Gene Kelly, from the 1955 film It’s Always Fair Weather tap dancing on roller skates!!!
An MGM musical film scripted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also wrote the show’s
lyrics, scored by André Previn
Preserving and Advancing the Art of Tap Dance.
By Tap Legacy
Gene Kelly, from the 1955 film It’s Always Fair Weather tap dancing on roller skates!!!
An MGM musical film scripted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also wrote the show’s
lyrics, scored by André Previn
By Tap Legacy
To all dancers, dance enthusiasts and tap dancers, join us in celebrating the Birthday of Dr. Jeni LeGon today 08/14/1916.
A True Tap Master and National Treasure. LeGon’s first formal training was at Mary Bruce’s School of Dance. She frequently skipped school to watch and learn new dance routines from the movies. In 1930, at the young age of thirteen, she auditioned and made it into the Count Basie Orchestra’s chorus line.
In 1931, LeGon became a member of the family oriented Whitman Sisters troupe. With her half sister, Willa Mae Lane, she formed the LeGon and Lane tap duo in 1933. In 1935 Hollywood, Earl Dancer, the former manager of Ethel Waters, discovered LeGon. Dancer helped LeGon to be the first black woman to sign an extended contract from MGM, though it was shortly canceled.
In her first screen role, LeGon danced with Bill Bojangles Robinson the only black woman to do so on screen in Hooray for Love, which also featured Fats Waller.
She has over twenty-four film credits.
The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame and the National Congress of Black Women have honored LeGon. In 2002, Oklahoma City University conferred upon her a doctorate of performing arts in American Dance.
In 1999, the National Film Board of Canada – Dr. Jeni LeGon was a resident of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – released Grant Greshuk’s prize-winning documentary, Jeni LeGon: Living in a Great Big Way.
The clip is from the 1935 film Hooray For Love featuring Jeni LeGon, Bill Bojangles Robinson and Fats Waller.
By Tap Legacy
ay Bolger began his career in vaudeville. He was half of a team called Sanford and Bolger.
He, like Gene Kelly & 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 in 1937 by a role opposite Eleanor Powell in Rosalie.
His first dancing and singing role was in 1938 Sweethearts, 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?, 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! with Liza Minnelli.
Enjoy…. the humor of the acting will put a smile on your face, and his Tap dancing will brighten your day. Listen to the taps…marvel in the rhythm.
By Tap Legacy
Ziegfeld Follies the film by MGM is a 1945 musical comedy.
It had seven directors including Lemuel Ayers, Roy Del Ruth.
The stars line up was many of MGM leading talents, including Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
The clip shown The Babbitt and the Bromide features both Kelly and Astaire, the only time on the silver screen.
Producer Arthur Freed wanted to create a film along the lines of the Ziegfeld Follies Broadway shows, the film is a sequence of
unrelated lavish musical and comedy sketches released 1946 to critical and box-office success.
Sit back and Enjoy!!!
By Tap Legacy
I Wanna Be A Dancin’ Man Fred Astaire’s second solo routine in The Belle Of New York a 1952 MGM musical Comedy film.
It is a song and Sand-Dance, Astaire’s second Sand-Dance featured in a film.
The first was No Strings from the film Top Hat.
I Wanna Be A Dancin’ Man is set in New York circa 1900.
It stars Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen among others.
Music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Directed by Charles Walters.
This musical failed at the box office due to the nature of the plot. Though it had great Dancing.
By Tap Legacy
Eleanor Powell, 1936 MGM film Born to Dance.
With Buddy Ebsen and Jimmy Stewart… also tap dancing…
Fred Astaire said in his autobiography 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.
He also said I had 29 dance partners… I could hold my own with 28 of them.. I met my match with Ellie. No male dancer can keep up with her and it was apparent to me she should be featured in solos.
Enjoy this clip, keep an eye and do listen… It is all about Rhythmic Musicality…It is Music,,,