Fred saves Rita Hayworth In 1940, Rita Hayworth was miserable at Columbia, and unhappy with the roles she was cast in; vamps with freon in their veins, or bores who did nothing but simper. Hayworth, who was born Margarita Cansino, had been a dancer since the age of 11, but no one made use of her greatest talent, Then, one day, she received a phone call from Fred Astaire, who had ended his phenomenally popular partnership with Ginger Rogers. Hayworth said, “He knew what those fools at Columbia didn’t - that I was a dancer.” Astaire was looking for someone to co-star in his next film, “You’ll Never Get Rich”, and had done his research. He arranged a meeting with Hayworth and the two tried out a short routine. Fred, who was the perfectionists’ perfectionist, was amazed. He told his wife, Phyllis, that he had found someone with “extraordinary talent” who was “able to learn steps faster than anyone I’ve ever known.” It was the beginning of an electrifying partnership. Though the couple made only two films together, they are pure magic. Hayworth was not only a beauty, but had the fluidity Astaire needed, as well as charm on screen. “You'll Never Get Rich” (1941) with music by Cole Porter, was a major box-office hit and gave Hayworth her much needed career boost, proving that she was not just a pin up girl. Fred said you could “show a number to Rita before lunch” and she would return and perform it perfectly after eating. Their second film, “You were never Lovelier” (1942) was an even bigger success. Rita said, “Those two movies gave me enormous confidence. I was no longer the dumb redhead. They saved my career.” From then on, Hayworth was cast in a succession of hit musicals, and even when her films were noirs, like “Gilda” (1946), numbers were specially written for her to perform.