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Ann Pennington (actress)
Anna Rebecca Pennington (December 23, 1893 – November 4, 1971) was an American actress, dancer, and singer who starred on Broadway in the 1910s and 1920s, notably in the Ziegfeld Follies and George White's Scandals.
Pennington was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on December 23, 1893, to John I. Pennington and his wife, Mary (Reeder) Pennington.
There are differing accounts of Pennington's early career. She reportedly studied at Professor Walter G. Wroe's dance school in Philadelphia and performed in popular theaters as part of Wroe's Buds. She later studied with Caroline Littlefield and her daughter, future ballerina Catherine Littlefield, and became part of the Littlefield's dance group. It is said she was dancing with this group when Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. recruited her for a Broadway show in 1911.
In 1910, Pennington reportedly performed as part of the De Haven Sextet (composed of "the celebrated comedian Sydney Gibson and six young and pretty girls") at a Camden, New Jersey, theater. The De Haven Sextet (with Pennington) performed in Newark at Proctor's Park Place Theatre in February 1911; the group was on a national tour during 1910-1911. Pennington's first press mention in connection with The Red Widow was in 1912. Her first press mention associated with Ziegfeld was on May 31, 1913, announcing her casting in Ziegfeld Follies of 1913.
Pennington achieved stardom in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1913 through her dancing, as well as her beauty, lively charm, and "dimpled knees." She tapped, did high kicks, and shook while doing classic tap and novelty dances.
She first introduced the Black Bottom in the 1926 edition of George White's Scandals. Her performance launched an international craze that quickly rivaled that of the Charleston. There is no consensus about the dance's origins, but some version of it existed before Pennington made it famous.
Pennington starred in the Ziegfeld Follies for many years and also headlined for George White's Scandals for several years. She had other roles on Broadway, including Miss 1917, The New Yorkers, and Everybody's Welcome. Her last Broadway credit was The Student Prince in 1943.
In summing up her career, one critic declared that "Pennington was the greatest of the solo female stage dancers who came to prominence in the Broadway revues of the 1910s and '20s."
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Ann Pennington (actress)
Anna Rebecca Pennington (December 23, 1893 – November 4, 1971) was an American actress, dancer, and singer who starred on Broadway in the 1910s and 1920s, notably in the Ziegfeld Follies and George White's Scandals.
Pennington was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on December 23, 1893, to John I. Pennington and his wife, Mary (Reeder) Pennington.
There are differing accounts of Pennington's early career. She reportedly studied at Professor Walter G. Wroe's dance school in Philadelphia and performed in popular theaters as part of Wroe's Buds. She later studied with Caroline Littlefield and her daughter, future ballerina Catherine Littlefield, and became part of the Littlefield's dance group. It is said she was dancing with this group when Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. recruited her for a Broadway show in 1911.
In 1910, Pennington reportedly performed as part of the De Haven Sextet (composed of "the celebrated comedian Sydney Gibson and six young and pretty girls") at a Camden, New Jersey, theater. The De Haven Sextet (with Pennington) performed in Newark at Proctor's Park Place Theatre in February 1911; the group was on a national tour during 1910-1911. Pennington's first press mention in connection with The Red Widow was in 1912. Her first press mention associated with Ziegfeld was on May 31, 1913, announcing her casting in Ziegfeld Follies of 1913.
Pennington achieved stardom in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1913 through her dancing, as well as her beauty, lively charm, and "dimpled knees." She tapped, did high kicks, and shook while doing classic tap and novelty dances.
She first introduced the Black Bottom in the 1926 edition of George White's Scandals. Her performance launched an international craze that quickly rivaled that of the Charleston. There is no consensus about the dance's origins, but some version of it existed before Pennington made it famous.
Pennington starred in the Ziegfeld Follies for many years and also headlined for George White's Scandals for several years. She had other roles on Broadway, including Miss 1917, The New Yorkers, and Everybody's Welcome. Her last Broadway credit was The Student Prince in 1943.
In summing up her career, one critic declared that "Pennington was the greatest of the solo female stage dancers who came to prominence in the Broadway revues of the 1910s and '20s."