Jewel McGowan
Encyclopedia
Jewel McGowan was a dancer of Lindy Hop
, a form of swing dance
, in the 1940s and 1950s. She is known among dance aficionados as the frequent partner of dancer Dean Collins
. Jewel was considered by her fellow Los Angeles
dancers to be the best female swing dancer who ever lived. In addition to their social dancing, Dean and Jewel appeared together as dancers in films of the era. They were partners for 11 years and they were often called the Fred
and Ginger
of Lindy Hop. Jewel is especially known for her hip swivels, which remain admired and unrivaled to this day.
Dean and Jewel also appeared in a few short films such as "Chool Song," and Jewel appeared solo in the short "Hilo Hattie" doing the hula in a grass skirt.
Lindy Hop
The Lindy Hop is an American social dance, from the swing dance family. It evolved in Harlem, New York City in the 1920s and '30s and originally evolved with the jazz music of that time. Lindy was a fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but is mainly based...
, a form of swing dance
Swing (dance)
"Swing dance" is a group of dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s-1950s, although the earliest of these dances predate swing jazz music. The best known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, a popular partner dance that originated in Harlem and is still danced today...
, in the 1940s and 1950s. She is known among dance aficionados as the frequent partner of dancer Dean Collins
Dean Collins
Dean Collins was an American dancer, instructor, choreographer, and innovator of swing. He is often credited with bringing swing dance, or Lindy Hop, from New York to Southern California...
. Jewel was considered by her fellow Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
dancers to be the best female swing dancer who ever lived. In addition to their social dancing, Dean and Jewel appeared together as dancers in films of the era. They were partners for 11 years and they were often called the Fred
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
and Ginger
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
of Lindy Hop. Jewel is especially known for her hip swivels, which remain admired and unrivaled to this day.
Motion pictures
- Buck PrivatesBuck PrivatesBuck Privates is the 1941 comedy/World War II film that turned Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into bonafide movie stars. It was the first service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940. The comedy team made two more service comedies before the United States entered the war...
(1941), partner Dean Collins - Playmates (1941), partner Dean Collins
- Ride 'Em CowboyRide 'Em CowboyRide 'Em Cowboy is a 1942 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.-Plot:The author of best-selling western novels, Bronco Bob Mitchell , has never set foot in the west. A newspaper article has exposed this fact to his fans, and his image is suffering because of it. He decides to make...
(1942), partner Dean Collins - Springtime in the RockiesSpringtime in the RockiesSpringtime in the Rockies is a Technicolor musical comedy film released by Twentieth Century Fox in 1942. A Betty Grable vehicle, with support from John Payne, Carmen Miranda, Cesar Romero, Charlotte Greenwood, and Edward Everett Horton. Also in the cast was Grable's future husband Harry James, and...
(1942), partner Dean Collins - The Talk of the Town (1942), partner Dean Collins
- Always a Bridesmaid (1943), partner Dean Collins
- Kid DynamiteKid Dynamite (film)Kid Dynamite is a 1943 American film directed by Wallace Fox and starring the East Side Kids.- Cast :The East Side Kids:*Leo Gorcey as Ethelbert 'Muggs' McGinnis*Huntz Hall as Glimpy McGleavey*Bobby Jordan as Danny Lyons...
(1943), partner Dean Collins - The Powers GirlThe Powers GirlThe Powers Girl, sometimes retitled Hello, Beautiful, is a 1943 musical comedy about women employed by John Robert Powers' modeling agency. Starring George Murphy, Anne Shirley, and Carole Landis, the film was directed by Norman Z...
(1943), partner Dean Collins (famous for dancing in the rain with an umbrella) - Dance HallDance Hall (film)Dance Hall is a 1950 British film directed by Charles Crichton. Appealing mainly to a female audience, the film was an unusual departure for the studio, known at the time primarily for its classic comedies starring Alec Guinness.-Plot:...
(1950), partner Dean Collins - Living It UpLiving It UpLiving It Up is a 1954 film comedy starring the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and released by Paramount Pictures.The film was directed by Norman Taurog and produced by Paul Jones. The screenplay by Jack Rose and Melville Shavelson was based on the 1953 musical Hazel Flagg by Ben Hecht, in...
(1954), partner Dean Collins
Dean and Jewel also appeared in a few short films such as "Chool Song," and Jewel appeared solo in the short "Hilo Hattie" doing the hula in a grass skirt.
Television documentaries
- In the Kingdom of Swing (1993), partner Dean Collins (on Benny GoodmanBenny GoodmanBenjamin 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...
)