

  • Fred's voice totally comes through in his "Mhmm"s.  They give it away! :D

  • THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

    NOW AND THEN -

    THEY HAD MANNERS!

  • That is a man with true class

  • CLASS

  • He had such a babyface

  • He looks so young here.

  • arlene should have been a pr person. She always said such nice things about people.

  • Pause at 2:03. Classsic!

  • one step? I dont know how to do one step. LOL

  • "Do men whistle at you when you walk down the street?" They couldn't stop laughing- and neither could I!

  • 1955

  • Mr Astaire was always a gentleman and every women who danced with him looked like the greatest dancer. He made his partners look good... it was obvioulsy not just about him. as it always was with Gene "Look at me" Kelly.

  • Dorothy was apparently a fan of his. She cried both times he was on WML.

  • his shy face is absolutely adorable. fred astaire is such a great man.

  • Fred Astaire is brilliant.

    The host looks a bit like Kevin Spacey.

  • @Mareikebest John Daly. Worked in radio and film. He was really the one that kept this show so entertaining.

  • @mgwilliams1000 Was he a narrator of films, too? His voice sounds so familiar.

  • @Mareikebest You know, I'm not sure. He did have a great repore with each celebrity, did he not? I love this show and can get hooked watching it for a couple of hours each night.

  • Fred Astaire is Magic! There is no need for CGI or any bollocks like that, hell you hardly need colour or sound!

  • He bows as he leaves the stage of a game show. That is humility.

  • Fred not known as a singer? He confuses me, wasn't he the one who sang puttin' on the ritz?

  • @Goedhartbros he was. the host was going by what fred wanted him to say, and fred never thought of himself as a very good voice. in his first screen test, his voice was described as thin.

  • LOL, " i dont how to do one" genius

  • man, this guy is a legend!!! it's so funny how fred and john daly kept laughing when the woman asked the first question. fred couldn't even answer the question!

  • Boy, to have danced just One dance with him! Class you don't see anymore!

  • A class act! When I was a pup, my dream was to dance with him . . . . alas, didn't happen ;-)

  • It's so wonderful to actually see him as himself, on this video rather than in a film. He is just as you imagine him to be, so humble, and modest, and all of things that you have heard about him from the books written about him over the years. I have seen many of his films, but I have to say this is the very first time I have seen him on a program like this. Thanks for posting this. A real treat for Astaire lovers and admirers. Thank you so much.

  • loooooooooooool

    do u have a voice? hahaha

  • He's such a great dancer and singer! And seems so nervous and humble, adorable, haha

  • When you walk down the street do men whistle at you? OMG, that's funny!!! Astaire had such class.

  • He wasn't a great singer, but a nice singer. He had feeling.

  • I remember watching his movies as a teenager (this was the late '70's) watching the "late night movie". I loved to watch him dance, and was entertained by his movies. They were so nice, even though I never saw him in a theatre.

  • I think Fred is really nervous.

  • Aw, it was so sweet the way he said "I..uh..I just don't think so'.

  • One of his best moments in film occurred long after his death. I always look forward to the scene in "The Green Mile" when Michael Clark Duncan ( "John Coffee...like the drink") stares in wonderment at his singing and dancing.

  • Thanks for sharing!

  • I agree with Dorothy Kilgallen.

  • Fred Astaire resembles Woody Allen .. i mean the way he talks

  • @verbusen I wonder how many of the high quality and memorable shows of today will last as long as this did? Your opinion is certainly not shared by most viewers.

  • @muskratrowdy Yeah? Hey I grew up in the old days too. There's a reason why this is not on today. But that's cool I'm sure many going onto a What's My Line post are fans. I am a Fred Astaire fan so that's why I started to watch, couldn't finish when the host said he was not known as a singer. I'm old enough to remember WML being on the air, BTW. It lasted a long time because it was a cheap show to do, and good PR for the guests. The SCTV "Whats My Show Size" is a great parody of this on youtube.

  • @verbusen Well, it seems your dispute is about the issue of Fred Astaire being primarily known as a singer, actor or dancer. Part of John Daly's job was to clarify things to the blindfolded cast. True, Astaire was an excellent singer and actor, but he was primarily known as a dancer. You don't need to put down the show and call it stupid, just make your point in a civil fashion.

