Saturday Dance: Jeni Le Gon

When dancer Jeni Le Gon migrated from the East coast to Hollywood, she hoped to be a tap star in the movies. However, in an industry that saw African American women as maids and mammies, she didn’t get the support she needed to make it to the top. Fortunately, she still managed to film some great performances in shorts, specialty numbers and race movies.

Here Le Gon looks charming in a white tux and top hat as she sings The Boy From Harlem in this specialty number from Fools For Scandal (1938):

 

This is one of Le Gon’s most famous movie performances, singing and dancing I’m Livin’ in a Great Big Way with Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and Fats Waller in Hooray for Love (1935):

 

And here she is at 92 years, showing the young ones how it’s done:

 

After seeing that clip, I wish I could spend an afternoon with Ms. Le Gon. She looks like a lot of fun!

Here’s a few more links if you’d like to see more:

I love Le Gon’s lively rendition of Getting it Right With You from Double Deal (1939). She could tap so fast!

She shows off great technique in the Swing is Here to Sway number from Ali Baba Goes to Town (1937).

Ms. Jeni was also Minnie the Moocher opposite Cab Calloway in the musical short Hi De Ho (1947) (she doesn't sing or dance here, but she does show that she could act.)

Saturday Dance: Katherine Dunham

Katherine Dunham was one of the most successful dancers of the last century. In its time, her dance troupe, which she maintained for more than thirty years, was the only long-standing African American group of its kind. In addition to her own dancing and choreography, she was a songwriter, author and devoted activist. Though Dunham did not spend much time in Hollywood, she did commit a few memorable performances to film. Here is her most famouse appearance, with her celebrated troupe, in the title sequence from Stormy Weather (1943):

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Saturday Dance: The Nicholas Brothers

I can’t think of a more explosively talented screen dance team than the Nicholas Brothers. They were physically impressive dancers, but their artistry was such that their complex acrobatics never looked like a series of stunts. This routine from Storm Weather (1943) has got to be one of the best ever filmed; it is stunning in its complexity and physicality.

 

And here they are decades later, strutting their stuff on a 1977 episode of The Jackson Show. Two things that amaze me about this clip: that the Nicholas Brothers are still so acrobatic and that the Jacksons all do a fine job of keeping up with this still-electric duo.

 

Saturday Dance: Bill "Bojangles" Robinson

Though master tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson spent most of his career on the stage, he made a strong impression in the movies, both as a performer and influence. His most famous roles were as the dancing butlers he played opposite Shirley Temple in movies such as The Little Colonel (1935) and the lead role in his last movie (at age 65!), Stormy Weather (1943). Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell (who was particularly influenced by Robinson) even performed routines in tribute to Robinson.

The top video is of Robinson’s most famous routine: the stair dance (which Powell recreates in her tribute). This performance demonstrates the best of his talents: his feather light tap, easy pace and above all, his total control of every movement. Check out those Astaire and Powell links to appreciate just how easy he made tapping look, even the two best tap dancers in Hollywood could not quite emulate his relaxed, but precise style.

The video below is a great clip from Hooray For Love (1935) where Robinson dances on his own, does a tap duet with lovely Jeni Le Gon, and sings with Fats Waller: