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Hal Le Roy
Hal Le Roy
Hal Le Roy
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Hal Le Roy (December 10, 1913 – May 2, 1985) was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer appearing on stage, in film, and on television.

Key Information

Life and career

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Hal Le Roy was born John LeRoy Schotte in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 10, 1913.[1][2] He danced in amateur productions as a youth, spurring his mother to take him to New York. His dancing teacher, Ned Wayburn, got him his first job, in Hoboken Hoboes in 1928.[2]

The tall, gangling Hal Le Roy had a distinctive dancing style combining conventional tap with eccentric legomania, with his legs and feet twisting and turning energetically at crazy angles. Le Roy quickly worked his way into Broadway roles, where his flamboyant style created a sensation in the 1931 Ziegfeld Follies. In September of 1931 Vitaphone, the short-subject division of Warner Bros. hired him for a single film, the one-reel (10-minute) musical The High School Hoofer.[3] This was essentially an audition film, testing Le Roy as a screen personality. His dancing was practiced but his delivery of dialogue was not, and in his first film he was very awkward, reciting his dialogue syllable by syllable, without natural inflection. The film cast him as a bashful teenager, so the halting dialogue delivery got by. Variety noticed Le Roy's "poor camera presence"[4] but other reviewers didn't care, as noted by Screenland Magazine: "Hal Le Roy does some of his spectacular dancing. The story isn't much -- but Hal Le Roy is!"[5] Vitaphone liked his act, and promoted him immediately to its more expensive two-reel (20-minute) musicals. His seven-year contract ran through 1939, by which time Vitaphone was using the Hal Le Roy shorts to showcase promising ingenues June Allyson and Betty Hutton.

All 17 of Hal Le Roy's Vitaphone shorts were filmed in New York, leaving Le Roy free to accept stage engagements. In October 1932 he appeared at the Fox Theatre in Philadelphia. A Motion Picture Herald reviewer caught the act: "Tap dancer extraordinary of Ziegfeld's Follies, Hal Le Roy is rewarded with a burst of applause for 10 minutes' fast footwork. He responds with an encore that is even more of a success."[6]

Warner Bros. wanted to adapt the popular Harold Teen comic strip as a feature film, but had trouble casting it. Someone remembered that Hal Le Roy was already under contract to the studio, and the youthful Le Roy (then age 20) was brought to Hollywood. He was still more of a dancer than an actor, so Harold Teen (filmed in November 1933, released in 1934) did not lead to more feature-film assignments. He wouldn't appear in another feature film until 1937, when he was featured as a specialty in Columbia's all-star college musical Start Cheering (released in 1938).

Other projects

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Aside from his work on Broadway and in film, he performed in revues and vaudeville, and as a featured entertainer on New York's nightclub scene. He was selected as a featured performer by Bob Hope for Hope's first appearance on television. In 1954, Le Roy was cast in the pilot film for the Blondie television series based on the comic strip with Hal Roach, Jr. producing. While his appearance was similar to Arthur Lake, who starred in the long-running Columbia movie series, Le Roy's characterization was seen as uneven and awkward. The series was revised three years later and recast, recalling Lake to reprise his original role as Dagwood Bumstead. The series ran for one season on NBC, going to syndicated reruns for a short period afterward.

Personal life

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On April 12, 1934, he married Ruth Hedwig Dod (March 13, 1911 – July 1, 1979), who had been one of his dance partners.[7]

Hal Le Roy died on May 2, 1985, in Hackensack, New Jersey, of complications following heart surgery.[2] With his wife predeceasing him, he left no descendants and was interred in a private funeral.[2]

In 2021 Le Roy was inducted posthumously into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame.[8]

Broadway

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  • The Gang's All Here (1931)
  • Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 (1931)
  • Strike Me Pink (1933)
  • Thumbs Up! (1934–1935)
  • Too Many Girls (1939–1940)
  • Count Me In (1942)

Complete Filmography

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  • The High School Hoofer (1931 short) as Hal Le Roy
  • Tip Tap Toe (1932 short) as Hal Evans
  • The Way of All Freshmen (1933 short) as Hal
  • Use Your Imagination (1933 short) as Hal
  • Mr. Broadway (1933) as Hal Le Roy
  • Picture Palace (1934 short) as Hal
  • Hollywood Newsreel (1934 short) as Himself (uncredited)
  • Wonder Bar (1934) as dancer in blackface
  • Harold Teen (1934) as Harold Teen
  • Private Lessons (1934 short) as Hal Le Roy
  • Syncopated City (1934 short) as Hal Le Roy
  • In the Spotlight (1935 short) as Hal
  • Main Street Follies (1935 short) as Hal
  • Oh, Evaline! (1935 short) as Hal
  • Wash Your Step (1936 short) as Hal Rogers
  • Rhythmitis (1936 short) as Hal
  • Swing for Sale (1937 short)
  • Ups and Downs (1937 short) as Hal Smith
  • Start Cheering (1938) as 'Tarzan' Biddle
  • The Prisoner of Swing (1938 short) as Rudolph, King of Sulvania, and Mr. Razzenstill
  • The Knight Is Young (1938 short) as Hal
  • Public Jitterbug No. 1 (1939 short) as Hal Sturges
  • Too Many Girls (1940) as Al Terwilliger
  • The Star-Spangled Revue (1950 TV movie) as Himself

