Before he reported for induction on February 6, 1944, Universal already had four O'Connor films completed. He takes his final bowwith a look ofsheergratitude on his face.He finally struck Broadway gold again in 1983, and it put the wind back in the sails of his stage career. His career had a boost when he hosted the Academy Awards, which earned him two Primetime Emmy nominations. 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. But OConnor recalled that Williams was very sweet and sent him a small leather-bound copy of the script, with a note sayinghow much he enjoyed having Donald play his father. WebBorn into a vaudeville family, O'Connor was the youthful figure cutting a rug in several Universal musicals of the 1940s. 
IN STEP WITH: Donald O'Connor In 1968, OConnor hosted a syndicated talk show also called The Donald OConnor Show. He then returned to his family act in vaudeville for two years. Alicia OConnor VanderVeer regaled visitors with stories about her father when they asked the meaning or history behind certain items. He did Francis Joins the WACS (1954) then played Tim Donahue in the 20th Century Fox all-star musical There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), which featured Irving Berlin's music and also starred with Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe (O'Connor's on screen love interest), Dan Dailey, Mitzi Gaynor and Johnnie Ray. The Guardian 29 Sep 2003: 1.21. I went through the booze bit.I didnt escape it. At age 47, he got his first warningin 1972, suffering a heart attack while entertaining troops in Vietnam. "[8], When they were not touring they stayed with O'Connor's Uncle Bill in Danville, Illinois. In addition to Alicia, survivors include her sons Fred and Kevin, Released 65 years ago this month, just a year after Singin in the Rain, I Love Melvin was clearly meant to capitalize on the success of another OConnor/Reynolds pairing. Q Fever Hits Star, Melbourne Argus 15 Aug 1953, p. 4. He was meant to play Bing Crosby's partner in White Christmas (1954). He then suffered a heart attack in 1971, leading him to quit taking the medication. (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. Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 12 Apr 1973: g21. Hopper, Hedda. During the turbulent nine year marriage, there was physical abuse toward O'Connor brought on by Carter and her frustration over the lack of an acting career. O'Connor made his first stage appearance at three days old, lying onstage across a piano bench beside his mother who, not yet ready to return to heavy dancing, played the piano. He wrote letters to his friends and family explaining that his life had "completely changed." In 1940, when he had outgrown child roles, he returned to vaudeville. and shoved his tongue down my throat."Eeew! ', During dance rehearsals, she once ducked into one of MGM's rehearsal rooms and sat under a piano crying. I'm still singing and dancing. Low 36F. He made It Comes Up Love (1942) with Jean but without Ryan. Assistants carried her to her dressing room, and doctors put her on bed rest for two days. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. When a woman bought the piano for her two daughters, she said, I burst into tears. He also turned in an impressive bit of serious acting on the cop showPolice Story. Chicago Daily Tribune 20 Apr 1952: e2. "That's what it's like to learn to dance. In 1992, hereleased an instructional tap dance video where he swapped stories and steps with the old, old masters. Never mind that other partners, like 19-year-old Debbie Reynolds, nearly worked their feet off. When they brought him into the rehab hospital, Donald OConnor was paralyzed from the waist down. O'Connor began performing in movies in 1937, making his debut aged 11 in Melody for Two appearing with his family act. Broadcast on NBC-TV (January 16, 1966), this mini-musical history of tap dance in America opened with O'Connor as host dancing an Irish jig, Scottish reel, Spanish zapateada, and German spatlasse, followed by a softshoe dance and some sand dancing. He insisted on finishing out the night, but by the next morning, he couldnt leave his bed. ", "I've been on the road forever," he said in 1985, adding "I'd consider another movie or a TV series, but I won't play an old man. I loved vaudeville. This included an awkward stab at syndicated talk-show hosting in 1968, where he managed to offend Joan Baez by bluntly askingabout her prison sentence for war protests: How did you like it up river?. [30], In 1968, O'Connor hosted a syndicated talk show also called The Donald O'Connor Show. That exercise helped develop their speaking skills, although she described it as torturous. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'buzzlearn_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_6',126,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-buzzlearn_com-medrectangle-3-0');Donald is originated from United States. He played Gary Cooper as a young boy in Beau Geste (1939), directed by Wellman. Writer: Loesser. He played Gary Cooper as a young boy in Beau Geste (1939), directed by Wellman. (1942), a B-level with The Andrews Sisters, Gloria Jean and Peggy Ryan. Watch, itll be marvelous. 
