august december american film stage choreographer dancer actor career spanned decades staged leading broadway film musicals 1940s 1950s strongly influenced came known integrated musical dance movements integral plot probably best known athletic dance numbers seven seven brothers metro mayer musical girl hunt ballet dancing dark numbers musical film band wagon film critic called barn raising sequence seven dance numbers screen choreographer win awarded honorary academy_award advancing dance film early life dance career born new_york_city son barber wife refugees russia moved brooklyn family attended interested dance attending modern dance performance went study dancer choreographer studied chemical engineering left granted scholarship toured country member corps ballet ballet performed roles included lead choreographed featured orchestral arrangement adopted time performing dancers urged adopt american names chose short easy remember evocative pirate captain assistant moved later known performances included choreographed music played sailors created ballet stage play performance received new_york_times observed hailed great hopes postwar american ballet left company broadway worked ballet broadway hollywood choreography broadway rainbow lyrical musical explored racial prejudice won play broadway musicals successful hold college musical kurt musical love life directed short runs came arms girl directed flop play guys dolls cemented reputation broadway choreographer based short stories book earned second play attracted attention movie producers lured hollywood film film adaptation broadway musical starring repeating broadway performance lead role big film success came following year starring featured music lyrics included extensive dance sequence end girl hunt ballet featuring spoof hard boiled novels hired stage film dances request nervous ballet said comfortable pretending making steps spontaneously film featured shine shoes set 42nd street penny arcade featuring real life shoe dancing dark set work film seven brothers brought acclaim film directed music lyrics written directly screen based short story women based turn ancient roman legend rape women initially turned assignment recalling living woods schooling floor cows come gon dance laughed house entire cast extras consisted dancers including ballet dancers new york city ballet ballet roles brothers played professional dancers insistence said musical numbers written behest example songwriter cue collaborators example explained conception number lament brothers women worked music lyrics mid-1950s hollywood output movie musicals begun worked decade movie acting debut fair weather directed kelly played meeting years war discover little common film featured number dance garbage feet film critical success heavily promoted studio failed box office film originally designed sequel film town unavailable film lacked chemistry actors production marked constant strife kelly stemming unsuccessfully include minute dance solo jack kelly rejected took personal insult went ending collaboration kelly rest lives jack number appears bonus feature dvd film commentator suggests kelly judgment wrong number advance plot director choreographer musical comedy film starring era movie musicals pretty turned attention broadway continued work movies time band wagon staging dances cole porter broadway musical created dance numbers gwen helped broadway sensation broadway shows 1950s included directed choreographed won tony award choreography adapted film version films star film successful broadway directed choreographed rides starred sleeping musical comedy paris starring choreographed famous broadway flop breakfast musical version officially opened choreographed film adaptation hit broadway play hello film tension unhappy set director conflicts costume designer kelly point kelly longer speaking terms film success musical kelly making little use format film critic described approach bodies screen apparent purpose went direct broadway musical starring directed goodbye girl adaptation film final broadway play nominated tony award best director reviews mixed new_york_times said define slam bang broadway hollywood musical comedy style 1950s directs goodbye girl mechanical reduction style fast furious loud center director overcome musical physical production appeared supporting roles character actor 1970s 1980s beginning performance faded cynical choreographer cheesy beauty satirical film smile starred film critic roger_ebert called portrayal choreographer finely performance acted staged musical sequences film directed worked seven seven brothers fair weather directed episode comedy scenes janet_jackson music videos think conceived choreographed television special hollywood starring nominated personal life died cancer age home los_angeles california marriage dancer ended divorce death survived wife married daughters marriage son daughter second uncle filmmaker political activist older brother prominent best selling author book girl expert study prostitution style unusually respected judgment granted leading dancers era british critic biographer said time death danced street lid tied feet film man usually planned routines order realistic approach designing dances inspired way ordinary people behaved led critic observe way fantasy life shaped offered right moments able dance like hollywood star believed dance needed derive life saying dancing based movement enlarged movements relate kind real activity wanted dance serve story beginning new work write scenario explaining plot drove characters dance biggest influences expressed movement aspirations little man dancer choreographer expressed ability character stage exaggerated character time ordinary movement distinct style evident early days ballet describing rare film clip performance stage dance critic recounted scene played playing shy young woman ballet audition classical technique expressive purpose wonderful miss reed grew visibly confident hand entertained performance said choreography ordinary movements real life taken extended dance movements relation reality important know characters function script able illustrate activities emotions changes mood way dance keeping dance movements reality making movements sort odd eccentric philosophy reflected early scene walks railroad platform singing walk dance style appreciation work dance teacher said drew ballet modern social dance choreography stemmed realistic movements gestures following tradition developed integrated musical created dances helped carry plot flesh characters story communicating dance said turn mean dancing completely seven seven brothers employed leading ballet dancers insisted dancers avoid ballet dance moves instead focus work movements like wielding said find way men dance looking ridiculous base activities accept people couldn look like ballet trained dancers able integrate cast non dancer mgm contract player assigned film utilizing talents dance numbers personal favorite films choreographed seven guys dolls felt best inventive best integrated musical seen came world classic ballet los_angeles_times critic noted death healthy disdain staged comedic ballet sequence film chased theater hides stage performance russian ballet company sequence allowed stylistic observed dancer choreography broadway film adaptation girl hunt ballet choreography history musical theater observes forged dances shows men men high stout hearted passionate dolls choreographed little guy working guy guy defined job movement job entailed drove dancers hard partly capable dance steps required personal style gentle performed love life dancing turns left hearing problem insisting turn right found fascinating dancers turn left recalled number star physically demanding asked retake saying bad recalled looked said wasn trying mean knew saw film wouldn pleased thought nice way awards choreographer win received tony nominations awarded honorary academy_award recognition services art dance art screen inducted film credits choreographer band wagon choreographer knock wood choreographer seven seven brothers choreographer guys dolls choreographer fair weather actor director choreographer original choreography star choreographer hello choreographer smile actor actor movie actor actor musical staging love movie actor actor broadway credits filling station ballet dancer role gangster billy kid ballet music aaron dancer ballet music dancer cast indian man billy kid revival director dancer ballet music choreography dancer ballet music choreography dancer cast sailor rainbow musical choreographer best choreography hold musical choreographer love life musical choreographer arms girl musical choreographer guys dolls musical choreographer best choreography musical choreographer best choreography musical director choreographer producer best choreography rides musical director choreographer best choreography nominated best direction musical musical director choreographer producer sleeping musical director choreographer tony award nomination best choreography love musical choreographer paris musical director choreographer skyscraper musical choreographer tony award nomination best choreography breakfast officially opened musical choreographer musical director choreographer tony award nominations best direction musical best choreography musical director choreographer music man revival musical director choreographer goodbye girl musical director tony award nomination best direction musical
Michael Kidd