[Deathwatch] Donald O'Connor, entertainer, 78

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

'Singin' in the Rain' co-star O'Connor dies
Saturday, September 27, 2003 Posted: 7:43 PM EDT (2343 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/27/obit.oconnor.ap/index.html


LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Entertainer Donald O'Connor, who
combined comedy and acrobatics in the show-stopping "Make 'Em Laugh"
number in the classic movie "Singin' in the Rain," died Saturday, his
daughter said. He was 78. 

O'Connor, who had been in declining health in recent years, died of
heart failure, his daughter, Alicia O'Connor, told The Associated
Press. 

It was in the '50s that O'Connor made the films for which he was best
known -- a series of highly successful "Francis the Talking Mule"
comedies and movie musicals that put his song and dance talents to good
use. 

Songs in movie musicals are often touching or exciting, but O'Connor
performed a rare feat with a number that were laugh-out-loud funny. 

The best, 1952's "Singin' in the Rain," also starred Gene Kelly and
Debbie Reynolds and took a satirical look at Hollywood during the
transition from silent to sound pictures. 

As he sings "Make 'Em Laugh," O'Connor dances with a prop dummy and
does all manner of amusing acrobatics. 

"Someone handed me a dummy that was on the stage," he recalled in a
1995 Associated Press interview. "That was the only prop I used. I did
a pratfall and we wrote that down. Every time I did something that got
a laugh, we wrote it down to keep in the number." 

The American Film Institute's list of the top 100 American movies ever
made ranked "Singin' in the Rain" at No. 10. 

Among O'Connor's other '50s musicals were "Call Me Madam," "Anything
Goes" and "There's No Business Like Show Business." 

He said it was a fluke that he landed in so many musicals, noting he
started out as a "straight" actor. He also said his song-and-dance
image came with a downside. 

"Back then, when you were typecast that way, it was very difficult to
get dramatic parts," he recalled. "Look at Fred Astaire, who was a darn
good actor." 

The "Francis" series of comedies, which featured a bumbling O'Connor
and a talking mule, began in 1949. A few years later, the man who
directed them created the "Mr. Ed" TV series. 

O'Connor quit the "Francis" series in 1955, saying, "When you've made
six pictures and the mule still gets more fan mail than you do ...." 

O'Connor also had some success in television. He won an Emmy for "The
Colgate Comedy Hour" in 1954 and appeared in "The Donald O'Connor
Texaco Show" from 1954 to 1955. 

Born in Chicago to circus performers who went into vaudeville, O'Connor
joined his family's act when he was an infant. He made his film debut
at age 11 in a dancing scene with two of his brothers in "Melody for
Two." 

As a contract actor for Paramount, he played adolescent roles in
several films, including Huckleberry Finn in "Tom Sawyer -- Detective"
(1938). He was Bing Crosby's kid brother in "Sing You Sinners" (1938),
which he later ranked as one of his favorite roles. 

When he grew too big for child roles, he briefly returned to
vaudeville, but was soon back in Hollywood playing high-energy juvenile
leads opposite such actresses as Gloria Jean and Susanna Foster. 

In recent years, he continued working when he found a project he liked,
such as appearing in an episode of "Tales From the Crypt." 

But he said he had little desire to leave home for long stretches. He
and his wife had moved to Arizona after their California home was
damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. 

"Revivals are so popular now. But doing one would mean being out in
cold, cold New York for a year, a year and a half," he said. "I'd
rather do something where I go in and work a week, maybe three days.
Get it done and come back home."