I hope so. Like Robin Williams leaving a standing audience to tellDick Cavett off-stage, I wish I could make myself feelthat good,OConnor longed for a fraction of the joy he gave away so freely. I think Ive learned to gratify the audience instead of myself,and its a satisfying thing. It was one of the most memorable clips of the 80s using the rotating room effect made famous in the 1951 movie Royal Wedding where Fred Astaire danced on the ceiling. Art Carney is about my age and he's making a career out of being old. After leaving the screen to return to what was left of vaudeville, he returned to Hollywood to star in a number of Universal Pictures' budget-minded youth musicals that included What's Cookin' (1942), Get Hep to Love (1942), and Strictly in the Groove (1943), When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1942), It Comes Up Love (1943), Mr. Big (1943), Top Man (1943), The Merry Monahans (1944), and Bowery to Broadway (1944). You gotta SMILE! Gloria separated from him, and shortly thereafter, he suffered a complete physical breakdown. Herattempts to browbeat and dominate him gradually formed a vicious cycle with his tendency to alcohol abuse. Dancing in the Rain. Everything about me is based on show business. IN STEP WITH: Donald O'Connor One of the most likeable and nimble of all Hollywood's song-and-dance-men, who retained his youthful looks and casual charm throughout a career spanning well over 50 years. In 1998 O'Connor signed on for The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, headlining a revue featuring 54-year-old-plus performers, and signing and dancing his way through eight performances a week. Adding insult to injury, Donald had to play the son of her new lover in the garish monstrosityTheres No Business Like Show Business. And culminated with a challenge dance with O'Connor and the Nicholas Brothers (Fayard and Harold) trading and one-upping on tap steps. The American actor, dancer and singer, who died on 27 September 2003, was made famous by his 'Make 'Em Laugh' solo in Singin' in the Rain. No, we had a great time togetherI was never offended by Gene, I love the guy too much., Of course, Make Em Laugh is the number that everyone remembers from OConnors work in the picture. [39], O'Connor's last feature film was the Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau comedy Out to Sea, in which he played a dance host on a cruise ship. Broadcast on NBC-TV (January 16, 1966), this mini-musical history of tap dance in America opened with O'Connor as host dancing an Irish jig, Scottish reel, Spanish zapateada, and German spatlasse, followed by a softshoe dance and some sand dancing. And that was always his intent with Debbie, and she worked like a trouper and became a big star.". Classic FM Requests Donald . During World War II, on his 18th birthday in August 1943, O'Connor was drafted into the United States Army. Ive still got to find a place in life as a human being, not a machine Im no angel. Times Staff Writer. Here-married in 1956, to Gloria Noble. He continued to perform live.[38]. After Francis Covers the Big Town (1953), Universal put O'Connor in a musical in colour, Walking My Baby Back Home (1953) with Janet Leigh. Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists, Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists, Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Donald O'Connor is probably best known for having a talking mule for a best friends and for his madcap dance routine in 'Singin' In the Rain'. His optimism and grandeur were unparalleled, but even the sunniest characters among us have their rainy days from time to time. Donald O'Connor's musical Journey keeps him on road [6], O'Connor was reluctant to keep making Francis films but agreed to Francis in the Navy (1955). [6], He went to Warner Bros to play Eddie Albert as a young boy in On Your Toes (1939). Los Angeles Times 3 July 1976: b4. At a farewell luncheon, the studio executives presented him with a gift: a camera and 14 rolls of film. The dancing and singing and the glorious Technicolor shirts dazzled. In real life, OConnor was still under the illusion that he could manage his own. [9], O'Connor signed a contract at Paramount Studios. A quote from that year sounds uncannily familiar as OConnor describes his own style:Im an illusionist a trickster who quick-changes before your eyes. O'Connor guest starred on The Littlest Hobo, Fantasy Island, Simon & Simon, Hotel, Alice in Wonderland, The Love Boat, and Highway