Chuck, Judy, June, Joan, and Grace

Disneyland isn’t the only thing that came out of Anaheim. Chuck Walters (born Charles Powell Walter; the “s” was added later) was a dancer, choreographer, and director during the heyday of the MGM musical. The first shot shows him dancing with Judy Garland in “Presenting Lily Mars” (1943). The original finale was an overdone patriotic mess; Walters was called in to choreograph a new musical number to show off the maturing Garland and her talents. In the Walters biography, The Director Who Made Hollywood Dance by Brent Phillips, the author tells how Walters was able to get a fearful Garland to tackle the difficult steps:

“I’m not sure I can do what you want. I can’t move like this.” With Judy, he understood that kid gloves were required. They sat down together, and in a flash of inspiration he asked, “Who is your favorite female dancer?” Without much hesitation, she replied, “Renee De Marco.” “All right,” he announced. “From now on, whenever we rehearse, you are Renee De Marco.” Garland looked at him with wide eyes and gave a sigh of relief.

Judy begged for Walters to join her again in her next picture, “Girl Crazy” (1943). For “Embraceable You,” the two twirl around the dance floor with glee. It is a beautiful sight to see. Walters danced with the polish of Fred Astaire and the approachability of Gene Kelly.



Although a fantastic dancer, producer Arthur Freed realized that Walters had a knack for directing. He had a knack for knowing how to work with actors, keep the action moving, integrating the musical numbers so that they were natural and plot driven, and most importantly of all, bring the picture in under budget! His first big assignment came with “Good News” (1947), starring June Allyson and Peter Lawford. From the accompanying publicity blurb:

VARSITY DRAG…If you’re over forty…you’ll remember it. If you”re under forty…you’ll love it! It’s the “Varsity Drag,” dance craze of the roaring twenties, when every college campus was filled with turtleneck sweaters, short-skirted flappers…and not Quonset huts and surplus jeeps. The “Drag” comes to life again in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Technicolor musical, “Good News,” starring June Allyson and Peter Lawford, with Broadway stars Patricia Marshall and Joan McCracken. “Just like an end play off left tackle!’ says June…and Peter begins to see the light.



Walters had to spend a lot of time boosting Lawford’s song and dance limitations. From Brent Phillips’ bio:

Upon seeing the finished film, Lawford’s boydhood dance teacher, Muriel O’Brien, declared: “I kept watching him and thought, Oh, my God! Anybody who could teach that boy to sing and dance in time has got to be a genius.”

Walters often directed by showing the actors how to do a scene (or number) by performing it himself.



“Good News” was such a success that Walters was handed the plumb assignment of Judy Garland and Gene Kelly in “Easter Parade” (1948). Just before filming commenced, Kelly had to be replaced by Fred Astaire due to an ankle injury.



By the time of Garland’s “Summer Stock” (1950), Walters was the only director at MGM who the brass knew could get the job done. Walters was able to elevate the basic barnyard musical story into one that is highly enjoyable and features some of the best numbers done by both Judy and Gene Kelly. “Friendly Star” is a highlight of the movie due to Garland’s performance, vocal talents, and perfect staging of this key number.



Another “J” in Walters’ portfolio was Joan Crawford. When she returned to MGM for “Torch Song” (1953), Walters was the director of choice. From the accompanying publicity blurbs:

MGM SPECIAL LAYOUT…BACK AT “HOME STUDIO”…AFTER 10 YEARS. CAMERA! ACTION!: Joan Crawford, now that the “welcome home” party is finished, goes immediately into a dance rehearsal with Charles Walters, director of her new Technicolor picture, “Torch Song,” and who is also her dancing partner in the dance sequences.

RHYTHMIC DUO… Joan Crawford and Charles Walters step a fancy rhythm in this scene from M-G-M’s drama packed Technicolor production “Torch Song.” Film co-stars Miss Crawford and Michael Wilding. In addition to portraying Miss Crawford’s dance partner, Charles Walters also directs the film and is credited with the choreography. Henry Berman produced.



