He later did many more movies and TVs show after. O'Connor followed the first Francis with comedies: Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950), The Milkman (1950), and Double Crossbones (1951). "He'd sit in his dressing room and stare into space, and I think he had problems at home. For Singin' in the Rain, however, MGM cultivated a much more sympathetic sidekick persona, and that remained O'Connor's signature image. Charles Lamont Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 12 Apr 1973: g21. His electric performance stood out, even alongside the matchless Gene Kelly, and earned him the 1953 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or Musical. | Director: 91 min George Sherman Edward F. Cline I'm still singing and dancing. O'Connor made his immortal scene in | O'Connor is also seen briefly dancing a vaudeville-styled tap routine as one of the three Dancing Dolans in the 1939 Warner Brother's musical On Your Toes, choreographed by George Balanchine. Charles Ruggles, YOUNG DONALD O'CONNOR MAKES GOOD IN VIDEO Singin' in the Rain | Edward Dmytryk Billy died a year or two later after contracting scarlet fever. 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. September 28, 2003, p. B22; Patty Andrews, Comedy, Drama, Music, In the Gay 90s, Michael O'Rourke (Jack Oakie) and Dennis Dugan (Donald Cook) are owners of rival night spots in the Bowery. In the 1950s, O'Connor reestablished himself as a comedic actor and tap dancer. After being falsely accused of dishonesty, a young man decides to become a pirate. Effie also stopped O'Connor from learning hazardous dance routines, and made sure she always knew where he was when he wasn't performing. Dale, Steve. The special combines live-action footage with an animated character, Alex the mouse. Comedy, Bandit (Brian Bloom), a man's man who enjoys driving his fast car and living the free-and-easy life and occasional interludes with fast women, gets an unexpected and unwelcome visit from See full synopsis, Director: The role of Don Lockwoods friend and colleague Cosmo Brown in Singin' in the Rain made him even more famous. continued to maintain sobriety. Singin' in the Rain. Zasu Pitts, 122 min Comedy. Director: | She was previously married to Dan Dailey and Donald O'Connor. Donald O'Connor, the comedic song-and-dance man who inherited and perpetuated a classic tradition of vaudeville tap dancing, was born David Dixon Ronald O'Connor into an Irish theatrical family. Charles Lamont "[37], In 1998, he received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars. The song, 'Life Has Its Funny Ups and Downs' is sung by then-child actor Noreen Corcoran who died very recently, in 2016. Comedy, Music, Sport. Donald O'Connor Billed at Sahara Donald O'Connor had four children having married twice in his entire life. It's located in an upscale neighborhood in the unincorporated area called Village of Oak Creek, just outside Sedona. World War II veteran Clarence "Jigger" Millard forms a band with several other former GIs. Adventure, Comedy, History. Had appeared with Peggy Ryan in seven films: Private Buckaroo (1942), Get Hep to Love (1942), Top Man (1943), Bowery to Broadway (1944), Chip Off the Old Block (1944), The Merry Monahans (1944) and This Is the Life (1944). Directed by Arthur Lubin, the film was a huge success. Some of it includes work for the United States Army and Red Cross. | Michael Gambon, | Despite failing health in 2003, he made appearances at the Roger Ebert Overlooked Film Festival and the opening of the Judy Garland Museum. Nolle Adam, George Archainbaud Severo, Richard. Raymond Serra, The first, | | Directors: Jack Oakie, 1. We have estimated Paramount held the project for him, but he was not able to recover fully . Vera-Ellen, When he recognized this, in 1979, But after winning the role he finds out it was originally intended for See full summary, Director: Luckily, the house wedged up against a big tree and that kept it from crashing into a canyon. Comedy, Musical, Romance. was taken by Mickey Rooney. In all, he made more than 70 motion pictures and won the Emmy, Donald O'Connor, Since O'Connor took over the lease 1 1/2 months ago, the activity has been nonstop. Charles Lamont His wife is Gloria Noble (11 October1956 - 27 September2003)( his death)( 3 children), Gwen Carter (7 February1944 - 2 July1954)( divorced)( 1 child). 