June Taylor
June Taylor (December 14, 1917 – May 16, 2004) was an American choreographer, best known as the founder of the June Taylor Dancers, who were featured on Jackie Gleason's various television variety programs.
Early life and career
Taylor was born in Chicago, the daughter of Percival Guy Taylor and Angela Taylor. She started taking dance lessons at age eight; by age 14, she lied about her age and became one of the dancers at the Chicago nightclub, Chez Paree. At age 19, she was touring the US and Europe as a dancer in various nightclubs. She returned from London and began performing again in Chicago. In 1938, at age 21, Taylor collapsed on stage, ill with tuberculosis; she spent the next two years in a sanitarium, after which she turned to choreography, founding her own dance troupe in 1942, which made their first professional appearance at Chicago's Blackhawk restaurant.
In 1946, Taylor met Jackie Gleason at a Baltimore nightclub. The two became friends when Taylor helped Gleason overcome a case of stage fright. In 1948, Taylor made her television debut on The Toast of the Town starring Ed Sullivan, where six of her original dancers appeared as The Toastettes, bringing the chorus line to television. Two years later, Taylor joined Gleason's Cavalcade of Stars, and followed him, along with 16 dancers, to The Jackie Gleason Show, where her signature was the overhead camera shot of the dancers making kaleidoscopic geometric patterns, reminiscent of the work of Busby Berkeley.
June Taylor Dancers, The Filmography
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2006, role: actress , character name: Themselves - Dance Ensemble
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1993, role: actress , character name: Themselves - Reggie's Dancers
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1978, role: actress , character name: Themselves
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1977, role: actress , character name: Themselves
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1976, role: actress , character name: Themselves
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1973, role: actress , character name: Themselves
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1952, role: actress , character name: Dance Ensemble
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1949, role: actress , character name: Themselves
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1943, role: actress , character name: Six Ensemble Dancers
Podcasts:
The Dancers
All those nights I held your hands in mine
And I lead you to the center of the floor
We glided round the room to an old familiar tune
Without care and without clue to passing time
We laughed over tea and pie
I looked up into your eyes
Like I knew I would till we draw nigh
I’ll care for you always and I know you’ll do the same
And we’ll lean into whatever’s left to come
If you’re to leave me first
We’ll just do as we rehearsed
And you’ll meet me I the middle wearing shiny dancing
shoes
We will laugh and we will cry
It will keep this love alive
On and on side by side, hands entwined
We will glide