"THE NICHOLAS BROTHERS: CLASSIC CINEMA STARS OF THE MONTH"

The Nicholas Brothers, FAYARD and HAROLD, are arguably two of the greatest dancers to ever hit Hollywood. Born to musician parents, they learned their craft working the vaudeville scene and appearing at the famous Cotton Club during the Harlem Renaissance before landing in Hollywood. In Tinseltown, they made movie magic dancing in some of Hollywood’s biggest musicals. The brothers mixed tap dancing with acrobatics to perfect thrilling routines that we’re still in awe of today. They also had to endure the limits put upon them by the racism of the day. Join us this week as we celebrate these two dance icons, our Stars of the Month. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Brotherhood in Rhythm: The Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers (2002), by Constance Valis Hill;

Dorothy Dandridge: An Intimate Biography (1970), by Earl Mills;

“The Nicholas Brothers, Fayard and Harold: Tap Dance Legends,” February 17, 2024, Dance Mogul magazine;

“The Incredible Nicholas Brothers: A Classic Hollywood Black Dance Duo Everyone Should Be Obsessed With,” October 30, 2022, by Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly;

“The Nicholas Brothers: Every Generations Dance Heroes,” February 17, 2020, by Najja Parker, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution;

“Celebrating The Nicholas Brothers,” September 16, 2011, by Daniel Eagan, Smithsonian magazine;

www.nicholasbrothers.com

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

IBDB.com;

Wikipedia.com;

AcademyMuseum.com

Movies Mentioned: 

Pie Pie Blackbird  (1932) - starring Nina Mae McKinney & The Nicholas Brothers;

Stoopnocracy (1933), starring Budd Hulick & Harold Nicholas;

The Emperor Jones (1933), starring Paul Robeson & Harold Nicholas;

Kid Millions (1934), starring Eddie Cantor, Ann Sothern, & Ethel Merman;

Jealousy (1934), starring Nancy Kelly & George Murphy;

The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935), starring Jack Oakie, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Bing Crosby, & Ethel Merman;

Coronado (1935), starring Johnny Downs;

My American Wife (1936), starring Francis Lederer & Ann Sothern;

Don’t Gamble with Love (1936) starring Ann Sothern;

Babes in Arms (1937), starring Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland;

Down Argentine Way (1940), starring Betty Grable, Don Ameche, Carmen Miranda, & Charlotte, Greenwood;

Tin Pan Alley (1940), starring Betty Grable, Alice Faye, Jack Oakie, & John Payne;

The Great American Broadcast (1941), starring Alice Faye & John Payne;

Sun Valley Serenade (1941), starring Sonja Henie & John Payne;\

Orchestra Wives (1942), starring George Montgomery & Ann Rutherford;

Stormy Weather (1943), starring Lena Horne;

Reckless Age (1944), starring Gloria Jean & Harold Nicholas;

Carolina Blues (1944), starring Kay Kyser & Ann Miller;

The Pirate (1948), starring Judy Garland & Gene Kelly;

Botta e Riposta (1950);

El Mensaje le la Muerte (1953);

Musik I’m Blut (1955);

L'Empire de la Nuit (1964);

The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970), starring Lee J. Cobb, Roscoe Lee Brown, & Fayard Nicholas;

Uptown Saturday Night (1974), starring Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Flip Wilson, Harry Belafonte, & Harold Nicholas

That’s Entertainment! (1974);

That’s Dancing (1985);

Tap (1989);

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