He was meant to play Bing Crosby's partner in White Christmas (1954). 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. a list of 43 titles. Entdecke 1976 Pressefoto Schauspieler Donald O'Connor auf "Police Story" - mjb25238 in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! He is the only one actually dancing in the scene, so the task of amusing the audience essentially fell solely upon him. "He'd sit in his dressing room and stare into space, and I think he had problems at home. OConnor was born into a family of Vaudeville entertainers. Speaking to Parademagazine, he confessed the secret struggles whichring true for so many comedians. [6], O'Connor was reluctant to keep making Francis films but agreed to Francis in the Navy (1955). Apparently, the scene was so physically distressing for the actor, he retired to a hospital bed for three whole days in order to recover from it (via IMDb). Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Hang on to your chairs and lamps. Gene Kelly knew what he was doing when he hand-picked Donald OConnor as his right-hand man in Singin In the Rain. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. OConnor still recalled these stunts with pride decades later, even calling up a good friend late one night to offer running phone commentary for a TV showing. 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). My fans, He returned to finish out the tour and promptly filled up anotheryear full of contracts. Times Staff Writer. His talent was once again relegated to small roles and brilliant one-offs in forgettable pictures. Hed made a science of playingthe system for a week or two,only toescape back into his old habits. Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor, 30 August 1925, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 27 September 2003, Calabasas, California, USA. 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. Though Reynolds was accomplishedher song "Aba Daba Honeymoon" from the 1950 movie Two Weeks With Love was a No.3 hitshe had no training in dance. He then suffered a heart attack in 1971, leading him to quit taking the medication. Chicago Daily Tribune 18 Oct 1954: b16. 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). A few weeks later, his father died of a heart attack while dancing on stage in Brockton, Massachusetts. Fans filed through the estate sale by the thousands. 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 Weds Secretly. He also connected with a newgeneration of fansin a 1987 presentation to the student body of California Polytechnic University. The Buster Keaton Story was quietly swept under the rug and forgotten, and yet it remains my personal favorite Donald OConnor performance. Itwas like the audience wanted to hang on forever to great performers and delightful memories from the golden age of song-and-dance. But in 1998, anothershow-stoppingconcert runwith the Palm Springs Follies nearly killed the consummate entertainer when he came down with viral pneumonia. Jack of All Trades. Shes clearly very shy, and he gets down at her level to run through some jokes. Rising to take its place werethe spontaneous musicals, the Sounds of MusicandOklahomasandWest Side Stories. 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. A merger in 1946 had reorganized the studio as Universal-International. It is dead the way we used to make em. He spoke without resentment. musical work is probably. Back Stage; New York Vol. Heres a selection of the. OConnors terse retort: Many people who love me protected me. Watch more with these video collections. Donald O'Connor, in full Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor, (born August 28, 1925, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.died September 27, 2003, Calabasas, California), multitalented American entertainer, best known for his comedic and dancing skills. I went through the booze bit. O'Connor later said regarding Effie, "She wanted me to be as great as I possibly could be. Night Work (1939) was a sequel to Boy Trouble and O'Connor was in Death of a Champion (1939). In the 1950s, O'Connor reestablished himself as a comedic actor and tap dancer. He appeared as a gaslight-era entertainer in the 1981 film Ragtime, notable for similar encore performances by James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. He also turned in an impressive bit of serious acting on the cop showPolice Story. 1607 (January 16, 1954): 12. '"[10], Last edited on 18 February 2023, at 04:20, "Aren't the show tunes "Be a Clown" and "Make 'Em Laugh" suspiciously similar? [31], He began to use nitroglycerin pills before performances so that he would have the stamina to complete them. The OConnor Born in 1925 Donald OConnors life spanned the 20th Century with its depressions wars and social upheavals. 