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Erik Rhodes (born Ernest Sharpe; February 10, 1906 – February 17, 1990) was an American film and Broadway singer and actor. He is best remembered today for appearing in two classic Hollywood musical films with the popular dancing team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers: '' The Gay Divorcee'' (1934) and ''
Top Hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditional ...
'' (1935).


Early years

Rhodes was born Earnest R. Sharpe at El Reno,
Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...
, now
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest A. Sharpe. He attended Central High School and the
University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...
. While he was a student at the university, he earned a scholarship that enabled him to spend a year in New York studying voice. During World War II, Rhodes was a language specialist in the
intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can ...
service of the
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.


Career

Rhodes started performing on the Broadway stage in ''A Most Immoral Lady'' (1928) using his birth name, Ernest R. Sharpe. This was followed by two musicals, ''The Little Show'' (1929) and ''Hey Nonny Nonny!'' (1932). He first used the name Erik Rhodes when he appeared on Broadway in '' Gay Divorce'' (1932) and again in London in 1933. In this show, he gave a memorable comic portrayal of a spirited, feather-brained, thick-accented Italian character that impressed RKO executives enough to bring him to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
to reprise the role in the film version, '' The Gay Divorcee'' (1934) and then repeated in ''
Top Hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditional ...
'' (1935), much to Mussolini's displeasure.The different spellings of '' Gay Divorce'' ( Broadway play, 1932) and '' The Gay Divorcee'' (film, 1934) are not a typographic error. When the film was made, film censors objected to the description of a divorce as "gay" (in the traditional meaning of the word – happy, cheerful). Hence, the title change. In 1946, he was called in to take over a role in the
Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer/songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can' ...
musical ''Sweet Bye and Bye'' during its tryout, but the show closed before reaching Broadway. Between 1947 and 1964, he was back on Broadway in '' The Great Campaign'', ''Dance Me a Song'', ''Collector's Item'', ''
Shinbone Alley ''Shinbone Alley'' (sometimes performed as ''archy & mehitabel'') is a musical with a book by Joe Darion and Mel Brooks, lyrics by Darion, and music by George Kleinsinger. Based on the album ''Archy and Mehitabel: A Back-Alley Opera'', which in ...
'', ''
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
'', ''How to Make a Man'', and ''
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman playwright Plautu ...
''. In the
Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...
musical '' Can-Can'', he appeared as a lecherous art critic, and introduced the song "Come Along With Me". Rhodes also acted in regional theater, including Playhouse on the Mall in Paramus, New Jersey, and the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia. On radio, Rhodes was heard regularly on the variety show ''51 East 51st''. On television, he was co-host of ''Second Cup of Coffee'', which debuted on WJZ in New York City on October 15, 1952. The Monday-Friday 15-minute daytime program combined talk and music. Among his other TV appearances, he performed in the variety program ''Wonder Boy'' and played the role of murder victim Herman Albright in the 1961 '' Perry Mason'' episode, "The Case of the Violent Vest."


Death

Rhodes died of pneumonia in an
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
nursing home on February 17, 1990, at age 84 and is interred with his wife in the El Reno Cemetery in El Reno, Oklahoma.


