From Broadway Melody of 1940.
Eleanor Powell and Fred Astaire in the Juke Box Dance by Cole Porter.
Preserving and Advancing the Art of Tap Dance.
By Tap Legacy
From Broadway Melody of 1940.
Eleanor Powell and Fred Astaire in the Juke Box Dance by Cole Porter.
By Tap Legacy
Enjoy Eleanor Powell’s Debut on the silver screen in George White’s 1935 Scandals a musical film, written by jack Yellen and produced in 1935 by the Fox Film Corp. The film centers on real-life stage and screen producer George White as he gathers acts for his latest Broadway revue. Also appearing in the film was James Dunn and Cliff Edwards.
Eleanor in this clip is performing a specialty dance to the tune Its An Old Southern Custom by Jack Yellen and Joseph Meyer.
Eleanor had already played Broadway and parts in a couple of films prior to this, but Scandals was her first major film role. Although disappointed by the film, and MGM, later that year Eleanor was signed up to MGM and gave her the popular series of Broadway Melody.
By Tap Legacy
To all dancers, dance enthusiasts and tap dancers, join us in celebrating the Birthday of Eleanor Powell today, November 21, 1912.
Born Eleanor Torrey Powell in Springfield MA. Is a film actress, a movie Icon and a tap dance National Treasure. Dancing since childhood, Powell started as a ballet dancer, and became a tap dancer only by necessity as she told Jennifer Dunning in 1980.
As she was auditioning, in New York at the age of 16, showing her ballet and acrobatic skills, she was always asked Do you Tap? So she had to learn, as Dunning wrote Weeping through her first time step and picking it up at last after her teacher weighed her down with a gunbelt and ballasted her with sandbags.
Powell was discovered by Gus Edwards the head of the Vaudeville Kiddie Revue, she was only 11 years old. To Broadway by the age of 17 starring in several revues and musicals that garnered her the fame of being The world’s greatest tap dancer known for her Machine gun footwork.
In 1935 at the age of 23 she made the move to Hollywood, from a start in the George White’s 1935 Scandals to an MGM contract. Powell starred opposite many of the top leading men of the times such as Fred Astaire, James Stewart, Robert Taylor, George Murphy, Robert Young and Nelson Eddy. In Broadway Melody of 1940, she starred opposite Fred Astaire and both were featured in the acclaimed musical score by Cole Porter Begin the Beguine – see clip – to many it was considered the greatest tap feature in the big screen history.
It is worth mentioning Astaire’s entry in his autobiography Steps in Time about Eleanor. She ‘put ‘em down like a man’, no ricky-ticky-sissy stuff with Ellie. She really knocked out a tap dance in a class by herself.
By Tap Legacy
From the 1941 MGM film Lady Be Good.
The scene, Eleanor tap dancing and the dog Buttons jumping around doing tricks, simple, that’s what the film directors thought.
Eleanor took the dog home, and practiced the whole routine. The next day at the studio, the dog will not budge from a frozen stand still. Back home, the dog was doing all the tricks Eleanor had taught it. Making a long story short, the production moved to Eleanor’s home, where the scene was shot.
Watch and Enjoy…
By Tap Legacy
From the 1941 MGM film Lady Be Good.
Starring Eleanor Powell, Ann Sothern, Robert Young, Lionel Barrymore and Red Skelton among others.
The film was Directed by Norman Z. Mcleod and Busby berkeley. The story by Jack McGowan is about Songwriters Dixie Donegan Ann Sothern and Eddie Crane Robert Young are still in love after their divorce. Dixie’s friend Marilyn Marsh tries to convince them to marry again, but this isn’t that easy.
The opening of this clip is the Tap Specialty Act of James, Warren and Nyas Berry of The Berry Brothers
Quote by Eleanor Powell: What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
By Tap Legacy
Ray Bolger began his career in Vaudeville. He was half of a team called Sanford and Bolger.
He, like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, was a song-and-dance man as well as an actor. He was signed to a contract with MGM in 1936 and his first role was as himself in The Great Ziegfeld – 1936. This was soon followed by a role opposite Eleanor Powell in Rosalie – 1937.
His first dancing and singing role was in Sweethearts – 1938, where he did the wooden shoes number with red-headed Soprano/actress Jeanette MacDonald. This got him noticed by MGM producers and resulted in his being cast in his
most famous role, that of the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz – 1939.
Surprisingly, even though the film was a success, Bolger’s contract with MGM ended. He went to RKO to make Four Jacks and a Jill
– 1942. After this, Bolger went to Broadway, where he received his greatest satisfaction.
In 1953 he turned to television and got his own sitcom, Where’s Raymond? -1953, later changed to The Ray Bolger Show. After his
series ended, Bolger made frequent guest appearances on TV and had some small roles in movies. In 1985 he co-hosted That’s Dancing! – 1985 with Liza Minnelli.
Enjoy…. the humor of the acting hoping it will put a smile on your face, and his Tap dancing will brighten your day. Listen to the taps… Marvel in the Rhythm.