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1-4 of 4
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Triple-threat performer singer, dancer and actor Bobby Van was the epitome of the breezy, exuberant song-and-dance man who could enliven any film he was put into. Unfortunately, he caught the tail end of MGM's musical reign during the 1950s. Alas, the visions of Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor come more readily to mind when one reflects on the "Golden Age" of musicals, but Bobby was a charming colleague.
The entertainer was born Robert Jack Stein on December 6, 1928 in the Bronx, New York. Living most of his early youth backstage (his parents were vaudevillians), Bobby made his stage bow at the ripe old age of four, when he became a scene-stealing part of his parents' act. Bobby attended New York City schools growing up and took a special interest in music classes. His early interest focused on the trumpet, but a last-minute song-and-dance job as a replacement at a Catskill Mountains resort where he and his band were playing a gig ultimately changed his destiny. A natural on stage, he also told jokes and did impressions. World War II interrupted his nascent career but he eventually regained his momentum and started appearing regularly in nightclub, on radio and TV.
Bobby earned some Broadway attention in the musical "Alive and Kicking" and in the revival of "On Your Toes," both in 1950. In 1952 he married musical actress Diane Garrett, who abruptly retired (they adopted a son, Peter, in 1959). That year was a banner one for Bobby professionally for he had joined the MGM ranks and was now appearing in movies. He partnered up with Debbie Reynolds in Skirts Ahoy! (1952) and had a minor part in the glossy Mario Lanza vehicle Because You're Mine (1952) which featured him in a dance solo. Bobby went on to "second lead" status the following year with Small Town Girl (1953) starring Jane Powell, which featured his famous "hopping" dance sequence, then to film star as the boyish high school swooner in the warm and winning The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953). Best of all, he showed off his exceptional dancing prowess in the musical classic Kiss Me Kate (1953) in which he, Tommy Rall and then-dancer Bob Fosse stopped the show with their breathtaking footwork in the "From This Moment On" number. Although this MGM film should have put him on the movie map, it ended up being his swan song. Bobby would not make another film for over a decade.
With the "Golden Age" of MGM now officially a part of his past, Bobby was forced to look elsewhere for work. He kept a lower profile but remained busy in night clubs and worked as a choreographer, staging the musical numbers for two of Jerry Lewis' movie vehicles: The Ladies Man (1961) and It's Only Money (1962). He appeared regularly again on the screen (the smaller screen, that is) with a recurring role in the short-lived TV series Mickey (1964) starring old MGM pal Mickey Rooney. The two stars later worked together in night clubs.
Divorced in the early 1960s from musical actress Diane Garrett, Bobby married another performer, singer/comedienne Elaine Joyce, in 1968. The lovely couple appeared frequently together on such game shows as Tattletales (1974) and Match Game (1973). Game shows actually became a steady line of work for Bobby, and he wound up hosting a few of his own, including Showoffs (1975), The Fun Factory (1976) and Make Me Laugh (1979). On stage he was rejuvenated again when he co-starred in the successful revival of "No, No, Nanette" (1971) on Broadway starring Susan Watson and Tony winner Helen Gallagher. Bobby himself was nominated for a Tony and went on to hoof it up in the original musical "Doctor Jazz" (1975), as well as the more established "Mack and Mabel" (1975), "Anything Goes" (1977) and "Dames at Sea" (1978). In 1977 wife Elaine bore him a baby girl, Taylor.
Sadly, in 1979 Bobby was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Although he underwent surgery to remove the tumor, the cancer came back. Ever the trouper, the "show went on" as he valiantly continued to perform despite his illness. He made his fourth and last appearance as host of the "Mrs. America Pageant" in June 1980. Bobby passed away a little more than a month later on July 31, 1980, at age 51. He is buried at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park in Burbank, California.- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actor
Mohammed Rafi, whose voice brought to life hundreds of melodies, was born in a village Kotla Sultan Singh near Amritsar long before India attained its independence. But music training beckoned him to Lahore where he cut his musical teeth under the hawk-like eye of Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan. He made his singing debut in the Punjabi film Gul baloch by rendering a duet with Zeenat Begum, 'Soniye Ni Heeriye Ni' composed by Shyamsunder.
