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,
Fred Astaire teaming of Astaire with Gene Kelly to "The Babbit and the Bromide," a Gershwin song Astaire had introduced with his sister Adele back in 1927. While "Follies" was a hit, "Yolanda" bombed at the box office, and Astaire, ever insecure and believing his career was beginning to falter, surprised his audiences by announcing his retirement during the production of "Blue Skies" (1946), nominating "Puttin' on the Ritz" as his farewell dance. After announcing his retirement in 1946, Astaire concentrated on his horse-racing interests and in 1947 founded the Fred Astaire Dance Studios, which he subsequently sold in 1966. Retirement didn't