Vernon and Irene Castle

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Castles in the Air...

Vernon and Irene Castle were a
husband-and-wife team of ballroom
dancers of the early 20th century.
They are credited with invigorating
the popularity of modern dancing.

Vernon Castle (May 2, 1887 - February 15, 1918) was born William Vernon Blyth in Norwich, Norfolk, England. Irene Castle (April 17, 1893 - January 25, 1969) was born Irene Foote in New Rochelle, New York.

A hands-free Tango step that the Castles originated;
photograph from their 1914 bestseller Modern Dancing.

Biography 

Rise to fame

The Castles' initial fame began in Paris, where they introduced American ragtime dances, such as the Turkey Trot and the Grizzly Bear. When the Castles returned to the U.S., their success was repeated on a far wider scale. Making their New York debut in 1912 at a branch of the Cafe de Paris, operated by Louis Martin, who had given them their start in Paris, the duo were soon in demand on stage, in vaudeville and in motion pictures.

In 1914, the couple opened a dancing school in New York called "Castle House", a nightclub called "Castles By the Sea" on the Boardwalk in Long Beach, New York, and a restaurant, "Sans Souci." At Castle House, they taught New York society the latest dance steps by day, and greeted guests and performed at their club and cafe by night. They also were in demand for private lessons and appearances at fashionable parties. Despite their fame, they often found themselves treated as hired menials; if a rich client was too demanding, Vernon would quote a fee of a thousand dollars an hour for lessons and often get it.

 

Film and fashion

The Castles appeared in a newsreel called Social and Theatrical Dancing in 1914 and wrote a bestselling instructional book, Modern Dancing, later the same year. The pair also starred in a feature film called The Whirl of Life (1915), which was well-received by critics and public alike. As the couple's celebrity increased in the mid-1910s, Irene Castle became a major fashion trendsetter, initiating the vogue for bobbed hair and shorter skirts. Her chic wardrobe was supplied almost exclusively by the couturiere "Lucile", (Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon) but Irene also designed some of her clothes herself.

The whisper-thin, elegant Castles were trendsetters in many ways: they traveled with a black orchestra, had an openly lesbian manager, and were animal-rights advocates decades before it became a public issue. Irene was also a fashion innovator, bobbing her hair ten years before the flapper look of the 1920s became popular.

The Castles endorsed Victor Records and Victrolas, issuing records by the Castle House Orchestra, led by James Reese Europe -- a pioneering figure in Black music. They also lent their names to advertising for other merchandising products, from cigars and cosmetics to shoes and hats.

The Castles' greatest success was on Broadway, in Irving Berlin's debut musical Watch Your Step (1914). In this extravaganza, the couple refined and popularized the Foxtrot, which vaudeville comedian Harry Fox is believed to have invented. After its New York run, Watch Your Step toured through 1916.

 

World War I

Vernon served as a pilot during World War I for the Royal Flying Corps and later as a training instructor for American pilots. While conducting flight maneuvers at Benbrook Field near Fort Worth, Texas his plane crashed, killing him instantly (February 15, 1918 (aged 30)). Irene paid tribute to Vernon in her memoir My Husband (1919). There is a street in Benbrook named in his honor. Also placed on the street is a monument dedicated to him.

 

Life without Vernon

Irene starred solo in about a dozen silent films between 1917 and 1924 and appeared in several stage productions before retiring from show business. She married three more times -- to Robert Treman, Frederic McLaughlin, and George Enzinger.

During her marriage to "Major" Frederic McLaughlin, (who was the owner of the Chicago Blackhawks) she is credited with designing the original sweater for the Blackhawks Hockey Club.

Around 1930, "the best-dressed woman in America" presented a radio dramatization of her European travels with her husband, bulldog Zowie and Walter ("father's colored servant") around the capitals of Europe in "The Life of Irene Castle". Only one episode is known to still exist.[citation needed]

In 1939, her life with Vernon was turned into a movie, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, produced by RKO and starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Irene served as a technical advisor on the film, but clashed with Rogers, who refused to cut or color her hair or to wear authentic reproductions of Castle's Lucile dresses. She also objected to white actor Walter Brennan playing their servant: "Walter was BLACK".

