wHEN YOU ARE LOOKING AT OLD HOWARD COURANT NEWPAPERS, AT THE LIBRARY, LOOK FO NEWS ABOUT GINGER ROGERS AT THE OPRA HOUSE.
I'd like to see that also. Daddy knew Ginger and her family from OK City. There is some family story about some of them crammed in a rumble seat. If I can get it back out of my old memory, I'll share it.
Virginia Katherine McMath was born in Independence, Missouri in 1911. Her house in Independence was just recently made a landmark of some kind by the city council.
A few years back she came back to Independence to help Harry Truman celebrate his birthday and they both gave speeches in the downtown area.
I dont know much about her youth but she won the Texas State Charleston Championship when she was fourteen in 1925. She was on a vaudeville tour after that I think.
Little ones apparently could not pronounce her own name and so it was shorted to Ginja which developed into Ginger.
She was in her first film at age twenty.
I'm sure you have all seen this before, but seemed appropriate. I believe it is on a greeting card that has Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on it:
"Ginger Rogers could do everything Fred Astair could.......... and do it going backwards in high heels."