Fayard Nicholas
Fayard Antonio Nicholas was an American choreographer, dancer and actor. He and his younger brother Harold Nicholas made up the Nicholas Brothers tap dance duo, who starred in the MGM musicals An All-Colored Vaudeville Show, Stormy Weather, The Pirate, and Hard Four. The Nicholas brothers also starred in the 20th Century-Fox musicals Down Argentine Way, Sun Valley Serenade, and Orchestra Wives. In 1932, when he was 18 and his brother was only 11, they became the featured act at Cotton Club in New York City. The brothers earned fame with a unique style of rhythm tap that blended "masterful jazz steps with daredevil athletic moves and an elegance of motion worthy of ballet". They appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway and in London they worked with jazz choreographer Buddy Bradley. The performances led them to a career in film. Nicholas appeared in over 60 films, including the 1943 musical Stormy Weather with their signature staircase dance. His career was interrupted from 1943 to 1944 when he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Nicholas achieved the rank of Technician fifth grade while in WWII. After his dance career ended, Nicholas and his wife, Katherine Hopkins Nicholas, embarked on a lecture tour discussing dance. In 2003, Nicholas served as "Festival Legend" at the third "Soul to Sole Tap Festival" in Austin, Texas. Nicholas was inducted into the National Museum of Dance C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame in 2001.
The Pirate
as PerformerA girl is engaged to the local richman, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate...
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Down Argentine Way
as One of the Nicholas BrothersThe story—in which an American heiress on holiday in South America falls in love with an...
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Sun Valley Serenade
as Specialty Dancer (uncredited)When Phil Corey's band arrives at the Idaho ski resort its pianist Ted Scott is smitten with a...
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That's Dancing!
as From 'Down Argentine Way' (archive footage)A documentary film about dancing on the screen, from it's orgins after the invention of the...
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That's Entertainment!
as (archive footage)Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50...
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Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
as Self (archive footage)Stars celebrate Bob Hope's 50 years with NBC.
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Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
as SelfBroadway: The Golden Age is the most important, ambitious and comprehensive film ever made about...
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Tin Pan Alley
as DancerSongwriters Calhoun and Harrigan get Katie and Lily Blane to introduce a new one. Lily goes to...
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Orchestra Wives
as Dancer (as Nicholas Brothers)Connie Ward is in seventh heaven when Gene Morrison's band rolls into town. She is swept off her...
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Stormy Weather
as DancerThe relationship between an aspiring dancer and a popular songstress provides a retrospective of...
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The Big Broadcast of 1936
as DotTwo-bit radio station owner Spud Miller doubles as the station's sole announcer. On the verge of...
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Night at the Golden Eagle
as Mr. MaynardTwo elderly criminals spend their final night in Los Angeles, California at the Golden Eagle...
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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as Self (archive footage)Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American...
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Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
as SelfAmerican Masters Series. Documentary on Gene Kelly that gives insight into his dancing, how he...
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The Liberation of L.B. Jones
as Benny SmithA successful African American businessman has a quarrel with a white policeman, suspecting that...
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It's Black Entertainment
as SelfA star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of...
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Kid Millions
as Dancer on ShipA musical comedy about a Brooklyn boy who inherits a fortune from his archaeologist father, but...
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Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back
as Self (archive footage)Maurice Hines, a charming, gay African-American entertainer navigates the complications of show...
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The Great American Broadcast
as Railroad Station DancerAfter WWI two men go into radio. Failure leads the wife of one to borrow money from another; she...
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Hard Four
as UlyssesWhen legendary gambler Golden Hands Segal suffers a fatal heart attack at the craps table in Las...
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Take It or Leave It
as (archive footage) (uncredited)A young husband becomes a game-show participant in the hopes of winning the cash to pay his...
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Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story
as Self (uncredited)The story of the short film from the beginning of the movies in the 1890s, when all movies were...
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My Son Is Guilty
as Specialty ActHonest cop Tim Kerry struggles to keep his son Ritzy from becoming involved in a crime ring.
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Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty
as SelfActor Obba Babatundé hosts this biopic showcasing the life of acclaimed African-American singer...
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Coronado
as Dance Specialty (uncredited)Southern California's Hotel Coronado caters to and is frequented by members of the social...
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Hello Kathrin
as uncreditedGerman musical with Caterina Valente and Peter Alexander.
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The Black Network
as Dancer (uncredited)The owner of a shoe polish company sponsors a radio show that showcases black performers. Since...
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Don't Gamble with Love
as Specialty DancerStandard tale of husband and wife living a party lifestyle. He works in a gambling hall and she...
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El misterio del carro express
as uncreditedPolice detective and his plucky girl-reporter fiancée go after the gang that committed a train...
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The Nicholas Brothers: We Sing and We Dance
as HimselfThe Nicholas Brothers are presented here in a way that reflects the joy and intrinsic goodness...
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Bob Hope: Entertaining the Troops
as HimselfDazzling appearances by Ursula Andress, Teresa Graves, Gloria Loring, Bobbi Martin, Romy...
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An All-Colored Vaudeville Show
as SelfBlack vaudeville acts are featured in this Vitaphone Pepper Pot short. In addition to those...
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The Pirate: A Musical Treasure Chest
as HimselfA documentary on the making of the Gene Kelly/Judy Garland musical The Pirate (1948)
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Nicholas Brothers Family Home Movies
as uncreditedThe Nicholas family home movies capture a golden age of show business -- with extraordinary...
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Nicholas Brothers: Stormy Weather
as Self (archival footage)In the 1940s, the Nicholas Brothers performed a dance routine so seminal it prefigured hip hop...
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Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
as SelfLouis Gossett Jr. takes viewers through a special documentary celebration of the groundbreaking...
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The Colgate Comedy Hour
as SelfThe Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC...
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The Kennedy Center Honors
as SelfThe Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their...
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The Hollywood Palace
as Self - Tap DancerThe Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly...
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The Jacksons
as SelfThe Jacksons is an American variety show featuring the Jackson siblings. It was the first...
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