Adele Astaire Bunch and Judy" (1922), and then the Gershwin brothers' first Broadway collaboration "Lady, Be Good!", followed by their "Funny Face". Both were hits in America and in London. After Fred's success in Hollywood, Astaire gave consideration in 1935 to making a film, but ultimately declined the opportunity. She sang and recorded duets with Fred, George Vollaire and Bernard Clifton. While performing in England in 1927, Astaire had met Lord Charles Cavendish, the second son of His Grace The 9th Duke of Devonshire. When Charles visited her in the United States in 1929 the pair began courting. On March 5, 1932,
Neil Simon Theatre opened on November 22, 1927, with George and Ira Gershwin's "Funny Face" starring Fred and Adele Astaire. In 1930, Ethel Merman made her Broadway debut in "Girl Crazy"; in 1934, she appeared again in Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" and again in 1936 in Porter's "Red, Hot and Blue". In 1935, the Gershwins' American folk opera "Porgy and Bess" had its world premiere at the venue. Due to the Great Depression, Aarons and Freedley lost control of their venue in 1932. For a period, CBS used it as a radio studio. In 1960, Lucille Ball appeared in her only Broadway show,