December 8
Born Today:
Sammy Davis Jr.
Tap dancer/entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990) was born into a vaudeville dance family and toured with his father, developing into an excellent tap dancer before becoming more well known as a member of The Rat Pack. Even so, he will always be the proper singer of The Candy Man.
Also Born Today: Indian dancer Uday Shankar (1900-1977), who collaborated on several dances with Anna Pavlova (1881-1931) in the early 1920s. In 1948, Shankar choreographed and directed the movie Kalpana, an early, ground-breaking dance film. Broadway choreographer, Graciela Daniele (1939-) danced in multiple hit shows before creating dances for Ragtime (1998) and Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life (2005).
---------------------
Movie: On the Town released in 1949
Broadway Premiere: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1949