Johnnie Lucille Collier, professionally known as Ann Miller, was an American dancer, singer, and actress. She is mostly remembered for her work in the classical Hollywood musical films of 1940s and 1950s. Miller was born in Texas on April 12, 1923 to Clara Emma and John Allison Collier, a criminal lawyer who represented the Barrow Gang, Machine Gun Kelley, and Baby Face Nelson. Miller’s father insisted on the name Johnnie because he wanted a boy; Miller was often called Annie. She started taking dance classes at five years old after she suffered from a case of rickets. Her mother believed these dance classes would strengthen her daughter’s legs. She lived in Texas until she was nine years old, when her parents divorced, and moved with her mother …show more content…
to Los Angeles. Since her mother was deaf, it was difficult for her to find work, but since Miller looked older than she actually was, she began to work as a dancer in nightclubs to support both of them.
Around this time is when she adopted the name Ann Miller, and she kept it her entire career. At the age of 13, Miller became a showgirl at Bal Tabarin. She was hired as a dancer in San Francisco at the “Black Cat Club.” She repeatedly told the club she was 18 years old, so that she was able to work there. She was discovered by Lucille Ball and talent scout Benny Rubin. She was given a contract at the age of 13 with RKO in 1936 and remained there until 1940. She apparently gave RKO a fake birth certificate that said she was 18 years old. It was produced by her father, with the name “Lucy Ann Collier.” She signed with Columbia Pictures in 1941. There she starred in 11 “B-movie musicals” from 1941-1945. Sheended her contract in 1946 with one “A” film. Miller was famed for her speed in tap dancing. Studio publicists wrote in her press releases claiming she could tap 500 times per minute. However, the sound of ultra-fast “500” taps was looped in later. Since the stage floors were waxed and too slick for regular tap shoes, she hadto dance in shoes with rubber …show more content…
soles. She would later loop the sound of the taps while watching the film and dancing on a “tap board” to match her steps in the film. She was known later in her career for her distinctive appearance. She had massive black hair, heavy makeup with a splash of crimson lipstick, and fashions that emphasized her slim figure and long dancer legs. Her film career ended in 1956 as the studio system lost stream to television, but she remained active in the theater and on television. She starred on Broadway in the musical Mame in 1969, in which she wowed the audience in a tap number created just for her.
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 Chicagotheatre. She appeared in a special 1982 episode of The Love Boat. Her last stage performance was in 1998 production of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies, which she played hardboiled Carlotta Campion and received rave reviews for her rendition of the song “I’m Still Here”. Miller also appeared as a dance instructor in Home Improvement episode “Dances with Tools”. In 2001 she took her last role, playing "Coco" in director David Lynch’s critically acclaimed Mulholland Drive. Miller married three times, to Reese Llewellyn Milner in 1946, to William Moss in 1958 and to Arthur Cameron in 1961, and in between marriages dated such well-known men as Howard Hughes, Conrad Hilton, and Louis B. Mayer. During her marriage to Reese Llewellyn Milner, while pregnant with daughter Mary in her last trimester, Miller fell and went into early
labor. Baby Mary lived only three hours on November 12, 1946. Miller died, aged 80, from lung cancer and her remains were interred in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California, beside the remains of her infant daughter Mary. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Miller has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6914 Hollywood Blvd. In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to her. To honor Miller's contribution to dance, the Smithsonian Institution displays her favorite pair of tap shoes, which she playfully nicknamed "Moe and Joe”.
Lucille Mulhall was born on October 21, 1885 in Oklahoma and died December 21, 1940 in Oklahoma when she got in a terrible vehicle accident. She is the first born child of Zach (1847-1931) and Mary Agnes Mulhall (1859-1931). Her sister’s name is Margaret Reed (1906-1925) and she was the last child born. She married her first husband in 1916 and his name was Martin Van Bergen. Lucille then divorced this man and married a man named Thomas Loyd Burnett (1871-1939). He was born in Denton County, Texas and died in Wichita County, Texas on December 26, 1938. Lucille Mulhall was a soft spoken and beautiful young lady. She was very feminine and had a very good education. When she was a teenager, she was known as one of the top cowboy performers in
The Metamorphosis of Johnny Tremain Johnny Tremain is like a butterfly; he went through a transformation. Johnny Tremain is a book by Esther Forbes about a crippled boy during the American Revolution and the events he endures. Johnny Tremain was a very dynamic character because people and events affected him. People change main characters in many books. Johnny Tremain is no exception.
Linda Bove was born November 30 1945 in Garfield, New Jersey with to two parents who were also deaf. Growing up deaf herself, she used ASL her whole life. In the beginning, she went to St. Joseph School for the Deaf in Bronx, New York. Later, in 1963 she was fortunate to graduate from Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf in Trenton New Jersey where she was surrounded by her pears which helped place the foundation for her success. Upon completion of Marie Katzenbach School, Linda later attended Gallaudet University and received her Bachelor’s degree in library science. While attending Gallaudet she was in several plays including The Threepenny Opera and Spoon River Anthology. After graduation she attended a summer school program at the National
Background Known today as Madam CJ Walker that was not the name she was given on December 23, 1867. Sarah was orphaned at the young age of seven and was able to survive by working in the cotton fields of Delta and Mississippi. In an attempt to escape abuse from her sisters, (Louvenia sisters name) husband she married at the age of 14 (married Moses McWilliams). She has one daughter names Lelia, currently known as A'Lelia Walker.
