Donald O'Connor | |
|---|---|
 O'Connor in 1952 | |
| Born | Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (1925-08-28)August 28, 1925 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 27, 2003(2003-09-27) (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1932–1999 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred, in succession, withGloria Jean,Peggy Ryan, andFrancis the Talking Mule.
O'Connor was born into avaudeville family, where he learned to dance, sing, play comedy, and perform slapstick. The most distinctive characteristic of his dancing style was its athleticism, for which he had few rivals. Yet it was his boyish charm that audiences found most engaging, and which remained an appealing aspect of his personality throughout his career. In his Universal musicals of the early 1940s, O'Connor was a wisecracking, fast-talking teenager, much likeMickey Rooney ofMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer. But by 1952 andSingin' in the Rain, MGM had cultivated a much more sympathetic sidekick persona for him, and that remained O'Connor's signature image.
His best-known work was his "Make 'Em Laugh" dance routine inSingin' in the Rain (1952), for which O'Connor was awarded aGolden Globe. He also won aPrimetime Emmy Award from four nominations and received two stars on theHollywood Walk of Fame.
O'Connor was born on August 28, 1925[1] inChicago toVaudevillians Edward "Chuck" O'Connor and Effie Irene (née Crane), the 200th child born at St. Elizabeth Hospital there. Both the O'Connors struggled to remember where and when exactly Donald was born, due to the family's extensive travel.[2] Effie was a bareback rider and Chuck was a circus strongman and acrobat.[3][4] His father's family was from Ireland.[1]
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. You could do that with any kid, only I got paid for it."[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 inHartford, Connecticut; Donald survived, but his sister died. A few weeks later, his father died of a heart attack while dancing on stage inBrockton, Massachusetts.[6]
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. Effie also stopped O'Connor from learning hazardous dance routines, and made sure she always knew where he was when he was not performing.[7]
O'Connor joined a dance act with his mother and elder brother Jack. They were billed as the O'Connor Family, the Royal Family of Vaudeville. They toured the country doing singing, dancing, comedy, and acting. "Our entire family composed an act," he says. "We really didn't have a choice; if you were in the family you appeared in the act. I loved vaudeville. The live audiences created a certain spontaneity."[8]
When they were not touring they stayed with O'Connor's Uncle Bill inDanville, Illinois. O'Connor never went to school,[9] but performed in theDanville High School dramatic club withDick Van Dyke andBobby Short.[10]
He later said, "I learned two dance routines. I looked like the world's greatest dancer. I did triple wings and everything. But I had never had any formal training. So, when I went into movies and started working with all those great dancers, I had a terrible time. I couldn't pick up routines because I didn't have any formal training. At the age of 15 — from 15 on, I really had to learn to dance. And that's quite old for someone to start dancing real heavy, professionally."[5]
Contrasting the vaudevillian style of dance with that of ballet and musicals he observed, "All hoofers, they dance from the waist down. And I had to learn to dance from the waist up. And then, I became what's known as a total dancer."[5]
O'Connor began performing in movies in 1937, making his debut at age 11 inMelody for Two appearing with his family act. He was also in Columbia'sIt Can't Last Forever (1937).[9]
O'Connor signed a contract atParamount Studios. He appeared inMen with Wings (1938), directed byWilliam Wellman, asFred MacMurray's character as a boy. He was billed fifth inSing You Sinners (1938) playingBing Crosby's and MacMurray's younger brother.[11]
He was inSons of the Legion (1938), then had the second lead in aB-picture,Tom Sawyer, Detective (1938), playingHuckleberry Finn opposite Billy Cook's Tom Sawyer. O'Connor third billed in bothBoy Trouble (1939) andUnmarried (1939), playing John Hartley as a young boy in the latter.
O'Connor was billed fourth inMillion Dollar Legs (1939) withBetty Grable. He playedGary Cooper as a young boy inBeau Geste (1939), directed by Wellman.
