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Ann Miller

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Johnnie Lucille Collier (April 12, 1923 – January 22, 2004), known professionally as Ann Miller, was an American dancer, singer and actress. She is best remembered for her work in the Classical Hollywood musical films of the 1940s and 1950s. At age 13 in 1936, Miller became a showgirl at the Bal Tabarin. She was hired as a dancer in the "Black Cat Club" in San Francisco (she reportedly told them she was 18). It was there that she was discovered by Lucille Ball and talent scout/comic Benny Rubin (although some sources say this occurred at Bal Tabarin). This led Miller to be given a contract with RKO in 1936 at the age of 13 (she had also told them she was 18, and apparently provided a fake birth certificate, procured by her father - with the name "Lucy Ann Collier") and she remained there until 1940. In 1941, she signed with Columbia Pictures, where, starting with Time Out for Rhythm, she starred in 11 B movie musicals from 1941 to 1945. In July 1945, with World War II still raging in the Pacific, she posed in a bathing suit as a Yank magazine pin-up girl. She ended her contract in 1946 with one "A" film, The Thrill of Brazil. The ad in Life magazine featured Miller's leg in a large, red, bow-tied stocking as the "T" in "Thrill". She finally hit her mark in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals such as Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949) and Kiss Me Kate (1953). Miller was famed for her speed in tap dance. Studio publicists concocted press releases claiming she could tap 500 times per minute, but in truth, the sound of ultra-fast "500" taps was looped in later. Because the stage floors were waxed and too slick for regular tap shoes, she had to dance in shoes with rubber treads on the sole. Later she would loop the sound of the taps while watching the film and actually dancing on a "tap board" to match her steps in the film. Her film career effectively ended in 1956 as the studio system lost steam 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 Chicago theatre. She appeared in a special 1982 episode of The Love Boat, joined by fellow showbiz legends Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, Della Reese, Van Johnson and Cab Calloway in a storyline that cast them as older relatives of the show's regular characters. Her last stage performance was a 1998 production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies, in which she played hardboiled Carlotta Campion and received rave reviews for her rendition of the song "I'm Still Here". 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".

  • Known ForActing
  • Born12 April 1923 (age 102)
  • Place of BirthHouston, Texas, USA

Ann Miller

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Johnnie Lucille Collier (April 12, 1923 – January 22, 2004), known professionally as Ann Miller, was an American dancer, singer and actress. She is best remembered for her work in the Classical Hollywood musical films of the 1940s and 1950s. At age 13 in 1936, Miller became a showgirl at the Bal Tabarin. She was hired as a dancer in the "Black Cat Club" in San Francisco (she reportedly told them she was 18). It was there that she was discovered by Lucille Ball and talent scout/comic Benny Rubin (although some sources say this occurred at Bal Tabarin). This led Miller to be given a contract with RKO in 1936 at the age of 13 (she had also told them she was 18, and apparently provided a fake birth certificate, procured by her father - with the name "Lucy Ann Collier") and she remained there until 1940. In 1941, she signed with Columbia Pictures, where, starting with Time Out for Rhythm, she starred in 11 B movie musicals from 1941 to 1945. In July 1945, with World War II still raging in the Pacific, she posed in a bathing suit as a Yank magazine pin-up girl. She ended her contract in 1946 with one "A" film, The Thrill of Brazil. The ad in Life magazine featured Miller's leg in a large, red, bow-tied stocking as the "T" in "Thrill". She finally hit her mark in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals such as Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949) and Kiss Me Kate (1953). Miller was famed for her speed in tap dance. Studio publicists concocted press releases claiming she could tap 500 times per minute, but in truth, the sound of ultra-fast "500" taps was looped in later. Because the stage floors were waxed and too slick for regular tap shoes, she had to dance in shoes with rubber treads on the sole. Later she would loop the sound of the taps while watching the film and actually dancing on a "tap board" to match her steps in the film. Her film career effectively ended in 1956 as the studio system lost steam 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 Chicago theatre. She appeared in a special 1982 episode of The Love Boat, joined by fellow showbiz legends Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, Della Reese, Van Johnson and Cab Calloway in a storyline that cast them as older relatives of the show's regular characters. Her last stage performance was a 1998 production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies, in which she played hardboiled Carlotta Campion and received rave reviews for her rendition of the song "I'm Still Here". 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".

