Antonio DeMarco (1 January 1898 – 14 November 1965) was an American

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

in the first half of the 20th century. Performing with his wife Sally, "The Dancing DeMarcos" was an extremely successful exhibition ballroom dance team in the 1940s.

Career

DeMarco was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, on 1 January 1898. He was the son of a farmer, whose father had lost the family mill in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

through neglecting business to dance at folk festivals around Italy. DeMarco became a dancer despite his father's opposition. He began his career as a solo dancer, then with partners, in burlesque and vaudeville, in the prohibition-era

speakeasies A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States d ...

. DeMarco danced with several female partners, of whom the best known were his wives and the ballet and musical theatre star

Patricia Bowman Patricia Bowman (December 12, 1908 – March 18, 1999) was an American ballerina, ballroom dancer, musical theatre actress, television personality, and dance teacher. Dance critic Jack Anderson described her as "the first American ballerina t ...

. Tony's first wife was Nina Kroner and his second Renée. Tony and Renee began dancing together when he was 29 and she was 16. He was best known for his performances with his third wife, Sally Craven, a ballet dancer. Sally Craven doubled for

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gon ...

in the long shots of dances in ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'' (1939). Tony DeMarco became known in 1924 with ''

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. Fie ...

''. He was the dance director for ''Harry Carroll's Revue'' in 1929, and performed with Renée in the hit musical ''

Girl Crazy ''Girl Crazy'' is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in song, ...

'' with

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

in 1930. Renee and Antonio DeMarco appeared in 1932 in ''Hotcha!'' at the Ziegfeld Theatre. For ''

In Caliente ''In Caliente'' (also known as ''Viva Señorita'') is a 1935 American romantic musical comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon, starring Dolores del Río and Pat O'Brien. The film was written by Ralph Block and Warren Duff. The musical numbers were ...

'', the 1935 film, his partner was Sally Craven.

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

panned the film for its lightweight storyline, but said the dancing DeMarcos helped to make the picture entertaining. After that Tony DeMarco was solo until 1940. Renée filed for divorce in 1939. In June 1941 Tony announced that Renee was leaving for Reno, Nevada, to get a divorce. Sally Craven danced with Tony DeMarco on Broadway in ''Boys and Girls Together'' (1940–41) and '' Banjo Eyes'' (1941-42). Tony appeared without Sally in '' The Gang's All Here'' (1943) and with her in '' Crazy House'' (1943) and ''

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

'' (1944). In the 1940s Tony and Sally DeMarco were able to make up to $4,000 per week at high-class supper clubs and hotels. Tony DeMarco and Sally married in 1944. Exhibition ballroom dancing fell out of vogue in the 1950s with the rise of rock and roll. Tony and Sally still appeared several times on

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New York ...

's ''

Toast of the Town ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night ...

''. Tony took a few bit parts as a TV actor. DeMarco died in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...

, on 14 November 1965.

Work

DeMarco introduced comic patter and classical music to exhibition ballroom dancing. He brought back the image of a sensuous seducer that was the signature of Rudolph Valentino. The "Dancing DeMarcos" were one of the best known of the exhibition ballroom dance teams of the 1930s and 1940s, along with

Veloz and Yolanda Frank Veloz (1906–1981) and Yolanda Casazza (1908–1995) were a self-taught American ballroom dance team, husband and wife, who became stars in the 1930s and 1940s, and were among the highest paid dance acts during that era. They performed on ...

and

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932� ...

and

Gower Champion Gower Carlyle Champion (June 22, 1919 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer. Early years Champion was born on June 22, 1919, in Geneva, Illinois, as the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice ...

Stage

*1914 - Hands Up *1925 - Cocoanuts *1929 - Music Box Revue *1930 - Girl Crazy *1932 - Hot-Cha! *1935 - Jubilee! *1940 - Boys and Girls Together

Film

*1935 -

*1938 -

The Shining Hour ''The Shining Hour'' is a 1938 American romantic drama film directed by Frank Borzage, based on the 1934 play ''The Shining Hour'' by Keith Winter, and starring Joan Crawford and Margaret Sullavan. The supporting cast of the MGM film features ...

*1943 - Crazy House *1943 - The Gang's All Here *1944 -

References

Sources * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Demarco, Tony American male dancers 1898 births 1965 deaths American ballroom dancers 20th-century American dancers