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Did you have any acrobatic background or training
that enabled you to do such great stunts during "Make
‘em Laugh"?
I come from a circus family, a circus in Vaudeville.
In Vaudeville the family had always taught me how to do
hand balancing. My sister and I were hit by a car in Hartford,
Connecticut backstage of a theater. She was killed, and
from that time on the family was overly protective with
me. So I never got to learn all those great tumbling tricks
like my brother Billy or my brother Jack could do. They
were very, very careful with me. I did pick things up
as I went along. When I got the idea of doing a back somersault
off a one roll, a back somersault off the other roll,
and go through the third roll, I brought my brother Jack
in to teach me how to do all those tricks.
When you and Gene Kelly were tapping in the numbers,
whose style of tap did you ultimately follow?
We looked at each other, we sort of worked like we would
burlesque each other. He would give a funny expression,
say something funny, and my reaction would be what you
would expect from a typical comical team. Because of Gene's
background and mine, we were able to pull that out of
the bag, react that way, and do things like that and make
them real. That was the great thing with Gene because
he had such a bag of tricks. He could do anything and
he was wonderful.
How did your family get started in the circus? Were
your parents from generations of acrobats who performed
there?
I thought they went way back even in Ireland, but they
didn't. My father comes from Danville, Illinois.
He got with his brother and they rigged some harness together
and they started doing tricks. They taught each other
tricks. How my father got on the circus, he probably went
down there and saw them, asked them if they'd like
an apprentice, and he probably signed on. That started
it, and that's where he met my mother was on the
circus.
She was already working there as an acrobat?
Yes. She had come in shortly, either it was before or
after, I forget right now, but she was 12 years old at
that time. They got married when she was 12, and she had
the first child when she was 13, and then they had seven.
They all went in the act, and the more kid's you
had the more money they paid you. So it was profitable
to have children.
How did you make the transition from this kind of
really exciting, eccentric background in circus performing
to coming to Hollywood?
Either part of the circus or part of Vaudeville. They
had five Vaudeville theaters here at one time, just in
Hollywood alone. Full of acts, and it was just wonderful.
This was a great town for Vaudeville. You have these gorgeous
theaters inside - the Pantages, Warner Brothers, and all
of those theaters were so gorgeous to play. You know we'd
go out in the sticks most of the year.
I was doing a benefit for the Motion Picture Relief Fund
when I was discovered to go into movies. Some talent scout
pointed his finger at me and said, "Get that kid,"
and there I went. It was really a Hollywood type of thing.
So you were sort of just plucked off of the stage
and dropped right into films?
That is absolutely correct. It's like a movie itself!
Special thanks to Donald O'Connor, Christian
Reichert and all at MPRM Public Relations. All images
Warner Bros. All rights reserved.
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