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| Jumping on 'The Band Wagon': Recalling the shoeshine man who goes toe-to-toe with Astaire | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 04:18 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 04:06 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
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| Turner Classic Movies last night showed ''The Band Wagon,'' the 1953 MGM musical. And even though Fred Astaire dances with the dazzling Cyd Charisse in it, I'm more impressed by his fancy footwork with Leroy Daniels. Who's that? In the fun and infectious ''A Shine on Your Shoes'' number, Astaire does a delightful dance with a black shoeshine guy, and there's a fascinating story behind how that happened. According to ReelRundown.com, Astaire was struggling to choreograph ''A Shine on Your Shoes'' (by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz). So he asked Alex Romero, the film's assistant dance director, if he had any ideas. Romero remembered having his shoes shined earlier that day by a dancing shoeshine man in downtown L.A. His name was Leroy Daniels, and he had developed his routine to distinguish himself from fellow shoeshiners. The next day, Daniels, then 23, was brought to the MGM lot. He had never danced professionally or had any training. But after Daniels did his routine with brushes for Astaire, Romero recalls, ''Fred went out of his mind.'' And when it came time to team up with Astaire, Daniels didn't miss a step. ReelRundown.com adds that Daniels was paid only $350 for his efforts. (By contrast, the arcade machine featured in the number, which erupts with music and flags, cost $8,800.) And sadly, Daniels didn't get a screen credit, but happily his dynamic duo with Astaire lives on, celebrated on celluloid. |
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| Link | 'A Shine on Your Shoes' from 'The Band Wagon' (1953) |
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| Leroy Daniels -- TV and film career | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 04:42 pm EST 02/20/21 | |
| In reply to: Jumping on 'The Band Wagon': Recalling the shoeshine man who goes toe-to-toe with Astaire - WaymanWong 04:06 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
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| Daniels did go on to have a performing career in movies, TV, and comedy. Nothing huge, probably just small roles, but in some well known shows like Sanford and Son. He was part of the comedy team known as Leroy & Skillet. Daniels had actually been an entertainer for at least 3 years before dancing with Astaire in The Band Wagon. His "shoeshine dance" was actually part of the act he did wherever he worked prior to the MGM musical -- I'm guessing maybe clubs that featured African-American entertainers. |
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| re: Jumping on 'The Band Wagon': Recalling the shoeshine man who goes toe-to-toe with Astaire | |
| Posted by: Gustave 08:12 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
| In reply to: Jumping on 'The Band Wagon': Recalling the shoeshine man who goes toe-to-toe with Astaire - WaymanWong 04:06 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
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| A great story. Completely new to me. Thank you for sharing. If I may add a little context -- $350 in 1953 would be worth about $3500 in buying power today. Daniels certainly wasn't paid what he was worth, but MGM wasn't quite as cheap as suggested either. Gustave. | |
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| re: Jumping on 'The Band Wagon': Recalling the shoeshine man who goes toe-to-toe with Astaire | |
| Last Edit: Singapore/Fling 08:18 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 08:18 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Jumping on 'The Band Wagon': Recalling the shoeshine man who goes toe-to-toe with Astaire - Gustave 08:12 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
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| To put that further in context, he was paid about the same as an adjunct professor gets paid for teaching an entire semester's worth of one college class. | |
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| re: Jumping on 'The Band Wagon': Recalling the shoeshine man who goes toe-to-toe with Astaire | |
| Posted by: fredfrankg 05:33 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
| In reply to: Jumping on 'The Band Wagon': Recalling the shoeshine man who goes toe-to-toe with Astaire - WaymanWong 04:06 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
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| Thank you, Wayman! I watched that portion last night, too. It has always been my favorite sequence in the whole movie. I then went on both the TCM and IMDB websites for Astaire's partner's identity. Surprisingly, neither had it, and I did a search to find the same information you provided above. Thanks for the reminder; it's a great and deserved tribute. Best, Fred |
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| Thank you... | |
| Posted by: Bway802er 05:25 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
| In reply to: Jumping on 'The Band Wagon': Recalling the shoeshine man who goes toe-to-toe with Astaire - WaymanWong 04:06 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
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| ...for this fascinating and illuminating information. I watch this scene with new eyes. | |
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| That's a great story, thanks! | |
| Posted by: reed23 05:19 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
| In reply to: Jumping on 'The Band Wagon': Recalling the shoeshine man who goes toe-to-toe with Astaire - WaymanWong 04:06 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
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| The article on ReelRundown.com goes on to describe how Leroy Daniels, now having danced with Fred Astaire in a major musical, left his shoeshine business behind and became an entertainer, which he remained for the rest of his life. He and another formed a successful nightclub act, which was then booked on TV shows, and he did a number of movies as well as continuing as a TV and nightclub performer. The whole story could generate a screenplay in itself. |
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| Link | ReelRundown.com's article on Leroy Daniels |
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| Thank you, Wayman! | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 07:38 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
| In reply to: That's a great story, thanks! - reed23 05:19 pm EST 02/19/21 | |
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| A great story. But my favorite sequence in THE BAND WAGON will always be “Dancing in the Dark,” which I find even more sexually charged than “Shall We Dance?”as discussed here last week. It’s also the focus of a classic story in the Frankos-Turtledove household. The scene: summer, several years ago. A baseball game is on tv. I also happen to know that TCM is showing THE BAND WAGON. How well do I know this movie? I ask Harry to switch to TCM. “okay, but why?” he asks. “Because ‘Dancing in the Dark’ is about to begin.” He clicks the remote, and there are Fred and Cyd, heading off in that horse-drawn carriage, right on time. My spouse stares at me. “How did you know that?” Oh, I may have seen this one a few times. 😄 Laura |
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