Night Work (1939) was a sequel toBoy Trouble and O'Connor was inDeath of a Champion (1939).[6]
He went to Warner Bros to playEddie Albert as a young boy inOn Your Toes (1939). He then returned to his family act in vaudeville for two years.[9]
In 1941, O'Connor signed withUniversal Pictures for $200 a week, where he began withWhat's Cookin'? (1942), a low-budget musical withThe Andrews Sisters, the studio's teenage singing starGloria Jean, andPeggy Ryan.[12] The film was popular and Universal began to develop O'Connor and Ryan as their version ofMickey Rooney andJudy Garland.[13]
He, Ryan, and the Andrews Sisters were inPrivate Buckaroo (1942) andGive Out, Sisters (1942); then he was co-starred opposite Jean in four films:Get Hep to Love (1942),When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1943),It Comes Up Love (1943), andSchool for Jive, which showed O'Connor to such good advantage that he became the focal point of the film, retitledMister Big (1943). Universal added $50,000 to the budget and elevated the "B" movie to "A" status.[11]
O'Connor and Ryan were inTop Man (1943), withSusanna Foster, andChip Off the Old Block (1944), withAnn Blyth. O'Connor and Ryan both had cameos in Universal's all-starFollow the Boys (1944).
DuringWorld War II, on his 18th birthday in August 1943, O'Connor was drafted into theUnited States Army. Before he reported for induction on February 6, 1944, Universal already had four O'Connor films completed. They rushed production to complete four more by that date,[citation needed] all with Ryan:This Is the Life (1944), with Foster;The Merry Monahans (1944), with Blyth andJack Oakie;Bowery to Broadway (1945), another all-star effort where O'Connor had a cameo; andPatrick the Great (1945).
Upon O'Connor's return from military service, he found that his employers had changed hands. A merger in 1946 had reorganized the studio as Universal-International, with new executives in charge. They didn't know O'Connor, now nearly broke, and didn't know what to do with him.[citation needed] Finally, the studio paired O'Connor opposite their biggest female star,Deanna Durbin, inSomething in the Wind (1947),[14] and kept him busy in musical comedies:Are You with It? (1948) withOlga San Juan,Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (1949) withMarjorie Main andPercy Kilbride, andYes Sir, That's My Baby (1949) withGloria DeHaven.[15]
"I wasn't really a dancer, a good dancer, until I got older," he said later. "I could do those wings and stuff and I looked very good, but my heavens, it was very, very hard for me to pick up on — pick up steps. It was just oh — so laborious for me. I didn't have a short cut like the other dancers do."[5]
In 1949, O'Connor played the lead role inFrancis, the story of a soldier befriended by a talking mule. Directed byArthur Lubin, the film was a huge success. As a consequence, his musical career was constantly interrupted by production of oneFrancis film per year until 1955. O'Connor later said the films "were fun to make. Actually, they were quite challenging. I had to play straight in order to convince the audience that the mule could talk."[16]
O'Connor followed the firstFrancis with comedies:Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950),The Milkman (1950), andDouble Crossbones (1951).
He didFrancis Goes to the Races (1951), another big hit. 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.[17]
In January 1952, O'Connor signed a three-picture deal with Paramount.[18] He also received an offer to play Cosmo the piano player inSingin' in the Rain (1952) atMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
That film featured his widely known rendition of "Make 'Em Laugh," which he choreographed with help from the assistant dance directors and his brother.[19] The number featured dozens of jumps, pratfalls, and two backflips launched by running halfway up a wall.
"The scene was building to such a crescendo, I thought I'd actually have to kill myself," said O'Connor.[20]
He acted alongsideGene Kelly, and earned the 1953Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or Musical.[21]
O'Connor went back to Universal forFrancis Goes to West Point (1952) then returned to MGM forI Love Melvin (1953) a musical withDebbie Reynolds.