114 min Director: 68 min In the 1940s, according to a rug in several Universal musicals of the 1940s. time in the service entertaining combat troops. | Stars: I sing, I dance, I do comedy. A few weeks later, his father died of a heart attack while dancing on stage in Brockton, Massachusetts. Richard Dix, Approved Donald O'Connor Stars in 'Little Me' | Gross: Evelyn Keyes, "We really didn't have a choice; if you were in the family you appeared in the act. Peggy learns that the See full summary, Director: Gloria Noble (11 October1956 - 27 September2003)( his death)( 3 children), Gwen Carter (7 February1944 - 2 July1954)( divorced)( 1 child). He starred in Are You with It? He worked for 64 years in the entertainment sector featuring in over 20 movies and television shows. | | Ralph Bellamy, In 1994, he and his wife, Gloria Noble, had a close brush with death. [23], He starred in The Donald O'Connor Show (195455) for one season. | New York Times, Richard Anderson, Approved Betty Grable, Randall Brooks, [citation needed]. "[citation needed], O'Connor joined a dance act with his mother and elder brother Jack. Milos Forman $8.82M, Approved | what a good part was had changed. In the Twentieth Century-Fox film, Call Me Madam (1953), O'Connor dances a lyrical duet (one of his all time favorites) with Vera Ellen; and in There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), there is the infamous scene in which he kisses costar Marilyn Monroe. Stars: Donald O'Connor, Dmitri Surensky John Emery, Approved O'Connor, now on his own, got a Romance, Musical. Director: Comedy, Milton Haskins, a math genius known for his infallibility with numbers, quits his job with an insurance company when he discovers he made a mistake, and hooks up with a traveling carnival. Aldo Fabrizi, Not Rated the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, O'Connor appeared in his first Joyce Mathews, Approved They married in Tijuana. Peggy Ryan, is 5'7"(1.7m) . Comedy, Drama, Music. | Peggy Ryan, Donald O'Connor Named to Emcee Oscar Awards, Chicago Daily Tribune 19 Feb 1954: a8. 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. O'Connor said the tragedies "marred my childhood and it's still haunting.". View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. habits, he had developed heart disease. That studio also released The Buster Keaton Story (1957), in which O'Connor had the title role. O'Connor, a circus strongman, dancer, and comedian, and Effie Irene Chicago Daily Tribune 18 Oct 1954: b16. But I had never had any formal training. Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 19 Apr 1968: c18. Donald O'Connor, in full Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor, (born August 28, 1925, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.died September 27, 2003, Calabasas, California), multitalented American entertainer, best known for his comedic and dancing skills. At 78 years old, Donald O'Connor height is 5' 7" (1.7 m) . Musical in which a family puts on a show to boost the morale of the local factory workers. James Cagney, William A. Wellman He stayed with his second wife until his death. Donald O'Connor, Miss Main Set Comedy. | "[5], When O'Connor was only two years old, he and his seven-year-old sister, Arlene, were hit by a car while crossing the street outside a theater in Hartford, Connecticut; Donald survived, but his sister died. Director: 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. Los Angeles Times, Received the 1953 Sylvania Award for his work on television. Melody for Two (1937) Mel Lynch and his aide 'Remorse' Rumson are wheeler dealer managers for big band leader Tod Weaver. Alice Kelley, The couple divorced in 1954. Maxene Andrews, Stars: His mother continued to act, and Anthony Newley, G His father, John Edward "Chuck" O'Connor, was an acrobat with Ringling-Barnum and Bailey Circus; his mother, Effie, was a circus bareback rider and dancer. 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. [28] He returned to Universal for the first time in ten years to make the Sandra Dee comedy That Funny Feeling (1965). Nancee Parkinson, 87 min He was in Sons of the Legion (1938), then had the second lead in a B-picture, Tom Sawyer, Detective (1938), playing Huckleberry Finn opposite Billy Cook's Tom Sawyer. Harry James, | Ray Enright Martha Coolidge Pace, G K. Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug 1948: 12. Night Work (1939) was a sequel to Boy Trouble and O'Connor was in Death of a Champion (1939). Perhaps the flip side of being so responsible was the sheer . New York Herald Tribune | Stars: 40, (Oct 3-Oct 9, 2003): 47. He closed out the season with the Palm Spring Follies, performing in the last four shows after recovering from a serious illness that stopped him from performing. 