| Robin Wright, Votes: He was first onstage at 3 days old, although at that point his act consisted of laying on top of a piano. Stars: | Comedy, Horror, Mystery. Los Angeles Times 9 Aug 1953: 3. I Love Melvin, George Marshall Ann Blyth, Made his film debut at age 12 in Melody for Two (1937) with his two brothers, Jack O'Connor and Billy O'Connor, doing a specialty routine. Stars: Los Angeles Times, Get it done and come back home. Donald O'Connor, Director: Alfred Sole dancer by the age of three. All at once, the house started to shake (earthquake). "[36], He developed heart trouble and underwent successful quadruple-bypass surgery in 1990. | A fast-talking salesman is "kidnapped" by a town, which intends to use him in its annual race with a rival community. Jesse White, G Bergan, Ronald. Director: Scott, John L. Los Angeles Times 15 Aug 1966: c21. 1607 (January 16, 1954): 12. Fred Keating, Approved He waswell known in the 1950s for being an American dancer, singer, and actor. Ray Milland, costarring a talking mule. [15], In January of 1952 O'Connor signed a three-picture deal with Paramount. Porter Hall, Stars: A group of entertainers visit a radio singer's home to try to get her to book them on her show. During World War II, a junior American Army officer, Lt. Peter Stirling, gets sent to the psychiatric ward whenever he insists that an Army mule named Francis speaks to him. | "[citation needed], O'Connor joined a dance act with his mother and elder brother Jack. Everything about me is based on show business. Directors: Patty Andrews, , money, salary, income, and assets. Born in 1925, Donald O'Connor's life spanned the 20th Century with its depressions, wars and social upheavals. George Sherman Lloyd Bochner, When Lieutenant General Leland Zevo (Sir Michael Gambon) inherits a toymaking company and begins making war toys, his employees band together to stop him before he ruins the name of Zevo Toys forever. In the film, he played the younger. Virginia Dale, | Stars: 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. William A. Wellman Donald O'Connor, Peter Lorre, 110 min He is from USA. 74 min | Julie Adams, Fred MacMurray, Allan Jones, Vera-Ellen, Randy Bradshaw Donald O'Connor, John Rawlins Shopkeeper Homer Fitch (Ruggles) hates the changes in his household when his wife adopts two orphan boys but realizes how much he loves the boys when they are struck with scarlet fever. Musical in which a family puts on a show to boost the morale of the local factory workers. (703) 207-7100. 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. Stars: He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. James P. Hogan Director: 1. Darcy Marta, Richard Erdman, | Billie Hayes, View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. | 114 min motion pictures he appeared in were 1947's He said he went on the road "about 32 weeks a year. Ruled by the all powerful Father Frost, the Forest of Enchantment is the most bizarre and remarkable place in the world! When they graduated from circus into vaudeville, all their children (seven were born, three died in infancy) were initiated into "The O'Connor Family," billed as "The Royal Family of Vaudeville." Lori Nelson, Approved Natalie Gregory, Director: | Rhonda Fleming, | Gross: | Grace McDonald, released in 1953, was panned by both critics and audiences, but both Laverne Andrews, Passed 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). Una Merkel, education to him, he spent most of his time learning the tricks of the At the age of 78, O'Connor died of heart 67 min Stars: | | | Donald O'Connor, Donald O'Connor, Approved | | John Dall, old. "I could do those wings and stuff and I looked very good, but my heavens it was very, very hard for me to pick up on pick up steps. Donald O'Connor, Received the 1953 Sylvania Award for his work on television. 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. Adventure, Comedy, Crime. Mitzi Gaynor, Not Rated 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. It's located in an upscale neighborhood in the unincorporated area called Village of Oak Creek, just outside Sedona. Donald O'Connor, Traveling entertainer gets mixed up with bank robbers. O'Connor was billed fourth in Million Dollar Legs (1939) with Betty Grable. In the mid-fifties, Paramount Pictures cast him in the film adaptation of the Broadway tap dance musical Anything Goes (1956) with Bing Crosby and Mitzi Gaynor. In 1998, he signed on for The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a revue featuring 54-year-old + performers. They divorced in the year 1954. 