References

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Hal Le Roy

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from Grokipedia
Hal Le Roy is an American tap dancer and actor known for his distinctive eccentric style of fast-paced, loose-limbed tap dancing that made him a standout in 1930s Vitaphone musical shorts and Broadway revues. He gained early acclaim for stealing scenes in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 and went on to headline numerous Vitaphone shorts such as Tip Tap Toe (1932), Private Lessons (1934), and Rhythmitis (1936), where his dazzling routines often featured improvised elements that impressed audiences and fellow performers alike. Born John Le Roy Schotte on December 10, 1913, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Le Roy learned tap dancing as a youth from an African-American friend while selling newspapers and imitating vaudeville acts. He made his professional debut in 1928 at the Lyric Theater in Hoboken, New Jersey, and studied with Ned Wayburn before breaking into vaudeville and Broadway. His lanky frame and energetic, idiosyncratic style set him apart in an era of celebrated tappers, earning him friendships with figures like Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and frequent bookings at major venues including Radio City Music Hall and the Capitol Theatre. Le Roy's film career included a starring role as the title character in Warner Bros.' Harold Teen (1934) and appearances in feature films such as Too Many Girls (1940) and Start Cheering (1938), alongside specialty dance numbers. He married dancer Ruth Dodd in 1934 and continued performing through the 1940s and 1950s in vaudeville, summer stock, and television, including Bob Hope's TV premiere. Health challenges in later years led him to shift toward directing, including the off-Broadway production Summer's Here (1966). He died on May 2, 1985, in Hackensack, New Jersey, following heart surgery.

Early life

Childhood in Cincinnati

John LeRoy Schotte, later known as Hal Le Roy, was born on December 10, 1913, in Cincinnati, Ohio. During his childhood in Cincinnati, Le Roy was described as lanky in frame and possessing a strong overbite. He sold newspapers on the streets with an African-American friend, who would later teach him tap dancing.

Introduction to tap dancing

Hal Le Roy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he first developed an interest in tap dancing during his childhood. He learned tap dancing from an African-American friend while the two boys sold newspapers in town and attempted to imitate the latest vaudeville acts that passed through Cincinnati. Despite his lanky frame and strong overbite, Le Roy excelled in dancing and enthusiastically performed in venues throughout Cincinnati. He won amateur contests in the city, showcasing his emerging talent through these unpaid competitions before pursuing a professional career. These early informal performances and contest victories marked his initial steps in tap dancing within local Cincinnati venues.

Vaudeville and Broadway career

Professional debut and vaudeville work

Le Roy made his professional debut in 1928 at the Lyric Theater in Hoboken, New Jersey, appearing in the production "Hoboken Hoboes." This engagement was arranged by his dance teacher Ned Wayburn, under whom he studied tap dancing. He subsequently performed on the vaudeville circuit, including appearances at the Palace Theatre in New York. During this period, Le Roy formed a friendship with the renowned tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and regularly tested and sharpened his abilities in various dancing clubs. He developed a distinctive eccentric tap style, marked by spontaneous choreography and innovative, unpredictable movements that set him apart in the field.

Broadway productions

Hal Le Roy established himself on Broadway as a prominent tap dancer in the 1930s and early 1940s, appearing in several notable revues and musicals as a specialty dancer. His Broadway debut came in 1931 with The Gang's All Here, where he performed specialty dance numbers. That same year, he joined the cast of the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931, creating his own choreography for his featured tap routines and earning recognition for his innovative and rapid-fire footwork. In 1933, he appeared in Strike Me Pink. In 1935, Le Roy appeared in the revue Thumbs Up!, contributing his specialty dancing to the production, which ran for several months on Broadway. He returned to Broadway in 1939 with Too Many Girls, where he performed as a dancer in the George Abbott-directed musical. His final Broadway credit came in 1942 with Count Me In, in which he played the role of Alvin York Brandywine while also serving as a featured dancer. Le Roy's Broadway work often highlighted his ability to develop routines both in advance and spontaneously, allowing him to adapt and improvise during performances in keeping with the demands of live revues.

