Donald O'Connor Movies
The son of a stage acrobat, American actor/dancer/singer Donald O'Connor was hoofing away as a child in his family's vaudeville act. He was discovered for films in 1938's Sing, You Sinners, spending the next few years in movies usually playing "the star as a child" -- that is, cast as the younger version of the film's leading man for prologue and flashback sequences. A 1941 Universal contract led to a string of peppy medium-budget musicals with such pure-forties titles as Get Hep to Love (1941) and Are You With It? (1949); O'Connor's most frequent costar was another teenage vaudeville vet, Peggy Ryan. In 1950, O'Connor was cast in the non-dancing role of a hapless army private who can't convince anyone that a mule can talk in Francis (1950). The film was a major moneymaker, leading Universal to inaugurate a Francis series starring O'Connor, Francis the Mule, and Francis' voice, Chill Wills. O'Connor bailed out before the final film in the series, Francis in the Haunted House (1956), complaining that the mule was getting more fan mail than he was. During the Francis epics, O'Connor was loaned to MGM for what is regarded as his finest film role, happy-go-lucky Cosmo Brown in Singin' in the Rain (1952). If he'd never made another film, O'Connor would be a musical-comedy immortal solely on the basis of his Rain setpiece, the athleticly uproarious Make 'Em Laugh (1952). When the sort of musicals in which he specialized went into a Hollywood eclipse, O'Connor concentrated on TV and nightclubs, save for a few less than satisfying cinematic assignments such as The Buster Keaton Story (1957) and the Italian-made curiosity The Wonders of Alladin (1961). When O'Connor returned to films for 1965's That Funny Feeling it was in support of the musical flavor-of-the-decade Bobby Darin. In 1967, O'Connor tried his hand at a syndicated talk-variety program, where he proved excellent as usual at performing but ill at ease as an interviewer. The 1970s were a maelstrom of summer theatre appearances, club dates and an on-and-off liquor problem for O'Connor; when he resurfaced briefly in 1981's Ragtime, movie audiences breathed a sigh of satisfaction that an old friend was back and seemingly as fit as ever. One of Donald O'Connor's most high profile later day film appearance was a cameo at the beginning of Barry Levinson's Toys (1992), wherein the verteran actor supplied a much-needed chunk of solid entertainment value to an otherwise ponderous project. A year after appearing as menacing witch Baba Yaga in the 1996 family fantasy Father Frost, O'Connor made his final film appearance in the Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau ocean cruise comedy Out to Sea.In late September of 2003, legendary actor Donald O'Connor died of heart failure in Calabasas, CA. He was 78. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A pair of grumpy old men hit the high seas in this comedy. Small-time con man Charlie (Walter Matthau) fast-talks his considerably more straight-laced friend Herb (Jack Lemmon) into joining him for a luxury cruise on an ocean liner headed to the Bahamas. Charlie tells Herb that the trip is free and will be a good way to meet rich widows; both parts are true enough, but Herb doesn't know that Charlie has signed them on as dance hosts (hence the free tickets), and Herb isn't sure if he's ready for romance after the recent death of his wife. As the men struggle with the fact that Herb isn't much of a hoofer (and Charlie can't dance at all) under the strict tutelage of cruise director Godwyn (Brent Spiner), Charlie starts sweet-talking beautiful heiress Liz (Dyan Cannon), while Herb finds a soul mate in Vivian (Gloria DeHaven), who lost her husband not long ago. Out to Sea also stars Elaine Stritch, Hal Linden, Rue McClanahan, and Donald O'Connor, who pulled his dancing shoes out of mothballs for his role. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, (more)
- 1996
Donald O'Connor guest stars as Harlow Safford, an elderly, decidedly eccentric timber baron. A sanity hearing in court will determine the disposition of Mr. Safford's fortune. Two psychiatrists are called to testify, one for the defense, one for the prosecution. One believes that Safford is harmless and in full possession of his wits; the other is convinced that the old man is cuckoo. And, oh yes: One of the psychiatrists is Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer); the other is Niles Crane (David Hyde Pierce). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1992
- PG13
- Add Toys to Queue Add Toys to top of Queue
