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Eleanor Powell (1912-1982)
2002 Inductee
Eleanor Powell, who had the long legs
of a thoroughbred dancer and speed and agility of an
acrobat, is considered the ”Queen of Tap Dancing”
on the silver screen.
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts,
the shy eleven year old was sent to dancing school to
learn acrobatics and ballet (but no tap dancing!) in
an effort to make her more sociable. At the age of twelve,
while visiting relatives in Atlantic City, she was spotted
by Gus Edwards, a famous producer of children’s
shows, which led to her stage debut in the Vaudeville
Kiddie Review. After performing in the New York nightclub
of the bandleader Ben Bernie, she made her Broadway
debut in The Optimists in 1928; the show’s short
run sent the young dancer to audition for more work
on Broadway stage.
Because she was asked if she could tap
at every audition she went to, she enrolled in the dancing
school of Jack Donohue, who taught her to tap dance
by hanging sand bags onto a belt that weighed her down
and riveted her to the floor, thus forcing her to tap
close to the floor. She later became Donohue’s
dance assistant.
In January 1929, Powell became a star
on Broadway in Follow Thru, tapping to the acclaimed
“Button Up Your Overcoat.” She also performed
at Carnegie Hall with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra
and in 1932 Florenz Ziegfeld production of Hot-Cha!
In 1935, she took Hollywood by storm, first dancing
in George White’s 1935 Scandals and subsequently
in Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935), Born to Dance (1936),
Rosalie (1937), Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), Honolulu
(1939), Ship Ahoy (1942), Thousands Cheer (1943), Sensations
of 1945 (1944), and Duchess of Idaho (1950).
In Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940), she
danced with Fred Astaire in the “Begin the Beguine”
finale, matching the great dancer in height, grace,
and footwork. In Lady Be Good (1941), she danced the
“Fascinating Rhythm” number in top hat and
short tails, choreography for the chorus Busby Berkeley;
the number that opened on an extended close up of her
tapping feet ended with her being tossed head over heel
over and over again down a corridor of men.
In 1943, after twenty years of performing,
she married the actor Glenn Ford and retired from the
stage, devoting herself to charitable organizations
and religious work, including a brief Sunday morning
television series for children. In 1950, she was persuaded
to appear in a musical number with Esther Williams and
Van Johnson entitled “Dutchess of Idaho.”
After her divorce from Ford in 1959, she continued a
short but highly regarded night club career. An extended
engagement at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas represented
a remarkable comeback for a woman in her late forties
as a dancer. She continued to dance in top nightclubs
across the country. In 1981, she received an award in
her name and her honor, the Ellie Award, from the National
Film Ceremony, for her outstanding contribution to the
film musical.
Constance Valis Hill Return
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