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 Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

and

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 ...

: ''

The Gay Divorcee ''The Gay Divorcee'' is a 1934 American Musical film, musical romantic comedy film directed by Mark Sandrich and starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It also features Alice Brady, Edward Everett Horton, Erik Rhodes (actor, born 1906), Erik ...

'' (1934) and ''

Top Hat A top hat (also called a high hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or ...

'' (1935).

Early years

Rhodes was born Ernest R. Sharpe at El Reno,

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

, now

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest A. Sharpe. He attended Central High School and the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

. 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. It can be described as t ...

service of the

Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

Career

Rhodes started performing on the

Broadway stage Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

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) * Hollywood ...

to reprise the role in the film version, ''

'' (1934) and then repeated in ''

'' (1935), much to Mussolini's displeasure.The different spellings of '' Gay Divorce'' ( Broadway play, 1932) and ''

'' (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 and 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 ...

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'', ''

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

'', ''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 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specif ...

''. In the

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

musical ''

Can-Can The can-can (also spelled cancan as in the original French /kɑ̃kɑ̃/) is a high-energy, physically demanding dance that became a popular music-hall dance in the 1840s, continuing in popularity in French cabaret to this day. Originally dance ...

'', 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 The Forrest Theatre is a live theatre venue at 1114 Walnut Street in the Center City area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has a seating capacity of 1,851 and is managed by The Shubert Organization.

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 List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

nursing home on February 17, 1990, at age 84 and is interred with his wife in the El Reno Cemetery in

El Reno, Oklahoma El Reno is a city in and the county seat of Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 16,989, marking a change of 1.55% from 16,729, recorded in the 2010 census. The city was begun shortly after ...

Filmography

Film

* '' Give Her a Ring'' (1934) – Otto Brune * ''

'' (1934) – Rodolfo Tonetti * '' Charlie Chan in Paris'' (1935) – Max Corday * ''

A Night at the Ritz ''A Night at the Ritz'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by William C. McGann and starring William Gargan, Patricia Ellis and Allen Jenkins.Gledhill p.36 The art direction was by Esdras Hartley. The film is of interest because the storyli ...

'' (1935) – Leopold Jaynos * '' The Nitwits'' (1935) – George Clark * '' Old Man Rhythm'' (1935) – Frank Rochet * ''

'' (1935) – Alberto Beddini * '' Another Face'' (1935) – Grimm – Assistant Director * ''

Two in the Dark 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and the only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many ...

'' (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'' (1937) – Bandini * '' Woman Chases Man'' (1937) – Henri Saffron * '' Music for Madame'' (1937) – Spaghetti Nadzio * ''

Fight for Your Lady Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is resorted to either as a method of ...

'' (1937) – Anton Spadissimo * '' Beg, Borrow or Steal'' (1937) – Lefevre * '' The Canary Comes Across'' (1938, Short) – Canary Dillon * '' Meet the Girls'' (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 ''On Your Toes'' (1936) is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939. While teaching music at Knickerbocker University, Phil "Junior" Dol ...

'' (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'' (1955, Episode: "Escape from Vienna") * '' Perry Mason'' (1961, Episode: "The Case of the Violent Vest") – Herman Albright

Broadway

* '' A Most Immoral Lady'' (1928) * ''

The Little Show ''The Little Show'' was a musical revue with lyrics by Howard Dietz and music by Arthur Schwartz. It was the first of 11 musicals that featured the songs of Dietz and Schwartz. The revue opened at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway on April 30, 19 ...

'' (1929) * '' Hey Nonny Nonny!'' (1932) * '' Gay Divorce'' (1932) * '' The Great Campaign'' (1947) * '' Dance Me a Song'' (1950) * ''

Collector's Item A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any Physical object, object regarded as being of value or interest to a collecting, collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types ...

'' (1952) * ''

'' (1953) * '' Shinbone Alley'' (1957) * ''

'' (1957) * '' How to Make a Man'' (1961) * ''

'' (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 The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

{{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