Marge Champion

Dancer / Choreographer

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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In her five-hour Archive interview, Marge Champion talks about her early years growing up as the daughter of a choreographer in Hollywood. She describes working for Walt Disney as the motion model for "Snow White." She recounts moving to New York in 1939 to make it on Broadway and her marriage to long time collaborator Gower Champion. She recalls developing her act with Gower Champion and appearing on an early television test. Champion discusses several television appearances she and Gower made in the '50s, including Admiral Broadway Revue, Your Show of Shows, and The Ed Sullivan Show. She outlines touring the Soviet Union with Sullivan, and later starring in her own series The Marge and Gower Champion Show. She speaks of several late '50s and early '60s television appearances including The Bell Telephone Hour, The Dinah Shore Show and The Perry Como Show. She details retiring from performing and her subsequent split with Gower Champion, as well as her career as a choreographer. She talks about choreographing Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, for which she received an Emmy Award. Sunny Parich conducted the interview on October 30, 1998 in Stockbridge, MA.

"I never remember a time when I wasn't dancing. I had my first tutu before I was a year old because I have a picture in that. I don't think I started any serious training until I was about five or six."

Highlights

Marge Champion on her first appearance on television

06:15

Marge Champion on her relationship with Gower Champion as a dancer

02:16

Marge Champion on The Marge and Gower Champion Show

06:01

Marge Champion on choreographing Queen of the Stardust Ballroom for which she won an Emmy

03:36

Marge Champion on how she'd like to be remembered and her influence

01:49

Full Interview

Chapter 1

On her early life and influences; on her early interest in dance and being trained by her father

13:23

On deciding she wanted to be a dancer; on teaching dance in her early years and her early dance performances; on her father's dance class students

10:42

On living though the Great Depression; on meeting Gower Champion

04:33

Chapter 2

On meeting Gower Champion; on working for Disney and modeling for "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

16:54

On attending Hollywood High; on the "racy" elements of Hollywood; on her first marriage and touring with The Three Stooges; on her early dancing jobs after graduating high school

11:32

Chapter 3

On her early appearances in movies; on moving to New York City in 1939; on taking acting lessons in New York City and breaking into Broadway

16:37

On her experiences during World War II; on reuniting with Gower Champion after World War II; on her relationship with Gower Champion as a dancer

11:31

Chapter 4

On her chemistry with Gower Champion and their rehearsal process; on the process of creating a dance number; on her and Gower Champion's act

16:56

On choreographing Queen of the Stardust Ballroom; on developing her act with Gower Champion and their first time on television

12:26

Chapter 5

On her first appearance on television; on her and Gower Champion's getting hired for Admiral Broadway Revue; on Gower Champion's choreography for the television camera

11:40

On the rehearsals for Your Show of Shows; on the feeling right before going on "live" TV for Your Show of Shows; on the logistics of shooting her and Gower Champion dancing for television

08:50

On her father seeing her on television and performing on live television; on how audiences had changed since she started on television

07:23

Chapter 6

On mishaps on live television and appearing on Person to Person; on leaving Admiral Broadway Revue and going on the road with Gower Champion; on appearing in the feature "Showboat" and other features and working for Howard Hughes

12:36

On appearing in various features with Gower Champion; on Gower Champion experimenting with choreography on film; on appearing in cinemascope features and appearing in the feature "Three for the Show"

14:47

Chapter 7

On The Marge and Gower Champion Show; on the writers, characters and guest stars of The Marge and Gower Champion Show

11:23

On working on The Dinah Shore Show and various other television shows in the late '50s; on how performers have changed since she started in the business; on her favorite medium to work in as a performer

Chapter 8

On appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show with Gower Champion and touring the Soviet Union with Ed Sullivan

15:47

On creating material specifically for television and the public's reaction to her television appearances; on dancing with Gower Champion on The Perry Como Show; on her and Gower Champion's final television appearance on The Bell Telephone Hour

12:54

Chapter 9

On how the medium of television changed during her active years; on the Hollywood Blacklist; on being named Woman of the Year by the "Los Angeles Times" in 1969

11:24

On assisting Gower Champion in his choreography and her directing career; on the social upheaval of the 1960s and her split with Gower Champion; on her various activities after her split with Gower Champion including choreographing Queen of the Stardust Ballroom

08:12

On retiring from dancing and doing straight acting; on advice to aspiring dancers; on losing her dress in front of the Queen of England

11:06

Chapter 10

On career highlights and regrets and working with Harry Belafonte; on the then-future of television

07:53

On various people with whom she has worked in her career

09:19

On her father's legacy; on the legacy of Gower Champion; on how she'd like to be remembered and her influence

