O'Connor's performance for "Make 'Em Laugh" is noted for its extreme physical difficulty, featuring dozens of jumps, pratfalls, and two backflips. "Our entire family composed an act", he says. [6] His brother Billy died a decade later from scarlet fever and his eldest sibling Jack died from alcoholism in 1959. In the divorce Carter was given ownership of their home and custody of their daughter. A young boy who aspires to become asinger has followedhis father into a bar to try to talk to him. I've heard laughter and applause and known a lot of sorrow. Times Staff Writer. 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. Born into a vaudeville family, O'Connor was the youthful figure cutting a rug in several Universal musicals of the 1940s. "I'm an illusionista trickster who quick chances before your eyes," he admitted in 1992. He was billed fifth in Sing You Sinners (1938) playing Bing Crosby's and MacMurray's younger brother.[10]. In 1975, the BBC asked Donald O'Connor if the musical was dead. Severo, Richard. Watch more with these video collections. Donald O'Connor Returns to Universal The fact that Reynolds could keep pace with her co-stars at all is remarkable. He said he went on the road "about 32 weeks a year. Watch in awe as one of the worlds greatest entertainers, Donald OConnor, tap dances on roller skates just because he can. Gene Kelly Fred Astaire and Donald OConnor. O'Connor appeared in the short-lived Bring Back Birdie on Broadway in 1981. She has good timing and a puckish grin. [33], He guest-starred on episodes of The Girl with Something Extra, Ellery Queen, The Bionic Woman, Police Story, and Hunter.[34]. Get it done and come back home. Carter remarried in 1955 to actor Dan Dailey. His first marriage was in 1944 to Gwendolyn Carter, when he was 18 and she was 20. The most distinctive characteristic of his dancing style was its athleticism, for which he had few rivals. I'm still singing and dancing. He created the Donald O'Connor Alcoholism Counseling Scholarship. Hang On To Your Chairs And Lamps You Re All The Brilliant Choreography This Dance Number Was Done On A Fred Astaire Fred Astaire Dancing Old Movie Stars. True, O'Connor hailed from a family of vaudeville performers who traversed the country as an exhibitionist troupe, but Donald seemed to have a penchant for the performing arts that transcended what one is able to learn through the application of mere instruction. Like an old show-horse breaking out of his stall to get back to work, he couldnt stop performing. In 1993, O'Connor released his own exercise-oriented video, Let's Tap. According to Britannica, Donald O'Connor ("Singin' in the Rain") was "reportedly able to dance before he could stand up straight, to sing before he developed a vocabulary, and to play several musical instruments before he learned to read music." September 27, 2003 / 9:06 PM / AP Entertainer Donald O'Connor, who combined comedy and acrobatics in the show-stopping "Make 'Em Laugh" number in the classic movie "Singin' in the Rain," died. I came back on the set three days later." Gene Kelly came in to help with musical timing and blocking. The Life Story of DONALD O'CONNOR. While it certainly got him down in real life, he was back at it after the three days of rest had restored him to proper health. Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 - September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean Peggy Ryan and Francis the Talking Mule. Kelly was 20 years her senior and classically trained in ballet; O'Connor, 27 at the time, was another "triple threat" (actor, singer, and dancer) who had been performing in movies since the age of 12. I capture your attention without giving you time to think about it. The New York Times, 10 Oct 1956: 46. 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. I look for the parts where I die and they talk about me for the rest of the movie. "He came to rehearsals and criticized everything I did and never gave me a word of encouragement. And yeah, I think I wear well. He hosted a color television special on NBC in 1957, one of the earliest color programs to be preserved on a color kinescope; an excerpt of the telecast was included in NBC's 50th anniversary special in 1976. But as weeks turned to months, he realized that he had finally found the security he sought for so long. created 4 months ago. 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. O'Connor will be remembered as "The Last Song and Dance Man." (OConnor: They dont write songs like that anymore! Garland: I think they passed a law against it.) But you can sense that OConnor is slightly on edge throughout. And I had to learn to dance from the waist up. created 26 Mar 2021. The late Roger Ebertonce deemed it "one of the most amazing dance sequences ever filmed," and true to form also described it as "breathtaking.". 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. Moreover, the scene was captured in a single take. Donald David Dixon Ronald OConnor was an American dancer singer and actor. If you've ever seen "Singin' in the Rain," you probably remember Donald O'Connor's astonishing execution of "Make 'Em Laugh" where his singing and dancing abilities culminate in a superb performance that invokes both slapstick physical antics and regimented choreography. [16] He also received an offer to play Cosmo the piano player in Singin' in the Rain (1952) at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Donald O'Connor. He would never look back again. Ive still got to find a place in life as a human being, not a machine Im no angel. [9], In 1941, O'Connor signed with Universal Pictures for $200 a week, where he began with What's Cookin'? Their obligatory kiss was the ultimate anti-climax for both stars. Directed by Arthur Lubin, the film was a huge success. His childrenquietly auctioned off his belongings to the public. When you grow up in a circus family, the more things you learn, the more you get paid. Finally, the studio paired O'Connor opposite their biggest female star, Deanna Durbin, in Something in the Wind (1947). "[8], When they were not touring they stayed with O'Connor's Uncle Bill in Danville, Illinois. In this rare interview clip (edited by yours truly), OConnor shares a priceless anecdote about the legends famously short temper on the set of their number Fit as a Fiddle: The memoriesof Debbie Reynolds also offer some insight into OConnors gentle, professional personality. OConnor later credited Kelly with teaching him to be a total dancer, from the waist up. Not that Kelly minded. Musician Don Lockwood (Kelly) rises to stardom during Hollywood's silent-movie era--paired with the beautiful, jealous and dumb Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). His son Fred later recalled, I was very