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Jeni Le Gon

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Jeni Le Gon
At Masters of Lindy Hop and Tap, Century Ballroom, Seattle, Washington, 2009
Born
Jennie Ligon

(1916-08-16)August 16, 1916
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 7, 2012(2012-12-07) (aged 96)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation(s)Dancer, actor
SpousePhil Moore
LeGon and Gene Tierney in Sundown (1941)

Jeni LeGon (born Jennie Ligon; August 14, 1916 – December 7, 2012[1]), also credited as Jeni Le Gon, was an American dancer, dance instructor, and actress. She was one of the first African-American women to establish a solo career in tap dance.

Early years

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Born as Jennie Ligon in Chicago, Illinois, her parents were Hector Ligon,[2] a chef who also worked as a railway porter, and Harriet Bell Ligon, a housewife.[citation needed] She grew up in the Black Belt area of Chicago and finished Sexton Elementary School in 1928.[2] When she was 13, she successfully auditioned for the chorus line of band leader Count Basie. She attended Englewood High School for one year thereafter.[2]

Career

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In 1931, LeGon began performing across the southern United States with the Whitman Sisters company. In 1933, she and her half-sister, Willa Mae Lane, formed the LeGon and Lane song-and-dance team.[2] They were given the opportunity to go to Detroit and work with nightclub owner Leonard Reed. While there, they received an offer to travel to Hollywood and perform with composer Shelton Brooks. Upon arrival, they discovered there was, in fact, no job. LeGon heard about auditions being held by Ethel Waters' former manager, Earl Dancer. The audition was for a film that Fox Studios was producing. She won the part and subsequently appeared in dance numbers in several musicals.[citation needed]

In 1935, she signed with RKO Pictures to be the dancing partner of Bill Robinson in the film Hooray for Love which also featured Fats Waller. She also performed in a 1935 London production of the revue At Home Abroad, taking over numbers that Waters and Eleanor Powell had in the Broadway version.[3]

While in Hollywood, LeGon had the opportunity to work with performers such as Waters and Al Jolson. She danced with Fred Astaire and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, becoming the first African-American woman to do so on film. MGM signed her to a long-term contract, making LeGon the first African-American woman to receive such an opportunity, but cancellation of the contract soon followed.[2]

On Broadway, LeGon portrayed Jenny in Black Rhythm (1936), and Lily Ann in Early to Bed (1943).[4] In 1947, she played Cab Calloway's treacherous girlfriend Minnie the moocher in a low-budget full-length musical movie with an all-Black cast titled Hi-De-Ho. She danced at a number of clubs and theaters including the Apollo, Cafe de Paris, Howard, Paramount and Lincoln Theaters.[5] In the early 1950s, she appeared on the televised version of Amos 'n' Andy.[3]

LeGon owned and operated the Jeni LeGon Dance Studio in Los Angeles[6] and managed the Drama & Dance Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 1969, she settled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she taught tap and pointe. In 1999, the National Film Board of Canada released a documentary film about her life, Jeni Le Gon: Living in a Great Big Way, directed by Grant Greshuk and produced by Selwyn Jacob.[7] She appeared in the film Bones (2001).[3]

Personal life

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In 1943, LeGon married composer,[2] conductor, and pianist Phil Moore.[8] They composed the song "The Sping", sung by Lena Horne in the film Panama Hattie.[2]

Recognition and papers

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LeGon was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1987 [9] and into the Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2002.[10] Oklahoma City University awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2002.[6]

LeGon's papers are housed at the Smithsonian Institution.[11]

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Zadie Smith's 2016 novel, Swing Time, features two biracial young women who discover LeGon while watching videotapes of old film musicals. When they see her perform in Ali Baba Goes to Town (1937), the character Tracey "sits perched close to the TV, studying her moves, her mouth open in surprise."[12] LeGon becomes an obsession for Tracey.[12]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1935 Hooray for Love Jeni LeGon - the Ballerina
1936 Dishonour Bright Cabaret Dancer
1937 Ali Baba Goes to Town Specialty
1937 The Adventurous Blonde Maid Uncredited
1938 Fools for Scandal Singer at Le Petit Harlem
1939 Double Deal Nita
1940 I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby Annie
1940 While Thousands Cheer Myra
1940 Glamour for Sale Maid Uncredited
1941 Sundown Miriami
1941 Birth of the Blues Black Girl in Jail Uncredited
1941 Bahama Passage Mary's Maid Uncredited
1942 This Was Paris Cabaret Dancer Uncredited
1942 Take My Life Helen Stanley
1942 Arabian Nights Dresser
1943 My Son, the Hero Lambie
1943 I Walked with a Zombie Dancer
1943 Stormy Weather Dancer Uncredited
1947 Hi-De-Ho Minnie
1948 Easter Parade Essie, Nadine's Maid Uncredited
1949 I Shot Jesse James Veronica
1952 Somebody Loves Me Maid in "Rose Room" Number Uncredited
1953 Bright Road Martha Swife Uncredited
1987 Home Is Where the Hart Is Wanda Fuch
2001 Bones Window Granny

References

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  1. ^ Weber, Bruce (17 December 2012). "Jeni LeGon, Singer and Solo Tap-Dancer, Dies at 96". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Jeni LeGon". The HistoryMakers. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (2007). Vaudeville Old & New: an Encyclopedia of Variety Performances in America. Psychology Press. p. 670. ISBN 978-0-415-93853-2. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  4. ^ "Jeni Le Gon". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Williams, Dawn P. (2006). Who's Who in Black Canada 2: Black Success and Black Excellence in Canada : a Contemporary Directory. Who's Who in Black Canada. pp. 228–229. ISBN 978-0-9731384-2-9. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Jeni LeGon [biography]". Performing Arts Database. Library of Congress. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  7. ^ "Jeni LeGon - Living in a Great Big Way". Collection. National Film Board of Canada. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  8. ^ Gavin, James (2009). Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne. Simon and Schuster. p. 185. ISBN 978-1-4391-6425-9. Retrieved February 28, 2020. Jeni LeGon.
  9. ^ "Movies". The Los Angeles Times. February 24, 1987. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Jeni LeGon". Tap Dance Hall of Fame. American Tap Dance Foundation. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  11. ^ "Guide to the Jeni LeGon Papers". Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Hutchinson, Pamela (March 8, 2017). "Hooray for Jeni LeGon: the Hollywood pioneer who 'danced like a boy'". Sight&Sound. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
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