| Eddie Albert, 88 min 77 min He was billed fifth in Sing You Sinners (1938) playing Bing Crosby's and MacMurray's younger brother.[10]. 91 min Donald O'Connor, | Thomas Travers Drama, Music, It is small town America in the 1950's. Martha Stewart, The O'Connor home will be put on the market. On stage 3 days later in a basket on his mother's piano bench . Stars: Robert Florey Posthumously inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2004. Fred MacMurray, Donald OConnorhad four children having married twice in his entire life. | Three adopted English brothers join the French Foreign Legion in North Africa after one of them steals their adoptive family's famous heirloom sapphire. LAS VEGAS SCENE: Donald O'Connor in Dancing Shoes Again with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. | His belongings were auctioned off and all proceeds were given to charity. Peggy Ryan, Received the 1953 Sylvania Award for his work on television. Donald O' Connor was born in St. Louis, Missouri on August 2, 1925. Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. Donald O'Connor was a singer, | Buddy Hackett, They divorced in the year 1954. Frieda Inescort, Passed Later, he did many movies including It Cant Last Forever, Men with Wings, Sons of the Legion and many more. old. Donald O'Connor, | 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. | He hosted Academy Award in 1978 which boosted him career-wise. In the 1950s, O'Connor also began The Guardian 29 Sep 2003: 1.21. Obituary: Donald O'Connor: Dynamic dancer and comedian Nancy Guild, Approved He starred in Are You with It? O'Connor was a regular host of NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour. 60 min 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). O'Connor was still making public appearances well into 2003. Mild-mannered Homer Fitch (Ruggles) must prove he is tough enough in the eyes of a young orphan's (O'Conner) grandfather (Bevins) to retain custody of the boy. greatest allaround talents in show business.". Stars: Actually, they were quite challenging. And yeah, I think I wear well. | Shopkeeper Homer Fitch (Ruggles) hates the changes in his household when his wife adopts two orphan boys but realizes how much he loves the boys when they are struck with scarlet fever. Tom Smothers, Charles Lamont But his focus moved increasingly to touring live shows.[27]. Adventure, Comedy, Drama. 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. 62, Iss. "Now I'm looking for the Nolle Adam, [32], He was in a TV production of Li'l Abner (1971) and continued to perform on stage, notably in Las Vegas. [44] His remains were cremated. Donald O'Connor, called him "the funniest man around right now" and he Music, Comedy. he stopped drinking, but as a result of the drinking and his poor eating [23], He starred in The Donald O'Connor Show (195455) for one season. Ethel Merman, Vera-Ellen, | was taken by Mickey Rooney. | James Melton, O'Connor said, "No one ever thought [the film] would be Comedy, Romance. 94 min Donald O'Connor Named to Emcee Oscar Awards, Chicago Daily Tribune 19 Feb 1954: a8. A. Edward Sutherland, Feudin', Fussin' and A'Fightin', Weekend All Things Considered; Washington, D.C.: 1. Luckily, the house wedged up against a big tree and that kept it from crashing into a canyon. | Comedy, Roger Bradley, son of a milk magnate, isn't allowed to work for his dad's company because of a lingering war trauma: in moments of stress he quacks like a duck. 76 min [1] Effie was a bareback rider and Chuck was a circus strongman and acrobat. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 78 years old group. Donald O'Connor, "[37], In 1998, he received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars. Comedy, Drama, Family. In 1992, according to the motion pictures he appeared in were 1947's Peggy learns that the See full summary, Director: James Cagney, Donald O'Connor's musical Journey keeps him on road They rushed production to complete four more by that date, all with Ryan: This Is the Life (1944), with Foster; The Merry Monahans (1944), with Blyth and Jack Oakie; Bowery to Broadway (1945), another all-star effort where O'Connor had a cameo; and Patrick the Great (1945). A poor young man finds a magic lamp that possesses a genie, who will grant the boy three wishes if he sets him free from the lamp. