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. His family had the answer. Weekend All Things Considered; Washington, D.C.: 1. 44, Iss. "I had three months to learn what Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor had been doing for years," Reynolds wrote in her 2013 memoir Unsinkable. Obituary: Donald O'Connor: Dynamic dancer and comedian O'Connor credited the patients he met and thanked God for allowing him to recover. O'Connor was born into a Vaudeville family, where he learned to dance, sing, play comedy, even slapstick. Bergan, Ronald. Gloria separated from him, and shortly thereafter, he suffered a complete physical breakdown. O'Connor is also seen briefly dancing a vaudeville-styled tap routine as one of the three Dancing Dolans in the 1939 Warner Brother's musical On Your Toes, choreographed by George Balanchine. [40] Together they had one child, a daughter Donna. He chose to keep much of his philanthropy work private. (Photo by John Swope/Getty Images) Save. 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. Finally, the studio paired O'Connor opposite their biggest female star, Deanna Durbin, in Something in the Wind (1947). Disillusionment came swiftly. Audio Recording: Christmas with Donald and Debbie/BVM Records, BVMC 51317, 1992. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. Hopper, Hedda. O'Connor recalled. Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 15 Aug 1966: c21. To reward your effort, heres a short film I made that assembles some lost footage and other clips to a musical setting of Festes song, which seems as it were written for OConnor. Art Carney is about my age and he's making a career out of being old. In the bloatedEthel Merman vehicleCall Me Madam, he did two elegantpartnered numberswith legendary female star Vera Ellen. Night Work (1939) was a sequel to Boy Trouble and O'Connor was in Death of a Champion (1939). 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. O'Connor was married twice and had four children. He also developed as an actor, played a number of juvenile and super- polite boy roles such as Bing Crosby's kid brother in Sing, You Sinners (1938), Huckleberry Finn in Tom Sawyer, Detective (1938), and Beau (Gary Cooper) at age twelve in the dashing Foreign Legion action adventure film, Beau Geste (1939). [29], He did episodes of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Vacation Playhouse, ABC Stage 67 and The Jackie Gleason Show. It is dead the way we used to make 'em.". It was like catchinglightning in a bottle. Gene Kelly knew what he was doing when he hand-picked Donald OConnor as his right-hand man in Singin In the Rain. ", "AFI List of Top 100 Songs From U.S. One of his finest TV moments was a guest appearance on the Bell Telephone Hour in which he demonstrated thehistoryoftap dancing, by then itselfa fading art: Ever the gentleman on stage,he was prompt to deflect applause away from himself, commenting at the end of one live number, You know, Ive never learned howto dance without getting out of breath, isnt that ridiculous? Kelly was a "cruel taskmaster," Reynolds continued. You could do that with any kid, only I got paid for it.. Washington, D.C.: NPR. Q Fever Hits Star, Melbourne Argus 15 Aug 1953, p. 4. Donald O'Connor, an American actor, dancer, and singer, was born on August 28, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois. - Calabasas, 2003. szeptember 27.) Itkept building and building to such a crescendo that At the end, I thought Id actually have to kill myself. He completed the routine in a single day and came back after a three-day rest to a standing ovation from the cast and crew. What movie was dancing on the ceiling in. (1942), a low-budget musical with The Andrews Sisters, the studio's teenage singing star Gloria Jean, and Peggy Ryan. It's rather ironic that the "Make 'Em Laugh" sequence begins with O'Connor declaring that "you can't let a little thing like this get you down" to fellow actor Gene Kelly. That film featured his widely known rendition of "Make 'Em Laugh", which he choreographed with help from the assistant dance directors and his brother. All the while, O'Connor frantically belts his heart out, delivering a supercharged ditty without missing a single note. Singin in the Rain from the movie Singin in the Rain 1952. The crew let out a collective gasp, worried that the men would come to blows. In an attempt to bring his family together, he wrote her and Donnainto some of his Colgatematerial. Mark Steyn has described it as the essence of entertainment, adding Its only purpose is to delight. 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. These included going down with a sinking boat and launching himself head-first into a dangerously narrow wall niche for a disappearing act. Antonin Dvorak Pace, G K. Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug 1948: 12. Gloria said simply, God gave him a gift, and that gift was sobriety. His son Fred said, Thank God theres a higher power that healed him. He rebuilt his wifes trust and reunited with his family after eight months clean. Donald O'Connor performs "Make 'em Laugh," a hilarious number from "Singing in the Rain," the 1952 musical. He . Night Work (1939) Approved | 60 min | Comedy, Drama 6.8 Rate His optimism and grandeur were unparalleled, but even the sunniest characters among us have their rainy days from time to time. You gotta SMILE! Reynolds wrote: 'The camera closed in. Dates: 1925-2003Birth Date: Aug 28, 1925Death Date: Sep 27, 2003, Place of Birth: Chicago, IllinoisPlace of Death: Calabasas, California. Arthur Freed. 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. In one number,he strives to conceal his frustration with the live bandwhenthe intro isnt gelling, but theres a hint of steel in his mild-mannered rebuke: Wait for me, will you please?, OConnors TV career would fizzle in parallel with his film career. 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. Donald was honored with a retrospective at New York's Lincoln Center and an honorary degree from Boston University. He also won a Primetime Emmy Award from four nominations and received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. [6], O'Connor was reluctant to keep making Francis films but agreed to Francis in the Navy (1955). 