Eighty years ago, the hottest woman on Broadway WITH PLENTY 'O UPDATES

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:00am

In the late 1920s, this was the hottest woman on Broadway. Her name was Claire Luce (not to be confused with Claire Boothe Luce, the playwright.) Claire had been a Ziegfeld girl (and one can only imagine what you had to do to be "glorified" by Ziggy). She then played a few roles on Broadway, but her big claim to fame was that she was Fred Astaire's second partner.

Updated On: 3/28/09 at 03:00 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:04am

After Adele Astaire retired to marry Lord Cavendish in London, Fred teamed up with Claire for "Gay Divorce" which they played in New York and London.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:06am

This is how we remember Claire. What a difference a few years made. By 1932, she was gilded and streamlined and ready for the Moderne age.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:08am

Claire became a huge star in London, where she stayed for a majority of the 30s, coming to America to do the odd show.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:10am

And Fred looked so sleek with Claire Luce.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:11am

And those legs.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:12am

She was also always listed on the "Best Dressed" pages.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:15am

At the end of the show, Fred grabbed Claire and they danced on the tops of the tables and couched and chairs on the set in an amazing and very dangerous pas de deux. Many times, they fell flat on their faces but gamely got up and repeated the number from the top until they got it right. This was a prelude to Fred's perfectionism in the movies.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:17am

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:20am

Then, of course, as it often does, Hollywood broke Claire's heart. The role she had danced so brilliantly went to a friend of hers. Ginger Rodgers, who became a superstar dancing the same routines in the movie version of "Gay Divorce" which was renamed because in post-Production Code Hollywood, Divorce couldn't be gay.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:22am

Not that Claire did badly... every Broadway producer and the West End impresarios wanted her badly...

Updated On: 3/28/09 at 03:22 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:51am

Claire's biggest shot on Broadway was as Curley's Wife in the original production of "Of Mice and Men". Here she is being saughtered by Broderick Crawford (later of Highway Patrol 10-4 fame, the son of Helen Broderick).

Updated On: 3/28/09 at 03:51 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:53am

Updated On: 3/28/09 at 03:53 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:55am

Later in her Career she did concerts

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:56am

Here is one on the BBC in the 50s. She was still a hot number.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 3:58am

This is just, I don't know... wrong....

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 4:00am

Claire Luce died in 1989 at the age of 86. This is how I choose to remember her...

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 4:02am

ADDENDUM. I have just been informed that Claire broke her hip dancing the top of the table number with Fred Astaire in Gay Divorce in the London production. This may explain why she was passed over for the lead in the movie.

Have a good night folks......

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 7:47pm

Even my bumps look cute.

Updated On: 3/28/09 at 07:47 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 8:10pm

Claire concentrated on drama in the 40s and 50s.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 8:12pm

Here she is in front of Anne Hathaway's cottage (the wife of Shakespeare, not the actress) in Stratford-On-Avon when appearing at the summer festival in 1945, age 42. Wow.

Updated On: 3/28/09 at 08:12 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 8:16pm

Here's another shot with Fred.

Updated On: 3/28/09 at 08:16 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 8:19pm

And earlier with Nelson Keyes (the Matthew Broderick of the 20s in London) in "Burlesque" in 1928.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 3/28/09 at 10:23pm

The most fabulous post EVER on BWW, imho! Wow!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 10:55am

Thanks. Here are a few others like it from my megaposts. Most of the stuff is from my collection. Hope you enjoy:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=972787#3631451

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=963561#3533883

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=955158#3440952

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=954269#3427915

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=955012#3441622

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=954344#3428699

Updated On: 3/29/09 at 10:55 AM