My Favorite Fred Astaire Dance Numbers

  Poppity Talks Classic Film is hosting/hosted a fun blogathon featuring actors born in 1899. So for this (late)  post I thought I would list my favorite dance numbers featuring Fred Astaire. 

 

This list is in no particular order; and because this list could go on for awhile I'm just going to list my top ten.


1. "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails"


From the movie Top Hat (1935) this is a really fun number. 

You can watch it here: "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails"

 

2. "Waltz"

One of the saddest Fred Astaire movies; Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers perform this lovely waltz in The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)

You can watch it here: "Waltz"

 

3. "I'm Old Fashioned"

I love this dance Fred and Rita Hayworth perform in You Were Never Lovelier (1942).

You can watch it here: "I'm Old Fashioned"

 

4. "Pick Yourself Up"


In Swing Time (1936), Fred and Ginger perform one of my favorite of their dances together.

You can watch it here: "Pick Yourself Up"

 

5. "One for My Baby"


Fred Astaire introduced this song in The Sky's the Limit (1943)

You can watch it here: "One for My Baby" 

 

6. "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"


I've always loved this dance that Fred and Ginger do on roller skates, in Shall We Dance (1937).

You can watch it here: "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"

 

7. "A Couple of Song and Dance Men"


Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby perform this fun dance in Blue Skies (1946).

You can watch it here: "A Couple of Song and Dance Men"

 

8. "They Can't Take That Away from Me"


There's no dancing in this number, but I've always loved this song Fred sings to Ginger in Shall We Dance (1937).

You can watch it here: "They Can't Take That Away from Me"

 

9. "Let Yourself Go"


This is a great dance number Fred and Ginger perform in Follow the Fleet (1936)

You can watch it here: "Let Yourself Go"

 

10. "Please Don't Monkey with Broadway"


Fred Astaire and George Murphy do this fun dance in Broadway Melody of 1940.

You can watch it here: "Please Don't Monkey with Broadway"

Comments

  1. Lizzie HexamJanuary 10, 2026 at 5:53 PM

    I know this comment is very late, but I've been on a huge Fred Astaire kick the past few months, so I was so excited to see this as the top post when I came across your blog! The "I'm Old Fashioned" dance is one of my favorites too (You Were Never Lovelier is probably my favorite of Fred's movies I've seen so far, and I also love The Shorty George dance from it), as is the "One For My Baby" number. And "Please Don't Monkey with Broadway" is so much fun as well. A couple other of my top favorites are the "Begin the Beguine" dance with Eleanor Powell in Broadway Melody of 1940 and the "I'll Be Hard to Handle" dance with Ginger Rogers in Roberta.

    It's lovely to meet you! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JohannaJanuary 14, 2026 at 9:58 PM

      Thank you for commenting!
      It's been so long since I've posted anything on here that I wasn't sure if anyone still looked at my blog so I was thrilled to see your comment.😃

      I love the other Fred Astaire dances you mentioned.

      Delete

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