He began appearing regularly on television. One review in 1952 called him "1952's new star. Movie bred, he has the versatility of a Jimmy Durante and the effervescence of youth. He can dance, he can sing, he can act, and he can spout humor, but not yet with the finesse of a veteran."[22]
He supportedEthel Merman inCall Me Madam (1953) at20th Century Fox, later saying the film contained his best dancing.[23] He co-starred in another Fox musical,There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), which featuredIrving Berlin's music and also starred withEthel Merman,Marilyn Monroe (O'Connor's on screen love interest),Dan Dailey,Mitzi Gaynor, andJohnnie Ray.
AfterFrancis Covers the Big Town (1953), Universal put O'Connor in a musical in color,Walking My Baby Back Home (1953) withJanet Leigh.
O'Connor's industry and public recognition reached a peak in 1954, when he was asked to emcee that year'sAcademy Awards ceremony.[24]
He received excellent notices forFrancis Joins the WACS (1954) and was scheduled to play Bing Crosby's partner inWhite Christmas (1954). O'Connor was forced to withdraw because he contracted an illness transmitted by the mule[25] and was replaced in the film byDanny Kaye.[26]
O'Connor, resentful of how theFrancis series had interfered with his musical career, reluctantly agreed to star inFrancis in the Navy (1955).[27]Arthur Lubin, who directed the series, later recalled that O'Connor "got very difficult" to work with: "He'd sit in his dressing room and stare into space, and I think he had problems at home."[28]
Universal did not renew O'Connor's contract after 13 years with the company. At a farewell luncheon, the studio executives presented him with a gift: a camera and 14 rolls of film. O'Connor was stunned at the insignificance of the gift after all the millions of dollars he had made for the studio, and in later life recalled, "What can I say about these people?"
O'Connor and Bing Crosby united onAnything Goes (1956) at Paramount. That studio also releasedThe Buster Keaton Story (1957), in which O'Connor had the title role.
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."[29]
O'Connor was a regular host ofNBC'sColgate Comedy Hour,[6] and starred inThe Donald O'Connor Show (1954–55) for one season.
He hosted a color television special on NBC in 1957, one of the earliest color programs to be preserved on a colorkinescope; an excerpt of the telecast was included in NBC's 50th anniversary special in 1976.
In the late 1950s, he began guest starring on shows likePlayhouse 90,The DuPont Show of the Month, andThe Red Skelton Hour. But his focus moved increasingly to touring live shows.[30]
O'Connor teamed withGlenn Ford inCry for Happy (1961) at Columbia and he played the title role inThe Wonders of Aladdin (1961) for MGM.
He subsequently focused on theatre work and his nightclub act, performing in Las Vegas.[31] He returned to Universal for the first time in ten years to make theSandra Dee comedyThat Funny Feeling (1965).[32]
He did episodes ofBob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre,Vacation Playhouse,ABC Stage 67 andThe Jackie Gleason Show. He also appeared in several productions ofLittle Me.[33]
In 1968, O'Connor hosted asyndicatedtalk show also calledThe Donald O'Connor Show. The program was canceled because the dancer was becoming "too political,"[how?] and O'Connor was reprimanded by the studio.[34]
He began to use nitroglycerin pills before performances so that he would have the stamina to complete them. He then suffered aheart attack in 1971, leading him to quit taking the medication.[35]
He was in a TV production ofLi'l Abner (1971) and continued to perform on stage, notably in Las Vegas.[36]
He guest-starred on episodes ofThe Girl with Something Extra,Ellery Queen,The Bionic Woman,Police Story, andHunter.[37]
O'Connor claimed to have overcome his depression after being hospitalized for three months after collapsing in 1978.[6] He wrote letters to his friends and family explaining that his life had "completely changed." The dancer was paralyzed from the waist down[clarification needed][why?], but recovered by way of physical therapy. The letters detail the lives of other patients, particularly a 30-year-old man who was completely immobilized.
"I won't take anything I have for granted again," was written in each letter. O'Connor credited the patients he met and thanked God for allowing him to recover.
