FAQs – Donald O'Connor

Answers to most frequently asked Donald O’Connor questions on this website, in order of frequency.

Question	Was Donald O’Connor gay?
Answer	No

Question	Did Donald O’Connor and Gene Kelly dislike each other?
Answer	No. They were lifelong friends. Gene Kelly occasionally took out his frustrations on his co-stars in Singin’ in the Rain, but O’Connor didn’t take offense for long and never held a grudge.

Question	Who were Donald O’Connor’s family?
Answer	Parents: Mother Effie (1889-1981); Father John (1877-1927) Siblings: John (1906-1955); Bill (1913-1939); Arline (1923-1927) Wives: Gwen Carter (m. 1944-1954); Gloria Noble (m. 1956-2003) Children: Gwen had Donna; Gloria had Alicia, Fred and Kevin

Question	What was Donald O’Connor’s education?
Answer	Vaudeville: correspondence school Hollywood: Hollywood Professional School and studio schools

Question	Physical description of Donald O’Connor
Answer	Blue eyes, brown hair, 5′ 8" tall, between 130 and 140 lbs during Hollywood days.

Question	What were O’Connor’s dance strengths and weaknesses?
Answer	He began as a hoofer (tap dancer) but became proficient in all styles of dance except ballet. He did especially strong turns and leaps with speed and lightness. His lack of extension shortened his line but as he was primarily a tapper, this was a minor inconvenience.

Question

Specific dance numbers – where from?

Answer

Balloon Dance – "What Chance Have I with Love?" from Call Me Madam( 1953)

Bouncing Dance – "You Can Bounce Right Back" from Anything Goes (1956)

Laundromat Dance – "They’ve Never Figured Out a Woman" from Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby (1949)

Rollerskating Dance – "Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs" from I Love Melvin (1953)

Statue Dance – "A Man Chases a Girl (Until She Catches Him) from There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954)

Question

How was "Make ‘Em Laugh" made?

Answer

MGM rehearsed musical numbers until they had been perfected (several weeks rather than days). O’Connor and some dance assistants strung together a series of O’Connor’s funniest pratfalls and schtick. Gene Kelly came in to help with musical timing and blocking. Kelly particularly liked the "gurning" (making faces) O’Connor could do. Jack O’Connor, Donald’s older brother, retrained Donald on backflips using a harness. O’Connor asked the Howard brothers (The Three Stooges) if he could use Curly’s running in circles on the floor bit. It was filmed once, but the first take was overexposed, so O’Connor had to reshoot the sequence after a few days recuperation. The second version is seen in the movie.

Question	Who were Donald O’Connor’s movie costars?
Answer	Dancing Costars: Peggy Ryan, Debbie Reynolds, Vera Ellen, Janet Leigh, Mitzi Gaynor Singing Only Costars: Gloria Jean, Suzanna Foster, Gloria DeHaven, Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe

Question	Which Studios did Donald O’Connor work for?
Answer	In order of number of movies made for each: Universal, Paramount, MGM, Twentieth Century Fox, Columbia, Warner Bros. The only major studio O’Connor did not grace was RKO.

Question	Was Donald O’Connor an alcoholic?
Answer	Yes. He began drinking in the army during WWII and his drinking increased each decade. It didn’t affect the quality of his work until the 1970s. He collapsed from alcohol poisoning in 1978, went into rehab, overcame his addiction and never drank again.

Question	Why didn’t Donald O’Connor make White Christmas?
Answer	Donald O’Connor had been hired to make White Christmas but came down with a virus before shooting started. Paramount held the project for him, but he was not able to recover fully enough for the dance numbers in time to make the shooting schedule required for a December release. Danny Kaye inherited the part.