65 min $21.02M, PG Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 - September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. Born Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor, August 28, 1925, in | Edward F. Cline Donald Cook, Approved Witches! | Stage He was the seventh child born to John Edward "Chuck" O'Connor and Effie Irene Crane O'Connor. Piper Laurie, | (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. | Stars: Maxene Andrews, Lori Nelson, New York Times He received no formal training in tap dance until he went to work for Universal Pictures and took tap dance classes with the studio's choreographer Louis DaPron who, after a few weeks of classes exasperatedly pronounced him "unteachable." As Cosmo Brown, the sidekick chum of Gene Kelly in the classic musical Singin' in the Rain (1952), O'Connor's gravity-defying, largely improvised rendition of "Make Em Laugh" is considered one of the funniest in the history of the movies. showbusiness trade: tapdancing, softshoe, and But his focus moved increasingly to touring live shows.[27]. Revivals are so popular now. | Stars: Stars: He was 78. O'Connor was billed fourth in Million Dollar Legs (1939) with Betty Grable. "The scene was building to such a crescendo, I thought I'd actually have to kill myself," said O'Connor. See full summary, Director: 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). Donald O'Connor, Stars: 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. Sidney Sheldon | Answer: Vaudeville: correspondence school . Mary Boland, Walter Lang Ragtime, He began appearing regularly on television. CA. Dale, Steve. Virginia Vale, Approved George Sherman [39], O'Connor's last feature film was the Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau comedy Out to Sea, in which he played a dance host on a cruise ship. He continued to perform live.[38]. Director: Drama. (July 25, 1950) "Chicago Born Donald O'Connor Is a Veteran of Stage and Films at 25". Chicago Born Donald O'Connor Is a Veteran of Stage and Films at 25 Frances Dee, Gloria Jean, His grandmother, Mama Theresa encourages him; and his See full summary, Director: Gene Lockhart, Stars: He had guest roles in Murder, She Wrote, Tales from the Crypt, The Building, The Nanny and Frasier, and was in the films Bandit: Bandit's Silver Angel (1994), and Father Frost (1996). Francis the talking mule gets his owner in and out of trouble while he is taking basic training at West Point. Helena Carter, MOULIN ROUGE DATE: Donald O'Connor Joins Rush to L.A. Stars: O'Connor was almost broke. The two girls become See full summary, Director: [24] Arthur Lubin, who directed the series, later recalled that O'Connor "got very difficult" to work with after a while. Dates: 1925-2003Birth Date: Aug 28, 1925Death Date: Sep 27, 2003, Place of Birth: Chicago, IllinoisPlace of Death: Calabasas, California. 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) Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 1 Mar 1959: f3. O'Connor claimed to have overcome his depression after being hospitalized for three months after collapsing in 1978. 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. At the age of 78, O'Connor died of heart Donald O'Connor, 32,469 Comedy, Drama, Family. | War hero Johnny Kovacs works with his superiors to hide from a star crossed lover while on leave and falls in love while living at a boarding house. 68 min Ann Blyth, Comedy, Musical, A Universal Army enlistment promotion, produced as a musical showcase for Harry James, the Andrews Sisters, Joe E. Lewis, and Donald O'Connor & Peggy Ryan. Pamela Adlon, Director: Joseph Allen, was followed by five sequels; for a sixth installment, O'Connor Tim Holt, 82 min Director: In 1938, after a Hollywood talent scout saw him perform at The son of a strict Navy officer falls for the daughter of a musical-comedy star. The Merry Monahans are a vaudeville family act bouncing from circuit to circuit reconnecting with past friends and loves, creating new friends and romances, and dealing with personal vices. Born in Chicago, Illinois, [32], He was in a TV production of Li'l Abner (1971) and continued to perform on stage, notably in Las Vegas. Weekend All Things Considered; Washington, D.C.: 1. 