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. I'm still singing and dancing. Characters were ordinary people expressing their feelings, not entertainers putting on a show. When MGM released its compilationThats Entertainment, this was the one that could still makelistless audiences break into spontaneous applause in the theaters. 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. "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 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. The couple divorced in 1954. He also performed a number of cameo roles on film, among them as the vaudevillian and dance instructor in the film Ragtime (1981 and the dreamy-eyed toy manufacturer in Robin Williams' film, Toys (1992). He did Francis Joins the WACS (1954) then played Tim Donahue in the 20th Century Fox all-star musical There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), which featured Irving Berlin's music and also starred with Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe (O'Connor's on screen love interest), Dan Dailey, Mitzi Gaynor and Johnnie Ray. [11] The film was popular and Universal began to develop O'Connor and Ryan as their version of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Keatonsground-breakingphysical comedy was a major influence on OConnors own work, and he jumped at the chance to pay tribute to a long-time idol. Theflickerof danger behind those kindly blue eyessays it all. 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. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Donald O'Connor performs "Make 'em Laugh," a hilarious number from "Singing in the Rain," the 1952 musical. Como Foi Feita A Famosa Cena De Fred Astaire Dancando Nas Paredes Em Royal Wedding Fred Astaire Danca Fred, Dance On The Ceiling Fred Astaire Fred Astaire Fred Astaire Dancing Tap Dance, Cycling of nitrogen and oxygen that contributes 78 of atmos, He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred, What Is The Difference Between E Commerce And, Im going to be doing something a little different this colu, Avoidance of verbal orders for high-alert medicines 4. He painfullydisappointeda full house in March of 1979 when he was given only 7 days to rehearse for The Music Man. After desperately skipping and improvising his way through Weve Got Trouble, he stopped the conductor: This is such a lovely song, I hate to louse it up. Two Broadway flops followed in quick succession. 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?. [1] Effie was a bareback rider and Chuck was a circus strongman and acrobat. He began to spendlong nights playing cards and getting fights at the club. He chose to keep much of his philanthropy work private. Born into a vaudeville family, O'Connor was the youthful figure cutting Shifting base of operations to Las Vegas gave the restless performer a steady audience and the abilityto nurture fresh talent. [24] Arthur Lubin, who directed the series, later recalled that O'Connor "got very difficult" to work with after a while. Donald David Dixon Ronald OConnor was an American dancer singer and actor. O'Connor credited the patients he met and thanked God for allowing him to recover. Dancing in the Rain. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean Peggy Ryan and Francis the Talking Mule. One of O'Connor's most memorable moments tap dancing on television is The Bell Telephone Hour's "Song and Dance Man." What movie was dancing on the ceiling in. created 08 Nov 2017. "You're not going to die," he told her. He once said: I was about 13 months old, they tell me, when I first started dancing, and theyd hold me up by the back of my neck and theyd start the music, and I'd dance. Born into a vaudeville family, O'Connor was the youthful figure cutting a rug in several Universal musicals of the 1940s. "I said, 'Sure, any time.' 44, Iss. Its a reflection of OConnors relentless professionalism that his loathing for the script never comes through on the screen. The Donald OConnor Story Part I of III September 1 2014 Esther OReilly Patheos Explore the worlds faith through. 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." His succinct answer: "No. Not only did Kelly disparage Reynolds with harsh remarks, he also subjected her to unwanted sexual advances during their characters' first kiss, according to Unthinkable. At a farewell luncheon, the studio executives presented him with a gift: a camera and 14 rolls of film. Q Fever Hits Star, Melbourne Argus 15 Aug 1953, p. 4. ", 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. Its a tremendous honor. God bless you, OConnor replied. DONALD O'CONNOR IN 'PICTURES', Los Angeles Times 12 Apr 1982: g3. His ownballet training was perfectly complemented by OConnors raw hoofing talent. O'Connor was a regular host of NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour. Los Angeles Times 17 Aug 1965: C10. Donald OConnor 1959 doing his eccentric athletic comic dancing and singing. 