Dixie Roberts
Encyclopedia
Dixie Roberts was a vaudeville
tap and specialty dancer, who also danced in chorus lines and performed musical comedy. A featured dancer in the Ziegfeld Follies
, she was often billed as the dancer who "taps with a Southern accent", although she was born in Elmhurst, New York
. She explained her moniker, saying that she was conceived in her mother's hometown of Atlanta. Roberts grew up on Long Island and also in upstate New York, where she learned to dance and became an accomplished athlete before her years of touring the U.S. as an entertainer.
Roberts took dancing lessons from Dorothy Fitch in Peekskill, New York
, while she attended Carmel High School. She taught dance after school, charging 25 cents an hour, often walking the five miles home after she finished teaching.
A professional dancer at age 16, Roberts' first job was at the Paramount Theatre in New York, dancing with the Tommy Dorsey
Band in 1935. She and her partner were one of the five acts on the bill with the band. She danced with Horace Nichols, with whom she had earlier won the title, "King and Queen of Shag" at the Paramount Theatre, N.Y.
Roberts was also a prizewinning athlete, New York State Cue Champion, and expert riflewoman. An A.A.U. swimming champ, Roberts was invited to train for the Olympic swim team, an offer her father did not let her accept. In 1943, Physical Culture magazine reported that, as a youngster in upstate New York, Roberts was "the best feminine baseball player in the county, and was hard to beat at tennis, basketball and swimming". Similarly, the Sunday Mirror reported that 22-year-old Roberts, "once had a run of 93 in three cushion billiards, bowls a neat 200 and finished last season batting .405 … and has the trophies to prove it … She has won 11 plaques for excellence in sports since she's been in show business, and her accomplishments range from swimming and track to stud poker. There's a popular belief that men don't like athletic girls, but Dixie belies it. She's probably the most popular dame in the show, in a cast of 50 expensive stunners."
, which was the inspiration for "Kellerman’s Resort" in the movie Dirty Dancing
.
Roberts was on Showboat on NBC Television, in 1939.
She also performed in USO tours, for the Marines and the Flying Tigers
. During one USO hospital tour, she tap danced with Peg Leg Bates
, a one-legged tap dancer. She said that he danced far better with one leg than anyone else could with two.
Between shows at the Earle Theatre in Philadelphia, she shot pool with Bunny Berigan, "the greatest white trumpet player who ever lived," according to Louis Armstrong.
of 1943 , at the Winter Garden Theater, in which she partnered with Milton Berle
in one of her dance numbers. She and Berle played pool after matinees and later she was a guest on his NBC Television show.
, wife of George Balanchine
, the ballet choreographer for the show; and worked with Henry LeTang
, the show's tap choreographer.
She opened shows for such notables as Artie Shaw
, Jimmy Dorsey
, Danny Thomas
, Henny Youngman
, Ben Blue
, Charlie Spivak
, Joe E. Lewis
, Pearl Bailey
, Jimmy Durante
, Steve Allen
, Woody Herman
, and Benny Goodman
. Roberts often made a memorable entrance sliding onto the stage.
Roberts often performed in five or six shows per day, beginning in the morning and ending late in the evening, which was standard procedure for that time.
During her career, Roberts also performed on Broadway, at the Copacabana (N.Y.), the Troika (Washington, D. C.), The Rainbow Room (N.Y.), The Chez Paree (Chicago), the Orpheum (San Francisco), and other venues.
After one performance in 1946, Roberts had a surprise visit from Gene Kelly , who made his way backstage to tell her what a good dancer he thought she was. They went out to Armando's in New York, afterwards, and he tried to convince her to go to Hollywood, but she stayed on the East Coast.
Famous columnist Walter Winchell
singled Roberts out appreciatively on a number of occasions, once as "one of the lookers in the Ziegfeld Follies."
After her stage career, Roberts often worked at parties for Marjorie Merriweather Post
, giving dance performances, lessons, and dancing with the guests. Post, mother of actress Dina Merrill
, and married to E.F. Hutton, was society's grand dame at the time.
Married to Theodore J. Kosek (b. Nov. 12, 1918, Brookln N.Y., d. 1970.) on Aug. 10th, 1946. Separated Feb., 1948. Divorced, May 5, 1950.
One daughter, Linda Darlene Roberts, b. March 4, 1947.
Married to Fred Baurenfeind on Fred's birthday, May 27th, 1967. (Twin granddaughters, Danielle and Christine, both subsequently chose May 27th for their weddings.)
