“Pass That Peace Pipe” from Good News (1947) is still one of the most electrifying dance ensemble numbers ever put on film - and yet so few people today remember its striking soloist, Joan McCracken.
McCracken was a phenomenal acrobatic dancer, trained to be a ballerina by George Balanchine in the 1930s.
She became a Broadway sensation in Oklahoma! with her comic “fall” in the number, “Many a New Day.” She brought astonishing athleticism, musicality and wit to every performance.
She also helped change Broadway history: McCracken encouraged a young Bob Fosse (as her lover and later second husband) and helped open the door for his choreographing career in New York.
A brilliant talent, largely forgotten now (she has only two film credits) - gone far too soon, dying from complications of diabetes at only 43.
#GoodNews #HollywoodMusical