Donn Arden
Donn Arden (1916 or 1917 – November 2, 1994) was an American choreographer and producer.
Biography
Born Arlyle Arden Peterson Arden to a railway executive and a housewife, he grew up in
By the age of nine he was already making money with dancing, he was considered a good tap dancer. Arden never married, but he was always surrounded by beautiful women, and by his own account couldn't be bothered with marriage, although he had been engaged in his younger years. Arden lived in California and Las Vegas for most of his adult life.
Career
Arden studied dancing with
Arden's dance troupe headlined the
Donn Arden was credited with developing the Las Vegas showgirl image — a statuesque dancer in sequins, feathers and wearing a tall headpiece.
Jubilee! ran for 34 years in the Jubilee! Theatre at Bally's in Las Vegas. The show closed on February 11, 2016, drawing legions of former cast members, designers, and fans.[3]
Noteworthy
- Actress and model Valerie Perrine started her career with Arden. He remembered her as "a secretary from Scottsdale with a lisp".
- Actress Goldie Hawn is reputed to have been part of his troupe at the Desert Inn but was fired by Arden after only a few weeks. He remembered her as "a skinny fruitcake".
- Bob Mackie was one time costume designer for Donn Arden[4]
- Screenwriter Joseph Stefano, who wrote the Psycho screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock, wrote music and lyrics for Arden's stage shows.
- Ray Vasquez Lead Singer for Donn Arden productions.
Awards
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce[5] presented Arden with its first Personality of the Year award in the 1970s.
Further reading
Hopkins, A.D. & K.J. Evans, The First 100: Portraits of the Men and Women Who Shaped Las Vegas, Huntington Press, 1999, 368p.,
References
- ^ University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries. "Donn Arden and the Nightclub". Showgirls. UNLV Digital Libraries. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ^ University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries. "Jubilee!". Showgirls. UNLV Digital Libraries. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ^ "An emotional night for 'Jubilee' farewell". 14 February 2016.
- ^ Bob Mackie interview in Lights. Vegas. Action.
- ^ "The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce website". Archived from the original on 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
External links
- Donn Arden bio — Father of the Feathers
- Las Vegas Mercury — Tales of Vegas Past: Show me the girl
- Donn Arden filmography at New York Times
- Donn Arden at IMDb
- Donn Arden on the Las Vegas First 100 website
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