[citation needed]. Night Work (1939) was a sequel to Boy Trouble and O'Connor was in Death of a Champion (1939). It was his first feature film role in 16 years. In February 1951 he signed a new contract with Universal for one film a year for four years, enabling him to work outside the studio. Not only did Kelly disparage Reynolds with harsh remarks, he also subjected her to unwanted sexual advances during their characters' first kiss, according to Unthinkable. WebDonald OConnor had four children having married twice in his entire life. I'm not threatening. Memorial: He was cremated at the Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. In 1941, O'Connor signed with Universal Pictures for $200 a week, where he began with What's Cookin'? A few weeks later, his father died of a heart attack while dancing on stage in Brockton, Massachusetts. 62, Iss. He continued to perform live. And that was always his intent with Debbie, and she worked like a trouper and became a big star.". The couple divorced in 1954. He appeared opposite Bing Crosby in Sing, You Sinners at age 12. Whatever's in at the time, I can fit into. Dale, Steve. Together they had three children; Alicia, Donald Frederick and Kevin. He married for a second time, to Gloria Noble, in 1956. They had a rather turbulent relationship and divorced in 1953. Donald O'Connor Returns to Universal They were billed as the O'Connor Family, the Royal Family of Vaudeville. Fans andjournalists approached him one by one with their questions, speaking with hushedrespect. Both the O'Connors struggled to remember where and when exactly Donald was born, due to the family's extensive travel. In the divorce Carter was given ownership of their home and custody of their daughter. From "Hans Christian Andersen". [37], O'Connor continued to make film and television appearances into the 1990s, including the Robin Williams film Toys (1992) as the president of a toy-making company. He also won a Primetime Emmy Award from four nominations and received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame throughout his career. Survivors include his wife, Gloria; four children, Alicia, Donna, Fred and Kevin; a special niece, Patty OConnor Norton; and four grandchildren. 
I capture your attention without giving you time to think about it. Kevin O'Connor went back to Universal for Francis Goes to West Point (1952) then returned to MGM for I Love Melvin (1953) a musical with Debbie Reynolds. I move fast, I keep changing my hats. Three other siblings died during childbirth. O'Connor later said the films "were fun to make. His son Fred later recalled, I was very blessed to have my dad as my dad We were never without anything, and the things we really wanted, he told us These are things that you have to work for. And Im glad he did. Daughter Alicia fondly remembered how he would delight the children with quicksilver impressions, saying that You never knew who was coming to dinner. But as OConnor danced closer tothe line between drinker and alcoholic, he fought a rising fear that like his father and brother, hewould not live to the age of 50. Gloria said simply, God gave him a gift, and that gift was sobriety. His son Fred said, Thank God theres a higher power that healed him. He rebuilt his wifes trust and reunited with his family after eight months clean. 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." After the success of Singin' in the Rain, MGM fashioned a starring vehicle for O'Connor in I Love Melvin (1953), in which he danced on roller skates. In the photo, OConnor is wearing a skullcap, a long Oriental gown and huge rubber feet all poking fun at Yul Brynner as the king of Siam. Yet it was his boyish charm that audiences found most engaging, and which remained an appealing aspect of his personality throughout his career. [29], He did episodes of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Vacation Playhouse, ABC Stage 67 and The Jackie Gleason Show. Chicago Tribune 20 Dec 1985: n_a50. [9], In 1941, O'Connor signed with Universal Pictures for $200 a week, where he began with What's Cookin'? Known as the youngest old-timer in show business, it was his misfortune to reach the height of his powers precisely when the song-and-dance musical was dying. He starred in The Donald O'Connor Show (195455) for one season. "[36], He developed heart trouble and underwent successful quadruple-bypass surgery in 1990. 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=1138222779, 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, 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 8 February 2023, at 16:33. On tour, he made a beeline for the bar in every new town. He has made such amount of wealth from his primary career as Movie Actor. Unfortunately, his family experienced several tragedies early on. New city treasurer, aldermen elected in Danville, Thats What She Said draws supportive crowd, GARRARD, Beverly Aug 30, 1933 - Mar 31, 2023, Voters reelect Williams as Danville mayor, Sonic, centralized Jimmy John's proposed in Danville, Dylan Dodd earns his first major league start, School board candidates talk safety, parent involvement, 19-year-old Danville man injured in Sunday shooting, Covington group sponsors first home, garden show, Danville man charged with carjacking resulting in death. [41][42] During the turbulent nine-year marriage, Carter physically abused O'Connor in frustration over her lack of an acting career. The studio paired O'Connor opposite their biggest female star, Deanna Durbin, in Something in the Wind (1947). 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