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. Chicago Tribune 20 Dec 1985: n_a50. Donald OConnor died in 2003, with his family surrounding him. In Its Always Fair Weather Gene Kelly did a tap dance on roller skates but he wasnt. They toured the country doing singing, dancing, comedy, and acting. Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 12 Apr 1973: g21. This is my most popular month. 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. O'Connor was born into a Vaudeville family, where he learned to dance, sing, play comedy, even slapstick. Thanks for reading! His best-known work was his "Make 'Em Laugh" dance routine in Singin' in the Rain (1952), for which role O'Connor was awarded a Golden Globe. ", [Source: Constance Valis Hill, Tap Dancing America, A Cultural History (2010)]. Unfortunately for the OConnor family world events often coincided with terrible personal losses requiring Donald to assume adult responsibilities at a. Donald OConnor performs Make em Laugh a hilarious number from Singing in the Rain the 1952 musical. Before he reported for induction on February 6, 1944, Universal already had four O'Connor films completed. And that's quite old for someone to start dancing real heavy, professionally. Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. Everything about me is based on show business. He appeared in Men with Wings (1938), directed by William Wellman, as Fred MacMurray's character as a boy. O'Connor went on marry another actress, Gloria Noble, and the pair remained together for the rest of his life. 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. It's fabulous, but the song's exactly like 'Be a Clown. He made his film debut at age eleven, dancing an uncredited "specialty routine" with brothers Jack and Billy in the 1937 Warner Brothers musical, Melody for Two. Keaton himself chose not to complain out loud and bought a nice retirement spot with the studios $50,000 rights check. You forgot didnt you? As he pauses for closing announcements,she looks nervously off stage, and you can just barelyhear the pianist assuring her, Its all right.. With a backlog of seven features, deferred openings kept O'Connor's screen presence uninterrupted during the two years he was overseas with Special Services in the U.S. Army Air Forces. [28] He returned to Universal for the first time in ten years to make the Sandra Dee comedy That Funny Feeling (1965). O'Connor was a regular host of NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour. The song, a rather unsubtle rip-off of Cole Porters Be a Clown, was thrown together at the last minute. Client Since 2009. One of O'Connor's most memorable moments tap dancing on television is The Bell Telephone Hour's "Song and Dance Man." Watch, itll be marvelous. All credits and goes to Warner Bros and the movie Singin in the RainDonald OConnor performing the worlds greatest dance act. [6], He went to Warner Bros to play Eddie Albert as a young boy in On Your Toes (1939). Danny Kaye inherited the part. 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. In February 1951 he signed a new contract with Universal for one film a year for four years, enabling him to work outside the studio. By the end, Reynolds' feet were bleeding and she could barely move. Donald O'Connor to Marry. In Its Always Fair Weather Gene Kelly did a tap dance on roller skates but he wasnt. By the end, Reynolds' feet were bleeding and she could barely move. Some of it includes work for the United States Army and Red Cross. He insisted on finishing out the night, but by the next morning, he couldnt leave his bed. "[25], Francis in the Navy was Donald O'Connor's last film for Universal after 13 years with the company. Andhisacting career seemed to be getting a second wind whenhewas approached for the title role in a biopic of silent screen legend Buster Keaton. Rising to take its place werethe spontaneous musicals, the Sounds of MusicandOklahomasandWest Side Stories. I'm not ready to be old."[8]. Brilliant choreography exquisite dancing a clever idea. He finally struck Broadway gold again in 1983, and it put the wind back in the sails of his stage career. He maintained his high standards of excellence through the 60s, as evidenced in some rare clips thathave surfaced on Youtube. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean Peggy Ryan and Francis the Talking Mule. 40, (Oct 3-Oct 9, 2003): 47. Obituaries: Donald O'Connor, 78, comic and dancer And the more pleased an audience is, the more energy I give back to the audience. O'Connor and some dance assistants strung together a series of O'Connor's funniest pratfalls and schtick. Songwriter and MGM "Freed unit" producer Arthur Freed used his own library of songs written with Nacio Herb Brown as the basis for the musical film Singin' in the Rain. But his focus moved increasingly to touring live shows.[27]. 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. "[5], When O'Connor was only two years old, he and his seven-year-old sister, Arlene, were hit by a car while crossing the street outside a theater in Hartford, Connecticut; Donald survived, but his sister died. Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy Votes: 6,231 Beau Geste as a Child 11. OConnor would later have to be content withsupporting Crosbyinthe ill-conceived Broadway adaptationAnything Goesinstead. The country seems to be confused about censorship, free speech, and any An American in Amman: A U.S. My lips were shaking all over and I couldnt find Marilyns lips and she couldnt find mineI got it over with as quickly as possibleit was like kissing the sidewalk.When the director asked Donald to stand on a box so they would be the same height, OConnor rebelled. "[37], In 1998, he received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars. His philanthropy work private and goes to Warner Bros to play Eddie Albert as a boy four! He maintained his high standards of excellence through the 60s, as Fred MacMurray 's as! He suffered a complete physical breakdown his right-hand man in Singin in sails... With a retrospective at New York 's Lincoln Center and an honorary degree from Boston University American! 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