Filmography


Film

* '' Give Her a Ring'' (1934) – Otto Brune * '' The Gay Divorcee'' (1934) – Rodolfo Tonetti * ''
Charlie Chan in Paris ''Charlie Chan in Paris'' is the seventh film produced by Fox with Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. Long thought lost, it is available on DVD as part of Twentieth Century Fox Home Video's ''Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 1''. Hamilton MacFadden d ...
'' (1935) – Max Corday * '' A Night at the Ritz'' (1935) – Leopold Jaynos * '' The Nitwits'' (1935) – George Clark * ''
Old Man Rhythm ''Old Man Rhythm'' is a 1935 American musical film directed by Edward Ludwig from a screenplay by Sig Herzig and Ernest Pagano, based on a story by Herzig, Lewis Gensler, and Don Hartman. The musical director was Roy Webb, with music composed ...
'' (1935) – Frank Rochet * ''
Top Hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditional ...
'' (1935) – Alberto Beddini * ''
Another Face ''Another Face'' (released in the UK as ''It Happened in Hollywood'')''Another Face' ...
'' (1935) – Grimm – Assistant Director * '' Two in the Dark'' (1936) – Carlo Gheet * '' Chatterbox'' (1936) – Mr. Archie Fisher * '' Special Investigator'' (1936) – Benny Gray * '' One Rainy Afternoon'' (1936) – Count Alfredo Donstelli * '' Second Wife'' (1936) – Dave Bennet * '' Smartest Girl in Town'' (1936) – Baron Enrico Torene * ''
Criminal Lawyer A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ju ...
'' (1937) – Bandini * ''
Woman Chases Man ''Woman Chases Man'' is a 1937 romantic comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Miriam Hopkins and Joel McCrea. Plot B.J. Nolan tries to get his millionaire son Kenneth to invest $100,000 in a housing development called Nolan He ...
'' (1937) – Henri Saffron * '' Music for Madame'' (1937) – Spaghetti Nadzio * ''
Fight for Your Lady ''Fight for Your Lady'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and written by Ernest Pagano, Harry Segall and Harold Daniel Kusel. The film stars John Boles, Jack Oakie, Ida Lupino, Margot Grahame, Gordon Jones, Erik Rho ...
'' (1937) – Anton Spadissimo * '' Beg, Borrow or Steal'' (1937) – Lefevre * '' The Canary Comes Across'' (1938, Short) – Canary Dillon * ''
Meet the Girls ''Meet the Girls'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Eugene Forde and written by Marguerite Roberts. The film stars June Lang, Lynn Bari, Robert (Tex) Allen, Ruth Donnelly, Gene Lockhart and Wally Vernon. The film was released on Octob ...
'' (1938) – Maurice Leon * ''
Mysterious Mr. Moto ''Mysterious Mr. Moto'', produced in 1938 by Twentieth Century Fox, is the fifth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. The film is based on the character of Mr. Moto created by John P. Marquand, from an original screenpla ...
'' (1938) – David Scott-Frensham * '' Say It in French'' (1938) – Irving * '' Dramatic School'' (1938) – Georges Mounier * '' On Your Toes'' (1939) – Konstantin Morrisine * '' Hollywood The Golden Years: The RKO Story'' (1987, TV Series documentary) – Himself


Television

* '' The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre'' (1948, Episode: "Mirage in Manhattan") * ''
Appointment with Adventure ''Appointment with Adventure'' is an American dramatic anthology program that was broadcast from April 3, 1955, until April 1, 1956, on CBS. Format and actors ''Appointment with Adventure'' presented stories whose settings varied among locations ...
'' (1955, Episode: "Escape from Vienna") * '' Perry Mason'' (1961, Episode: "The Case of the Violent Vest") – Herman Albright


Broadway

* ''
A Most Immoral Lady ''A Most Immoral Lady'' is a 1929 American drama film directed by John Griffith Wray and written by Forrest Halsey. It is based on the 1928 play ''A Most Immoral Lady'' by Townsend Martin. The film stars Leatrice Joy, Walter Pidgeon, Sidney Bl ...
'' (1928) * '' The Little Show'' (1929) * '' Hey Nonny Nonny!'' (1932) * '' Gay Divorce'' (1932) * '' The Great Campaign'' (1947) * '' Dance Me a Song'' (1950) * '' Collector's Item'' (1952) * '' Can-Can'' (1953) * ''
Shinbone Alley ''Shinbone Alley'' (sometimes performed as ''archy & mehitabel'') is a musical with a book by Joe Darion and Mel Brooks, lyrics by Darion, and music by George Kleinsinger. Based on the album ''Archy and Mehitabel: A Back-Alley Opera'', which in ...
'' (1957) * ''
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
'' (1957) * '' How to Make a Man'' (1961) * ''
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman playwright Plautu ...
'' (1962)


Notes


References


External links

* Retrieved on 2009-01-24 * Retrieved on 2009-01-24 *
Erik Rhodes papers, 1923–1979 (bulk 1950-1960s)
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, Erik 1906 births 1990 deaths American male dancers American male film actors United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II American male stage actors Deaths from pneumonia in Oklahoma Nightlife in New York City Male actors from Oklahoma 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American dancers