George White (April 15, 1891 – November 11, 1968) was an American theatrical and film producer and director who also was an actor, choreographer, composer, dancer, dramatist, lyricist and screenwriter, as well as a Broadway theater owner.

Biography

Born Eassy White in New York City (other sources claim his birth name as "George Weitz" and his birthplace as Toronto, Canada; he performed under all three names), White started his career as part of a dance team with partner Benny Ryan, performing in the burlesque circuit. He appeared in supporting roles in many Broadway shows, but it was his appearance in Florenz Ziegfeld's ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Follies of the ...

'' that would provide the impetus for his own career as a theatrical impresario on Broadway."George White"
PBS, accessed October 7, 2015. White appeared in the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' of 1911 and 1915; in the latter show, he popularized the

Turkey Trot Turkey trot are footraces, usually of the long-distance variety, held on or around Thanksgiving Day in the United States. The name is derived from the use of turkey as a common centerpiece of the Thanksgiving dinner. A few races in the United Ki ...

dance. He launched his ''Ziegfeld Follies'' imitation, the ''

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway theatre, Broadway revues produced by George White (producer), George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the career ...

'', in 1919. ''Scandals'' provided audiences with popular songs, comic sketches, eccentric dancers and his own version of the Ziegfeld girls. Though not as grand as the ''Ziegfeld Follies'', his ''Scandals'' were quite successful. The shows, which were micromanaged by White and reflected his tastes, were fast-paced and featured a lot of dancing. White reached the apogee of his Broadway career with the 1926 edition of ''Scandals'', which ran for 424 performances. The Black Bottom, danced by ''Ziegfeld Follies'' star Ann Pennington and Tom Patricola, touched off a national dance craze. However, by the time he produced his last staging of ''Scandals'' in 1939, the show was derided by critics as being old-fashioned. In addition to his ''Scandals'' and ''George White's Music Hall Varieties'' (essentially ''Scandals'' under a different name), White also produced several book musicals and legitimate plays on Broadway, including ''Manhattan Mary'' (1927) and '' Flying High'' (1930). White also was a movie director, producer and screenwriter. He produced the movies '' Flying High'' (1931), ''

'' (1934) '' George White's 1935 Scandals'' (1935) and ''

'' (1945), and directed the 1934 and 1935 celluloid versions of his ''Scandals''. He also appeared in and took screenwriting credit for the 1934 and 1935 pictures. He also received screenwriting credits for the movies ''

(1945) and Duffy's Tavern'' (1945). In 1946, White was involved in a hit-and-run automobile accident in which two people died. He was sentenced to nine months in prison. Freed from jail, White tried to turn ''Scandals'' into a show that would tour the nightclub circuit. The venture failed and he went bankrupt. His attempt to open a nightclub in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

also failed.

Death

White died aged 77 from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

in 1968 in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a metonymy, shorthand reference for the Cinema of the United States, U.S. film industry and the people associated with i ...

and was interred in

Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood and Burbank, California. The cemetery has an entrance called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for aviati ...

North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:White, George 1891 births 1968 deaths American male dancers American male actors American musical theatre composers American theatre directors American theatre managers and producers Impresarios Ziegfeld Follies 20th-century American dancers

Biography

Death

References

Further reading

External links