Another dancer, Marc Wilder, was cast as Crawford’s partner for the scene shown above. Joan had different ideas; she wanted the best. “I’m so comfortable when I’m rehearsing with you. Would you consider doing the routine with me in the film?” Just as he had to do with Judy in “Girl Crazy,” Walters had to coax a performance out of the nervous Crawford. As Phillips tells it:

Crawford gravely whispered, “Chuck, I cannot get out of this chair.” “Honey, you’re gonna be great. The routine is down pat. We’re lit. We’re ready to go.” “I know his is a terrible thing to ask,” said Joan, “but would you be upset if I have a little vodka?” “Baby, anything that’s going to relax you is fine. Have a little slug if it’s gonna help.” “Well, you have to have one with me.” Walters later admitted it took about three drinks to shore up her confidence. “We came out of the dressing room a hair high—but relaxed and comfortable.”

One of my favorite Walters directed films was the cinematic swan song of Grace Kelly (why couldn’t her name begin with “J” for my title alliteration?), “High Society” (1956), also starring Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.



The duet that everyone waited for between Sinatra and Crosby was the Cole Porter chestnut “Well, Did You Evah” first introduced by Betty Grable. From Phillip’s bio:

“Towards the end of the number, I did a fairly audacious thing,” said Walters. “When they exited, I simply let the camera roll,” focused on the empty library. Then without warning, the duo burst back into their safe haven, made a beeline for the bar, tossed back one final drink and offered one final chorus. It was a unique example of a stage convention working neatly on the screen. During the film’s first sneak preview, the audience broke into spontaneous applause at what they assumed was the song’s finish. Then Frank and Bing rushed back onto the screen for another drink and another verse; by the time the pair made their arm-in-arm final exit—bellowing, “What a swellegant, elegant party this is!”—the crowd was cheering.



Not surprisingly, Crosby would later say “High Society” was his favorite film to make.

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The Joy of Dancing

Although I hate to admit it, I will confess right now; I do watch "Dancing With The Stars."

There. I've said it.

For as long as I can remember, there has always been something about the joy of dancing that has fascinated and inspired me. One of my earliest memories of seeing somebody dance involved (not too surprisingly) Shirley Temple, as she tapped on top of a white piano in "Curly Top." The first photo for today shows her dancing with George Murphy in "Little Miss Broadway." There was something so surreal yet so liberating watching the two of them dance through a courtroom, covering every inch of the fanciful Broadway set with smiles on their faces the entire way. The most amazing part of watching a dance that is well done is that the dancers make it look effortless. At no point do you see the blood, sweat, and tears that often accompany the countless hours of rehearsal. How many of you have watched an extremely intricate routine and thought, "Hey, I'll bet I could do that!"

Here's one of my favorites from "Easter Parade" with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire:



The most incredible thing about this number is that even though Astaire was a much better dancer, it is difficult to take your eyes off of Garland, whose joyful exuberance causes you to watch her instead.



From the same movie, Ann Miller stole the show with her tap number, "Shaking The Blues Away":



"The Varsity Drag" number from 1947's "Good News" is a great example of how a dance is seamlessly woven into the narrative. It's not part of a show-within-a-show, but rather a musical number that serves to move the plot along by showing that the two leads have finally admitted their feelings for each other. Because the number features June Allyson, the All-American-Girl-Next-Door, it is easy to imagine yourself in her place, doing the routine along with Peter Lawford. This is key for a good musical number to succeed; drawing you in, it gives the false sense that it is entirely effortless and natural.



Fred Astaire was a debonair dancer; aloof and well-dressed, it was often hard to imagine yourself in his place. Although he appeared to dance with ease, not one time would the average audience member mistake themselves for Astaire's well-dressed and hard to approach characters. When Gene Kelly entered the scene, he opened up the possibility of dance to men everywhere.

He dressed like the average Joe, while playing characters who typically had an abundance of machismo.



A favorite Kelly number is from "Singin' in the Rain," in which Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds celebrate their early a.m. brainstorm session with "Good Morning."



Like "Little Miss Broadway," they make use of every inch of the set, dancing through multiple rooms and utilizing every prop at their disposal. As with all good dances, it seems so natural, as if it spontaneously erupted from the plot without any rehearsal.



