Resource id #76
Image Source: Wikipedia

Ginger Rogers

Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starring role in Kitty Foyle (1940), and performed during the 1930s in RKO's musical films with Fred Astaire. Her career continued on stage, radio and television throughout much of the 20th century.

Rogers was born in Independence, Missouri, and raised in Kansas City. She and her family moved to Fort Worth, Texas, when she was nine years old. In 1925, she won a Charleston dance contest that helped her launch a successful vaudeville career. After that, she gained recognition as a Broadway actress for her stage debut in Girl Crazy. This led to a contract with Paramount Pictures, which ended after five films. Rogers had her first successful film roles as a supporting actress in 42nd Street (1933) and Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933).

In the 1930s, Rogers's nine films with Fred Astaire are credited with revolutionizing the genre and gave RKO Pictures some of its biggest successes: The Gay Divorcee (1934), Top Hat (1935) and Swing Time (1936). But after two commercial failures with Astaire, she turned her focus to dramatic and comedy films. Her acting was well received by critics and audiences in films such as Stage Door (1937), Vivacious Lady (1938), Bachelor Mother (1939), Primrose Path (1940), The Major and the Minor (1942) and I'll Be Seeing You (1944). After winning the Oscar, Rogers became one of the biggest box-office draws and highest-paid actresses of the 1940s.

Rogers's popularity was peaking by the end of the decade. She reunited with Astaire in 1949 in the commercially successful The Barkleys of Broadway. She starred in the successful comedy Monkey Business (1952) and was critically lauded for her performance in Tight Spot (1955) before entering an unsuccessful period of filmmaking in the mid-1950s, and returned to Broadway in 1965, playing the lead role in Hello, Dolly! More Broadway roles followed, along with her stage directorial debut in 1985 of an off-Broadway production of Babes in Arms. She continued to act, making television appearances until 1987, and wrote an autobiography Ginger: My Story which was published in 1991. In 1992, Rogers was recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors. She died of natural causes in 1995, at age 83.

During her long career, Rogers made 73 films, and she ranks number 14 on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars list of female stars of classic American cinema.

Birth and Death Data: Born July 16, 1911 (Independence), Died April 25, 1995 (Rancho Mirage)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1935 - 1944

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, speaker

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor PBS-026169 10-in. 10/6/1938 I used to be color blind Hal Borne Orchestra ; Ginger Rogers Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo vocalist  
Victor PBS-026170 10-in. 10/6/1938 The yam Hal Borne Orchestra ; Ginger Rogers Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo vocalist  
Victor D3CC-1050 12-in. 12/9/1943 Suddenly it's spring Ginger Rogers Female vocal solo vocalist  
Decca DLA 182 10-in. 06/14/1935 The piccolino Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 183 10-in. 06/14/1935 Isn't this a lovely day? Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 184 10-in. 06/14/1935 Cheek to cheek Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 185 10-in. 06/14/1935 No strings Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 228 10-in. 8/25/1935 No strings Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 229 10-in. 8/25/1935 Isn't this a lovely day? Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 230 10-in. 8/25/1935 The piccolino Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 231 10-in. 8/25/1935 Cheek to cheek Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 274 10-in. 11/22/1935 Got a new lease on love Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 275 10-in. 11/22/1935 Don't mention love to me Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 281 10-in. 11/27/1935 Out of sight, out of mind Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 282 10-in. 11/27/1935 Eeny, meeny, miney mo-1 Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 335 10-in. 4/3/1936 I'm putting all my eggs in one basket Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca DLA 336 10-in. 4/3/1936 Let yourself go Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca L 3373 12-in. 3/30/1944 Alice in Wonderland: Part 1 Ginger Rogers speaker  
Decca L 3374 12-in. 3/30/1944 Alice in Wonderland : Part 2 Ginger Rogers speaker  
Decca L 3375 12-in. 3/30/1944 Alice in Wonderland : Part 3 Ginger Rogers speaker  
Decca L 3376 12-in. 3/31/1944 Alice in Wonderland : Part 4 Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca L 3377 12-in. 3/31/1944 Alice in Wonderland : Part 5 Ginger Rogers vocalist  
Decca L 3378 12-in. 3/31/1944 Alice in Wonderland : Part 6 Ginger Rogers vocalist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Rogers, Ginger," accessed November 4, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102085.

Rogers, Ginger. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102085.

"Rogers, Ginger." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102085

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.