Roberts' parents were Albert Grey Roberts (b. Nov. 22, 1870, Conyers, GA; d. xxx) and Etta Love Bailey Roberts (b. Mar. 9, 1875, Atlanta GA; d. Mar. 30, 1953). Roberts was the youngest of six children who lived past early childhood; five girls and a boy.
Roberts enjoyed her retirement in Florida, as a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Roberts died on April 15, 2010 at the age of 91.
Roberts was featured in ads for 7-Up and Clairol.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
tap and specialty dancer, who also danced in chorus lines and performed musical comedy. A featured dancer in the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
, she was often billed as the dancer who "taps with a Southern accent", although she was born in Elmhurst, New York
Elmhurst, New York
Elmhurst, New York may refer to:*Elmhurst, Chautauqua County, New York*Elmhurst, Queens, New York...
. She explained her moniker, saying that she was conceived in her mother's hometown of Atlanta. Roberts grew up on Long Island and also in upstate New York, where she learned to dance and became an accomplished athlete before her years of touring the U.S. as an entertainer.
Early life
Roberts was born April 5, 1919, in Elmhurst, NY.Roberts took dancing lessons from Dorothy Fitch in Peekskill, New York
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
, while she attended Carmel High School. She taught dance after school, charging 25 cents an hour, often walking the five miles home after she finished teaching.
A professional dancer at age 16, Roberts' first job was at the Paramount Theatre in New York, dancing with the Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
Band in 1935. She and her partner were one of the five acts on the bill with the band. She danced with Horace Nichols, with whom she had earlier won the title, "King and Queen of Shag" at the Paramount Theatre, N.Y.
Roberts was also a prizewinning athlete, New York State Cue Champion, and expert riflewoman. An A.A.U. swimming champ, Roberts was invited to train for the Olympic swim team, an offer her father did not let her accept. In 1943, Physical Culture magazine reported that, as a youngster in upstate New York, Roberts was "the best feminine baseball player in the county, and was hard to beat at tennis, basketball and swimming". Similarly, the Sunday Mirror reported that 22-year-old Roberts, "once had a run of 93 in three cushion billiards, bowls a neat 200 and finished last season batting .405 … and has the trophies to prove it … She has won 11 plaques for excellence in sports since she's been in show business, and her accomplishments range from swimming and track to stud poker. There's a popular belief that men don't like athletic girls, but Dixie belies it. She's probably the most popular dame in the show, in a cast of 50 expensive stunners."
Early dancing career
In 1939, at age 20, Roberts taught and performed on weekends at Grossinger's Catskill Resort HotelGrossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel
Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel was a resort in the Catskill Mountains in the Town of Liberty, near the village of Liberty, New York. It is part of the Borscht Belt. After decades of activity and notable guests, it closed its doors in 1986.-History:...
, which was the inspiration for "Kellerman’s Resort" in the movie Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romantic film. Written by Eleanor Bergstein and directed by Emile Ardolino, the film features Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the lead roles, as well as Cynthia Rhodes and Jerry Orbach...
.
Roberts was on Showboat on NBC Television, in 1939.
She also performed in USO tours, for the Marines and the Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers
The 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force in 1941–1942, famously nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was composed of pilots from the United States Army , Navy , and Marine Corps , recruited under presidential sanction and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The ground crew and headquarters...
. During one USO hospital tour, she tap danced with Peg Leg Bates
Peg Leg Bates
Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates was an Afro-American entertainer from Fountain Inn, South Carolina.Bates lost a leg at the age of 12 in a cotton gin accident. He subsequently taught himself to tap dance with a wooden peg leg...
, a one-legged tap dancer. She said that he danced far better with one leg than anyone else could with two.
Between shows at the Earle Theatre in Philadelphia, she shot pool with Bunny Berigan, "the greatest white trumpet player who ever lived," according to Louis Armstrong.
Ziegfeld Follies
Roberts was a specialist tap dancer in the Ziegfeld FolliesZiegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
of 1943 , at the Winter Garden Theater, in which she partnered with Milton Berle
Milton Berle
Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
in one of her dance numbers. She and Berle played pool after matinees and later she was a guest on his NBC Television show.
Later career highlights
Roberts was a specialty performer in the 1944 Broadway show, Dream with Music , in which she danced with Vera ZorinaVera Zorina
Vera Zorina was a Norwegian ballerina, musical theatre actress and choreographer.-Background:Vera Zorina was born Eva Brigitta Hartwig in Berlin, Germany. Her father Fritz was a German and her mother Billie Hartwig was Norwegian. Both were professional singers...
