metroscopix

Great to see Barbra Streisand singing directly to BERT MAY on the front cover of the up-coming UK edition Blu-Ray disc of "HELLO DOLLY!" It is listed on UK sites for release on April 1 (2013). I can't wait. Dolly contains some of Bert's best work. Does anybody know the name of the blonde male dancer who sometimes wears glasses.? He is in "Hello Dolly" and also "The Music Man" I also noticed him in one of the Disney musicals of the period. ( Maybe "The Happiest Millionaire")

"The Pagan Love Song" was an MGM property and was never made with Chandler and Paget. The film you are referring to is "Bird Of Paradise" which has similar south seas technicolored settings and was made at the time Fox were promoting Debra Paget. Jeff Chandler was borrowed from Universal. Debra Paget and Esther Williams both wore sarongs and made love with their leading men under the palm trees, hence the confusion. ;-)

BERT MAY Hollywood Dancer Bert May appeared as a Dancer in countless Hollywood Movie Musicals from the 1940’s onwards, mainly at MGM, but later in top Musicals at other studios. I’m told that he started his career as an acrobat but later became a dancer. He was certainly spectacularly acrobatic in many of his dancing appearances. He appeared on Broadway as a dancer in Cole Porter’s “Can Can” He did many short solo turns in musical ensemble dancing scenes and even had a featured speaking role and a dance number alongside Tommy Rall in MGM’s “Merry Andrew” He danced and even occasionally sang along side some of Hollywood’s greatest ever Musical performers. He has given us many hours of enjoyment and his presence and contribution to the Hollywood Musical deserves to be recognised and credited. The Movie Database for Bert May desperately needs to be expanded and updated. Here is a list of his appearances, which I suspect is not complete. “Everything I Have Is Yours” – Dancer. “Two Girls And A Sailor” – Soldier in Audience. “Movie Pests” (Pete Smith Specialty) – Soldier in Cinema. “The Barkley’s of Broadway” – Exits shop in Shoes With Wings On. “Summer Stock” – Dancer in Get Happy number. “The Strip” – Dancer. “The Band Wagon” – Dancer plus one line of dialogue with Astaire. Curiously he appears and then totally disappears, replaced by another dancer and then mysteriously appears again in the Cyd Charisse classic ballet sequence. “Hit The Deck” – Dancing Sailor. “Till The Clouds Roll By” – Dancer in Title Number & Who sequence “Ziegfeld Follies” – gets to sing a line and dance with Judy Garland. “It’s Always Fair Weather” – Dancer and another case of appearing and disappearing during a dance with Cyd Charisse. “Meet Me In Las Vegas” – Dancer. “Merry Andrew” – Dancer alongside Tommy Rall and an actual non-credited featured role as a brother of Pier Angeli. “Frankie And Johnny” – Dancer “Bye Bye Birdie” –Dancer and gets a nice close up in Shriner Dance. “Hello Dolly” – Dancer featured in nearly every ensemble dancing sequence. He’s Danny the waiter in the title number. “Finian’s Rainbow” – Dancer who asks for Helicopter and is seen throughout. “Funny Lady” – Straight comic role as Assistant Stage Manager. “The Music Man” – Dancer and is prominent as a town’s person throughout the movie. Nice solo steps in title number. “Guys And Dolls” – Dancer who does some great individual dance moves during the Luck Be A Lady number. “Mary Poppins” – Dancing chimney sweep. “The Happiest Millionaire” – Dancer. “Easter Parade” – Dancer (watch Anne Miller almost knock his top hat off) “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” - Dancer. “Bedknobs And Broomsticks” – Dancer in Portobello Road number. “California Suite” – credited as a porter but is nowhere to be seen. “The Upside Down Man” (Episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show) “The Toast Of New Orleans” – Dancer. “Words And Music” – Dancer. “The Thin Man Goes Home” – Gets to Jitterbug with Myrna Loy. “The Pirate” – Dancer. “On The Town” – Dancer in Miss Turnstiles number. “Two Weeks With Love” – Dancer. “The Opposite Sex” – Dancer. “Li’l Abner” – Dancer “Spreadin’ the Jam”- MGM Short Subject – Dancer. “Blazing Saddles” – Dancer. “At Long Last Love” – Dancer. “Little Egypt” - Dancer “The One And Only, Genuine, Original Family Band” – Dancer. “Little Women”(Mervyn LeRoy version) – Dancer in outside dance sequence.