blessed to have my dad as my dad We were never without anything, and the things we really wanted, he told us These are things that you have to work for. And Im glad he did. Daughter Alicia fondly remembered how he would delight the children with quicksilver impressions, saying that You never knew who was coming to dinner. But as OConnor danced closer tothe line between drinker and alcoholic, he fought a rising fear that like his father and brother, hewould not live to the age of 50. Yet he could never bring himself to give less than 100%, even when it was junk.He and Debbie Reynolds were cast together in a dudcalled ILove Melvin, which both actors roundly panned, but he still delivered an unforgettabletap dance on roller skates. He was famous for his versatility, knack for physical comedy and acrobatic dancing style. He starred in Are You with It? The title, once proposed for an autobiographical stage play he was preparing, is apropos for a man who so knew how to create magic and delight as an entertainer. I think it will bring me happiness. O'Connor was born into a Vaudeville family, where he learned to dance, sing, play comedy, even slapstick. I'm not ready to be old."[8]. He also connected with a newgeneration of fansin a 1987 presentation to the student body of California Polytechnic University. 62, Iss. His father, John Edward "Chuck" O'Connor, was an acrobat with Ringling-Barnum and Bailey Circus; his mother, Effie, was a circus bareback rider and dancer. a list of 42 titles. . Born into a vaudeville family, O'Connor was the youthful figure cutting a rug in several Universal musicals of the 1940s. 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). Donald O'Connor Enters Hospital Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor was born in Chicago to parents who were circus. Theytook it home with them for $1.50. It is dead the way we used to make 'em.". Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy Votes: 6,231 Beau Geste as a Child 11. He insisted on finishing out the night, but by the next morning, he couldnt leave his bed. I'm not threatening. Bergan, Ronald. Maybe he spoke too soon, despite his apparent readiness and enthusiasm to pull off the bit (via IMDb). "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. I do my concert work and I do night clubs and that kind of stuff. [13], "I wasn't really a dancer, a good dancer, until I got older," he said later. "I said, 'Sure, any time.' Jack of All Trades. He died from complications of heart failure on September 27, 2003, at age 78 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, in Woodland Hills, California. [9], He later said, "I learned two dance routines. 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. Dale, Steve. All the while, O'Connor frantically belts his heart out, delivering a supercharged ditty without missing a single note. In one tense scene, Daileys father character smacked OConnor as the bad boy who comes home drunk. And that's quite old for someone to start dancing real heavy, professionally. In 1992 he said, "I never wanted to be a superstar. Through its pages, they could trace his handwriting, claiming the promises as his own. He approached Monroe himself: Would you mind taking off your shoes? The New York Times 29 Sep 2003: B.6. They toured the country doing singing, dancing, comedy, and acting. ", Though it's reported that Reynolds eventually took a perspective of gratitude for everything Kelly had put her through, because it made her a better performer, the exacting director later admitted, "I wasn't very nice to Debbie. So I loved musicals. Keaton himself chose not to complain out loud and bought a nice retirement spot with the studios $50,000 rights check. In the 1950s, O'Connor became famous for starring in Francis the Talking Mule and is best known for his role as Cosmo Brown in Singin' in the Rain. But OConnor marched on undaunted. 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 musical film The Pirate, in which it was sung by Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. This included an awkward stab at syndicated talk-show hosting in 1968, where he managed to offend Joan Baez by bluntly askingabout her prison sentence for war protests: How did you like it up river?. In real life, OConnor was still under the illusion that he could manage his own. ", [Source: Constance Valis Hill, Tap Dancing America, A Cultural History (2010)]. Then Kelly broke the news to Donald that he had to do it all over again, because the footage had beenruined through a camera goof. Sept. 28, 2003 12 AM PT. The father dies before Williams enters the film as his son, so the two geniuses never actually got to work together. Its a tremendous honor. God bless you, OConnor replied. Born into a family of circus and vaudeville performers, O'Connor made his first stage appearance at the age of 13 months. 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. "I won't take anything I have for granted again," was written in each letter. Reynolds wrote: 'The camera closed in. He was meant to play Bing Crosby's partner in White Christmas (1954). And when I learned that Fred Astaire had once danced up the walls and across the ceiling it dazzled me once again. So, when I went into movies and started working with all those great dancers, I had a terrible time. Danny Kayesplum sidekick role wasoriginallyconceived for and pitched to him. 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. [8][9] In a 2002 interview, Betty Comden recalled, "How [Freed] could have written it in the first place and not realized is still a mystery. They are provided in a historical context. And then, I became what's known as a total dancer. Gene took me tightly in his arms . Dancing In the Rain: The Donald O'Connor Story (Part II of III), Dancing In the Rain: The Donald OConnor Story (Part III of III). 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. Three adopted English brothers join the French Foreign Legion in North Africa after one of them steals their adoptive family's famous heirloom sapphire. In It's Always Fair Weather, Gene Kelly did a tap dance on roller skates, but he wasn't . O'Connor and Ryan were in Top Man (1943), with Susanna Foster, and Chip Off the Old Block (1944), with Ann Blyth. Disillusionment came swiftly. 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. Because of a camera flaw where the aperture wasn't properly prepared and the device's lens was covered in fog at one point, Donald O'Connor was made to perform "Make 'Em Laugh" again a day after his first flawless execution of it. O'Connor went back to Universal for Francis Goes to West Point (1952) then returned to MGM for I Love Melvin (1953) a musical with Debbie Reynolds.
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