Barry Levinson directed this cautionary fantasy fable--a triumph of production design--concerning the clash between benevolent, funny toys and malevolent, violent war toys and video games. Donald O'Connor is the kindly, gentle Kenneth Zevo, founder of Zevo Toys. The workers love him and the love they feel for Zevo comes through in the lovingly cute toys they produce. His son Leslie (Robin Williams) is an eccentric inventor who concentrates on coming up with different styles of plastic vomit and over-sized ears. His addle-headed daughter Alsatia (Joan Cusack) enjoys trying out all of Leslie's inventions. But their innocent, idyllic existence is soon to be shattered. Kenneth is dying and he is reluctant to bequeath the factory to the immature hands of Leslie and Alsatia. He finally decides to pass on his factory to his three-star general brother (Michael Gambon), reasoning that the general will run the factory efficiently and prod Leslie and Alsatia into adulthood. When Kenneth dies, the general and his army surplus son Patrick (LL Cool J) immediately turn Zevo Toys into an oppressive fascistic environment. The general also stops production of the innocent Zevo products and forces the workers to manufacture violent interactive video games and sadistic war toys. Leslie must rouse himself out of his over-long childhood to preserve the tradition of Zevo Toys. Although Toys did not fare well at the box office, it features a stunning combination of production design by Ferdinando Scarfiotti and art direction by Edward Richardson. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Michael Gambon, (more)
- 1992
A puppeteer (Donald O'Connor) who had a successful career in the early days of television has fallen on hard times in "Strung Along." The puppet master seems poised for a comeback, until he discovers that his old "partners" have plans of their own. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1990
25 year ago, a fatal stabbing occurred during a broadcast of the popular TV comedy-variety series "The Barry Barnes Show." Now Barnes (Donald O'Connor) and his cast and crew have gathered together at the murder scene to stage a reunion special. Soon thereafter, a mysterious woman dressed in black shows up to accuse Barnes of committing the murder. When a second tragedy strikes, it is up to Jessica (Angela Lansbury) to find out just what the heck is going on now, and what really went on back in 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1990
In this sentimental family drama, a talented young boy is encouraged to pursue a singing career by his priest. Unfortunately, his father is against it. Tear-jerking trouble ensues, and at one point, the gifted lad loses his voice. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1988
Reminiscing, a famous crooner remembers the miracle that launched his career after he lost his ability to sing. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Ray Serra, (more)
This made-for television version of the Lewis Carroll classic features an all-star cast. ~ Forest Ray, Rovi
- 1984
The relatively blah title The Devil gives no indication as to the postapocalyptic trappings of the plot. After the Big Boom, there aren't many humans left on earth. Those that have survived are forced to band together, despite inbred prejudices and severe political differeneces. Otherwise, the survivors will be at the mercy of subhuman, demonic predators, who subsist on human flesh. This isn't the ideal film to watch after a hearty dinner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Part of the Broadway Theater Archives, this stage production of Lewis Carroll's children's fantasy Alice in Wonderland was directed by Kirk Browning. Kate Burton plays young Alice, the little girl who wanders into a bizarre wonderland that just gets more and more curious. Her real-life father, Richard Burton, plays the White Knight. Also starring Eve Arden as the Queen of Hearts, Maureen Stapleton as the White Queen, and Donald O'Connor as the Mock Turtle. Broadway star Nathan Lane can also be seen in one of his earliest roles as the Dormouse. Alice in Wonderland was originally broadcast on PBS in 1983 as an episode of Great Performances. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kate Burton, Richard Burton, (more)
- 1981
Donald O'Connor guest stars in this appropriately dance-themed episode. Aspiring hoofer Vera (Beth Howland) hopes to get her name in the Guinness Book of World Records. And how will she accomplish this feat? Why with her feet, of course--tap-dancing the day (and night) away in an effort to break the world's tapping record. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Milos Foreman's cinematic adaptation of E.L. Doctrow's sprawling pop-culture epic Ragtime follows a variety of characters whose lives intertwine during the earliest years of the 20th century. Brad Dourif plays the meek young brother in a wealthy family who ends up helping Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Howard E. Rollins) when the proud black man stands up to the racism that surrounds him with a criminal act that leads to a standoff with a police commissioner (James Cagney - making his return to the big screen after fifteen years away). Secondary characters include a street artist (Mandy Patinkin) who gets his foot in the door of the nascent film business, and a flighty young woman (Elizabeth McGovern) who inspires men who desire her to violence. Randy Newman composed the score, which included a song that earned him his first Oscar nomination. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Brad Dourif, (more)