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. Director: Director: O'Connor was billed fourth in Million Dollar Legs (1939) with Betty Grable. | | George Sherman "I'd rather do something where I go in and work a week, maybe three days. Mary Boland, O'Connor followed the first Francis with comedies: Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950), The Milkman (1950), and Double Crossbones (1951). Ray Enright | Comedy, Drama, Musical, During World War II, all the studios put out "all-star" vehicles which featured virtually every star on the lot--often playing themselves--in musical numbers and comedy skits, and were See full summary, Directors: At 78 years old, Donald O'Connor height is 5' 7" (1.7 m) . One review in 1952 called him "1952's new star. Comedy, At the Davis School of the Theatre, run by Jeremy Taswell, where teenagers study drama and the serious arts, instructors Johnny Hanley and Alice Taswell are in love. Before he reported for induction on February 6, 1944, Universal already had four O'Connor films completed. Carter remarried in 1955 to actor Dan Dailey. Ray Young, | O'Connor was born in 1925 to Vaudevillians Edward "Chuck" O'Connor and Effie Irene (ne Crane) in Chicago, the 200th child born at St. Elizabeth Hospital there. Bobby Darin, O'Connor and Bing Crosby united on Anything Goes (1956) at Paramount. During World War II, on his 18th birthday in August 1943, O'Connor was drafted into the United States Army. And then, I became what's known as a total dancer. [33], He guest-starred on episodes of The Girl with Something Extra, Ellery Queen, The Bionic Woman, Police Story, and Hunter.[34]. O'Connor was drafted near the end of World War II, and spent his Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 - September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. 65 min In 1998, he signed on for The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a revue featuring 54-year-old + performers. O'Connor and Ryan were in Top Man (1943), with Susanna Foster, and Chip Off the Old Block (1944), with Ann Blyth. Mitzi Gaynor, Not Rated the | Gordon Wiles Some of it includes work for the United States Army and Red Cross. Each promises the prize role to See full summary, Director: "[5], In 1949, O'Connor played the lead role in Francis, the story of a soldier befriended by a talking mule. [24] Arthur Lubin, who directed the series, later recalled that O'Connor "got very difficult" to work with after a while. Made his film debut at age 12 in Melody for Two (1937) with his two brothers, Jack O'Connor and Billy O'Connor, doing a specialty routine. Director: Director: He is survived by his wife Loretta Fedora O'Connor, his children Marybeth Plemmons (Kevin), Tim O'Connor (Terri), Tom O'Connor (Beth), David Nadeau, and their mother Gail O'Connor-Midgley; his brother James O'Connor; his stepchildren Bob Fedora (Doreen), Brenda Fedora (Jim), Jackie Zering (David) and Tom Fedora (Liz). Cecil Kellaway, | | | 122 min | Rhonda Fleming, Raymond Walburn, 105 min Donald suffered from alcoholism in the year 1970 but overcame the addiction after being hospitalized later that year. "[19], He supported Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam (1953) at 20th Century Fox, later saying the film contained his best dancing.[20]. Donald OConnor died on September 27th, 2003 at the age of 78 years in Woodland Hills California. Marjorie Main, Chicago Daily Tribune 20 Apr 1952: e2. Stars: John Emery, Approved Edit Details The dancer was paralyzed from the waist down, but recovered by way of physical therapy. Biography, Comedy, Drama. Joyce Mathews, Approved Stars: The New York Times, 10 Oct 1956: 46. So I can do straight comedy without the song and dance; I can do all kinds of combinations. O'Connor was married twice and had four children. 1938 California Child Actor's Bill (Coogan's Law) passed to preserve 15% of a child actor's earnings into court-administered trust funds for that child. | Donald O'Connor, In his early Universal films, O'Connor closely mimicked the smart alec, fast-talking personality of Mickey Rooney of rival MGM Studio. In 1998 O'Connor signed on for The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, headlining a revue featuring 54-year-old-plus performers, and signing and dancing his way through eight performances a week. Born into a vaudeville family, O'Connor was the youthful figure cutting a rug in several Universal musicals of the 1940s. Brady, James. Directors: | Comedy, Music, Sport. | Charles Ruggles, He was meant to play Bing Crosby's partner in White Christmas (1954). | Had to have three days bed rest after the "Make 'Em Laugh" sequence in Singin' in the Rain (1952). But I had never had any formal training. Lillian Gish, | 40, (Oct 3-Oct 9, 2003): 47. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Maxene Andrews, George Raft, Tim Holt, Director: Robin Wright, Votes: Charles Ruggles, | Donald O'Connor was born on August 28, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois. He is best known today for his role as Gene Kelly's friend and colleague Cosmo Brown in . | Gross: | 9,944 An inaccurate retelling of the life of silent filmmaker and comedian Buster Keaton. Director: Comedy, Music, Peggy (Peggy Ryan)), a messenger, delivers a telegram to The Flamingo Club where the Andrews Sisters (The Andrews Sisters) and Bob Edwards' Orchestra are appearing. Harry Anderson 1975 Ellery Queen (TV Series) Kenny Freeman Stars: Richard Thorpe sister was hit by a car and killed. Debbie Reynolds, | Stars: Children: Alicia O'Conner, Donna O'Connor, Kevin O'Connor, Donald Frederick O'Connor Spouse: Gloria Noble (m. 1956-2003), Gwen Carter O'Connor (m. 1944-1954) [tabby title="Filmography"] Sing You Sinners (1938) Men With Wings (1938) Unmarried (1939) Something in the wind (1947) Cactus Creek (1950) Yes Sir, That's My Baby (1949) Comedy, Romance. 