  • @verbusen You are not very intelligent! Back in those days people had hobbies and liked to go to restaurants, movies and nightclubs.

    The socialized everyday!

    You may play "doom" or other PC-games. But back in the old times people v

    where dancing at nightclubs-and actually sometimes found a live partner to hug and make love to...Incredible stuff!!??

    Now MR Verbusen...please go back to your beloved internet.

  • @verbusen

    People did not have to be entertained by sex, violence, and politically-correct crap that the world is fascinated with today. People were much more innocent and friendly back then. It was the greatest decade of America's existance, and I wish I could rid this country of the fast paced filth which is destroying our future!

  • fred is sooooo gentle and sooooo loveable! you can´t help loving him :)

  • he writes like he dances.. mmm:)mmm

  • 'r u famous 4 dancing?'-ur askin this 2 1 of the 2 greatest ballroom dancers of all time.the other 1 being ginger rogers.i mean when a pro on dwts ask the celeb 2 dance like fred astaire,u no that they're asking them to be 10-worthy GREAT.

  • when she asks if men whistle at him, i think Fred was going to put on a womens voice but he laughed and gave himself away.

  • Fred Astaire sings much better than Tony Bennet and so much others that sings today standard music

    He's just one of my favorite actor and singer

  • @AugustoYeahBaby I know I had to mute it after the host said he wasn't famous for singing! The 50's had some stupid moments, Whats My Line was an example.

  • @verbusen Maybe you have your mommy have you take a nap before you grab a keyboard and type

  • @AugustoYeahBaby He can dance, but my man Tony is the best. It's okay. :)

  • I would love to know what he said behind his hand when the contestant asked about men whisling at him. lol. Cool guy.:)

  • Why did he say he wasn´t known as a singer?.. Oh what a man so modest.. what a divine human being,,

  • Wow I ADORE that man!, and I wouldn´t think twice to whistle at him!! and I am a man too!!, he has all of the qualities a human being could ever ask for.. I LOVE HIM!

  • SICKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK DANCER :D

  • ooh i love daddy long legs! and the fact he could do all this when he lost his beloved wife...what a man. :)

  • why was he answering like that?? was it mainly because his voice would give it all away?

  • I would love to know what he said to Mr Daly after "Do men whistle at you?"! Whatever it was, it had them both in hysterics!

  • - Yea really - the 111th Birthday !

    and he is still so modern und popular - not to believe... Congrats!

  • happy birthday fred astaire :)

  • They should reboot this for the 21st century!!! Hilarious...

  • Astaire said that when he was starting out, read a talent scout's report on him: "Short. Thinning hair. Can dance a little" He said that when he read that, he bought lifts, a toupee and worked on his dancing.

  • I love his "yes" and "no"!!! :D

  • lol @ "When you walk down the street do men whistle at you?"

  • Fred was very devasted right before this time because of the death of his young wife.

    Phyllis

  • Gentleman perfection. Wonderful.

  • Even his signature dances!!

  • He was so adorable.

  • i LOVE his singing voice!! i love how everyone in these AMAZING times were so humble, for example, they wouldn't say "yes i'm a star" or like astaire "i'm a singer" just because he sang, ya know?!

    the entertainment/music industry these days let those words fly around for anyone and everyone, which is so sad.

    yay fred astaire! what a gentleman :)

    (and also, there were way more gentlemen in those times than now, which is also unfortunate lol)

  • @ApoloExpress To Apolo.... I absolutely agree with your comments. Mr. Astaire was first class all the way.

  • I love this show.

  • One of the biggest stars of the century and he is so modest and unaffected! He was not only one of the most talented person in show business but also one of the most beloved!

  • According to David Niven, Fred Astaire was genuinely a "Gentle" man. FA performed a few dance steps in the 1974 film "Towering Inferno".

  • When you walk down the street do men whistle at you? LOL ..... Easter Parade all over again <3

  • He was SO delightfully charming.

  • God! I've seen this by now... I don't know... more than 10 times! and I can't get enough! I love Fred!

    and that "one little step" in the end was wonderful:)

  • Da man was dancin even when he was writin. AMAZIN!

  • Gee i can't beleive he didn't like the way he looked id give anything to look a bit like that guy shame huh.

  • Fantastic clip! Fred was true talent and a class act. He is one of the best all-around entertainers (if not THE best) ever. They don't make them like him anymore!

