Ginger and Fred Ginger and Fred Ginger and Fred () is a 1986 comedy/drama film directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni and Giulietta Masina. The title is a reference to the American dancing couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The two leads portray Italian impersonators of Astaire and Rogers who reunite after thirty years of retirement for a vulgar and bizarre television extravaganza. The film was the subject of a trademark claim in the United States by Ginger Rogers, who claimed in "Rogers v. Grimaldi" that the film violated her Lanham Act trademark rights, right of publicity, and was a "false
Ginger Rogers filmography had faltered, due to lesser demand for older actresses. She co-starred with popular Cary Grant in "Monkey Business" (1952) but her career continued to wane throughout the decade. She ended her film career with one of two fictionalized biographies on actress Jean Harlow in 1965's "Harlow". Beginning the following year, she found success by returning to musical theatre, including a stint as one of several replacements for Carol Channing in the long-running "Hello, Dolly!" on Broadway. Ginger Rogers filmography The Ginger Rogers filmography lists the film appearances of American actress Ginger Rogers, as well as her television, stage, and radio