He appeared as a gaslight-era entertainer in the 1981 filmRagtime, notable for similar encore performances byJames Cagney andPat O'Brien. It was his first feature film role in 16 years.
O'Connor appeared in the short-livedBring Back Birdie onBroadway in 1981. The following year he was inI Ought to Be in Pictures in Los Angeles.[38]
He was Cap'n Andy in a short-lived Broadway revival ofShow Boat (1983) and continued to tour in various shows and acts.
"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. Art Carney is about my age and he's making a career out of being old. I'm still singing and dancing. I'm not ready to be old."[8]
O'Connor guest starred onThe Littlest Hobo,Fantasy Island,Simon & Simon,Hotel,Alice in Wonderland,The Love Boat, andHighway to Heaven, and was in the filmsPandemonium (1982),A Mouse, a Mystery and Me (1988), andA Time to Remember (1988).
He bought a theatre, the Donald O'Connor Theatre, and would perform in it with his children. In a 1989 interview he said "There's an element out there that wants to be entertained-and they can't find this kind of thing I do. And yeah, I think I wear well. I sing, I dance, I do comedy. I'm not threatening. When you grow up in a circus family, the more things you learn, the more you get paid. So I can do straight comedy without the song and dance; I can do all kinds of combinations. Whatever's in at the time, I can fit into."[39]
He developed heart trouble and underwent successful quadruple-bypass surgery in 1990.[40]
O'Connor continued to make film and television appearances into the 1990s, including theRobin Williams filmToys (1992) as the president of a toy-making company. He continued to perform live.[41]
He had guest roles inMurder, She Wrote,Tales from the Crypt,The Building,The Nanny andFrasier, and was in the filmsBandit: Bandit's Silver Angel (1994), andFather Frost (1996).
In 1992, he said, "I never wanted to be a superstar. I'm working on being a quasar, because stars wear out. Quasars go on forever... I look for the parts where I die and they talk about me for the rest of the movie."[40]
In 1998, he received a Golden Palm Star on thePalm Springs, California,Walk of Stars.[42]
O'Connor's last feature film was theJack Lemmon-Walter Matthau comedyOut to Sea, in which he played a dance host on a cruise ship. O'Connor was still making public appearances well into 2003. He said he went on the road "about 32 weeks a year. I do my concert work and I do night clubs and that kind of stuff. So I don't dance much any more, but I do enough to show people I can still move my legs."[5]
O'Connor was married twice and had four children. His first marriage was in 1944 to Gwendolyn Carter, when he was 18 and she was 20. They married inTijuana.[43] Together they had one child, a daughter Donna. The couple divorced in 1954.[44][45]
He was married to Gloria Noble from October 11, 1956 until his death. They had three children: Alicia, Fred, and Kevin. They were married for 47 years and lived inThousand Oaks, California. Gloria died on June 11, 2013, of natural causes.