  • Fred has a nice smile

  • Wait what did she say and why is it so funny??

  • "when you walked down the street, do boys whistle at you?"

  • Such a modest guy too. He was a fine singer (in the right repertoire- which is all he sang!)

    He wasn't very self confident from everything I've heard. I heard once that he was sometimes heard during filming to mutter to himself "I'm horrible" or some such thing. Heh. If only he could see todays actors.....

  • @ShawDAMAN : Fred never liked the way he looked on screen....and he felt he was not a great actor either....only a serviceable one. But he was a great musician, choreographer, and simply the greatest dancer of the 20th Century, according to Balanchine. There's one exception to his acting limitations. Whenever Fred did ANYTHING with Ginger Rogers, sparks fly. It's electric. It's just cinema magic, in the 9 great...and highly popular...dance musicals they did together from 1933 to 1939.

  • @followthefleet1

    hooeey! He sure didn't. Good thing he didn't let it get to his head. Methinks he'll always always ALWAYS be my favorite dancer. Don't forget about The Barkleys of Broadway tho, Fred and Ginger's 10th and final picture. =D

  • Oh yeah...He surely is my favorite dancer too....and Ginger his greatest partner, not because she was technically better than a few his partners, but because she dramatized the dances...dances which were Fred' very best. Hannah Hyam 's relatively new book, "Fred and Ginger"...describes this in great detail. They just don't make them like Fred & Ginger anymore.

  • @followthefleet1

    nope. they certainly don't. I have five of their movies. I wish I had the rest!

  • You might enjoy Hannah Hyam's new book "Fred and Ginger", as well as Arlene Croce's "The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book". Both are classics on the subject.

  • thanks, I'll have to look those up sometime :)

  • Good...Because there are stars that the more you learn about them, the less you think of them. In the case of fred and Ginger, ..and ll their creative collaborators...the more you learn about them, the MORE you think of them. I recommend these books to anyone who wants to understand more deeply what exactly their achievement was...how hard they worked...and why they deserve to be legends through time.

  • yeah. i know what you mean lol. they were definitely wonderfully talented people and i'm glad they decided to make movies, among all the other occupations out there :)

  • @ShawDAMAN there were always bad actors, not just today.

  • @0casteloencantado0 but today there seems to be a greater paucity of *good* or great actors. although I am prepared to believe that this has as much to do with writing as with the actors themselves.

  • hilarious

  • hahaha so funny but i didnt think fred wore wigs believe me id be able to tell

  • Astaire was balding by his early 30's, so he wore a toupee in most of his movies, but removed it when entertaining the troops during the wars.

  • Always a joy to see the late great Freddie Astaire. Truly one of the immortal screen icons. Unlike a lot of his contemporaries, for most of his career he wore pretty good lookin' toupees. And man, oh, man, could that dude shake a leg....and a good singer too, though he didn't seem to think so. THANKS for sharing this delightful clip with us! :)

  • He was Irving Berlins favorite singer. Best regards Leebm29

  • MY LOVE FREDDIE!!! Aw I love this~he's such a gentlemen~THE GREATEST!! :) How does the blondehaglady ALWAYS get it?? So soon too~they must be telling her who it is or something.

  • Poor Dorothy looks so wounded, as if she'd been misled and I have to agree...many of the famous tunes from the 30s and 40s became hits because Fred Astaire sang them. Maybe Fred's modesty was referencing the oft quoted line from a Hollywood scout who said "Can't sing...can't act...can dance a little."

  • why this got  thumbed down I have no clue, as it is a very true statement

  • I could understand if he had said something like "well, I'm not a very GOOD singer", but for him to actually deny even BEING a singer? How modest can you get?

  • Could he possibly look any better? You can't improve on perfection.

  • I have this sudden urge to buy an electric shaver from Remington.

  • When you walk down the street, do men whistle at you?

  • Help meee...:( When u walk down the street ...and then? i don't understand the end of the first question! :(

  • "When you walk down the street, do men whistle at you?" haha

  • :D:D:D Ahahahhaah Thank u so much!

  • Take a close look.Thats what a genius looks like!

  • Fred was the greatest all round talent Hollywood has ever seen...

  • I will always be in love with him! Such an inspiration!

