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1997:
-
A conversation about Hollywood musicals
with Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse, Skitch Henderson and more on Jul 14, 1997
- Duration
- 27 min
- Comments
- 1 comment
- Rating
Page 1 of 1
with Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse, Skitch Henderson and more on Jul 14, 1997
Ann Miller (April 12, 1923 1 - January 22, 2004) was an American dancer, singer and actress, who was christened Johnnie Lucille Collier.
She was considered a child dance prodigy. In an interview featured in a “behind the scenes” documentary on the making of the compilation “That’s Entertainment III”, she said that Eleanor Powell was an early inspiration. Miller was given a contract with RKO at the age of thirteen (she had told them she was eighteen), and remained there until 1940.
Miller was famed for her speed in tap dancing; she claimed to be able to tap 500 times per minute. She was known as well, especially later in her career, for her distinctive appearance, which reflected a studio-era ideal of glamor: massive black bouffant hair, heavy makeup with a slash of crimson lipstick, and fashions that emphasized her lithe figure and long dancer’s legs.
Her film career effectively ended in 1956 as the studio system lost steam to television, but she remained active in the theatre and on television. In 1979 she astounded audiences in the Broadway show “Sugar Babies” with fellow MGM veteran Mickey Rooney, which toured the United States extensively after its Broadway run. In 1983 she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre.
