Juliet Prowse - Satin Doll (17/21)

Juliet Anne Prowse (September 25, 1936 -- September 14, 1996) was a South African dancer, whose four decade career included stage, television and film.

Prowse was born in Bombay, India and brought up in South Africa. She began studying dance at the age of four. In her early twenties she was dancing at a club in Paris when she was spotted by a talent agent and eventually signed to play the part of "Claudine" in the 1960 Walter Lang film, Can-Can.

It was during the filming of Can-Can in 1959 that she captured the international spotlight. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visited the set of the film and after Prowse performed a rather saucy can-can for the Russian leader, he proclaimed her dance "immoral". Little did Khrushchev know that he was a great press agent, because the publicity brought Prowse considerable attention in the United States. From there, her career took off.

Prowse met Frank Sinatra on the set of Can-Can. Time magazine did not care for the movie but said that Prowse was the best thing in it: "In fact, the only thing really worth seeing is Juliet Prowse, a young South African hoofer who puts some twinkle in the stub-toed choreography. And the only thing really worth hearing is the crack that Frank flips back at Juliet when she whips a redoubtable hip in his direction. "Don't point", he gasps. "It's rude." She would go on to appear with Sinatra and other notable guests such as Ella Fitzgerald, Peter Lawford, Hermione Gingold, the Hi-Lo's, Red Norvo, Nelson Riddle and his orchestra on the 1959, Frank Sinatra Show. She at times would sing in the chorus with other guests or Sinatra would sing to her.

(extract from Wikipedia 2011)

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• 1950's
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