John Brascia
Encyclopedia
John Brascia is an American
actor
and dancer, noted for his dancing partnerships on film with Vera-Ellen
in White Christmas
(1954) and with Cyd Charisse
and Liliane Montevecchi
in Meet Me in Las Vegas
(1956). With dancer Tybee Arfa (1932–1982), the dance team known as Brascia and Tybee became - beginning in 1957 - a top specialty in major U.S. nightclubs, appearing as the opening act for artists like Frank Sinatra
, Lena Horne
, Tony Martin
and George Burns
, among others. Married in 1958, the duo appeared frequently on television's The Ed Sullivan Show
(1958–1966) and on The Hollywood Palace
(1967). Brascia began acting in non-dancing film roles beginning in 1967, culminating in 1980's The Baltimore Bullet
for which he was Producer, and credited with the film's Story and Screenplay.
, which featured a score by Jule Styne and Bob Hilliard. The production was supervised and choreographed by Robert Alton
(who choreographed the film White Christmas
, featuring Brascia, a year later). Brascia won a Donaldson Award for his performance in the musical.
which opened at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas on May 23, 1955 and starred Vera-Ellen
with a cast of 60.
"... the entire evening was built around Vera-Ellen, who tapped and did ballet and sung, happily undubbed, and wore gorgeous costumes by Hollywood's famed designer Howard Shoup. ... Her routines were based on those developed for her by Robert Alton
. She did partnered dances with friend John Brascia, who was also given solo dancing opportunities."
" ... the best thing, by far, is the finale — a gaudy, satiric ballet, done to the old "Frankie and Johnny" ballad, as arranged by Johnny Green. Miss Charisse is accompanied in this one by Liliane Montevecchi as "the other dame" and John Brascia as the luckless Johnny, and the ballad, with modern bebop lyrics, by Sammy Cahn, is sung by the off-screen voice of Sammy Davis Jr. It's crazy, man! And cool!" -- Bosley Crowther, New York Times
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and dancer, noted for his dancing partnerships on film with Vera-Ellen
Vera-Ellen
Vera-Ellen was an American actress and dancer, principally celebrated for her filmed dance partnerships with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye and Donald O'Connor.-Early life:...
in White Christmas
White Christmas (film)
White Christmas is a 1954 Technicolor musical film starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that features the songs of Irving Berlin, including the titular "White Christmas"...
(1954) and with Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse was an American actress and dancer.After recovering from polio as a child, and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s...
and Liliane Montevecchi
Liliane Montevecchi
Liliane Montevecchi is a French actress, dancer, and singer.Montevecchi began her career as a prima ballerina in Roland Petit's dance company...
in Meet Me in Las Vegas
Meet Me in Las Vegas
Meet Me in Las Vegas is an MGM musical comedy produced by Joe Pasternak and directed by Roy Rowland filmed in Eastman Color and CinemaScope. The film has a running time of 112 minutes.-Cast and crew:...
(1956). With dancer Tybee Arfa (1932–1982), the dance team known as Brascia and Tybee became - beginning in 1957 - a top specialty in major U.S. nightclubs, appearing as the opening act for artists like Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
, Tony Martin
Tony Martin
Anthony or Tony Martin may refer to:Education*Tony Martin , professor at Wellesley College known for racial controversies in the early 1990s.*Donald A...
and George Burns
George Burns
George Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
, among others. Married in 1958, the duo appeared frequently on television's The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
(1958–1966) and on The Hollywood Palace
The Hollywood Palace
The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. It began as a mid-season replacement for the short-lived Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months...
(1967). Brascia began acting in non-dancing film roles beginning in 1967, culminating in 1980's The Baltimore Bullet
The Baltimore Bullet
The Baltimore Bullet is a 1980 film based on the adventures of two pool hustlers in the United States.It was directed by Robert Ellis Miller and starred James Coburn, Bruce Boxleitner and Omar Sharif. The Baltimore Bullet screenplay was written by legendary film and stage dancer John Brascia, from...
for which he was Producer, and credited with the film's Story and Screenplay.
Broadway Musical
Brascia made his Broadway debut on February 11, 1953 in the musical version of the film "Nothing Sacred," titled Hazel FlaggHazel Flagg
Hazel Flagg is a musical with a book by Ben Hecht, lyrics by Bob Hilliard, and music by Jule Styne. The musical is based on the 1937 screwball comedy film Nothing Sacred...
, which featured a score by Jule Styne and Bob Hilliard. The production was supervised and choreographed by Robert Alton
Robert Alton
Robert Alton was an American dancer and choreographer, a major figure in dance choreography of Broadway and Hollywood musicals from the 1930s through to the early 1950s...