It's ironic that MGM, in such dire financial straits in 1974 that it was selling its fabled back lot and auctioning off artifacts from past movie triumphs, enjoyed one of its biggest box-office hits with That's Entertainment, a compilation of musical highlights from the studio's golden days. Onscreen hosts Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Peter Lawford, Liza Minnelli, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Mickey Rooney, James Stewart, and Elizabeth Taylor introduce the various film clips while standing on what was left of the MGM lot (Rooney delivers his comments from the Andy Hardy street). The vignettes, in both color and black-and-white, include generous slices of such classic MGM songfests as The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, An American in Paris, Singin' in the Rain, and Gigi. The film includes the montage of Mickey Rooney's "Let's put on a show!" speeches, Clark Gable hoofing to "Puttin' on the Ritz" in Idiot's Delight, and James Stewart (!) serenading Eleanor Powell from Easy to Love. Assembled by Jack Haley Jr., That's Entertainment proved such a hit that the 1976 sequel, That's Entertainment II, was a foregone conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, (more)
In this romantic comedy, an aspiring actress pays her bills by working as a maid for various households. One of her employers is a wealthy and prominent publisher. After accidentally running into each other a number of times on the New York streets without recognizing each other, they begin to fall in love. She wants to take him home, but she is ashamed of her humble quarters. Believing that the publisher is out of town, she decides to take the lover to that apartment and pretend that it is hers. The lover/ publisher did have a business trip, but it was canceled. He decides to go along with her ruse and pretends that he has never been in his own apartment before. The trouble is, he now has no home to go home to; instead, he begins bunking with his business partner. In the end, both would-be lovers learn the truth, but they still refuse to tell each other that they know. Things get a little crazy, especially when the maid has all her girl friends dress up as hookers and come for a wild party at his apartment. He has the last laugh when they end up in jail. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sandra Dee, Bobby Darin, (more)
- 1964
This is one of the first sitcom episodes to acknowledge the phenomenon known as Beatlemania. Hoping to cash in on the popularity of the Fab Four, Uncle Joe organizes a female rock group called the Ladybugs, consisting of his three nieces and Sheriff Ragdale's daughter Sally (played by Sheila James, formerly Zelda Gilroy on Dobie Gillis, and better known in recent years as California State Senator and feminist activist Sheila James Kuehl). Musical comedy legend Donald O'Connor directed this episode, in which the "Ladybugs" perform their deathless signature tune "I'll Be Your Ladybug If You'll Be My Beatle"--which the girls had previously introduced on the March 22, 1964 edition of The Ed Sullivan Show! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1964
It's likely that the 60-minute pilot Brilliant Benjamin Boggs had been gathering dust on the shelf for nearly two years before its March 30, 1966 debut on NBC's Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre. Donald O'Connor stars as Benjamin Boggs, a brilliant but acutely unlucky research scientist. Guest star Susan Silo (a busy ingenue of the 1960s, a busier cartoon voiceover actress of the 1990s) plays a world-renowned big game hunter who sets her romantic sights on Mr. Boggs. She is determined to "bag" him for her own, and never mind that he's already married. Brilliant Benjamin Boggs was produced by Jack (Night Gallery)Laird for Universal Television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