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. It felt like an assault.I was stunned that this thirty-nine-year-old man would do this to me. Client Since 2009. The effect of alcohol on his work was not felt immediately. Donald O'Connor Enters Hospital He was Cap'n Andy in a short-lived Broadway revival of Show Boat (1983) and continued to tour in various shows and acts. His best-known musical work is probably Singin in the Rain 1952 in which he did an impressive dance that culminated in a series of backflips off the wall. "[citation needed], O'Connor joined a dance act with his mother and elder brother Jack. It was just right for that moment. Here he is unfolding the secrets of theclog step with the greatBuddy Ebsen. It was the early 1950s, and I was an innocent kid who had never been French-kissed. [44] His remains were cremated. The Brussels Symphony Orchestra recorded some of his work, and in 1956 he conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a performance of his first symphony, Reflections d'Un Comique.[26]. Gene Kelly Fred Astaire and Donald OConnor. He created the Donald O'Connor Alcoholism Counseling Scholarship. 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. I move fast, I keep changing my hats. In the Twentieth Century-Fox film, Call Me Madam (1953), O'Connor dances a lyrical duet (one of his all time favorites) with Vera Ellen; and in There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), there is the infamous scene in which he kisses costar Marilyn Monroe. Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 1 Mar 1959: f3. Its one of the only times in OConnors career that he peels off the jesters mask for a glimpse of the vulnerable soul underneath. Working on a concrete floor, he asked if the crew could provide anything to break his numerous falls. Art Carney is about my age and he's making a career out of being old. My body just had to absorb this tremendous shock. Beautiful You should be so happy that this man came over., He teamed up with fellow veteranMickey Rooney for anespecially memorable tour. He approached Monroe himself: Would you mind taking off your shoes? Az legismertebb szerepe Cosmo Brown az nek az esben zens filmben Gene Kellyvel s Debbie Reynoldsszal . But OConnor marched on undaunted. The routine was completely improvised by OConnor. Co-director Stanley Donen referenced the Cole Porter song "Be a Clown" from the film The Pirate, and further suggested that Freed and Brown compose a song using this as their inspiration. Los Angeles Times 3 July 1976: b4. a list of 42 titles. I looked like the world's greatest dancer. In It's Always Fair Weather, Gene Kelly did a tap dance on roller skates, but he wasn't . He played Gary Cooper as a young boy in Beau Geste (1939), directed by Wellman. 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. 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. Effie also stopped O'Connor from learning hazardous dance routines, and made sure she always knew where he was when he wasn't performing. It was around this time that Donald gave his most revealing and heart-wrenching interview. I'm surprised she still speaks to me. DONALD O'CONNOR'S MUSICAL JOURNEY KEEPS HIM ON ROAD: [SPORTS FINAL, CN Edition] Gene Kelly came in to help with musical timing and blocking. Donald O'Connor Billed at Sahara Directed by Arthur Lubin, the film was a huge success. As Cosmo Brown, the sidekick chum of Gene Kelly in the classic musical Singin' in the Rain (1952), O'Connor's gravity-defying, largely improvised rendition of "Make Em Laugh" is considered one of the funniest in the history of the movies. It was just oh so laborious for me. He can dance, he can sing, he can act, and he can spout humor, but not yet with the finesse of a veteran. (May 25, 1997). [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). What was that?" 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. That number, along with the cheerily strutted "Good Morning," danced with Debbie Reynolds and Kelly, and the vaudeville-inspired "Fit As a Fiddle (And Ready for Love)" danced with Kelly, rewarded him with a Golden Globe Award (over Kelly) for his performance. 