(who choreographed the film White Christmas
White Christmas
A white Christmas refers to the presence of snow on Christmas Day. This phenomenon is most common in the northern countries of the Northern Hemisphere...
, featuring Brascia, a year later). Brascia won a Donaldson Award for his performance in the musical.
Filmography
- "White ChristmasWhite Christmas (film)White Christmas is a 1954 Technicolor musical film starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that features the songs of Irving Berlin, including the titular "White Christmas"...
" (1954) - "Meet Me in Las VegasMeet Me in Las VegasMeet Me in Las Vegas is an MGM musical comedy produced by Joe Pasternak and directed by Roy Rowland filmed in Eastman Color and CinemaScope. The film has a running time of 112 minutes.-Cast and crew:...
" (1956) - "The AmbushersThe Ambushers (film)The Ambushers is a 1967 spy comedy film filmed in Acapulco starring Dean Martin, Senta Berger and Janice Rule. It is loosely based upon the novel of the same title by Donald Hamilton....
" (1967) - "The Wrecking CrewThe Wrecking CrewWrecking Crew may refer to:In film:*Wrecking Crew , an American film directed by Frank McDonald*The Wrecking Crew , a 1969 film starring Dean Martin and Elke Sommer...
" (1969) - "Executive ActionExecutive ActionExecutive Action is a 1973 movie about the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, written by Dalton Trumbo, Donald Freed and Mark Lane, and directed by David Miller. The film opened to a storm of controversy over the depiction of the assassination: in some places in the U.S., the film ran...
" (1973) - "Walking TallWalking TallWalking Tall is a 1973 semi-biopic of Sheriff Buford Pusser, a former professional wrestler-turned-lawman in McNairy County, Tennessee. It starred Joe Don Baker as Pusser...
" (1973) - "Pray for the WildcatsPray for the WildcatsPray for the Wildcats is a 1974 U.S. television film that originally aired as an ABC Movie of the Week. It is a thriller-drama about a psychopathic business executive chasing his workers on dirtbikes through the desert after he killed a young man. The film was directed by Robert Michael Lewis and...
" (1974) - "S.W.A.T.S.W.A.T. (TV series)----S.W.A.T. is a 1970s American television series about the adventures of the WCPD's Olympic Division Special Weapons And Tactics team operating in an unidentified California city....
" (1975) - "Joe and SonsJoe and SonsJoe and Sons was a short-lived television series broadcast on CBS from September 9, 1975 to January 13, 1976. It had 15 episodes.The show focused on an Italian-American widower Joe Vitalie who lived in Hoboken, New Jersey with his two teenage sons, Mark and Nick. Gus Duzik worked with him as a...
" (1976) - "The Baltimore BulletThe Baltimore BulletThe Baltimore Bullet is a 1980 film based on the adventures of two pool hustlers in the United States.It was directed by Robert Ellis Miller and starred James Coburn, Bruce Boxleitner and Omar Sharif. The Baltimore Bullet screenplay was written by legendary film and stage dancer John Brascia, from...
" (1980)
Nightclubs
John Brascia was a featured dancer in The Magic Carpet Revue, New York - Paris - Paradise,which opened at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas on May 23, 1955 and starred Vera-Ellen
Vera-Ellen
Vera-Ellen was an American actress and dancer, principally celebrated for her filmed dance partnerships with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye and Donald O'Connor.-Early life:...
with a cast of 60.
"... the entire evening was built around Vera-Ellen, who tapped and did ballet and sung, happily undubbed, and wore gorgeous costumes by Hollywood's famed designer Howard Shoup. ... Her routines were based on those developed for her by Robert Alton
Robert Alton
Robert Alton was an American dancer and choreographer, a major figure in dance choreography of Broadway and Hollywood musicals from the 1930s through to the early 1950s...
. She did partnered dances with friend John Brascia, who was also given solo dancing opportunities."
Reviews
Meet Me in Las VegasMeet Me in Las Vegas
Meet Me in Las Vegas is an MGM musical comedy produced by Joe Pasternak and directed by Roy Rowland filmed in Eastman Color and CinemaScope. The film has a running time of 112 minutes.-Cast and crew:...
" ... the best thing, by far, is the finale — a gaudy, satiric ballet, done to the old "Frankie and Johnny" ballad, as arranged by Johnny Green. Miss Charisse is accompanied in this one by Liliane Montevecchi as "the other dame" and John Brascia as the luckless Johnny, and the ballad, with modern bebop lyrics, by Sammy Cahn, is sung by the off-screen voice of Sammy Davis Jr. It's crazy, man! And cool!" -- Bosley Crowther, New York Times