to Heaven, and was in the films Pandemonium (1982), A Mouse, a Mystery and Me (1988), and A Time to Remember (1988). [2][3] In the song, Cosmo explains that he loves making people laugh, and quotes back to the inspiring words of a man named Samuel J. Snodgrass (as he was about to be led to the guillotine), his dad and his grandpa (though it's made unclear whether Cosmo refers to Snodgrass's or his own relatives). He spent his childhood . Written by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown, [1] the song is closely based on Cole Porter 's "Be a Clown" from the Freed-produced 1948 MGM . Characters were ordinary people expressing their feelings, not entertainers putting on a show. God bless you. [33], He guest-starred on episodes of The Girl with Something Extra, Ellery Queen, The Bionic Woman, Police Story, and Hunter.[34]. O'Connor was born in 1925 to Vaudevillians Edward "Chuck" O'Connor and Effie Irene (ne Crane) in Chicago, the 200th child born at St. Elizabeth Hospital there. One young lad joined him for a special performance to commemorate his 30th anniversary in the business, which nearly doubled as a 31st birthday party. Shes clearly very shy, and he gets down at her level to run through some jokes. a list of 43 titles. [7] Although Cole Porter had unchallenged reason to bring suit, he never sued for copyright infringement. "Make 'em Laugh" was like an expression of Mr. O'Connor's showbiz philosophy. A few weeks later, his father died of a heart attack while dancing on stage in Brockton, Massachusetts. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. O'Connor appeared in the short-lived Bring Back Birdie on Broadway in 1981. It was just a fact. Night Work (1939) Approved | 60 min | Comedy, Drama 6.8 Rate "I capture your attention without giving you time to think about it. In 1971, after suffering a heart attack, O'Connor devoted considerably energy to composing music for the concert hall. Effie also stopped O'Connor from learning hazardous dance routines, and made sure she always knew where he was when he wasn't performing. Donald O'Connor Weds Secretly. Quite simple to do rather spectacular., OConnors work in the film has fallen into Kellys shadow over the years,but the critics favored him at the time, andhe stole theGolden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy right from under Kellys nose. So I don't dance much any more, but I do enough to show people I can still move my legs."[5]. The following year he was in I Ought to Be in Pictures in Los Angeles.[35]. Watch in awe as one of the worlds greatest entertainers, Donald OConnor, tap dances on roller skates just because he can. For 90 minutes, the full measure of his comic genius is on display, combining inspired innovation with an uncannily accurate reproduction of Keatons technique and mannerisms. But all waskept so private that interviewers would laterexclaim that Donald must have escaped it for them not to hear any of the usual choice details. According to IMDb, O'Connor was bedridden for three days after one particular sequence in "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) knocked him off his dancing shoes. Musician Don Lockwood (Kelly) rises to stardom during Hollywood's silent-movie era--paired with the beautiful, jealous and dumb Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). Rising to take its place werethe spontaneous musicals, the Sounds of MusicandOklahomasandWest Side Stories. In the late 1950s he began guest starring on shows like Playhouse 90, The DuPont Show of the Month, and The Red Skelton Hour. The live audiences created a certain spontaneity. Here he is unfolding the secrets of theclog step with the greatBuddy Ebsen. Pace, G K. Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug 1948: 12. Washington, D.C.: NPR. Unabashed, O'Connor developed his own style of tap dancing drawn from experience in vaudeville. It was like catchinglightning in a bottle. Hopper, Hedda. In one tense scene, Daileys father character smacked OConnor as the bad boy who comes home drunk. O'Connor is the guy who ran straight up three walls, flipping backward to earth each time, in Singin' in the Rain, and no matter how often you see the movie, the stunt still appears fresh, magical and completely surprising. Sept. 28, 2003 12 AM PT. I'm surprised she still speaks to me. Apparently, the iconic choreographer was quite the exacting director. . He created the Donald O'Connor Alcoholism Counseling Scholarship. He was meant to play Bing Crosby's partner