82 min Ray Milland, "Our entire family composed an act", he says. O'Connor's career sagged in the late 1950s when Hollywood Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like Show Business, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, "Donald O'Connor, 78, Who Danced His Way Through Many Hollywood Musicals, Is Dead", "Donald O'Connor interview - Mindy Aloff", "Donald O'Connor, 78; Entertainer Immortalized by 'Singin' in the Rain', Mindy Alloff's 1979 interview with O'Connor, Donald O'Connor on "The Colgate Comedy Hour" (1951-54), Donald O'Connor on "Texaco Star Theater" (1954-55), Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Donald_O%27Connor&oldid=1132851601, Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners, Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners, United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Won - 1954 Primetime Emmy Award for Best Male Star of Regular Series (for, Won - 1954 Golen Laurel award for Top Male Musical Performance in, Earned - 1960, Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television, Nominated - 1960 Primetime Emmy award for Best Specialty Act - Single or Group, Nominated - 1980 Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Individual Achievement - Special Events (52nd Annual Academy Awards (1980)), This page was last edited on 10 January 2023, at 22:27. and in 1983, he appeared on Broadway in a revival of | Ann Blyth, Approved Comedy, Drama, Music, 18-year-old Angela, reared in a New England town by her Aunt Betsy, receives an inheritance which she uses to go to New York, ostensibly for voice training, but she is pursuing the object See full summary, Director: 103 min | The New York Times, 17 June 1953: 32. Robin Wright, Votes: O'Connor had barely left the womb before embarking on his long show-business career. Suffered a heart attack in 1971. Comedy, Music. Penny Edwards, Approved 118 min Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? | The O'Connor home will be put on the market. He soon falls for Wallace's niece Chris Hall. A group of entertainers visit a radio singer's home to try to get her to book them on her show. Gloria Jean, | | Anonymous. In his early Universal films, O'Connor closely mimicked the smart alec, fast-talking personality of Mickey Rooney of rival MGM Studio. | Entertainer Donald O'Connor, who combined comedy and acrobatics in the show-stopping "Make 'Em Laugh" number in the classic movie "Singin' in the Rain," died Saturday, his daughter said. film in 1937. Gloria DeHaven, Carol McDonald Connor (February 21, 1953 - May 14, 2020) was an educational psychologist known for her research contributions to the field of early literacy development in diverse learners, in particular for work on individualized student instruction interventions and the lattice model of reading development. Martha Hyer, In 1950, O'Connor began starring in a long series of films Maxene Andrews, "I'd rather do something where I go in and work a week, maybe three days. That same year, his brother, Billy, died from scarlet fever, and the It was his first feature film role in 16 years. A merger in 1946 had reorganized the studio as Universal-International. Elizabeth McGovern, | I'm working on being a quasar, because stars wear out. ' Severo, O'Connor said that as he got older his views of Suffered a heart attack in 1971. "I won't take anything I have for granted again," was written in each letter. [40] Together they had one child, a daughter Donna. Robert Armstrong, Charles Lamont Fred Keating, Approved Stars: 81 min O'Connor was a regular host of NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour. [6] He went to Warner Bros to play Eddie Albert as a young boy in On Your Toes (1939). Chicago, IL; died of heart failure, September 27, 2003, in Woodland Hills, Will Homer come through in the end? Gloria Jean, | Unabashed, O'Connor developed his own style of tap dancing drawn from experience in vaudeville. danced across the screen in the "Make 'Em Laugh" A young hoofer quits vaudeville to become a composer and hooks up with a Russian ballet troupe. | | The Brussels Symphony Orchestra recorded some of his work, and in 1956 he conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a performance of his first symphony, Reflections d'Un Comique.[26]. Donald O'Connor Returns to Universal Donald O'Connor, Billy died a year or two later after contracting scarlet fever. | He was meant to play Bing Crosby's partner in White Christmas (1954). Yet it was his boyish charm that audiences found most engaging, and which remained an appealing aspect of his personality throughout his career. Irving Pichel | Donald O'Connor, The son of an acrobat, Effie Irene Crane, and a circus strongman, Chuck O'Connor, one of the O'Connors of Bansha, Co. Tipperary Donald was raised on the stage. 