| 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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