Film career

Vitaphone short subjects

Hal Le Roy began appearing in Vitaphone short subjects in the early 1930s, following his success on Broadway and in vaudeville, which opened doors to opportunities in Warner Bros.' short-film division. These one-reel musical films were produced and filmed at Vitaphone's Brooklyn studio, where Le Roy became a regular performer showcasing his talents as a specialty dancer. Throughout the 1930s, Le Roy starred in numerous Vitaphone shorts centered on his distinctive eccentric tap and rhythm style, often incorporating acrobatic and innovative movements that highlighted his lanky frame and energetic delivery. He was frequently featured alongside up-and-coming actresses, including June Allyson and June Preisser, in lighthearted musical numbers and comedic sketches built around dance routines. Representative examples include Tip Tap Toe (1932), Private Lessons (1934) in which he portrayed a tap instructor at a dancing school, Syncopated City (1934), Main Street Follies (1935), Wash Your Step (1936) with the Preisser sisters in a comedy about washing machine sales, Rhythmitis (1936), Ups and Downs (1937) with June Allyson, Swing for Sale (1937), The Knight Is Young (1938) where he played a dancing sign painter opposite June Allyson, and Public Jitterbug No. 1 (1939). These shorts provided a platform for his rhythmic tap expertise and helped establish him as a notable figure in Depression-era musical short films.

Feature films and other screen appearances

Although Hal Le Roy's screen career was dominated by his numerous Vitaphone short subjects during the 1930s, he made several appearances in feature films, often in dance specialty roles that highlighted his distinctive eccentric tap style. His most prominent feature film performance came in Harold Teen (1934), where he starred in the lead role as Harold "Teenzy" Teen and delivered an extended solo dance sequence that showcased his technical prowess and lanky physique. Le Roy also appeared uncredited as a dancer in Warner Bros.' Wonder Bar (1934), performing in blackface in the musical number "Goin' to Heaven on a Mule." In Columbia's Start Cheering (1938), he played the character 'Tarzan' Biddle in a supporting role that incorporated his signature dance moves. His final feature film appearance was in RKO's Too Many Girls (1940), the screen adaptation of the Broadway musical, where he reprised his original stage role as Al Terwilliger. These limited feature credits allowed Le Roy to bring his vaudeville-honed talents to larger Hollywood productions, though they remained secondary to his prolific work in shorts.

Later career

Stage, television, and nightclub performances

Hal Le Roy sustained his career as a performer through the 1940s and beyond with engagements in vaudeville-style revues and variety theaters, including appearances at Radio City Music Hall and the Capitol Theatre, the latter featuring a stint with the Woody Herman band. He also performed regularly in the New York nightclub scene and supper clubs, extending his eccentric tap dancing into live entertainment venues beyond his earlier film work. In summer stock and regional theater productions, he took roles in revivals of classic musicals such as Show Boat, Where’s Charley?, and High Button Shoes. Notably, he appeared in Guy Lombardo's 1956 production of Show Boat at the Marine Stadium in Jones Beach, New York. As television emerged, Le Roy transitioned to the medium with appearances on variety and dramatic programs. He was selected as a featured performer for Bob Hope's television premiere in the 1950 special Star Spangled Revue. That same year, he played Ed Lovett in episodes of Musical Comedy Time and Robert Montgomery Presents. In 1954, he starred as Dagwood in the unsold pilot for the Blondie television series. These television roles showcased his versatility in musical and comedic formats during the early years of the medium. He continued performing in supper clubs, television, and summer stock until becoming ill in 1984.

Transition to directing

In the 1960s, Hal Le Roy also took up directing. He directed the off-Broadway production Summer's Here in 1966, a musical adaptation of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Personal life

Marriage and family relations

Hal Le Roy married Ruth Hedwig Dodd, his dancing partner, on April 12, 1934. The couple appeared together professionally prior to their marriage. Shortly after the marriage, Le Roy discovered that his father had withdrawn $70,000 from a bank account that had been established by Le Roy's late mother. In July 1935, Le Roy filed a lawsuit against his father to recover the funds. He appeared in court in Cincinnati on July 23, 1935, accompanied by his wife, Ruth Dodd Le Roy. As his relationship with his father grew strained following the dispute, Le Roy and his wife lived with her in-laws during the 1940s.

Residences and later years

Hal Le Roy resided at 495 Maywood Avenue in Maywood, New Jersey during the 1940s, living with his in-laws after his 1934 marriage to Ruth Dodd and amid a strained relationship with his father that led to a 1935 lawsuit over funds deposited from his late mother's account. By the 1960s, Le Roy experienced reduced physical stamina and could no longer sustain the high-energy demands of his tap dancing style, prompting a shift away from performance work. He spent his later years in New Jersey and left behind no heirs.

Death and legacy

Death

Hal Le Roy died on May 2, 1985, in Hackensack, New Jersey, following heart surgery. His funeral was private.

Legacy and recognition

Hal Le Roy's unique, eccentric tap style—dazzling and acclaimed by audiences and fellow dancers alike—featured energetic movements that set him apart in vaudeville, Broadway, and film contexts. As one of the few Caucasian dancers granted access to the legendary Hoofer's Club, Le Roy earned respect within the core tap community for his expertise and authenticity. Posthumously, Le Roy was inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2021 by the American Tap Dance Foundation, recognizing his lasting impact on the field.
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