  • Fred of course had tons of recordings as a singer. He doesn't do himself justice in that department.

  • oh fred is so sweet

  • A healthy ego is necessary to be a top performer. But I think perfectionists, like Fred Astaire, are usually modest about their talent.

    They, and they alone, know just how much better they can be; always trying to be just a bit better every time.

  • Her first question! How in the world?! Almost an exact quote of him from Easter Parade!

  • The part at 3:27 shows exactly the what kind of man he is. He is not a Gentleman...but a Gentlemen s Gentleman. He probably was thinking after the question: "well...i guess..."

    Why can't men be like him? EVER?!?!

  • It's sad though, cause this is one year after dear Phyllis(his wife) died of lung-cancer. 22 years of a blissful marriage(they were known as the perfect couple). I read in one of his bios, he was having dinner with Hermes and her at home. She told him: "YOU do the dishes." He said: "Okay." and disappeared in the kitchen. Then there was clattering. Phyllis and Pan hurried to the kitchen. Fred was breaking the dishes, one at a time. "Never ask me to do the dishes again." and...she laughed.

  • Oh! I forgot(after a long while)!

    Not only did she laughed...she decided to join him to break the dishes as well! Now THAT is sweet! 99% of women would go BONKERS if that were to happen to them! Just ask my mum!

  • A classic!

  • For all his success and brilliant talent he comes across as a very modest man.

  • Really? So you've met every single dancer since the beginning of time and come to this conclusion?

  • I havn't laughed so hard in a long time...do men whistle at him hahahaha... Man, Fred Astaire was the best! love him:)

  • Very funny one part

  • "Do Men Whistle at You?" Well -- I would whistle at him. Class with a capital C and talent worth its weight in platnum. I am with Dorothy on this one: Astaire is one of the greatest singers of the 20th Century. His singing style was simplicity itself, each word clear as crystal and right on key.

    "Swing Time" is still my favorite Astaire Dance movie of the 1930s; "The Bandwagon" is my favorite Astaire musical of the 1950s.

  • I used to love to stay up at night and watch the late movie (1978) before the tv went off the air with the National Anthem, and many times they had a Fred Astaire movie. I was only 18 at that time but I loved the old movies. Quality is quality. it doesn't matter what year it was made. He was such a great dancer!

  • Yeah I don't get that either, he sang several songs in almost all of his early pictures, and almost all of them became hits.

  • @soulierinvestments As usual, I agree with you 1,000 per cent. Fred was not only one of the greatest singers of the 20th century, but he also introduced more standards than any other major star. Along with Swing Time and The Band Wagon, my favorite Astaire non-musical is the charming "The Pleasure of His Company."

  • What a charming, class act. There will never be another to fill his shoes!

  • happy 110 bday Fred!

  • He use to re do scenes again and again till it was the way he wanted. What a perfectionist the world lost, what an amazing man who would change the attitude of many teens now a days if he was still alive.

  • Happy 110th birthday Fred

    u rock

  • Wow, what a signature! Everything about him is loaded with his own persona style. :D

  • One of my favorite dancers...!

    And yes, the first musical I've ever seen in my life was The Bandwagon...I think I was about 10...

  • The Bandwagon was a great musical.

  • "Do men whisle at you when you walk down the street" ROFLS LOVE IT, Fred Astaire was so good in his movies ^_^

  • I love it! Fred is so charming:) and he has a great signature:)

  • Such a many talent man he was. The world was better having him.

  • So unassuming--he seemed genuinely shy about this appearance and his modesty seems genuine. Can you imagine a star of that caliber bering modest today?? Wow--he was the best.

  • I sat here with a smile on my face the whole time! Wonderful. :)

  • These clips from Whats My Line are wonderful. They transport us to a world that was witty, charming, and so much smaller.

  • I can't believe that this star, this legend, this ICON, rises to leave the minute his identity is guessed, and has to be restrained by Mr. Daly to sit for a few extra minutes. Even shy and self-effacing at 55 years of age here!! Thank you very much.

  • Mr. Astaire was truly the greatest dancer in motion pictures.

  • I love what's my line :D!!

  • Love, love, love him! He knew that if he used his normal voice, it'd be over. What a great man and talent!

  • Was there ever a mega star as humble, modest and self-effacing as Fred Astaire?