Trivia of Vera Ellen

Trivia of Vera Ellen (16 February 1921 - 30 August 1981)

*Went to the same Cincinnati ballroom dance studio as a child as Doris Day. Their parents even carpooled together to the dance studio.

*She was a Radio City Rockette (and one of the youngest) but was fired after two weeks because she showed too much individuality on stage.

*Blessed with a sweet, apple blossom appeal and elfin charm, Vera-Ellen's movie career started to take shape in 1945. Her first two films were musical vehicles for the up-and-coming Danny Kaye, Wonder Man (1945) and The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) were both hits.

*Vera-Ellen co-starred with Donald O’Connor in Call Me Madam (1953). One of her all-time personal favorite dances was in this film. She and the wonderful O’Connor danced to “Something to Dance About,” choreographed by the renowned Robert Alton.

*The warm and fuzzy yuletide favorite White Christmas (1954) is usually considered her best-remembered movie in which she played one-fourth of a glamorous quartet consisting of Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney.This film marked the third joint appearance between Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen.

*She became The Woman of A Thousand Dance Moves.The versatile and acrobatic Vera could be counted to perform any kind of dancing requested -- tap, toe, jazz, adagio -- whether solo or with partners and/or props.

*Vera's career died down in the late 1950s once filmed musicals lost their fashion. It was later discovered that, due to the dancer's compulsive dieting obsession, she had silently battled anorexia throughout much of the 50s before anyone was even aware or doctors had even coined the term or devised treatments. Moreover, she had developed severe arthritis which forced an early retirement.