Thomas Edward Rall (December 27, 1929 – October 6, 2020) was an American actor, ballet dancer, tap dancer, and acrobatic dancer who was a prominent featured player in 1950s musical comedies. He later became a successful operatic tenor in the 1960s, making appearances with the Opera Company of Boston, the New York City Opera, and the American National Opera Company.

Life and career

Rall was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Edward and Margaret Rall, but raised in Seattle, Washington. An only child, he had a crossed eye which made it hard for him to read books, so his mother enrolled him in dancing classes. In his early years he performed a dance and acrobatic vaudeville act in Seattle theaters and attempted small acting roles. Get Hep to Love (1942), and Mister Big (1943), among others. He appeared in the films The North Star and Song of Russia (1944).

Rall took ballet lessons and danced in classical and Broadway shows, including Milk and Honey, Call Me Madam, and Cry for Us All. Jerry Herman said of Rall in Milk and Honey: "[Donald] [Saddler] did extraordinary choreography for Tommy Rall, who was suddenly so admired by the audience that [the producer] put his name on the marquee under the three stars. It was very, very earned by him. He was a terrific singer and dancer."

He is best known for his acrobatic dancing in several classic musical films of the 1950s, including Kiss Me, Kate as "Bill" (1953), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers as "Frank" (1954), Invitation to the Dance (1956), Merry Andrew as "Giacomo Gallini" (1958), and My Sister Eileen as "Chick" (1955).

Rall's film career waned as movie musicals went into decline. He had a role in the movie Funny Girl, as "The Prince" in a parody of the ballet Swan Lake. On Broadway he danced to acclaim as "Johnny" in Marc Blitzstein and Joseph Stein's 1959 musical Juno (based on Seán O'Casey's play Juno and the Paycock).

He took the title role in a production of Massenet's Le jongleur de Notre-Dame by the New England Opera Theatre in Boston in 1961 in a role which required both singing and juggling and dancing.

Of Rall, contemporary dancer and choreographer Gene Kelly said: "The best all-around dancer we had over at MGM was Tommy Rall. He could do anything and do it better than any other dancer."

Personal life

Rall was briefly married to his Juno co-star Monte Amundsen.

In 2007, a Texas dance instructor by the name of Fredric Brame was found to have been posing as Tommy Rall since the late 1960s. When Rall found out about the masquerade decades later, through a friend of the family, Rall contacted the Montgomery County, Texas Sheriff's office. No legal action was taken against Brame. Rall wanted Brame to stop taking credit for his work and warned that if he continued or did it again a lawsuit would be filed.

Death

In September 2020, Rall had heart surgery and recovered at the Fireside Health Center (Santa Monica, California). Subsequently, in October, he had additional heart surgery at Providence Saint John's Health Center (Santa Monica, California). He died of congestive heart failure on October 6, aged 90. He was survived by his wife, Karel, and their son, Aaron, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. Another son, David, predeceased his parents.

Filmography

Sources: TCM; MasterWorks Broadway

  • American Concertette (1945)
  • Ballet Theatre (1946)
  • Look Ma, I'm Dancin'! (as Tommy) (1948)
  • Small Wonder (1948)
  • Miss Liberty (as The Boy, The Dandy, Another Lamplighter) (1949)
  • Call Me Madam (Principal Dancer) (1950) (also understudy for Russell Nype)
  • Juno (as Johnny Boyle) (1959)
  • Milk and Honey (as David) (1961)
  • Cafe Crown (as David Cole) (1964)
  • Cry for Us All (as Petey Boyle) (1970)

References

Sources

  • Koegler, Horst (1998). "Rall, Tommy", Dizionario della danza e del balletto, p. 392. Gremese Editore. .
  • Mordden, Ethan (2002). Open a new window: the Broadway musical in the 1960s. Palgrave Macmillan, p. 102.
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  • (vidéo Danse Routine - Tommy Rall & Ann Miller -Kiss me Kate film sur youtube.com: Why Can't You Behave