The legendary Marilyn Monroe performed the oft-imitated number "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" in the 1952 musical, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." I remember reading that she was not comfortable dancing, as she did not have much confidence in that arena. Supported by a group of male dancers, Marilyn does a more than capable job, gliding across the stage in her hot pink satin costume.



Later in my life, I achieved an appreciation for more classical dancing. The 1948 British film, "The Red Shoes" is a wonderful Technicolor primer on the world of ballet.



In the 1960's, swingin' sensation Ann-Margret teases all the boys with her suggestive dancing during the "Gotta' Lotta' Living' To Do" number from "Bye Bye Birdie." The plot is moved along as her character attempts to make her boyfriend jealous, but ends up empty-handed with her unsuccessful (yet sexy) squeeze-play maneuvers.





Musicals made a comeback in the 70's, thanks to two blockbuster John Travolta films, "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease." It was during the disco era that I first began to dance myself. I will never forget the Junior High Dance where a girl (appropriately nicknamed "Disco Sara") grabbed my arm and pulled me into the Disco Dance Contest. I was definitely NOT a dancer, but by letting her take the lead and attempting to mimic what she was doing, the two of us won. I was hooked! That summer, I went to the theater at least 5 times to catch Travolta's dance moves in "Grease."



In the 90s, I discovered George Balanchine's choreography when I first saw his ballet "Serenade." Bathed in a haunting blue light, this number generated a series of deep emotions in me that had never been elicited from a dance before.



I was inspired to create this painting, using my favorite phthalocyanine blue color in an attempt to capture the feeling of the dance.



I will end this post with the number that inspired me to write today's post. On Monday night, Charlie White & Sharna Burgess danced to the uplifting song "Happy." I defy anyone to watch this piece and not feel joy in their heart.



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Good News

It doesn't have the splashy over-the-top production numbers typical of other Technicolor MGM Musicals, but "Good News" is still one of my favorites from that period. Star June Allyson also considered this to be one of her personal favorites, and it surely shows in her vibrant performance as a student working her way through college. Note: Allyson was 30 years old when she made this film, and costar Peter Lawford was 24. Her perkiness and youthful zest makes the whole thing totally believable...or at least acceptable!



The plot is pretty simple: student librarian Connie Lane (Allyson) falls for Tait College's football star Tommy Marlowe (Peter Lawford) after giving him a lesson in French. A gold-digging vamp, Pat McClellan (Patricia Marshall), sticks her hooks in Marlowe when she mistakenly believes he comes from a wealthy family. Who ends up with Marlowe? Do you even need to ask? Department of Irony: Lawford spoke fluent French but Allyson did not, so he had to teach her how to teach him to speak French for their introductory scene, which you can see here:



As Allyson recalled: "No one made any effort to change Peter Lawford's British accent to American. For that matter, my French accent was atrocious and his was superb - he spent hours teaching me how to teach him French."



Originally, "Good News" was to be a blockbuster musical starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, but instead, the popular duo filmed "Strike Up the Band" (1940). By the time "Good News" appeared on the MGM production list, Garland's popularity precluded her from being in a lesser vehicle such as this. Fortunately, June Allyson was on hand to play Connie. Her natural performance and chemistry with Lawford make the film a total joy to discover. Choreographer Chuck Walters earned "Good News" as his first directorial assignment; he did such a great job that he was given "Easter Parade" with Garland and Astaire as a follow-up. MGM contract player Gloria DeHaven was unhappy about the roles being given to her, and thus refused to play the part of Pat McClellan, which led to a brief studio suspension. Irony of ironies is that had she taken this role, it most likely would have helped her career. Instead, her next film was the forgotten "Summer Holiday" with Mickey Rooney.



Lawford's singing leaves a bit to be desired (especially when compared to costar Mel Tormé's), but his dancing in the finale is top-notch, thanks to hours and hours of practice. When his former dance teacher saw the film, she exclaimed, "Anybody who could teach that boy to sing and dance in time has got to be a genius." You can see the fruits of Lawford's labor in the energy-filled finale, "The Varsity Drag." Are your toes still tapping?

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