Dona Massin (born 18 February 1917–26 May 2001) was a
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
choreographer
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...
best known for her work on the 1939 film version of ''
The Wizard of Oz
''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to:
*'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz''
** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...
''. Dona Massin appeared in over 100 films throughout her career.
Early years
Dona Massin's family moved to
Los Angeles, California when she was eight years old. She started her show business career as a child. Also at the age of eight, she sang
My Man
"Mon Homme" (),also known by its English translation, "My Man", is a popular song first published in 1920. The song was originally composed by Maurice Yvain with French lyrics by Jacques-Charles (Jacques Mardochée Charles) and Albert Willemet ...
at the
Mayan Theater
The Mayan Theater in Los Angeles, California is a landmark former movie palace and current nightclub and music venue.
History
The Mayan Theater opened in August 1927 as a performance arts theater.
Leon Hefflin Sr. rented out the Mayan Theater d ...
in Los Angeles and received a
standing ovation. She then was discovered by Maurice Kosell and was given free dancing lessons due to her natural talent.
At the age of 14, Dona was signed to
MGM Studios and worked on many of the musicals. She also worked at
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
,
Universal,
Warner Bros. and
Columbia Pictures.
''The Wizard of Oz''
In 1939, at the age of 21, Massin was signed to production of ''The Wizard of Oz'', where she worked as a choreographer assisting
Bobby Connolly. The film took 6 months to complete.
Dona was the first to sing the song "
Over The Rainbow", and it was she who pushed for the song to be in the film. She also originated the skip that was performed down the
yellow brick road.
The skip is a ballet step called pas de basque however, Massin had it executed at a quicker speed than was usual for the step.
In the film itself, Massin can be seen grooming the Lion in the scene at the beauty shop.
Mervyn Leroy
Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. In his youth he played juvenile roles in vaudeville and silent film comedies.
During the 1930s, LeRoy was one of the two great practitioners of ...
put her in that part to bring good
luck to the film.
Personal life
Dona Massin married Don Carn and had one daughter,
Jodie Carn, who is a
talk show host on ''Jodie L.A.and Jodie in Malibu. Jodie'', filmed in
Los Angeles. She retired from show business at the age of 30 to be a wife and mother. In Dona's later years, she and daughter Jodie would visit the ''Wizard of Oz'' Festivals in
Chesterton, Indiana,
Wisconsin, and
Chicago. With Dona were some of the
little people from the film.
In 2001, she taped ''Memories of Oz'', portraying herself in the production. Also in 2001, she appeared in the television special ''Last Days of
Judy Garland'' (also portraying herself) and "The
E! True Hollywood Story". Towards the end of her life, she gave interviews for both books and television. Dona died from
natural causes
In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...
. She had been residing in
Malibu, California with her daughter Jodie.
References
External links
*
''LA Times - Dona Massin''
1917 births
2001 deaths
People from Winnipeg
Canadian choreographers
Film choreographers
Canadian women choreographers
Canadian emigrants to the United States
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