Predictable and demeaned by low-brow humor, this comedy-drama by George Marshall revolves around the amorous entanglements of four G.I. photographers on leave in Japan from their last mission in the Korean War. The men, headed by officer Andy Cyphers (Glenn Ford) check into a house with four resident geishas and immediately misunderstand what a geisha does for a living. Once they get straightened out about the musical, cultural, and educational background of geishas -- and after spending some time with the four women, the men begin to pair off. More misunderstandings are in store but it definitely looks like at least two of the men will not go back to the U.S. alone. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Donald O'Connor, (more)
- 1961
Aladdin (Donald O'Connor) is a poor young man living in ancient Bagdad, who is given to flights of imagination, and taken with tales of the wealthy and powerful -- in many ways, he's still a boy, and so caught up in his daydreaming that he doesn't realize how his one-time childhood playmate Djalma (Noelle Adam), now a grown young woman, loves him (even if her merchant father thinks he's a worthless loafer). In a moment of indulgence, his mother buys Aladdin an old lamp so that he can have light at night "like a rich man." He accidentally discovers that the lamp contains a genie (Vittorio De Sica), who will grant him three wishes -- but he is so scatterbrained, that he can't figure out exactly how he called the genie in the first place. Aladdin and Djalma both end up headed for Basra and the wedding of the young Prince Malouk (Mario Girotti) to the princess (Michele Mercier), and both are caught up in the plans of the evil Grand Vizier (Fausto Tozzi) to kill the prince and marry the princess himself. Those plans, helped by a malevolent old magician (Raymond Bussieres), include the use of two full-size magical dolls, one a dancing wonder and the other with a deadly embrace. And only Aladdin and his genie, and the brave young prince, can stand in his way. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Noëlle Adam, (more)
- 1957
The Buster Keaton Story is the sublimely inaccurate life story of immortal film comedian Buster Keaton, played by Donald O'Connor. The film begins with young Buster appearing in his parents' circus acrobatic act (the real Keatons never appeared in a circus, but were vaudevillians instead). After Buster's dad dies (an event that actually occurred when Keaton was in his 30s and already a star), the boy strikes out on his own. He makes it into silent films as a top slapstick comic (this much is accurate), but his private life is complicated by two loves, a "sweet" girl (Ann Blyth) and a wealthy temptress (Rhonda Fleming) (Buster was married three times, but not to either one of the ladies depicted in this film). When talkies come in, Buster is browbeaten by autocratic director Peter Lorre (all of Keaton's talkies were directed by Eddie Sedgwick, one of his best friends) and finds himself unable to handle dialogue (no comment). He turns to drink (true) and destroys himself in Hollywood (partly true). But through the love of good girl Ann Blyth, Buster makes a comeback in vaudeville, and finally decides to get married and settle down for the first time in his life (Buster did tour in vaudeville with wife Eleanor Norris, who was wife number three and whom he met nine years after the advent of talkies). The nicest thing about The Buster Keaton Story was that the amount Paramount paid Keaton for permission to film his "life story" ($50,000) was large enough for Buster to remain financially solvent for the rest of his life. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Ann Blyth, (more)
- 1957
This semicomic Playhouse 90 episode was based on a true case history, as related in The 50 Minute Hour, a book by psychologist Dr. Robert Lindner. Although Donald O'Connor receives top billing in the role of Lindner's counterpart Robert Harrison, the real star of the proceedings is David Wayne as atomic physicist Kirk Allen. Unbeknownst to his friends and colleagues, the outwardly sane and secure Dr. Allen has for many years been "embarking" upon imaginary visits to another planet. At first this mental abnormality harms no one, but when Allen begins acting strangely on the job, the Pentagon begins to suspect that he is a security risk. Under psychological counseling, Allen reveals his "secret life"--and provides surprisingly accurate extraterrestrial charts as "proof" that he is truly out of this world. Actor Burgess Meredith codirected The Jet-Propelled Couch with James Clark. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, David Wayne, (more)
