Amazingly, he continued to work into the 70s, to increasingly shrinking audiences. . 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. 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. Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 1 Mar 1959: f3. Thats beautiful. We filmed that whole sequence in one day. When asked how he came to dance as he did in Singin in the Rain, he explained that actor Gene Kelly, who co-directed and starred in the classic 1952 film, told him he could do anything he wanted. I look for the parts where I die and they talk about me for the rest of the movie. Hes disciplined. In any case, O'Connor's execution of "Make 'Em Laugh" and overall contribution to "Singin' in the Rain" as a whole distinguished him as one of the greatest physical comedians and performers of the past century. "Make 'em Laugh" was like an expression of Mr. O'Connor's showbiz philosophy. Their obligatory kiss was the ultimate anti-climax for both stars. According to reports at the time the couple split, O'Connor was left with only the dog and sought the help of multiple psychiatrists. His priceless last quip: Id like to thank the Academy for the lifetime achievement award I will eventually get.. Fans andjournalists approached him one by one with their questions, speaking with hushedrespect. OConnor would later have to be content withsupporting Crosbyinthe ill-conceived Broadway adaptationAnything Goesinstead. Video unavailable Watch on YouTube Watch on The "Broadway Melody Ballet" from Singin' in the Rain (1952). Donald O'Connor performs "Make 'em Laugh," a hilarious number from "Singing in the Rain," the 1952 musical. He can dance, he can sing, he can act, and he can spout humor, but not yet with the finesse of a veteran. So, when I went into movies and started working with all those great dancers, I had a terrible time. Entdecke 1960 SCHAUSPIELER DONALD O CONNOR Tanzklavier Blumen Vintage Bild Vintage Foto in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! Keaton's ground-breaking physical comedy was a major influence on O'Connor's own work, and he jumped at the chance to pay tribute to a long-time idol. Universal added $50,000 to the budget and elevated the "B" movie to "A" status.[10]. 54th Academy Awards. One of his last public appearances was a press conference in2002, held in conjunction withthe 50th anniversary release ofSingin in the Rain. It doesnt seem to affect the girls though, arent they wonderful?, He guest-starredon the first episode of the Judy Garland show in 1962, where the two old friends reminisced and affectionately skewered their vaudevilleroots together. 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." 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. 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. Washington, D.C.: NPR. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. [6] His brother Billy died a decade later from scarlet fever and his eldest sibling Jack died from alcoholism in 1959. "The scene was building to such a crescendo, I thought I'd actually have to kill myself," said O'Connor. When they brought him into the rehab hospital, Donald OConnor was paralyzed from the waist down. [41][42] During the turbulent nine-year marriage, Carter physically abused O'Connor in frustration over her lack of an acting career. [7] She was a typical stage mother, often striking him. 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?. Movie bred, he has the versatility of a Jimmy Durante and the effervescence of youth. Ironically, his character was fighting drug addiction. My body just had to absorb this tremendous shock. Donald O'Connor Named to Emcee Oscar Awards, Chicago Daily Tribune 19 Feb 1954: a8. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean Peggy Ryan and Francis the Talking Mule. Donald OConnor was the last of the song and dance men. Known as the youngest old-timer in show business, it was his misfortune to reach the height of his powers precisely when the song-and-dance musical was dying. 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. Whatever's in at the time, I can fit into. 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If you're not sweating, you're not doing it right. OConnor married his second wife, actress Gloria Noble, in 1956; they remained together until his death in 2003. Singin in the Rain from the movie Singin in the Rain 1952. Az legismertebb szerepe Cosmo Brown az nek az esben zens filmben Gene Kellyvel s Debbie Reynoldsszal . While it certainly got him down in real life, he was back at it after the three days of rest had restored him to proper health. Hewas finally free from the clutches ofUniversalPictures, having refused to make one more Francis picture until theyreleased him. His family had the answer. He was filled with the wonderment of life, and he would shareittohis dying breath. [2][3] His father's family was from Ireland. Apparently, the iconic choreographer was quite the exacting director. The letters detail the lives of other patients, particularly a 30-year-old man who was completely immobilized. O'Connor will be remembered as "The Last Song and Dance Man." The whole hour is pure gold. Chicago Daily Tribune 18 Oct 1954: b16. (Photo by John Swope/Getty Images) Save. O'Connor went on marry another actress, Gloria Noble, and the pair remained together for the rest of his life. He died in Los Angeles at the age . This concludes Part II. 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. I hope so." Andhisacting career seemed to be getting a second wind whenhewas approached for the title role in a biopic of silent screen legend Buster Keaton. 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). But Donald contracted a rare fever from Francis the mule just as production began, and he was still too weak to take the job even after they had postponed the shoot for months. But OConnor marched on undaunted. [37], O'Connor continued to make film and television appearances into the 1990s, including the Robin Williams film Toys (1992) as the president of a toy-making company. He was born for it. Revivals are so popular now. Adding insult to injury, Donald had to play the son of her new lover in the garish monstrosityTheres No Business Like Show Business. O'Connor 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. Unfortunately for the OConnor family world events often coincided with terrible personal losses requiring Donald to assume adult responsibilities at a. Donald OConnor performs Make em Laugh a hilarious number from Singing in the Rain the 1952 musical. O'Connor third billed in both Boy Trouble (1939) and Unmarried (1939), playing John Hartley as a young boy in the latter. That studio also released The Buster Keaton Story (1957), in which O'Connor had the title role. 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'. "[5], In 1949, O'Connor played the lead role in Francis, the story of a soldier befriended by a talking mule. [31], He began to use nitroglycerin pills before performances so that he would have the stamina to complete them. Watch in awe as one of the worlds greatest entertainers, Donald OConnor, tap dances on roller skates just because he can. It was a hopeful year. At the age of 15 from 15 on, I really had to learn to dance. Cause of death: alcoholism. 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