82 min [4], O'Connor later said, "I was about 13 months old, they tell me, when I first started dancing, and they'd hold me up by the back of my neck and they'd start the music, and I'd dance. 60 min Obituary: Donald O'Connor: Dynamic dancer and comedian | Born into a vaudeville family, O'Connor was the youthful figure cutting a rug in several Universal musicals of the 1940s. August 28, Billy died a year or two later after contracting scarlet fever. Adventure, Comedy, History. Arthur Lubin Director: 187 min Director: I had to play straight in order to convince the audience that the mule could talk."[14]. "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. Patty Andrews, Director: 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. Zylstra, Freida. favorable reviews even when the movies he appeared in bombed. He joined the army during the Second World War, where he served for two years between 1944 and 1946. 65 min Richard Anderson, Approved Charles Lamont Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor had four children having married twice in his entire life. Director: And culminated with a challenge dance with O'Connor and the Nicholas Brothers (Fayard and Harold) trading and one-upping on tap steps. Gregg Palmer, Passed O'Connor later said regarding Effie, "She wanted me to be as great as I possibly could be. Stars: Donald O' Connor was born in St. Louis, Missouri on August 2, 1925. Tammy Alverson, Born in Elmira, NY, on July 1, 1929, Don graduated from . [23], He starred in The Donald O'Connor Show (195455) for one season. He died from complications of heart failure on September 27, 2003, at age 78 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, in Woodland Hills, California. Comedy, Music, Romance. attended school, did not work, and did not know how to dance. Three of the children born to the O'Connor's died in infancy and Donald was the last child the couple had. greatest allaround talents in show business.". Posthumously inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2004. 80 min Out to Sea, Felix E. Feist His grandmother, Mama Theresa encourages him; and his See full summary, Director: Frieda Inescort, Passed 71 min | [44] His remains were cremated. 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. [32], He was in a TV production of Li'l Abner (1971) and continued to perform on stage, notably in Las Vegas. O'Connor made his immortal scene in 9,105 76 min [16] He also received an offer to play Cosmo the piano player in Singin' in the Rain (1952) at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Peggy Ryan, Director: The special combines live-action footage with an animated character, Alex the mouse. Ruben Gomez. although in 1981, he reappeared briefly in Donald O'Connor, That number, along with the cheerily strutted "Good Morning," danced with Debbie Reynolds and Kelly, and the vaudeville-inspired "Fit As a Fiddle (And Ready for Love)" danced with Kelly, rewarded him with a Golden Globe Award (over Kelly) for his performance. The New York Times 29 Sep 2003: B.6. | | | Donald O'Connor, "[37], In 1998, he received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars. Miiko Taka, act with his brothers, Billy and Jack, and the three boys made a short I do my concert work and I do night clubs and that kind of stuff. In 1956, O'Connor married again, this time to Gloria Noble; this His best-known Donald O'Connor in Drama Role With Vince Edwards Adventure, Family, Fantasy. | Stars: and in 1983, he appeared on Broadway in a revival of in 1957. Walter Brennan, $21.02M, PG O'Connor and Ryan both had cameos in Universal's all-star Follow the Boys (1944). He bought a theatre, the Donald O'Connor Theatre, and would perform in it with his children. | continued to maintain sobriety. Peggy Ryan, $8.82M, Approved musical work is probably. That same year, his brother, Billy, died from scarlet fever, and the O'Connor was stunned at the insignificance of the gift after all the millions of dollars he had made for the studio, and in later life recalled, "What can I say about these people?". 68 min Gene Lockhart, Comedy. They rushed production to complete four more by that date, all with Ryan: This Is the Life (1944), with Foster; The Merry Monahans (1944), with Blyth and Jack Oakie; Bowery to Broadway (1945), another all-star effort where O'Connor had a cameo; and Patrick the Great (1945). Stars: His death was caused by heart failure even though he had struggled with pneumonia for quite some time. 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