The Ginger House and heavily involved in the theater, Ginger went on to become a Broadway star at the age of 19, and shortly after, a Hollywood film actress. She is perhaps best known for the nine films she made with Fred Astaire, but she was a huge star before they began working together and making dance films. Ginger visited her hometown several times during her lifetime. In 1942, she visited the home during an interview with LIFE magazine. In 1964, President Harry Truman declared July 16 to be "Ginger Roger's Day," Ginger again visited the home in 1972 when she was in
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers his retirement. Due to their success as a partnership, Garland and Astaire were due to reunite for "The Barkleys of Broadway", but Garland was forced to drop out and Rogers took her place. The film, released in 1949, reunited Astaire and Rogers for their only movie for MGM and their only color film. During production, Astaire received an honorary Academy Award, which was presented to him by Rogers. This film was greeted with joy by critics, who were thrilled to see the partnership together once again. It was a success, earning a worldwide total of $5,421,000 on an estimated budget