The past week has had many notable deaths (Edward Said, Robert Palmer, George Plimpton) but Gothamist was most saddened about yesterday's passing of entertainer Donald O'Connor, whose most memorable work is the show-stopping song, "Make 'Em Laugh," in Singin' in the Rain. O'Connor appeared in loads of films, like Anything Goes with Bing Crosby and the Francis the Talking Mule pictures, but his role as Cosmo Brown in Singin' made you wonder why there isn't a movie about him, versus Gene Kelly's Don Lockwood who could be at times, let's face it, really boring and full of himself. There are two show-stopping moments, one being Kelly's song-and-dance in the rain of the title song, which is a dreamy, beautiful interlude. But it's "Make 'Em Laugh" with O'Connor defying gravity, talking pratfalls to a new level, fisticuffs with a literal dummy, and throwing out one amazing move after another that gives the audience a chance to laugh and cry aloud.
Roger Ebert, in his obituary of O'Connor, calls "Make 'Em Laugh," "the most sensational solo number in the history of musical comedy."
The Times obituary reminds us of Times dance critic Anna Kisselgoff's observation of O'Connor in 1997: "To call Donald O'Connor a song-and-dance man is like calling Shakespeare a strolling player."
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oh, this is very sad. i don't really have anything to add, the post just looked lonesome without any comments and donald o'connor was so great. actually, it was all those old musicals that sparked my interest in film to begin with, so i have a special spot for "song and dance men". i also just read that elia kazan has died as well. is it me, or does it seem like it's been a banner year for the grim reaper?
Don't forget his trademark move - running at a wall, then up it, and then flipping. This was imitated to comic effect in The Full Monty by one of the strippers, who several times in the movie ran full-on into a wall, trying to copy O'Connor
You can add Elia Kazan to that list of celebrity bucketeers...
What I thought was interesting about O'Conner and Kelly's dancing in Singin' in the Rain was how similar MC Hammer's (early 90's) dancing was to theirs. I also think O'Conner's dancing was more entertaining than Kelly's in that movie. Maybe his death will make more people revisit Singin' and see what a lousy musical "Chicago" really is.
DEAR DONALD,
I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU IN THE WESTWOOD THEATRE IN
TOLEDO, OHIO ONE SATURDAY AFTERNOON WATCHING THE MOVIE "I LOVE MELVIN". AND I SAW THAT MOVIE 12 TIMES THAT WEEK. I WAS 14 THEN IT WAS THE MID 50'S AND YOU BECAME MY FAVORITE MOVIESTAR EVER SINCE. THE WAY YOU DANCED AND MADE IT LOOK SO NATURAL WAS A GIFT. GENE KELLY, FRED ASTAIRE WERE HAMS AND ONLY CARED HOW THEY LOOKED ON SCREEN - THEIR EGOS WERE GIGANTIC AND CAME THROUGH EVERY MOVIE THEY WERE IN. BUT YOU WERE REALLY REALLY TALENTED AND GAVE IT YOUR ALL. AND I ALWAYS WANTED TO DANCE WITH YOU. BUT ALAS LIFE GOES ON AND WE GO IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS THAN WE THOUGHT.
THERE ARE NO STARS TODAY THAT ONE CAN HAVE A CRUSH
ON OR EVEN LIKE VERY MUCH, LET ALONE WANT TO MEET.
THANKS FOR ALL WONDERFUL ENTERTAINMENT, YOU WILL BE SADLY MISSED BY MANY MANY OF US.
Does anyone know anything about Donald O'Conner and his Singing Book Worms
My husband's great-grandfather had travelling tent show in the early 1900's, called the M&M tent show. They performed various acts in a vaudeville type setting. Among the players, was a very young Donald O'Conner with his parents.
Interesting stuff.
Just introduced my 9yr old son to singin`in the rain. He doesn`t beleive that someone could be that talented! How great to be able to impress youth...thanks Donald!
Thank you, Donald, for the happiness you bought to the silver screen. When I watch you perform in Singin in the Rain I can't take my eyes off you. Your amazing talent will never be forgotten.