Gower Carlyle Champion (June 22, 1919 â€" August 25, 1980) was an
American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer.Champion
was born in Geneva, Illinois, the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice
Carlisle. He was raised in Los Angeles, California, where he graduated
from Fairfax High School. He studied dance from an early age and, at
the age of fifteen, toured nightclubs with friend Jeanne Tyler billed
as "Gower and Jeanne, America's Youngest Dance Team." In 1939, "Gower
and Jeanne" danced to the music of Larry Clinton and his Orchestra in
a Warner Brothers & Vitaphone film short-subject, "The Dipsy Doodler"
(released in 1940).During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Champion
worked on Broadway as a solo dancer and choreographer. After serving
in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II, Champion met Marjorie
Belcher, who became his new partner, and the two were married in
1947.In the early 1950s, Marge and Gower Champion made seven film
musicals: Mr. Music (1950, with Bing Crosby), the 1951 remake of Show
Boat (with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson), 1952's Lovely to Look At
(a remake of Roberta, also with Keel and Grayson), the
autobiographical Everything I Have Is Yours (1952), Give a Girl a
Break (1953, with Debbie Reynolds and Bob Fosse), Jupiter's Darling
(1955, with Keel and Esther Williams), and Three for the Show (1955,
with Betty Grable and Jack Lemmon). All were made for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer except Mr. Music (Paramount) and Three for the
Show (Columbia).
American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer.Champion
was born in Geneva, Illinois, the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice
Carlisle. He was raised in Los Angeles, California, where he graduated
from Fairfax High School. He studied dance from an early age and, at
the age of fifteen, toured nightclubs with friend Jeanne Tyler billed
as "Gower and Jeanne, America's Youngest Dance Team." In 1939, "Gower
and Jeanne" danced to the music of Larry Clinton and his Orchestra in
a Warner Brothers & Vitaphone film short-subject, "The Dipsy Doodler"
(released in 1940).During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Champion
worked on Broadway as a solo dancer and choreographer. After serving
in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II, Champion met Marjorie
Belcher, who became his new partner, and the two were married in
1947.In the early 1950s, Marge and Gower Champion made seven film
musicals: Mr. Music (1950, with Bing Crosby), the 1951 remake of Show
Boat (with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson), 1952's Lovely to Look At
(a remake of Roberta, also with Keel and Grayson), the
autobiographical Everything I Have Is Yours (1952), Give a Girl a
Break (1953, with Debbie Reynolds and Bob Fosse), Jupiter's Darling
(1955, with Keel and Esther Williams), and Three for the Show (1955,
with Betty Grable and Jack Lemmon). All were made for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer except Mr. Music (Paramount) and Three for the
Show (Columbia).
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