biography . . .
Tommy�s next film was MGM�s Kiss Me Kate in 1952, one of the great Hollywood musicals. Kiss Me Kate was based on the Broadway show of the same name, in which the main story follows Shakespeare�s The Taming of the Shrew. It featured a score full of witty Cole Porter songs and exceptional dancing by Tommy and his co-stars, Ann Miller and Bob Fosse. The �Why Can�t You Behave?� pas de deux with Ann Miller is an excellent showcase for Tommy�s tap, comedic and acrobatic skills. Another notable number was �From This Moment On� in which choreographer Hermes Pan allowed both Tommy and Fosse to create their own dance segments. Tommy�s portion with Ann Miller was in a jazz/balletic style while Fosse�s, performed with Carol Haney, provided moviegoers a first glimpse of his very unique choreographic style.
In 1954, Tommy was cast in another of the great musicals, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, as brother number six, Frankincense �Frank� Pontipee. Even though MGM did not view this as a high priority project, Tommy had the good fortune to have been assigned to an experienced musical director, Stanley Donen, an inventive choreographer Michael Kidd, and, most importantly, a very talented cast. Members included fellow Kiss Me Kate cast member Howard Keel, singer/dancer Jane Powell, dancers Matt Mattox, Jacques D�Amboise and Marc Platt, and acrobat/dancer Russ Tamblyn. Kidd�s choreography demanded the highest caliber dancing, particularly in �Lonesome Polecat,� which was shot in one unbroken take and required each of the brothers� movements to be synchronized precisely with the song. D�Amboise has said that only dancers could have "pulled it off.�
Seven Brides is a consistently enjoyable film throughout but many remember it for the barn raising dance and brawl sequence. It quickly escalates from a common contredanse to a rigorous acrobatic challenge between the brothers and the town suitors. Tommy, Russ Tamblyn and Matt Mattox in particular shine throughout this sequence, performing a variety of leaps and flips on and around thin planks. The melee culminates with the defeated town boys and the wrecked barn in a heap at the brothers� feet.
to...Chapter 4: More Film Work
