Happy birthday, George Chakiris
One of dance’s smoothest operators, a suave and velvety mover whose smoldering good looks propelled him to stardom — and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1962 — George Chakiris, born in Ohio, reared in California, celebrates a significant birthday today. Dance Magazine Editor Wendy Perron calls Chakiris “the sexiest dancer on film ...
Jerry Lewis, amped on technology
Sep
14
2012
“That was so nice,” murmured Jerry Lewis, 86, in acknowledgment of the heartfelt standing ovation that erupted when he stepped onto the Samuel Goldwyn Theater stage on Thursday night. The comedian/actor/producer-director and all-around entertainment legend was being honored at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Still emitting zingers but notably less frenetic than ...
Thank you, Turner Classic Movies, for “Choreography by Jack Cole” 1
May I express my gratitude to the wonderful classic-movie channel for “Choreography by Jack Cole” broadcast Monday night? I co-hosted the program with TCM’s great veteran host, Robert Osborne. Together, we screened four movies studded with dance sequences that were created by the massively talented American choreographer. And a huge ‘thank you’ to Mr. Osborne, ...
Happy birthday to a champion of a dancer named Marge
Hello New Yorkers! Looking for a way to turn a difficult anniversary into a positive occasion? A beautiful and worthy event will honor one of the Silver Screen’s great dancers and it also supports the Dance Films Association. It’s the DFA’s celebration of Marge Champion’s 93rd birthday with a Show Boat Cruise September 13, from ...
Robert Osborne asks: “Why did Jack Cole fade away?” 2
A sample from “Choreography by Jack Cole” to be broadcast Monday September 10 (8 pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific) on Turner Classic Movies.
An actress & her dance coach
Two utterly amazing human beings, beautiful people, professional collaborators, and personal friends. He wielded enormous influence on her screen persona and on her career. This photo represents, for me, a most delirious encounter between dance and film worlds; nothing from Astaire or Kelly however great, speaks [to me] as powerfully. Here we have Jack Cole, ...
Bob Fosse’s “From This Moment On” from Kiss Me, Kate 1
Thirty years as a dance critic focused on classical ballet and modern dance has led me to a new fascination: high-impact commercial dance of stage and screen. It fits my mood to see dancers hustle with high energy — and entertain. This number features Carol Haney, a Jack Cole dancer and rehearsal assistant to Gene ...
Jack Cole, the camera’s eye, and the space of the soundstage
In the photo above from “The I Don’t Care Girl,” Cole inserts a staircase so that the dancer (Mitzi Gaynor, on steps) floats (as in space) at mid-frame. Cole layers men on the ground, populating the bottom edge of the frame. He regularly dispatched men, scrambling, across the frame bottom. He even extended the viewer’s ...
Jack Cole’s magic for Mitzi Gaynor on view in rare screening of “The I Don’t Care Girl” by UCLA Film & Television Archive August 4. Gaynor to appear in-person. 7
I am very pleased to announce my participation in a truly wonderful celebration of dance on film at the Billy Wilder Theater In Westwood on Saturday August 4, 2012. It’s sponsored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. On that night, as a community, we will view the rare and out-of-circulation Twentieth Century Fox movie ...
Awake in a dream
I am very sorry this lovely video clip starts with a terrible commercial. I hope it is worth the wait for you.