O'Connor had undergone quadruple heart bypass surgery in 1990,[46] and he nearly died from pleural pneumonia in January 1999. He died from complications ofheart failure on September 27, 2003, at age 78 at theMotion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, inWoodland Hills, California.[47]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Melody for Two | Specialty Act | Uncredited |
| It Can't Last Forever | Kid Dancer | ||
| 1938 | Men with Wings | Young Pat Falconer | |
| Sing You Sinners | Mike Beebe | ||
| Sons of the Legion | Butch Baker | ||
| Tom Sawyer, Detective | Huckleberry Finn | ||
| 1939 | Boy Trouble | Butch | |
| Unmarried | Young Ted Streaver | ||
| Million Dollar Legs | Sticky Boone | ||
| Beau Geste | Young Beau Geste | ||
| Night Work | Butch Smiley | ||
| Death of a Champion | Small Fry | ||
| On Your Toes | Young Phil Dolan Jr. | ||
| 1942 | What's Cookin'? | Tommy | |
| Private Buckaroo | Donny | ||
| Give Out, Sisters | Don | ||
| Get Hep to Love | Jimmy Arnold | ||
| When Johnny Comes Marching Home | Frankie Flanagan | ||
| 1943 | It Comes Up Love | Ricky Ives | |
| Mister Big | Donald J. O'Connor, Esq. | ||
| Top Man | Don Warren | ||
| 1944 | Chip Off the Old Block | Donald Corrigan | |
| Follow the Boys | Donald O'Connor | ||
| This Is the Life | Jimmy Plum | ||
| Patrick the Great | Pat Donahue Jr. | ||
| The Merry Monahans | Jimmy Monahan | ||
| Bowery to Broadway | Specialty Number #1 | ||
| 1947 | Something in the Wind | Charlie Read | |
| 1948 | Are You With It? | Milton Haskins | |
| Feudin', Fussin', and A-Fightin' | Wilbur McMurty | ||
| 1949 | Yes Sir That's My Baby | William Waldo Winfield | |
| Screen Snapshots: Motion Picture Mothers, Inc. | Himself | Short film | |
| 1950 | Francis | Peter Stirling | |
| Curtain Call at Cactus Creek | Edward Timmons | ||
| The Milkman | Roger Bradley | ||
| 1951 | Double Crossbones | Davey Crandall | |
| Francis Goes to the Races | Peter Stirling | ||
| 1952 | Singin' in the Rain | Cosmo Brown | |
| Francis Goes to West Point | Peter Stirling | ||
| 1953 | Call Me Madam | Kenneth Gibson | |
| I Love Melvin | Melvin Hoover | ||
| Francis Covers the Big Town | Peter Stirling | ||
| Walking My Baby Back Home | Clarence 'Jigger' Millard | ||
| 1954 | Francis Joins the WACS | Peter Stirling | |
| There's No Business Like Show Business | Tim Donahue | ||
| 1955 | Francis in the Navy | Lt. Peter Stirling/Slicker Donovan | |
| 1956 | Anything Goes | Ted Adams | |
| 1957 | The Buster Keaton Story | Buster Keaton | |
| 1961 | Cry for Happy | Murray Prince | |
| The Wonders of Aladdin | Aladdin | ||
| 1965 | That Funny Feeling | Harvey Granson | |
| 1974 | Just One More Time | Himself | Short film/uncredited |
| That's Entertainment! | |||
| 1978 | The Big Fix | Francis Joins the Navy | |
| 1981 | Ragtime | Dance Instructor | |
| 1982 | Pandemonium | Mr. Dandy | |
| 1989 | A Time to Remember | Father Walsh | |
| 1992 | Toys | Kenneth Zevo | |
| 1994 | Bandit's Silver Angel | Uncle Cyrus | |
| 1996 | Father Frost | Baba Yaga | |
| 1997 | Out to Sea | Jonathan Devereaux |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | All Star Revue | Himself | Episode: "1x5" |
| 1951–1954 | Colgate Comedy Hour | 20 episodes | |
| 1953-1962 | The Ed Sullivan Show | 3 episodes | |
| 1954 | The Jimmy Durante Show | Episode: "1x1" | |
| 1954–1955 | The Donald O'Connor Show | 19 episodes | |
| 1956–1961 | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | 2 episodes | |