in White Christmas (1954). His talent was once again relegated to small roles and brilliant one-offs in forgettable pictures. In 1980, he was nominated for a Special Event Emmy when he hosted a history of the dance at the Oscars, riding triumphantly aloft a camera crane and even getting in some steps of his own. OConnor is a dynamite entertainer as he performs a remarkably gymnastic roller-skate dance routine with some assistance from Corcoran, for the 1953 film I Love Melvin. Jack O'Connor, Donald's older brother, retrained Donald on backflips using a harness. [29], He did episodes of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Vacation Playhouse, ABC Stage 67 and The Jackie Gleason Show. He also won a Primetime Emmy Award from four nominations and received. In 1975, the BBC asked Donald O'Connor if the musical was dead. Carter remarried in 1955 to actor Dan Dailey. 1607 (January 16, 1954): 12. Picture Show, London, Vol. Like most child performers who grew up in show business, O'Connor learned to dance by watching the hundreds of musical acts on stage and screen, making tap comedy dance and acrobatic tricks his specialty. DONALD O'CONNOR IN 'PICTURES', Los Angeles Times 12 Apr 1982: g3. A composer and conductor, he was able to enjoythe fruits of a hidden talent for music when he led the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the premiere of his own symphony. Hewas finally free from the clutches ofUniversalPictures, having refused to make one more Francis picture until theyreleased him. LAS VEGAS SCENE: Donald O'Connor in Dancing Shoes Again He received no formal training in tap dance until he went to work for Universal Pictures and took tap dance classes with the studio's choreographer Louis DaPron who, after a few weeks of classes exasperatedly pronounced him "unteachable." Donald O'Connor in Drama Role With Vince Edwards Fans andjournalists approached him one by one with their questions, speaking with hushedrespect. Business wasnt just waiting to pick up when he got out of rehab. The OConnor Born in 1925 Donald OConnors life spanned the 20th Century with its depressions wars and social upheavals. The country seems to be confused about censorship, free speech, and any An American in Amman: A U.S. The Buster Keaton Story was quietly swept under the rug and forgotten, and yet it remains my personal favorite Donald OConnor performance. Like an old show-horse breaking out of his stall to get back to work, he couldnt stop performing. His electric performance stood out, even alongside the matchless Gene Kelly, and earned him the 1953 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or Musical. All credits and goes to Warner Bros and the movie Singin in the RainDonald OConnor performing the worlds greatest dance act. Dancing in the Rain: The Donald O'Connor Story (Part I of III), Dancing In the Rain: The Donald OConnor Story (Part II of III). O'Connor and Bing Crosby united on Anything Goes (1956) at Paramount. "Make 'Em Laugh" is a song first featured in the 1952 MGM musical film Singin' in the Rain, performed by Donald O'Connor as the character Cosmo Brown. The whole hour is pure gold. The vaudeville-inspired routine finished with the three dancers sitting on pedestals to fake Russian-styled kazotsky kicks, twirling through sets of barrel turns, and performing in-the-trenches, and double and triple turns; in the typical decelerated ending, they strode upstage, turned around, and sat back down on their pedestals with folded arms. Client Since 2009. created 08 Nov 2017. As he hovered on the edge of death in a coma for weeks, son Kevin recalls, We all startedto pray, and we asked the community to pray. OConnor miraculously pulled through. O'Connor said the tragedies "marred my childhood and it's still haunting.". One of OConnors most memorable moments tap dancing on television is The Bell Telephone Hours Song and Dance Man Broadcast on NBC-TV January 16 1966 this mini-musical history of tap dance in America opened with OConnor as host dancing an Irish jig Scottish reel Spanish zapateada and German spatlasse followed by a softshoe dance and. Berlin had pitched the song to him with childlike eagerness, but OConnor pretended to waffle on it until he could surprise the composer with the finished routine. Danny Kaye inherited the part. Show more Make Em Laugh SingingInTheRain1952 164K views 14 years ago Applied Mathematics -. Beautiful You should be so happy that this man came over., He teamed up with fellow veteranMickey Rooney for anespecially memorable tour. All throughout, the then 27-year-old actor can be seen leaping, tumbling, falling, flying, and frolicking across the set in an elaborate dance routine that demanded some serious fluidity and precision. I think is will bring me happiness. Donald David Dixon Ronald OConnor was an American dancer singer and actor. They finishwith a song, but she forgets her one line. He is the only one actually dancing in the scene, so the task of amusing the audience essentially fell solely upon him. Gene Kelly knew what he was doing when he hand-picked Donald OConnor as his right-hand man in Singin In the Rain. Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like Show Business, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, "Donald O'Connor, 78, Who Danced His Way Through Many Hollywood Musicals, Is Dead", "Donald O'Connor interview - Mindy Aloff", "Donald O'Connor, 78; Entertainer Immortalized by 'Singin' in the Rain', Mindy Alloff's 1979 interview with O'Connor, Donald O'Connor on "The Colgate Comedy Hour" (1951-54), Donald O'Connor on "Texaco Star Theater" (1954-55), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Donald_O%27Connor&oldid=1138222779, Won - 1954 Primetime Emmy Award for Best Male Star of Regular Series (for, Earned - 1960, Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television, Nominated - 1960 Primetime Emmy award for Best Specialty Act - Single or Group, Nominated - 1980 Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Individual Achievement - Special Events (52nd Annual Academy Awards (1980)), This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 16:33. It doesnt seem to affect the girls though, arent they wonderful?, He guest-starredon the first episode of the Judy Garland show in 1962, where the two old friends reminisced and affectionately skewered their vaudevilleroots together. It would have been fascinating to watch them play off of each other, as they shared certain qualities in common. OConnor was born into a family of Vaudeville entertainers. Donald O'Connor, the comedic song-and-dance man who inherited and perpetuated a classic tradition of vaudeville tap dancing, was born David Dixon Ronald O'Connor into an Irish theatrical family. The four-minute song-and-dance number featuring all three of the film's stars (Kelly, Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor) took 15 hours to get right. Donald OConnor had been hired to make White Christmas but came down with a virus before shooting started. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. O'Connor made his first stage appearance at three days old, lying onstage across a piano bench beside his mother who, not yet ready to return to heavy dancing, played the piano. Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 12 Apr 1973: g21. The routine is often cited as a tour de force in physical comedy. "I've been on the road forever," he said in 1985, adding "I'd consider another movie or a TV series, but I won't play an old man. For Singin' in the Rain, however, MGM cultivated a much more sympathetic sidekick persona, and that remained O'Connor's signature image. So, when the music came on, he made it up and the dance flowed out of him. He . They brought me those little Oriental rugswouldnt absorb a sponge. He consulted with his brother Jack on running up the wall,an old trick from his circus days. Donald O'Connor Divorced. Video unavailable Watch on YouTube Watch on The "Broadway Melody Ballet" from Singin' in the Rain (1952). And yeah, I think I wear well. But his focus moved increasingly to touring live shows.[27]. They rushed production to complete four more by that date, all with Ryan: This Is the Life (1944), with Foster; The Merry Monahans (1944), with Blyth and Jack Oakie; Bowery to Broadway (1945), another all-star effort where O'Connor had a cameo; and Patrick the Great (1945). woodstock festival 2022 lineup, And dominate him gradually formed a vicious cycle with his tendency to alcohol abuse, on his birthday. On roller skates just because he can small roles and brilliant one-offs in forgettable Pictures dancing stage. Seems to be in Pictures in Los Angeles. [ 38 ] weeks later, his died. The 20th Century with its depressions wars and social upheavals watch in awe as one of the greatest. Im No angel of his stall to get Back to work, he went to Warner and! Bring Back Birdie on Broadway in 1981 play Bing Crosby United on Anything goes ( 1956 ) Paramount. 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