  • Known ForActing
  • Born12 April 1923 (age 102)
  • Place of BirthHouston, Texas, USA
KNOWN FOR
PHOTOS
CREDITS
Poster
Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age
star
-
2021
Poster
Hollywood Singing & Dancing: A Musical History - 1970's
star
8.0
2009
Poster
Easter Parade: On the Avenue
star
-
2005
Poster
Judy Garland: By Myself
star
7.5
2004
Poster
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
star
7.0
2003
Poster
Cole Porter in Hollywood: Begin the Beguine
star
-
2003
Poster
Cole Porter in Hollywood: Too Darn Hot
star
-
2003
Poster
Inside the Marx Brothers
star
4.0
2003
Poster
Rita
star
8.5
2003
Poster
Broadway's Lost Treasures
star
6.1
2003
Poster
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
star
7.7
2002
Poster
Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song
star
6.444
2002
Poster
Mulholland Drive
star
7.808
2001
Poster
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
star
-
2000
Poster
Frank Sinatra Memorial
star
-
2000
Poster
Mulholland Dr.
star
7.8
1999
Poster
Inside the Dream Factory
star
6.0
1995
Poster
That's Entertainment! III
star
7.0
1994
Poster
Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie
star
8.2
1993
Poster
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
star
7.5
1987
Poster
That's Dancing!
star
6.974
1985
Poster
Night of 100 Stars
star
6.667
1982
Poster
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
star
4.1
1976
Poster
That's Entertainment, Part II
star
6.9
1976
Poster
That's Entertainment!
star
7.3
1974
Poster
Dames at Sea
star
6.0
1971
Poster
The Opposite Sex
star
5.2
1956
Poster
The Great American Pastime
star
-
1956
Poster
Hit the Deck
star
4.8
1955
Poster
Deep in My Heart
star
6.8
1954
Poster
Kiss Me Kate
star
6.4
1953
Poster
Small Town Girl
star
5.7
1953
Poster
Lovely to Look At
star
5.1
1952
Poster
Texas Carnival
star
4.4
1951
Poster
Two Tickets to Broadway
star
4.3
1951
Poster
Watch the Birdie
star
5.3
1950
Poster
On the Town
star
7.0
1949
Poster
Mighty Manhattan, New York's Wonder City
star
6.0
1949
Poster
Easter Parade
star
7.0
1948
Poster
The Kissing Bandit
star
3.0
1948
Poster
The Thrill of Brazil
star
6.0
1946
Poster
Eve Knew Her Apples
star
5.2
1945
Poster
Eadie Was a Lady
star
4.0
1945
Poster
Jam Session
star
6.0
1944
Poster
Carolina Blues
star
5.3
1944
Poster
Sailor's Holiday
star
-
1944
Poster
Hey, Rookie
star
-
1944
Poster
Reveille with Beverly
star
7.0
1943
Poster
What's Buzzin', Cousin?
star
-
1943
Poster
True to the Army
star
-
1942
Poster
Priorities on Parade
star
-
1942
Poster
Time Out for Rhythm
star
6.2
1941
Poster
Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
star
-
1941
Poster
Go West, Young Lady
star
6.9
1941
Poster
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2
star
6.0
1941
Poster
Too Many Girls
star
5.7
1940
Poster
Melody Ranch
star
5.8
1940
Poster
Hit Parade of 1941
star
5.5
1940
Poster
You Can't Take It with You
star
7.5
1938
Poster
Room Service
star
6.487
1938
Poster
Having Wonderful Time
star
4.9
1938
Poster
Tarnished Angel
star
5.3
1938
Poster
Radio City Revels
star
8.0
1938
Poster
Stage Door
star
7.0
1937
Poster
The Life of the Party
star
5.2
1937
Poster
New Faces of 1937
star
4.0
1937
Poster
The Devil on Horseback
star
-
1936
Poster
The Good Fairy
star
7.0
1935