Shannon Lee Miller was born on Thursday, March 10, 1997. Coming into the world was not all that spectacular. She almost came in without a name. Ron and Claudia, Shannon’s parents, along with other daughter Tessa lived in Rolla, Missouri at the time. Her parents had been tossing around names but could not settle on one. Even in the delivery room they had trouble making their choice. Shannon’s mother, Claudia, preferred more unique names and on the other hand her father liked more common ones. Claudia got the name Shannon from someone she who had suggested the name to her while she was in a bookstore. Claudia presented the name to Ron, and on the delivery table they agreed to name the baby Shannon.
Shirley Temple was born on April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, California at 9:00 p.m - a time significant to her because it told her she would always have a bit of catching up to do if she wanted to be on time for dinner (Black 5). As the youngest child and only girl in her family of five, she was her mother’s pride and joy. She had two supportive parents, Gertrude and George, and two older brothers, Jack and George Junior. Gertrude Temple was a stay-at-home mom while George went to work as a bank teller, which played in Shirley’s favor when she needed someone to manage her money later in life (Blashfield 55). Gertrude Temple has been called the first stage mother (Blashfield 22) for good reason. Shirley Temple was acting before she could read, so her mother helped her memorize her lines. Temple’s mother served as her private costume designer, and never failed to make the young star’s performance her best yet, by encouraging her to “Sparkle, Shirley Sparkle!” (David 2).
Ethel’s life before Broadway speaks a lot to her career on Broadway. Ethel Agnes Zimmerman was born in the neighborhood of Astoria in New York. Merman showed her love for singing as a child, singing in the church that she went to with her parents. Also, she went to Vaudeville shows to watch stars like Fanny Brice perform (Kenrick). Ethel’s parents believed that she should gain an education because show business was not a viable career choice, especially for women in this period. She became a stenographer but continued to sing as nightclubs in New York for extra money (Kenrick). When her performances began getting recognition and her name more acclaimed, she shortened it to Merman and began performing in the Vaudeville Circuit at the Palace Theater (PBS).
Billy Graham once said, "The one badge of Christian discipleship is not orthodoxy but love." By this definition, June Callwood, a social activist and journalist, displays true discipleship through her work of bringing awareness to groups often discriminated against. June loved everybody equally and realized that gender, age, pecuniary possessions, or race do not define a person's worth. In other words, June Callwood is a disciple because she worked towards making a better world where the rights of every human are respected.
In 1929, Eleanor made her Broadway debut in Follow Thru. After being in a Broadway show, her stardom kept rising until she made it to Hollywood. In 1935 she appeared in her first movie, George White's 'Scandals of 1935'.From then on, she just got more and more successful. One of her more memorable performances was in ‘Broadway Melody in 1940’ dancing alongside Fred Astaire to “Begin the Beguine’.
At the age of nineteen she met and married Louis Jones. Together they had two children Gail and Teddy (who later died in 1970 from kidney failure). While trying to get used to raising a family and having a career, she received a call from an agent, who had seen her at the Cotton Club, about a part in a movie. Her controlling husband allowed her to be in “The Duke is Tops” and also the musical revue “Blackbirds of 1939."
...ctive in theater in high school.) A few years later she married and became Cenie S. Straw.
St. Denis's professional career began in 1892. In New York City, she worked as a skirt dancer in dime museums and vaudeville houses. "Dime museums featured "leg dancers" (female dancers whose legs were visible under their short skirts) in brief dance routines."# In that type of atmosphere, St. Denis was worked to the bone and forced to perform her routine at least ten times a day. However, in 1898, David Belasco noticed the young Ruth during one of her vaudeville performances. Belasco was a very successful and well known Broadway producer and director. He hired Ruth to perform as a dancer in his company. He was also responsible for giving her the stage name "St. Denis." The popularity of Ruth St. Denis exploded in the United States and Europe as she toured with his production of "Zaza." During her touring, she was introduced to many influential artists, such as Japanese Dancer Sado Yacco and English actress Sarah Bernhardt.
John Jay was born in New York City on December 12, 1745 and was a self devoted leader that help the United States get to where it is today. He served a very important role in the Founding Fathers establishment as well as bringing overall greatness to the country. He devoted himself to the American Revolution as well as becoming the first Chief Justice of the United States. Serving in the Continental Congress, and becoming president of the congress gave him great power and confidence within himself.
In the year 1930, the Queen of Musical Comedy Ethel Merman made her debut in Broadway. Who knew Merman, born as Ethel Agnes Zimmerman, walking on that Broadway stage 88 years ago, would see her to this day being a legendary figure, which she truly was. The bold, brassy, clarion-voiced superstar has an endless history of success and has made more hits among Broadway Musical Comedies that does not compare to other people now or in the past.
Dancing and acting were my passion. After the competition when I was 14 my dancing and acting career began. 1926 I performed at the Craterian Theater in Medford, Oregon("Ginger Rogers." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.), and continued to appear in Vaudeville productions, at age 17 I also married my first husband Jack Culpepper, singer/dancer/comedian/recording artist("Biography." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.), we created a short-lived Vaudeville double act known as "Ginger and Pepper". Our marriage was over within months after realizing I had made an extraordinarily huge mistake("Biography." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.). After the divorce I went back on tour. When the tour got to New York City I stayed getting a radio singing job, soon after my Broadway theater debut called "Top Speed" opened("Biography." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.). Within two weeks of the opening I starred on Broadway in “Girl Crazy” by George Gershwin. My appearance made me a star overnight at age 19("Biography." The Official Site of Ginger Rogers. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr.