American choreographer
Sammy Lee
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Born
| (
1890-05-26
)
May 26, 1890
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Died
| March 30, 1968
(1968-03-30)
(aged 77)
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Occupation(s)
| Choreographer, dancer, producer
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Sammy Lee
(May 26, 1890 ? March 30, 1968), born
Samuel Levy
, was an American
choreographer
,
dance
r, and producer who worked mainly on
Broadway
and for
20th Century Fox
film corporation in
Hollywood
.
[1]
Work on Broadway
[
edit
]
Lee got his start on the Broadway stage as a dancer and choreographer, along with
Signor Albertiera
, in the
Arthur Hammerstein
produced Friml operetta,
The Firefly
. For the next several years Lee worked as a dancer and choreographer in many reviews before he got his big break as the choreographer for the
George
and
Ira Gershwin
musical,
Lady, Be Good
. In
Lady, Be Good
, Lee was the first to choreograph such hit songs as "
Fascinating Rhythm
", "
Swiss Miss
", and "
Oh, Lady Be Good!
". Lee was also one of the first choreographers to work on the Broadway stage with the young duo of
Fred Astaire
and
Adele Astaire
. Following the success of
Lady, Be Good
, Lee worked steadily in such shows as
No, No, Nanette
,
Tip-Toes
,
The Cocoanuts
, and
Rio Rita
. As his popularity grew in
Manhattan
, Lee drew the attention of famed Broadway producer,
Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.
, who employed him to choreograph his
Follies
of 1927.
[2]
His most famous work for the stage was when he teamed up with
Jerome Kern
,
Oscar Hammerstein II
, and his friend Florenz Ziegfeld to create the musical
Show Boat
. Lee's choreography influenced the dance numbers in three film adaptations, including the famed
1951 production
.
[3]
Although Lee continued to work, being involved with six other productions following the success of
Showboat
, he never could top the success he found with the original production. In 1932, Lee both music directing and choreographed the Broadway revival of
Showboat
, his last theatrical credit.
[4]
Work in film
[
edit
]
Lee's work in film was not as prolific as it was in the theater, however, he was nominated for two
Academy Awards
during his career, both in the dance direction category. Once in 1935 for his work in the film
King of Burlesque
, and a second in 1937 for his work in
Ali Baba Goes to Town
.
[5]
References
[
edit
]
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International
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National
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People
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Other
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