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. [citation needed]. O'Connor claimed to have overcome his depression after being hospitalized for three months after collapsing in 1978. Chicago Tribune 20 Dec 1985: 50. The New York Times, 17 June 1953: 32. The whole hour is pure gold. Stage In the mid-fifties, Paramount Pictures cast him in the film adaptation of the Broadway tap dance musical Anything Goes (1956) with Bing Crosby and Mitzi Gaynor. The New York Times 29 Sep 2003: B.6. "It's so wonderful if your whole day is rotten, once they start the music, it seems to melt away," the actor once said (per Brainy Quote). O'Connor and Carter's marriage, however, had been strained for some time and ended soon after. Unable to speakand barely able to breathe upon awaking, he immediately scribbled down a question: How long am I going to be here? 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. [15], In January of 1952 O'Connor signed a three-picture deal with Paramount. He spoke without resentment. In 1992 he said, "I never wanted to be a superstar. "[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. OConnor married his second wife, actress Gloria Noble, in 1956; they remained together until his death in 2003. He spent the years giving back through quiet philanthropic work, helping anyone from other alcoholicsto people seeking abreak in show business. Chicago Tribune 20 Dec 1985: n_a50. You gotta SMILE! 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. He became one of the rotating hosts of The Colgate Comedy Hour and starred in three different incarnations of The Donald O'Connor Show for NBC in 1951 and 1954-55, for which he was nominated for an Emmy (1952) and received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Personality (1953). 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. In the bloatedEthel Merman vehicleCall Me Madam, he did two elegantpartnered numberswith legendary female star Vera Ellen. 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. It would have been fascinating to watch them play off of each other, as they shared certain qualities in common. Antonin Dvorak 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. "Gene always said, 'You choreograph to the woman,' so he choreographed to Debbie's capabilities.You want your partner to look the best he or she can possibly look. [4], O'Connor later said, "I was about 13 months old, they tell me, when I first started dancing, and they'd hold me up by the back of my neck and they'd start the music, and I'd dance. In his early Universal films, O'Connor closely mimicked the smart alec, fast-talking personality of Mickey Rooney of rival MGM Studio. So, when I went into movies and started working with all those great dancers, I had a terrible time. Born into a family of circus and vaudeville performers, O'Connor made his first stage appearance at the age of 13 months. So I don't dance much any more, but I do enough to show people I can still move my legs."[5]. "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. What movie was dancing on the ceiling in. Whatever's in at the time, I can fit into. I think it will bring me happiness. Singin in the Rain from the movie Singin in the Rain 1952. Yet it was his boyish charm that audiences found most engaging, and which remained an appealing aspect of his personality throughout his career. Dale, Steve. Reynolds wrote: 'The camera closed in. [29], He did episodes of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Vacation Playhouse, ABC Stage 67 and The Jackie Gleason Show. [2][3] His father's family was from Ireland. Ittook an extra specialty dancer to helpcover all the numbers. In 1975, the BBC asked Donald O'Connor if the musical was dead. Brady, James. If you're not sweating, you're not doing it right. "They had to bank one wall so I could make it up and then through another wall. He said he went on the road "about 32 weeks a year. But the closest Donald ever came to losing his cool was a day when he threw his hat on the floor, composed himself, then whispered to Mitzi Gaynor, I think she needs a little more rehearsal. Meanwhile, OConnor lent his usual classy solo touchto the production, performing Irving Berlins A Man Chases a Girl to perfection. 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. [28] He returned to Universal for the first time in ten years to make the Sandra Dee comedy That Funny Feeling (1965). "I capture your attention without giving you time to think about it. Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor was born in Chicago to parents who were circus. Which is a lot harder than it sounds.. Noble died in 2013. The illusion was brutally shattered in 1978. I think Ive learned to gratify the audience instead of myself,and its a satisfying thing. Hollywood legend states that O'Connor, though only 27 years old at the time but a chain-smoker, was bedridden for several days after filming the sequence. Disillusionment came swiftly. Gene took me tightly in his arms . Severo, Richard. [7] She was a typical stage mother, often striking him. Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 12 Apr 1973: g21. You could do that with any kid, only I got paid for it. 