Anything Goes is a Technicolor-and-Vistavision remake of the 1936 film of the same name, which in turn was based on Cole Porter's hit 1934 Broadway musical. The 1956 bears little relationship plotwise to its predecessors, except for the fact that most of the story takes place aboard a luxury liner. Bing Crosby and Donald O'Connor star as Bill Benson and Ted Adams, a pair of top Broadway tunesmiths who agree to collaborate on their next musical just as soon as they complete their respective vacations. Complications arise when, unbeknownst to one another, Bill and Ted each sign up a potential leading lady; Bill's choice is ballerina Gaby Duval (Zizi Jeanmaire), while Ted's selection is brassy chanteuse Patsy Blair (Mitzi Gaynor). Retained from the original Cole Porter score are such standards as "You're the Top", "I Get a Kick Out of You" (with appropriately laundered lyrics), "Blow, Gabriel Blow", and the title tune. New songs, penned by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, include "You Gotta Give the People Hoke" and "A Second-Hand Turban and a Crystal Ball". To avoid confusion with the 1956 adaptation of Anything Goes, the 1936 version was for many years retitled Tops is the Limit for television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, Donald O'Connor, (more)
- 1955
Complaining that Francis the Mule was getting more fan mail than he was, Donald O'Connor bade adios to the "Francis" series with this 1955 entry. Once more, O'Connor plays Army lieutenant Peter Sterling, who heads to a navy base when it looks like his old pal Francis is about to be auctioned off as surplus. In short order, Sterling is mistaken for a bos'n's mate whom he resembles, and it's off to sea for both Peter and the mule. Among the able-bodied seamen in this film is a chap named Jonesy, played by a young Clint Eastwood in his second movie appearance. An eleborate slapstick finale brings this one to a rousing conclusion. Director Arthur Lubin likewise left the "Francis" series after Francis in the Navy; the next (and last) entry, Francis in the Haunted House, starred Mickey Rooney and was directed by Charles Lamont. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1954
Francis Joins the WACS was the fifth in Universal's comedy series about a talking Army mule and his hapless human companion. Thanks to a bureaucratic snafu, ex-GI Peter Sterling (Donald O'Connor) is called into acitive duty and assigned to a WAC unit, headed by Major Simpson (Lynn Bari). It is Sterling's task to train the women to be camouflage experts, but the ladies resent his presence, assuming that Peter has been sent to discredit their unit. But with the help of Francis, the WACs manage to win the annual War Games, and to flummox misogynistic General Kaye (Chill Wills, who also provides Francis' voice). Julie Adams, then billed as Julia, provides the love interest. ZaSu Pitts also appears in Francois Joins the WACs, recreating the role she'd played in the first Francis installment back in 1949, while other uniformed females include Mamie Van Doren and Allison (Attack of the 50-Foot Woman) Hayes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Julie Adams, (more)
- 1954
- Add There's No Business Like Show Business to Queue Add There's No Business Like Show Business to top of Queue
Like Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), 20th Century-Fox's There's No Business Like Show Business is a "catalogue" film, its thinnish plot held together by an itinerary of Irving Berlin tunes. The story chronicles some twenty years in the lives of a showbiz family, headed by Dan Dailey and Ethel Merman. Two of the couple's three grown children -- Donald O'Connor and Mitzi Gaynor -- carry on the family tradition, while the third, Johnny Ray, decides to become a priest. There are a few tense moments when O'Connor falls in love with ambitious chorine Marilyn Monroe and loses all sense of perspective, but the family reunites during a splashy production-number finale. Highlights include Dailey and Merman's Play a Simple Melody duet, O'Connor's A Man Chases a Girl solo, and Monroe's tempestuous rendition of Heat Wave (her delivery and stage presence both compensate for her unflattering bare-midriff costume). Of historical interest, There's No Business Like Show Business was Fox's first CinemaScope musical; as such, it is best viewed on TV in "letterbox" format. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, (more)
- 1953
Singin' in the Rain co-stars Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds were re-teamed in the ebullient little musical I Love Melvin. O'Connor plays Melvin Hoover, the hapless assistant to Look magazine photographer Mergo (Jim Backus). When he falls in love with chorus girl Judy LeRoy (Reynolds), Melvin claims that he's the magazine's head photographer. Carrying the ruse to the limit, Melvin arranges to shoot a portrait of Judy and her entire family, insisting that it appear on the cover of Look. On the verge of being found out, Melvin is saved when his boss decides that Judy is photogenic enough to be a cover girl for real. The plot is so lightweight that it threatens to blow away, but the stars are cute as can be, and the musical highlights even more so. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, (more)
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