Mr. And Mrs. Vernon Castle

Vernon Castle (born Vernon Blyth May 2, 1887 in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK – died February 15, 1918 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA) Irene Castle (born Irene Foote April 17, 1893 in New Rochelle, New York, USA – died January 25, 1969 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA) Vernon and Irene Castle were the best-known American ballroom dancers of the early 20th century. By himself, Vernon Castle acted in nine Broadway musicals between 1906 and 1912: "About Town," "The Great Decide," "The Girl Behind the Counter," "The Mimic World," "The Midnight Sons," "Old Dutch," "The Summer Widowers," "The Hen-Pecks," and "The Lady of the Slipper." As a couple, both Vernon and Irene appeared in two more Broadway shows, "The Sunshine Girl" (1913) and the Irving Berlin musical "Watch Your Step" (1914-1915). They also starred as themselves in the loosely autobiographical silent movie "The Whirl Of Life" (1915). Around 1914, the Castles began to operate a series of popular clubs and dance studios in the New York City area. In addition, they toured the country dancing and were able to charge as much as a thousand dollars an hour for lessons. In 1914, they also supervised a series of dance recordings by Victor and promoted Victor records on a Victor sleeve. During World War I, while Vernon was serving as a flying instructor, Irene embarked on a film career, beginning with the WWI drama "Patria" (1917). After Vernon died in an airplane accident shortly before the war's end, she continued to work in the movies until 1922. In 1939, the Castles' life inspired a second bio pic, "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle", in which they were played by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.