Evening star., 1946-03-31
Dance Cycle
Lives Anew
In Pictures
BY Harold Heffernon
HOLLYWOOD.

L0Lh1 "ONJO.
A few weeks ago they were saying
the movie dance was all through,
washed up, and nothing could save
it. For one thing, Fred Astaire had
tossed his stepping pumps on the
shelf. So had Eleanor Powell. And
Ann Miller was forced out of re-
tirement only through threats of al
million-dollar damage suit by Co.
lumbia.
Looked like the dance was on its
last shaky leg, so far az movies were
,oncerned-but looks were deceiv-
ing. Actually, so the records show,
Hollywood is working up to one of
the most elaborate dance cycles In
its history.
Make 'em dance" is the cry inI
every studio-simply because the
Nation has suddenly gone dance
mad. Reports show that in every
city and town and at every cross
roads people are dancing more often
and more enthusiastically than ever
before. And as Hollywood reflects
public taste, the order goes out for
scouts to comb the hinterlands inI
search Of new, faster and more ap-
pealing steppers.
The current dance craze is only
history repeating. After World War
I the country went on a spree of
gayety during which young and old
alike took to the dance halls. Same
thing is getting under full swing to-
day. New and hotter dance bands
are springing up everywhere. Watch
for new baton welding idols by the
dozen. And watch for the screen
to uncover and develop a nifty new
crop of dancers-leg shakers des-
tined to make fans forget the As
taires and Powells.
Ann to Go Latin.
Let's look over the charts and
see what's going on in the dance
mad studios of filmtown. For one
thing, there's Columbia's pretentious
Down to Earth" starring that gor-
geous Rita Hayworth. This is a
fantasy done in color, featuring
Rita in the role of Terpischore
goddess of song and dance in the
days of ancient Greece. After a.
fling at "Gilda," which was on the
dramatic side and gave her only
two brief bits Of dance, the new
one will really go all out on the
primary Hayworth talents.
And now that Ann Miller has
compromised with her retirement
desires, the same studio will star
her in Rio" South American
extravaganza, which probably will
take location swing down toward
one OF the Latin countries for more
effective atmosphere. And, for this
picture, Columbia is adding the
famous team of Veloz and Yolanda
for good measure.
The Jolson Story" founded on
the theatrical career of the nanny
singer, contains several big produc-
ton numbers, most lavish of which
is based on the Gershwin song
Liza" with Evelyn Keyes in the
role of a Ziegfeld star. doing the
dancing lead and backed by a line
of 60 cuties.
Fred Astaire, who claims he has
retired from his long and successful
career, still has two films unre-
leased, his fans will be glad to
know. He does several elaborate
routines in THE Ziegfeld Follies,
and advance reports state Fred has
never been better.
Warmers is preparing Silver Lin
ing" based on the life of the musi-
cal comedy star, Marilyn Miller, and
this will revive many of the famous
dances Marilyns created in s9ch
shows as sally" and Sunny"
Zanuck Spends on Carnival"
Ben Hecht's "The Specter of the
Rose" at Republic, contains sew
erai ballet sequences, and this type
of dancing will further be shown
in THE Life Of Pavlova, with Alicia
Tamara Toumanova, and the screen
biography Of impresario S. Hurok in
which Markova essays the Pavlova
part
On the goth Century-Fox lot,
Daryl Zanuck has again torn open
his purse strings for a couple of
million or SO to be spent on some
thing called Carnival in Costa
Rica," which will emphasize the
dance more than anything that stu
dio has attempted in several years.
/ Big and little name dancers are be-
ing rounded up by the score, the
I