For the rest of her life, Irene was a staunch animal-rights activist, ultimately founding the Illinois animal shelter "Orphans of the Storm", which is still active.

Irene died January 25, 1969 (aged 75).

Vernon and Irene Castle are interred together in the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York. There is a large monument to Vernon Castle near the site of his crash in Benbrook, Texas.

 

Images

curated content from Flickr

Associated dances 

Bunny hug
Bunny hug
Castle Walk
Castle Walk
Foxtrot
Foxtrot
Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear
Hesitation Waltz
Hesitation Waltz
Maxixe
Maxixe
Tango
Tango
Turkey Trot
Turkey Trot

Further Reading 

Spotlight

Vernon and Irene Castle's Ragtime Revolution

Vernon and Irene Castle's Ragtime Revolution

by: Eve Golden

Amazon Price: $32.58 (as of 12/25/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $40.00
Used Price: $21.95

Review
Eve Golden writes an engaging story filled with interesting tidbits of information about her subjects and the period in which they were most well-known. -- Renee Camus, Founder and Artistic Director of Centuries Historical Dance

Film 

The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle

The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle

Amazon Price: (as of 12/25/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $19.98
Used Price: $5.04

Video 

curated content from YouTube

Castle's Suggestions For Correct Dancing 

Quotes are from "Modern Dancing", by Vernon and Irene Castle.

  • Do not wriggle the shoulders.
  • Do not shake the hips.
  • Do not twist the body.
  • Do not flounce the elbows.
  • Do not pump the arms.
  • Do not hop - glide instead.

Guestbook 

submit
  • Reply
    babzie babzie Oct 27, 2009 @ 7:44 pm
    I have read everything I can get hold of them so far all of it has been on the internet. I have also read everything on Fred & Ginger. I am looking for two movies the Castles appeared in "The Whirl of Life" (1915) and "Watch Your Step" (1914) or any other recordings of them dancing. Can anyone out there help me.

    babzie@sbcglobal.net
  • Reply
    VintageVera VintageVera Sep 17, 2008 @ 5:17 pm
    Confetta: You rock. VV
Show All

Castle-Blog! 

BEAUTY OF PAKISTAN: HOLLYWOOD DREAM LAND (PART 2)
I also have to applaud those gutsy individualists who cast their vote for The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle and Carefree. I'd be interested in learning the whys of your selections, other than "it's my favorite"! ...
Free Download Of The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
Who else but the fabulous Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the greatest dancing team of all time, could portray Vernon & Irene Castle, the renowned ballroom dancers of the years preceding World War I? Fred and Ginger dance up a storm as ...
DanceSport Talk ยป Ballroom Icons book worthy of the title
In the dance world, we look up to Vernon and Irene Castle, Pierre and Doris Lavelle, Bill and Bobbie Irvine, Alex Moore, Ruud Vermeij, Bryan Allen, Peggy Spencer and so many other icons who changed the world of ballroom dancing for the ...
Gingerology: ...Ginger Trivia, Round Five (a.k.a.,"What's in a Name?")
QUESTION THREE: What was Irene Castle's (The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle) maiden name? QUESTION FOUR: What was Susan Applegate's (The Major and The Minor) middle name? QUESTION FIVE: What was Dolley Madison's (Magnificent Doll) ...
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Links 

Find A Grave - Vernon Castle
Find A Grave
Find A Grave -Irene Castle
Find A Grave
"The Life of Irene Castle"
"Radio Journeys", Episode 17, including "The Life of Irene Castle".
Modern Dancing By Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Castle
United States Library of Congress; American Memory. Dance Instruction Manuals.
Irene and Vernon Castle
Ragtime-Era Dancers
Vernon Castle and Irene Biography
Notable Biographies
Dancer History Archives by StreetSwing.com - Vern and Irene Castle - Main Page
Vernon and Irene Castle were America's dancing sweethearts in the 1910s.

Discussion Group 

Vintage and Famous Dancers 1910s-1950s

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