publications

Fred Astaire’s Omaha Origins

The year 1999 marks the centenary of Fred Astaire’s birth in Omaha, where he was born as Frederick Austerlitz on May 10. His sister, Adele, two years older than Fred, first took dance lessons at the Chambers Dance Academy on West Farnam. Although Fred did not officially take lessons there, legend has it that when he was four years old, in imitation of Adele and the other students, Fred slipped on ballet slippers and mirrored their steps. Recognizing the talent of her children, Mrs. Austerlitz took them to New York for additional training and, gradually, performances. By the time Fred was seven and Adele was nine, and as the newly named Astaires, they had an act which billed them as Juvenile Artists.



The Astaire homecoming in 1908, as part of a troupe playing the Orpheum Theatre, was met with universal acclaim by the local newspapers. These write-ups are the earliest known critiques of their on-stage appearance in Nebraska. The Omaha Daily News of December 7, 1908, provided front page coverage of their successful performance:



“Two children, Fred and Adele Astaire, will shine this week as the brightest and biggest luminaries on the Orpheum stage. The fact that they are little makes their work look all the bigger, but they stand upon their merit, and if they were not Omaha children they would command the attention of the critics for their work is superior.



“They are toe, clog and jig dancers of the highest merit. Eddie [Fred? Addie for Adele?] particularly has a voice of remarkable quality. They are richly costumed and pleasing in address and manners. Both did their work so much better last night than older artists in the same line who appeared here in recent bills that the audience could not fail to note the difference. They were loaded down with flowers, afternoon and evening, by admirers.”



This was merely the beginning of a long career for Fred Astaire. By the 1920s he and Adele were the toast of Broadway and the London stage. In the 1930s, with Adele married and retired, Fred began a solo career in the movies. His on-screen partnership with Ginger Rogers, his co-star in ten films, produced some of film’s most renowned and loved dance scenes. Astaire’s other film partners from the 1930s through the 1950s included some of Hollywood’s most popular leading ladies, among them Rita Hayworth, Judy Garland, Jane Powell, Leslie Caron, Audrey Hepburn, and Cyd Charisse. He also appeared on television in several specials, one of which, An Evening with Fred Astaire, won nine Emmys in 1958. After he gave up dancing in motion pictures, he established a second career as a serious actor. He died on June 22, 1987, and was considered by many to be the top entertainer of the twentieth century with successes on stage, in film, through recordings, and on television.



(March 1999)

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

Other Publications

The Bachelors’ Protective Union of Kearney

When the Bachelors' Protective Union gave a gala reception for two of its newly married, former members and their brides in March of 1890, the social club for young, ...

U.S. Weather Bureau in 1890s Nebraska

The U.S. Weather Bureau was established by an act of Congress on October 1, 1890. It took over the weather service that had been established in the office of the Chief ...

Canning the Way to Victory

During American participation in World War I the U.S. Food Administration, under the direction of Herbert Hoover, launched a massive campaign to persuade Americans to ...

The Shoemaker’s Ashes

"Edward Kuehl, one of the most peculiar characters that ever lived in Omaha, or anywhere else, was found dead in his bed last night in the back room of his place of ...

Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger Foreward

Red Dog, an Oglala Lakota who lived at the Red Cloud Agency, Nebraska, 1876-77 (Nebraska State Historical Society RG2955.ph).   In the summer of 1876, following the ...

Darryl F. Zanuck

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl F. Zanuck (1902-1979), a native Nebraskan, produced some of Hollywood's most important and controversial films. He helped found 20th Century Fox ...

The Burlington’s Profitable Pork Special

Nebraska railroads were much concerned with developing an adequate economy in the areas they served. The Burlington, for example, had a long history of caring for the ...

Bungalow Filling Stations

After the giant Standard Oil Company was broken into thirty-four separate companies in 1911, the newly independent Standard Oil of Nebraska dominated the state's market ...

The Bull Fight

This is the perfect time of year for a visit to the old fishin' hole. But a group of fisherfolk from Plainview discovered that this bucolic pastime sometimes has ...

Buffalo Soldiers West

African-American soldiers on the western frontier are the focus of an exhibit at the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln. Buffalo Soldiers West, on loan from the Colorado ...

Protection for Buffalo

The extermination of the buffalo on the Plains occurred largely between 1870 and 1885. The Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln on February 1, 1874, editorialized in vain ...

Buffalo Hunting

In late October 1877 young Rolf Johnson and three friends left their homes in Phelps County, Nebraska, for a buffalo hunt in northeastern Colorado. The hunt was not very ...

About NSHS

The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded in 1878 by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed NSHS from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director Cindy Drake. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

Explore Nebraska

Discover the real places and people of our past at these NSHS sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of NSHS members.

NSHS Education

Learn more about the educational programs provided at our museums, sites, and online.

Education Digital Learning Resources

Find games, lists, and more to enhance your history education curriculum.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast!

Nebraska Collections

NSHS's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

NSHS's Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

NSHS Services

Digital Resources

Find all of our digital resources, files, videos, and more, all in one easy-to-search page!

Support The Historical Society

Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to the Nebraska State Historical Society help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of NSHS.

Volunteers are the heroes of NSHS. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.