| 1957 | Playhouse 90 | Himself/Dr. Robert Harrison | 2 episodes:The Clouded Image &The Jet Propelled Couch |
| 1958 | DuPont Show of the Month | Johnny Shaw | Episode: "The Red Mill" |
| The Red Skelton Hour | Himself | Episode: "Friends of the Red Skelton Variety Show" | |
| 1959 | Pontiac Star Parade | Himself | Television special |
| 1962 | Tonight Starring Jack Paar | Guest Host | 5 episodes |
| 1963 | The Judy Garland Show | Himself | Episode: "1x7" |
| 1964–1967 | The Hollywood Palace | Host | 6 episodes |
| 1964 | Petticoat Junction | — | Director episode: "The Ladybugs" |
| The Bob Hope Thanksgiving Special | Himself | Television special | |
| 1964—1966 | The Bell Telephone Hour | 3 episodes | |
| 1964–1969 | The Bob Hope Show | 2 episodes | |
| 1966 | The Chrysler Theatre | Benjamin Boggs | Episode: "Brilliant Benjamin Boggs" |
| Vacation Playhouse | Donald Dugan | Episode: "The Hoofer" | |
| ABC Stage 67 | Hermes | Episode: "Olympus 7-0000" | |
| 1967–1974 | The Dean Martin Show | Himself | 5 episodes |
| 1968 | ...and Debbie Makes Six | Television special | |
| 1968–1969 | The Donald O'Connor Show | 5 episodes | |
| 1969–1970 | The Carol Burnett Show | 2 episodes | |
| 1969 | The Jackie Gleason Show | Charlie Ryan/Charlie Pineapple | Episode: "The Honeymooners: Hawaii, Oh! Oh!" |
| 1970 | The Engelbert Humperdinck Show | Himself | Episode: "1x1" |
| The Andy Williams Show | 2 episodes | ||
| The Don Knotts Show | Episode: "1x10" | ||
| 1971 | Li'l Abner | General Bashington T. Bullmoose | Television special |
| 1972 | The Bobby Darin Amusement Company | Himself | Episode: "1x4" |
| 1972–1973 | The Julie Andrews Hour | 2 episodes | |
| 1973 | The Bobby Darin Show | Episode: "1x7" | |
| 1974 | The Girl with Something Extra | William | Episode: "Irreconcilable Sameness" |
| 1975 | Ellery Queen | Kenneth Freeman | Episode: "The Comic Book Crusader" |
| 1976 | The Bionic Woman | Harry Anderson | Episode: "A Thing of the Past" |
| Police Story | Holly Connor | Episode: "Payment Deferred" | |
| Tony Orlando and Dawn | Himself | Episode: "Donald O'Connor/Soupy Sales" | |
| 1977 | Hunter | Lou Martin | Episode: "The Costa Rican Connection" |
| 1980 | Lucy Moves to NBC | Himself | Television film |
| The Steve Allen Comedy Hour | Episode: "Donald O'Connor,Martin Mull,Joey Forman" | ||
| 1981–1986 | The Love Boat | Howard Enicker/Leo Halbert/Oscar Tilton | 3 episodes |
| 1981 | Alice | Himself | Episode: "Guinness on Tap" |
| Standing Room Only | George M. Cohan | Episode: "The Last Great Vaudeville Show" | |
| 1982 | The Littlest Hobo | Freddie the Clown | Episode: "The Clown" |
| Fantasy Island | Dr. Johnn Watson | Episode: "The Cast Against Mr. Roarke/Save Sherlock Holmes" | |
| 1983 | Simon and Simon | George Decova/Barnaby the Great | Episode: "Grand Illusion" |
| Alice in Wonderland | Mock Turtle | Television film | |
| Hotel | David Connelly | Episode: "The Offer" | |
| 1985 | Half Nelson | Director | Episode: "The Deadly Vase" |
| Alice in Wonderland | The Lory Bird | Miniseries | |
| 1987 | Highway to Heaven | Jackie Clark | Episode: "Playing for Keeps" |
| A Mouse, a Mystery and Me | Alex the Mouse (voice) | Television special | |
| 1990 | Murder, She Wrote | Barry Barnes | Episode: "The Big Show of 1965" |
| 1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Joseph Renfield | Episode: "Strung Along" |
| 1993 | The Building | Mr. Kennedy | Episode: "Father Knows Best" |
| 1996 | Frasier | Harlow Safford | Episode: "Crane vs. Crane" |
| The Nanny | Fred | Episode: "Freida Needa Man" |