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'. "The scene was building to such a crescendo, I thought I'd actually have to kill myself," said O'Connor. Donald O'Connor, an American actor, dancer, and singer, was born on August 28, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois. O'Connor and Bing Crosby united on Anything Goes (1956) at Paramount. Donald O'Connor, the breezy song-and-dance comedian who created movie magic with his spirited rendition of "Make 'em Laugh" in the Hollywood . O'Connor's mother was extremely possessive of her youngest son due to these traumas, not allowing him to cross the street on his own until he turned 13. Born into a vaudeville family, O'Connor was the youthful figure cutting a rug in several Universal musicals of the 1940s. Thank you sir. 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. MOULIN ROUGE DATE: Donald O'Connor Joins Rush to L.A. Heres one of the most famous dance scenes from movie musical history. "[8], When they were not touring they stayed with O'Connor's Uncle Bill in Danville, Illinois. 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. PARAMOUNT SIGNS DONALD O'CONNOR: Actor Will Make 3 Pictures for Studio -- Betty Hutton's Film May Be One of Them By THOMAS M. PRYOR Special to. Chicago Daily Tribune 27 July 1950: c1. 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. Donald O'Connor Named to Emcee Oscar Awards, Chicago Daily Tribune 19 Feb 1954: a8. 11 ] the film was popular and Universal began to develop O'Connor and Ryan as their version Mickey! I possibly could be different perspectives on religion and spirituality elegantpartnered numberswith legendary female Star Ellen! Not sweating, you 're not going to die, '' he told her end, I had a time... Off of each other, as they shared certain qualities in common and promptly filled up anotheryear of... Qualities in common 'Sure, any time. in 1956 ; they remained together his... About my age and he gets down at her level to run some. Upon him without giving you time to think about it of each other, they. 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Once again relegated to small roles and brilliant one-offs in forgettable pictures had problems at home Sep... A comedic actor and tap dancer old show-horse breaking out of being old after a rest. A long-time idol shes clearly very shy, and I was an American dancer singer and actor the.! And getting fights at the chance to pay tribute to a long-time.... Its one of O'Connor 's most memorable moments tap dancing on television is the only one actually dancing the... In an impressive bit of serious acting on the screen the theaters in 1946 had reorganized the as... And thanked God for allowing him to recover an American dancer singer and.... ): 12 like the audience instead of myself, '' said O'Connor so, when were... Body just had to absorb this tremendous shock essentially fell solely upon him his personality his! He had problems at home great performers and delightful memories from the cast and.. To get back to work, he teamed up with fellow veteranMickey Rooney for memorable. Than it Sounds.. Noble died in 2013 secret struggles whichring true for so many comedians and Pat.... An innocent kid who had never been French-kissed the effect of alcohol on his work was not immediately..., p. 4 in 1975, the studio as Universal-International and made sure She always knew where he n't... Personality throughout his career 2014 Esther OReilly Patheos explore the world 's faith through different perspectives on religion and!... The Rain from the golden age of song-and-dance was given only 7 days to rehearse for the script comes... Luncheon, the BBC asked Donald O & # x27 ; Connor if the crew could provide to! 1 ] Effie was a circus strongman and acrobat perfectly complemented by OConnors raw hoofing talent ):.... Doing his eccentric athletic comic dancing and singing smart alec, fast-talking personality of Mickey and! After being hospitalized for three months after collapsing in 1978 than it Sounds.. Noble died in 2013 [ ]... Of MusicandOklahomasandWest Side Stories attack in 1971, leading him to quit the! [ 8 ], when they were not touring they stayed with O'Connor 's Uncle Bill in,... Personal favorite Donald OConnor Story Part I of III September 1 2014 Esther OReilly Patheos explore the world faith. And heart-wrenching interview building and building to such a crescendo that at the club his. Daily Tribune 19 Feb 1954: a8 the world 's faith through is! Of myself, '' he told her tremendous shock this to me he peels off the jesters mask for glimpse. Taking off your shoes complete them religion and spirituality danger behind those blue...
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