Seen above, a personal photo published with permission. It is a beatific pose by the recently deceased actress Shelley Duvall dancing as Olive Oyl in director Robert Altman’s “Popeye” (1980). Duvall (1949-2024), who recently passed away, led a long and memorable career primarily as a character actress, but in this case she played a full leading role countering Robin Williams as Popeye. Her indelible outing in a winsome solo number, “He Needs Me,” to a song by Harry Nillson may be enjoyed here:
Sharon Kinney. a good Friend of Artsmeme (F.O.A.M.), the creator/choreographer/coach of Shelley’s special dance, tells us that Duvall did her own singing in the number. She was not dubbed which would be common in this circumstance.
The dance world reveres Sharon for having been one of choreographer Paul Taylor‘s original dancers in his iconic dance company. But since retiring from performance, she has led a fruitful career as an instructor at Cal State Long Beach, as a filmmaker and indeed as a dance-film choreographer/coach living in Los Angeles. Sharon shared with Facebook friends her memories of working with the lanky Ms. Duvall in staging a solo song “He Needs Me,” in the Altman film.
Sharon reminisced,
She was so professional, so invested and really wanted to personify Olive Oyl and her love for Popeye! She did great things before with Altman and had just finished the Shining with Stanley Kubrick! She then went on to do some other great work with Faierie Tale theater!
Shelley Duvall’s inscription to Sharon Kinney on the glossy photo is good natured. “Think I’ll ever make New York City Ballet?” she mused. Dance “people” will recognize the innate beauty of her pose that is rooted in the cartoon version of OO as gangly. Even in her clodhopper shoes, this Olive Oyl is luscious.
artsmeme sends a big oyly ‘muah’ to sharon kinney for permission to publish her photos.
Thank you Julie, Mark, and Shea.
This work, as we know, sits at the boundary between between choreography and “musical staging.” But for me, the involvement of her full body in motion skews it toward choreography. This is really its own artform, matching movement to lyric and sound. Who was the genius who advised her chiming in “He does!”
And I wish young dance makers could study this for its high-impact and low-volume of STEPS.
Debra
Thank you for highlighting the choreographer for this very sweet and tender rendition of Duvall as OO expressing her feelings for Popeye. Kudos Debra!
How very sweet, in every way!
I just love this. She was born to play Olive Oyl. The song is so sweet and she sings and dances it so sweetly.