Sunnie O’Dea, the forgotten female tap dancer was born Martha Bonini, in Pittsburgh PA. In this clip Sunnie is tap dancing (2:45) to Shake It Off With Rhythm sung by Ethel Merman from the 1936 film Strike Me Pink.
Sunnie started dancing at the age of nine, by ten she was touring in Orpheum Vaudeville. At sixteen, Sunnie was in New York doing specialties in musicals, and shortly after dancing with Ray Bolger in Keep off The Grass Sunnie was discovered by Universal Pictures as their star dancer destined to be famous.