, wife of George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
, the ballet choreographer for the show; and worked with Henry LeTang
Henry LeTang
Henry LeTang was an American theatre,film, and television choreographer and a dance instructor.-Biography:Born in the Harlem neighbourhood of Manhattan, LeTang was the second son of Clarence, born in Dominica, and his wife Marie, who emigrated from St. Croix. The couple owned and operated a radio...
, the show's tap choreographer.
She opened shows for such notables as Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
, Jimmy Dorsey
Jimmy Dorsey
James "Jimmy" Dorsey was a prominent American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader. He was known as "JD"...
, Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas was an American nightclub comedian and television and film actor, best known for starring in the television sitcom Make Room for Daddy . He was also the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...
, Henny Youngman
Henny Youngman
Henry "Henny" Youngman was a British-born American comedian and violinist famous for "one-liners", short, simple jokes usually delivered rapid-fire...
, Ben Blue
Ben Blue
Ben Blue , born Benjamin Bernstein, was a Canadian-American actor and comedian.Born to a Jewish family in Montreal, Quebec, at the age of nine, Blue emigrated to Baltimore in the United States where he won a contest for the best impersonation of Charlie Chaplin...
, Charlie Spivak
Charlie Spivak
Charlie Spivak was an American trumpeter and bandleader, best known for his big band in the 1940s.-Biography:...
, Joe E. Lewis
Joe E. Lewis
Joe E. Lewis , born Joseph Klewan in New York City, was an American comedian and singer.-Biography:...
, Pearl Bailey
Pearl Bailey
Pearl Mae Bailey was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968...
, Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
, Steve Allen
Steve Allen
Steve Allen may refer to:*Steve Allen , American musician, comedian, and writer*Steve Allen , presenter on the London-based talk radio station LBC 97.3...
, Woody Herman
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
, and Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
. Roberts often made a memorable entrance sliding onto the stage.
Roberts often performed in five or six shows per day, beginning in the morning and ending late in the evening, which was standard procedure for that time.
During her career, Roberts also performed on Broadway, at the Copacabana (N.Y.), the Troika (Washington, D. C.), The Rainbow Room (N.Y.), The Chez Paree (Chicago), the Orpheum (San Francisco), and other venues.
After one performance in 1946, Roberts had a surprise visit from Gene Kelly , who made his way backstage to tell her what a good dancer he thought she was. They went out to Armando's in New York, afterwards, and he tried to convince her to go to Hollywood, but she stayed on the East Coast.
Famous columnist Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell was an American newspaper and radio gossip commentator.-Professional career:Born Walter Weinschel in New York City, he left school in the sixth grade and started performing in a vaudeville troupe known as Gus Edwards' "Newsboys Sextet."His career in journalism was begun by posting...
singled Roberts out appreciatively on a number of occasions, once as "one of the lookers in the Ziegfeld Follies."
After her stage career, Roberts often worked at parties for Marjorie Merriweather Post
Marjorie Merriweather Post
-External links:******...
, giving dance performances, lessons, and dancing with the guests. Post, mother of actress Dina Merrill
Dina Merrill
-Early life:Merrill was born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton in New York City, New York, the only child of Post Cereals heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post and her second husband, Wall Street stockbroker Edward Francis Hutton...
, and married to E.F. Hutton, was society's grand dame at the time.
Personal
Bandleader Ray Conniff proposed to Roberts. She turned him down, and he married her best girlfriend, Emily Imhof.Married to Theodore J. Kosek (b. Nov. 12, 1918, Brookln N.Y., d. 1970.) on Aug. 10th, 1946. Separated Feb., 1948. Divorced, May 5, 1950.
One daughter, Linda Darlene Roberts, b. March 4, 1947.
Married to Fred Baurenfeind on Fred's birthday, May 27th, 1967. (Twin granddaughters, Danielle and Christine, both subsequently chose May 27th for their weddings.)
Roberts' parents were Albert Grey Roberts (b. Nov. 22, 1870, Conyers, GA; d. xxx) and Etta Love Bailey Roberts (b. Mar. 9, 1875, Atlanta GA; d. Mar. 30, 1953). Roberts was the youngest of six children who lived past early childhood; five girls and a boy.
Roberts enjoyed her retirement in Florida, as a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Roberts died on April 15, 2010 at the age of 91.
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A health food enthusiast and vegetarian who attributed her vigor to getting plenty of sleep and eating the right foods, "Miss Roberts … can be seen daily at the Vitamaster, New York’s famous Health Food Center, where she enjoys her favorite salad and fresh vegetable juices." (Feb. 1943.)Roberts was featured in ads for 7-Up and Clairol.