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Jeni Le Gon | |
|---|---|
 At Masters of Lindy Hop and Tap, Century Ballroom,Seattle, Washington, 2009 | |
| Born | Jennie Ligon (1916-08-16)August 16, 1916 |
| Died | December 7, 2012(2012-12-07) (aged 96) Vancouver,British Columbia, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, actor |
| Spouse | Phil Moore |
Jeni LeGon (bornJennie Ligon; August 14, 1916 – December 7, 2012[1]), also credited asJeni Le Gon, was anAmerican dancer, dance instructor, and actress. She was one of the firstAfrican-American women to establish a solo career intap dance.
Born as Jennie Ligon inChicago, Illinois, her parents were Hector Ligon,[2] a chef who also worked as arailway porter, and Harriet Bell Ligon, a housewife.[citation needed] She grew up in theBlack Belt area of Chicago and finished Sexton Elementary School in 1928.[2] When she was 13, she successfully auditioned for the chorus line of band leaderCount Basie. She attendedEnglewood High School for one year thereafter.[2]
In 1931, LeGon began performing across the southern United States with theWhitman Sisters company. In 1933, she and her half-sister, Willa Mae Lane, formed the LeGon and Lane song-and-dance team.[2] They were given the opportunity to go toDetroit and work with nightclub owner Leonard Reed. While there, they received an offer to travel toHollywood and perform with composerShelton Brooks. Upon arrival, they discovered there was, in fact, no job. LeGon heard about auditions being held byEthel Waters' former manager, Earl Dancer. The audition was for a film thatFox Studios was producing. She won the part and subsequently appeared in dance numbers in several musicals.[citation needed]
In 1935, she signed withRKO Pictures to be the dancing partner of Bill Robinson in the filmHooray for Love which also featuredFats Waller. She also performed in a 1935 London production of the revueAt Home Abroad, taking over numbers that Waters andEleanor Powell had in the Broadway version.[3]
While in Hollywood, LeGon had the opportunity to work with performers such as Waters andAl Jolson. She danced withFred Astaire andBill "Bojangles" Robinson, becoming the first African-American woman to do so on film.MGM signed her to a long-term contract, making LeGon the first African-American woman to receive such an opportunity, but cancellation of the contract soon followed.[2]
On Broadway, LeGon portrayed Jenny inBlack Rhythm (1936), and Lily Ann inEarly to Bed (1943).[4] In 1947, she playedCab Calloway's treacherous girlfriend Minnie the moocher in a low-budget full-length musical movie with an all-Black cast titledHi-De-Ho. She danced at a number of clubs and theaters including the Apollo, Cafe de Paris, Howard, Paramount and Lincoln Theaters.[5] In the early 1950s, she appeared on the televised version ofAmos 'n' Andy.[3]
LeGon owned and operated the Jeni LeGon Dance Studio in Los Angeles[6] and managed the Drama & Dance Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 1969, she settled inVancouver,British Columbia, where she taught tap and pointe. In 1999, theNational Film Board of Canada released a documentary film about her life,Jeni Le Gon: Living in a Great Big Way, directed by Grant Greshuk and produced bySelwyn Jacob.[7] She appeared in the filmBones (2001).[3]
In 1943, LeGon married composer,[2] conductor, and pianistPhil Moore.[8] They composed the song "The Sping", sung byLena Horne in the filmPanama Hattie.[2]
LeGon was inducted into theBlack Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1987[9] and into the Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2002.[10]Oklahoma City University awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2002.[6]
LeGon's papers are housed at the Smithsonian Institution.[11]
Zadie Smith's 2016 novel,Swing Time, features two biracial young women who discover LeGon while watching videotapes of old film musicals. When they see her perform inAli Baba Goes to Town (1937), the character Tracey "sits perched close to the TV, studying her moves, her mouth open in surprise."[12] LeGon becomes an obsession for Tracey.[12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Hooray for Love | Jeni LeGon - the Ballerina | |
| 1936 | Dishonour Bright | Cabaret Dancer | |
| 1937 | Ali Baba Goes to Town | Specialty | |
| 1937 | The Adventurous Blonde | Maid | Uncredited |
| 1938 | Fools for Scandal | Singer at Le Petit Harlem | |
| 1939 | Double Deal | Nita | |
| 1940 | I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby | Annie | |
| 1940 | While Thousands Cheer | Myra | |
| 1940 | Glamour for Sale | Maid | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Sundown | Miriami | |
| 1941 | Birth of the Blues | Black Girl in Jail | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Bahama Passage | Mary's Maid | Uncredited |
| 1942 | This Was Paris | Cabaret Dancer | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Take My Life | Helen Stanley | |
| 1942 | Arabian Nights | Dresser | |
| 1943 | My Son, the Hero | Lambie | |
| 1943 | I Walked with a Zombie | Dancer | |
| 1943 | Stormy Weather | Dancer | Uncredited |
| 1947 | Hi-De-Ho | Minnie | |
| 1948 | Easter Parade | Essie, Nadine's Maid | Uncredited |
| 1949 | I Shot Jesse James | Veronica | |
| 1952 | Somebody Loves Me | Maid in "Rose Room" Number | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Bright Road | Martha Swife | Uncredited |
| 1987 | Home Is Where the Hart Is | Wanda Fuch | |
| 2001 | Bones | Window Granny |
Jeni LeGon.
| International | |
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| National | |
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| Other | |