Wadia Movietone was a prominent film company and it was Homi Wadia who saw the talent in Mohammed Rafi and insisted that he sing for his forthcoming film Sharbati Ankhen under the Music directorship of Feroz Nizami. The voice of Mohammed Rafi encompassed a tremendous range, which is unparalleled. The peculiar trait that separates a playback singer from a classical vocalist is not the range or ability as a singer but the voice quality. With Mohammed Rafi it was the ultimate combination that helped him reign supreme in the field of playback singing. His voice quality combined with his unsurpassed range made him stand apart from his contemporaries.
His voice suited any genre of music be it a moving ghazal like Aap Ke Pehloo Main Aakar Ro Diye, a plaintive bhajan like O Duniya Ke Rakhawale, or a wild and whacky Shanker-Jaikishan composition like Chahe Koi Mujhe Jungle Kahe. Mohammed Rafi added his delectable nuances to the melody and made it immortal. His voice had this unique feature of screen adaptability and when it merged with his intelligence as a singer it helped him to tailor his voice across an array of faces that remain entrenched in our memory books. Comedian Johnny Walker had a voice that was queerly rounded. Mohammed Rafi's take on him was phenomenal in songs like Sar Jo Tera Chakraye under S D Burman in Pyasa and Aye Dil Hai Mushkil Jeena Yaha from CID. Mohammed Rafi managed to sound exactly like Johnny Walker would if he sang the song himself. Rafi summoned Johnny Walker a day or two prior to the song picturization and then contributed his bit to add to the character Johnny Walker played on screen.
Honestly speaking it would not be in any way an overstatement to say that heroes like Biswajit (Pukarta chala hoon main), Bharat Bhushan (Zindagi Bhar Nahin Bhoolegi Woh Barsaat Ki Raat), Joy Mukherjee (Bade Miyan Deewane) are remembered more for the songs that were picturised on them with Rafi lending his golden voice to their average acting abilities.
Mohammed Rafi was known for his altruistic behavior, which was exhibited on several occasions. He has been known to charge just a token amount as his fees for singing songs of Music Directors who could not afford his regular charges. Many a times Mohammed Rafi has sung songs without charging a single penny to the Music Directors. A case in point is the film Aap ke Deewane with which actor Rakesh Roshan began his phase as a Producer-Director. Rafi sang the title song of the film but did not charge any money because he felt that he liked the song a lot and after all it was only a line, which he had to render. Very few singers were known to be so good at heart. This innate goodness in him came to the fore when he sang most of his songs.
In his glorious career Mohammed Rafi won the coveted Filmfare Award of best playback singer no less than six times. He was also decorated with the Padmashri by the Government of India. With the advent of Kishore Kumar as a major singing sensation Rafi sahab's career received a slight jolt in the late 60s and the early 70s but he bounced back with verve in films like Sargam, Karz, Hum Kisise Kam Nahin, Poonam and his last song under the baton of Laxmikant-Pyarelal for the film Aas Paas. He succumbed to the dreaded heart-attack on the 31st of July 1980 -ironically the man was a teetotaler and a non- smoker. He was in his mid fifties.
His funeral procession was one of the largest that the city of Mumbai has ever witnessed. The world of Music lost one of its brightest luminaries on 31st July 1980 but his melodious voice still stops music lovers in their tracks. Notable Films: Aar Paar, Baiju Bawra, Barsat Ki Raat, Dosti, Ek Musafir Ek Haseena, Hum Dono, Pyasa, Shaheed, Teesri Manzil- Writer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Markku Lahtela was born on 1 August 1936 in Kemijärvi, Finland. He was a writer and actor, known for Yö vai päivä (1962), Kielletty kirja (1965) and Lapualaismorsian (1967). He was married to Marjatta Helena Rintanen and Helke Sander. He died on 31 July 1980 in Nummi, Finland.- Edna Morton was born on 2 April 1894 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She was an actress, known for Spitfire (1922), Easy Money (1922) and A Son of Satan (1924). She was married to Edward R. DeGrant and Samuel A. Wilson. She died on 31 July 1980 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.