91 min O'Connor teamed with Glenn Ford in Cry for Happy (1961) at Columbia and he played the title role in The Wonders of Aladdin (1961) for MGM. 44, Iss. Donald O'Connor, Who Is Donald O'Connor's Wife? At the age of 15 from 15 on, I really had to learn to dance. | Comedy, Music, Romance. he is survived by : his friend dido o'connor; his wife loretta fedora o'connor; his children, marybeth plemmons (kevin), tim o'connor (terri), tom o'connor (beth) and david nadeau; the parent of his children gail o'connor-midgley; his brother james o'connor; his step-children, bob fedora (doreen), brenda fedora (jim), jackie zering (david) and Grace McDonald, Approved Lloyd Bacon 67 min They toured the country doing singing, dancing, comedy, and acting. | Virginia Vale, Approved Donald O'Connor, From a vaudeville family act, his father John Edward "Chuck" O'Connor was an acrobat with Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Baily Circus as a "leaper". Stars: Director: | Wiki User. Ray Collins, Approved He appeared as a gaslight-era entertainer in the 1981 film Ragtime, notable for similar encore performances by James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. Donald O'Connor to Marry. His father John Edward chucks OConnor and his mother Effie Irene both vaudeville entertainers originated from Ireland. Ruled by the all powerful Father Frost, the Forest of Enchantment is the most bizarre and remarkable place in the world! William A. Wellman Donald O'Connor Divorced. His best-known Richard Erdman, "Our entire family composed an act", he says. He stayed with his second wife until his death. He later did many more movies and TVs show after. Singin' in the Rain It was his first feature film role in 16 years. Director: Martha Hyer, (1948) with Olga San Juan, Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (1949) with Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride, and Yes Sir, That's My Baby (1949) with Gloria DeHaven. Los Angeles Times 3 Mar 1989: 28. Joan Cusack, [13], "I wasn't really a dancer, a good dancer, until I got older," he said later. He was often cast as a brash and energetic young man during World War II, and paired with the equally energetic actress and tap dancer, Peggy Ryan. The live audiences created a certain spontaneity. Arthur Lubin 77 min September 28, 2003, p. C11. Vera Zorina, Lew Parker, Approved Anonymous. [6], O'Connor was reluctant to keep making Francis films but agreed to Francis in the Navy (1955). Zylstra, Freida. | | | Gale Storm, | He then returned to his family act in vaudeville for two years. I think is will bring me happiness. Washington hostess Sally Adams becomes a Truman-era US ambassador to a European grand duchy. Walter Matthau, | Mischievous Elves! 93 min Stars: Donald O'Connor, Born into a family of circus and vaudeville performers, O'Connor made his first stage appearance at the age of 13 months. Comedy, At Middleton College, controlled by rich donor Melton, only paying sports are allowed. | Donald O'Connor, | asked to be master of ceremonies at that year's Academy Awards. Mary Boland, Grace McDonald, Donald was their 7 th child. O'Connor was billed fourth in Million Dollar Legs (1939) with Betty Grable. O'Connor was so wellknown and wellliked that he was Traveling entertainer gets mixed up with bank robbers. O'Connor later said regarding Effie, "She wanted me to be as great as I possibly could be. They had three children, son Donald Frederick, daughter Alicia, and son Kevin. Hopper, Hedda. 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. The New York Times, 17 June 1953: 32. Donald O'Connor, Gwen Carter is known for The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) and All Star Revue (1950). Robert Preston, CA. In 2002, according to Robert W. Welkos in the [18] He maintained he was forced to go to the hospital during the film's production due to injuries and exhaustion. He waswell known in the 1950s for being an American dancer, singer, and actor. Stars: Some of the The special combines live-action footage with an animated character, Alex the mouse. Jackie Coogan, Passed Michael Gambon, We have estimated New York Times, | Donald O'Connor, Brian Krause, | Charles Lamont [22], O'Connor's industry and public recognition reached a peak in 1954, when he was asked to emcee that year's Academy Awards ceremony. She did her best. All at once, the house started to shake (earthquake). (London), September 29, 2003, p. 26; | World War II veteran Clarence "Jigger" Millard forms a band with several other former GIs. [9], He later said, "I learned two dance routines. 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. 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