Marcel Emile Gaston LePlat (December 2, 1913 – March 29, 2014), known professionally as Marc Platt, was an American

ballet dancer A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

performer, and actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Daniel Pontipee, one of the seven brothers in the film ''

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Do ...

''.

Career

Born Marcel Emile Gaston LePlat to a French immigrant father in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

, he was one of the original members of the

Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo The company Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo (with a plural name) was formed in 1932 after the death of Sergei Diaghilev and the demise of Ballets Russes. Its director was Wassily de Basil (usually referred to as Colonel W. de Basil), and its ...

, performing under the name Platoff. While with the company, Platt choreographed ''Ghost Town'' (1939), set to music by

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American ...

. Platt danced the role of ''Chalmers''/''Dream Curly'' in the original 1943 Broadway production of ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tell ...

'' . Platt was also in the 1955 film version of ''

''in a dancing/speaking role as one of Curly's cowboy friends. He is the cowboy friend who buys Curly's saddle for $10 at the auction - and who also comments that, the previous year, Ado Annie's sweet potato pie gave him a 'three day bellyache' (Platt is credited in the cast list of the film as a dancer). Another notable role for Platt was as Bill Calhoun / Lucent (replacement) in the Cole Porter musical, KISS ME, KATE, which opened on Broadway on December 30, 1948, though Platt did not join the cast until 1949. After he stopped dancing, Platt served as the director of the

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and theater at 1260 Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplace of the Nation", it is the headquarters for ...

Ballet for several years, then transitioned to full-time teaching. In 2000, Platt was presented with the

Nijinsky Award Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...

at the Ballets Russes Reunion. He appeared in the 2005 documentary ''

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. ...

''.

Personal life

Platt was married twice and has three children. Ted Le Plat, from his first marriage, is an actor and musician living in Los Angeles. In 1951, Platt married dancer Jean Goodall who died in 1994; the couple had two children, Michael and Donna. Platt died of pneumonia at a hospice in

San Rafael, California San Rafael ( ; Spanish for " St. Raphael", ) is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's popula ...

on March 29, 2014, aged 100.Los Angeles Times
/ref>Marc Platt, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo dancer, dies
''San Francisco Chronicle'' (March 31, 2014)

Filmography

* ''

The Gay Parisian ''The Gay Parisian'' is an American short film produced in 1941 by Warner Bros. and directed by Jean Negulesco. The film is a screen adaptation, in Technicolor, of the 1938 ballet '' Gaîté Parisienne'', choreographed by Léonide Massine to m ...

'' (1941) (short subject) * ''

You're in the Army Now ''You're in the Army Now'' is a 1941 comedy film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Jimmy Durante, Phil Silvers, Jane Wyman, and Regis Toomey. It featured the longest kiss in film (lasting three minutes and five seconds), between Toomey and ...

'' (1941) * ''Who Calls'' (1942) (short subject) * ''

Tonight and Every Night ''Tonight and Every Night'' is a 1945 American musical film directed by Victor Saville and starring Rita Hayworth, Lee Bowman and Janet Blair. The film portrays wartime romance and tragedy in a London musical show, loosely modelled on the Windmi ...

'' (1945) * ''

Tars and Spars ''Tars and Spars'' is a 1946 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Alfred Drake, Janet Blair, and Marc Platt. Plot Howard Young is a coast guardsman who has been on shore duty for three years despite ...

'' (1946) * '' Down to Earth'' (1947) * ''

When a Girl's Beautiful ''When a Girl's Beautiful'' is a 1947 musical comedy directed by Frank McDonald from a script by Brenda Weisberg. Actress Joi Lansing made her film debut on this film. Plot An advertising man begins a search for the "perfect woman" for a new ...

'' (1947) * '' The Swordsman'' (1948) * '' Addio Mimi!'' (1949) * ''

'' (1954) * ''

'' (1955) * ''

These Wilder Years ''These Wilder Years'' is a 1956 American drama film directed by Roy Rowland and starring James Cagney and Barbara Stanwyck. It is the story of a businessman who tries to find the illegitimate son he gave up to an orphanage many years ago. The f ...

'' (1956) * ''

'' (2005) (documentary) * ''Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age'' (2018) (documentary)

Stage appearances

*''

Jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

'' (1935) *''Broadway Sho-Window'' (1936) *''Yokel Boy'' (1939) *''The Lady Comes Across'' (1942) *''Beat the Band'' (1942) *''

'' (1943) *''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-stag ...

'' (1949-1952) *''Maggie'' (1953)

References

Sources

* Anawalt, Sasha. ''The Joffrey Ballet: Robert Joffrey and the Making of an American Ballet Company''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. * Wilk, Max. ''OK! The Story of Oklahoma!: A Celebration of America's Most Beloved Musical''. Rev. ed. New York: Applause Books, 2002.

External links

Marc Platt profile at arts•meme

* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Platt, Marc 1913 births 2014 deaths People from Pasadena, California American male ballet dancers American male musical theatre actors American choreographers Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo dancers American centenarians American male film actors Men centenarians 20th-century American ballet dancers