Doris Day - Dansero

It must have been the ultimate thrill for Doris to dance in movies.
From a very early age her dream was to be a dancer. She started
dancing lessons in kindergarten. By the time she was 12 she had
a regular tap dancing act with Jerry Doherty. They won $500 in a
Cincinatti city wide dance contest. Doris, Jerry and their mothers
decided to use the money for a trip to Hollywood to study with the
nationally famous Franchon & Marco. During the 4 weeks their
dancing received a lot of attention and they were sent to perform at
events in and around Hollywood.
Doris began to dream that she might someday come back to Hollywood
as a dancer like Betty Grable or Ginger Rogers whom she adored.
By the end of the 4 weeks they had received such encouragement from
Franchon & Marco they they decided to move to Hollywood for good.
They returned home to say their good byes and move their belongings
to the coast. On Friday Oct. 13, 1937 they attended a good bye party in
Hamilton, Ohio about 25 miles from Cincinatti. Doris and her friends
went for a hamburger and on the way back to the party their car was
struck by a train.
Her leg was shattered in the crash. The x-rays showed a double compound
fracture with shattered bone fragments that had to be fitted back into place.
A steel pin was inserted in the bone and she had an extra heavy cast from thigh
to toes. The doctors were optimistic that she would walk again - but they were
not optimistic that she would ever dance again.
During her convelescense she began singing with the radio. Singing along with
bands like Goodman, Dorsey, Ellington and Miller. But the one radio voice she
listened to, above all others was Ella Fitzgerald.
After many months - with the promise of a mending leg - Doris was dancing to
the radio - with cast and crutches - when she slipped and fell on her injured leg.
The prognosis was not good and Doris looked forward to at least another year
with her cast and crutches. The doctors urged her mother to keep her busy to
avoid depression.
So - she began singing lessons with Grace Raine. Grace recognized her
"tremendous potential" and gave her 3 lessons a week for the price of one.
Doris and her mother could only afford one lesson. Doris credits Grace with
teaching her virtually everything she ever learned about singing. Grace got
Doris on the radio and her first singing job at a local Chinese restaurant -
on crutches !
Eighteen months after the accident Doris was given the ok to trade in her
crutches for a cane. Doris then landed a job with Barney Rapp and his
New Englanders. She later joined Bob Crosby and his Bobcats and then
Les Brown. I think we know the rest of the story.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• doris
• day
• dansero
• music
• entertainment
• movies

[TheSwingShift]

My second favorite song from the great "Latin for Lovers" album. Miss Day is sexy and the music smolders with a satiny-latiny feel. Thanks for sharing!!

[Dayniac4324]

@TheSwingShift Happy you enjoyed ... what is your favorite song from the album ? I really love Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps. Thank you !

[TheSwingShift]

@Dayniac4324 Oh, it's got to be "Por Favor." Just love it. Day and Peggy Lee were tops at sounding sexy and yet innocent.

[Dayniac4324]

@TheSwingShift Yes .. thats a great one too. I think you're right .. they were so good at it ! Doris was pretty good at it in her movies too !!

[Dayniac4324]

@AutumnSplendors I think you're so right about Doris. She had a personality that just exploded on the screen. As her first director Michael Curtiz said .. she had it. The camera loved her. I think she did try to live her life as happily as she could .. and she had a lot to overcome. But as Terry said - she's great at moving on. Thank goodness she did. She's contributed so much to entertainment and the animal world. Her work for animal welfare is what I admire most ! Thankyou !!

[Dayniac4324]

@AutumnSplendors I think you're so right about Doris. She had a personality that just exploded on the screen. As her first director Michael Curtiz said .. she had it. The camera loved her. I think she did try to live her life as happily as she could .. and she had a lot to overcome. But as Terry said - she's great at moving on. Thank goodness she did. She's contributed so much to entertainment and the animal world. Her work for animal welfare is what I admire most ! Thankyou !!

[Dayniac4324]

@1FrankFan It is ...so happy you enjoyed ...thanks !!

[1FrankFan]

Great song from a really great album.

[Dayniac4324]

I know -- isn't that amazing ?! And I always think what a thrill it must have been for her to finally get to dance - to fulfill her dream. I read on internet bio's that she wanted to be a "ballet" dancer - she didn't do ballet - she and Jerry did tap routines. Don't know where that ballet thing came from...but it always maked me want to say NO .. thats not right !!

Thank you .. always an interesting comment from you !!

Merry Christmas !

[rioamigo]

Yes, I think we know the rest, but just in case....Doris still has that pin in her leg ankle to knee. All the fancy footwork we have seen her do onscreen has been done with her leg artificially held together. It's one more thing that makes her absolutely amazing!