Barrie Chase on the reaction to Fred's first TV special (from an
unpublished interview):

After we finished the show, of course, Fred was mobbed by people.
Afterwards, the Chrysler people gave a party at the Beverly Hills Hotel,
and when we arrived there, Bud Yorkin [the producer-director] was just
getting off the telephone, and he said he'd just been talking to John
Crosby [the N.Y. TV critic]--we did the show at five o'clock and it went
live to New York--and Crosby called L.A. to congratulate Fred and Bud on
the show. Bud was ecstatic about what Crosby said.

The dancers on the show were dancers I'd danced with quite a few years,
and they were very complimentary. It was quite something. I didn't
even know there was going to be a party, and I had on the plainest
dress, a little blue cotton summer dress which I'd come to work in. The
entire crew and everyone connected with the show was at the party; they
had set up about four TV sets around the room, and we all watched the
show at the party. Fred was just great. I thought so in the dress
rehearsal of the show, and he was great on the show; it was very moving.
I really couldn't tell about myself. But the people there were very
kind in what they said to me. It was the greatest opportunity, the
greatest thrill a dancer could have, to dance with Fred Astaire.

I know at the party, at the Persian Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel,
phone calls started pouring in, and all I can remember after the show is
that I received a lot of telephone calls and telegrams and flowers, and
then Fred would call me on the phone and tell me about the telephone
calls and letters and telegrams he was receiving, and he would read the
ones that would mention me. We did the show on a Friday, October 17th,
and the reviews didn't come out until Monday, so it was like a continual
wave that went on for about a week. Then we got the New York reviews,
and every review praised him so much, and they were very nice to me too.
As a matter of fact, I was overwhelmed with what they said. I've got
all the reviews put away...Maybe someday I'll make a scrapbook.



Mike