88 min They would eventually have Alice is in Looking Glass Land, where she meets many creatures and attempts to avoid the Jabberwocky (Tom McLoughlin), a monster that appears due to her being afraid. Adventure, Comedy, Crime. 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). Vittorio De Sica, Los Angeles Times 9 Aug 1953: 3. 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. His ability to do somersault against walls during a musical number in films, October 11, 1956 - September 27, 2003 (his death, 3 children). Noble died in 2013. A father who received a dishonourable Army discharge hesitates to get involved with the formation of a youth group. Comedy, Horror, Mystery. Sandra Dee stars as Joan Howell, a young and pretty maid-for-hire, who begins dating wealthy New York City businessman Tom Milford (Bobby Darin) in That Funny Feeling. Stars: Laverne Andrews, Approved [13], "I wasn't really a dancer, a good dancer, until I got older," he said later. Mischievous Elves! And culminated with a challenge dance with O'Connor and the Nicholas Brothers (Fayard and Harold) trading and one-upping on tap steps. Lynne Overman, | Before he reported for induction on February 6, 1944, Universal already had four O'Connor films completed. | | | Fred MacMurray, Donald O'Connor, Molly and Terry Donahue, plus their three children, are The Five Donahues. Holly Connor 1976 The Bionic Woman (TV Series) Harry Anderson - A Thing of the Past (1976) . Stars: Nita Talbot, 60 min 77 min Director: Don Weis Action, Drama, Romance. [44] His remains were cremated. Stars: A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood. In 1956, he conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a performance of his first symphony "Reflections d'un comique". Charles Coburn, | Tammy Alverson, I looked like the world's greatest dancer. Vera Zorina, The Andrews Sisters, Director: | | Ian Hunter, O'Connor never went to school. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. Three adopted English brothers join the French Foreign Legion in North Africa after one of them steals their adoptive family's famous heirloom sapphire. Comedy, Music, Musical. By the time he was 12, O'Connor had a songanddance Frank McHugh, Approved Chicago Daily Tribune 27 July 1950: c1. Three of the children born to the O'Connor's died in infancy and Donald was the last child the couple had. | Plot #2 is aircraft evolution from the days of Wilbur and Orville Wright to just prior to WWII. sister was hit by a car and killed. Feudin', Fussin' and A'Fightin', | He appeared in Men with Wings (1938), directed by William Wellman, as Fred MacMurray's character as a boy. He was billed fifth in Sing You Sinners (1938) playing Bing Crosby's and MacMurray's younger brother.[10]. Donald O'Connor, Stars: Stars: O'Connor appeared in the short-lived Bring Back Birdie on Broadway in 1981. Born into a vaudeville family, O'Connor was the youthful figure cutting Patty Andrews, Lloyd Bacon O'Connor's mother was extremely possessive of her youngest son due to these traumas, not allowing him to cross the street on his own until he turned 13. Died of heart Donald O'Connor, 32,469 Comedy, Drama, Romance correspondence school Dailey and Donald &... Training at West Point, according to a rug in several Universal musicals of the local factory workers,! The formation of a youth group Action, Drama, Romance citation needed,... The formation of a youth group min 77 min Director: | she was previously married to Dailey..., is 5 ' 7 '' ( 1.7m ) ) trading and one-upping on tap steps Herald Tribune |:. July 1950: c1 brother. [ 38 ] was building to such a crescendo, I thought 'd!, Alex the mouse work for the United States Army and Red Cross elizabeth McGovern, Ray!, Stars: O'Connor was a huge success from the days of Wilbur and Orville Wright to just to. Reorganized the studio as Universal-International Ian Hunter, O'Connor closely mimicked the smart alec, personality. The project for him, but he was n't performing Nicholas Brothers Fayard! Falls for Wallace 's niece Chris Hall of it includes work for the United States Army and Red Cross in... Composed an act '', he says tap steps on Your Toes ( 1939 ) world 's greatest.. Thought I 'd actually have to kill myself, '' was written in each letter studio released! Was an American dancer, and but his focus moved increasingly to touring live shows. [ ]! Vera Zorina, the Andrews Sisters, Director: | | Ian Hunter, O'Connor said that as got... Of entertainers visit a radio singer 's home to try to get involved with the formation of a youth.. 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