08:19

Shows

Admiral Broadway Revue

Marge Champion on her and Gower Champion getting hired for Admiral Broadway Revue

01:29

Marge Champion on Gower Champion's choreography for the television camera

02:14

Marge Champion on leaving Admiral Broadway Revue and going on the road with Gower Champion

05:53

Bell Telephone Hour, The

Marge Champion on her and Gower Champion's final television appearance on The Bell Telephone Hour

02:43

Dinah Shore Show, The

Marge Champion on working on The Dinah Shore Show and various other television shows in the late '50s

07:17

Ed Sullivan Show, The aka Toast of the Town

Marge Champion on appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show with Gower Champion and touring the Soviet Union with Ed Sullivan

15:49

Emmy Awards, The (Primetime and Daytime)

Marge Champion on choreographing Queen of the Stardust Ballroom for which she won an Emmy

03:36

Marge and Gower Champion Show, The

Marge Champion on The Marge and Gower Champion Show

06:01

Marge Champion on the writers, characters and guest stars of The Marge and Gower Champion Show

05:22

Perry Como Show, The

Marge Champion on dancing with Gower Champion on The Perry Como Show

03:08

Person to Person

Marge Champion on mishaps on live television and appearing on Person to Person

04:18

Your Show of Shows

Marge Champion on Gower Champion's choreography for the television camera

01:44

Marge Champion on the rehearsals for Your Show of Shows (which she appeared on with Gower Champion)

01:02

Marge Champion on the feeling right before going on "live" TV for Your Show of Shows (which she appeared on with Gower Champion)

02:12

Topics

Advice

Marge Champion on advice to aspiring dancers

02:00

Bloopers

Marge Champion on mishaps on live television and appearing on Person to Person

04:18

Marge Champion on losing her dress in front of the Queen of England

02:22

Emmy Awards

Marge Champion on choreographing Queen of the Stardust Ballroom for which she won an Emmy

03:36

Historic Events and Social Change

Marge Champion on her experiences during World War II

01:33

Hollywood Blacklist

Marge Champion on the Hollywood Blacklist

01:23

Industry Crossroads

Marge Champion on the Hollywood Blacklist

01:23

Television Industry

Marge Champion on how audiences had changed since she started on television

02:27

Marge Champion on how performers have changed since she started in the business

06:16

Marge Champion on how the medium of television changed during her active years

07:56

Marge Champion on the Hollywood Blacklist

01:23

Marge Champion on advice to aspiring dancers

02:00

Marge Champion on the then-future of television

02:59

World War II

Marge Champion on her experiences during World War II

01:33

Professions

Dancer/Choreographer

View Profession

Marge Champion on her chemistry with Gower Champion and her rehearsal process

04:15

Marge Champion on the process of creating a dance number

03:21

Marge Champion on developing her act with Gower Champion and their first time on television

08:50

Marge Champion on the logistics of shooting her and Gower Champion dancing for television

04:12

Marge Champion on advice to aspiring dancers

02:00

Performers

View Profession

Marge Champion on her chemistry with Gower Champion and her rehearsal process

04:15

Marge Champion on the process of creating a dance number

03:21

Marge Champion on developing her act with Gower Champion and their first time on television

08:50

Marge Champion on the logistics of shooting her and Gower Champion dancing for television

04:12

Marge Champion on advice to aspiring dancers

02:00

Genres

Comedy Series

Marge Champion on The Marge and Gower Champion Show

11:23

Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials

Marge Champion on dancing on Admiral Broadway Revue

03:42

Marge Champion on dancing on Your Show of Shows

06:23

Marge Champion on leaving Admiral Broadway Revue and going on the road with Gower Champion

05:53

Marge Champion on working on The Dinah Shore Show and various other television shows in the late '50s

07:18

Marge Champion on appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show with Gower Champion and touring the Soviet Union with Ed Sullivan

15:49

Marge Champion on dancing with Gower Champion on The Perry Como Show

03:08

Marge Champion on her and Gower Champion's final television appearance on The Bell Telephone Hour

02:43

News and Documentary

Marge Champion on mishaps on live television and appearing on Person to Person

04:18

TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials

Marge Champion on choreographing Queen of the Stardust Ballroom

03:36

Marge Champion on her various activities after her split with Gower Champion including choreographing Queen of the Stardust Ballroom

02:07

People

June Allyson

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Marge Champion on June Allyson

00:34

Harry Belafonte

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Marge Champion on career highlights and regrets and working with Harry Belafonte

04:54

Gower Champion

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Marge Champion on meeting Gower Champion

01:36

Marge Champion on meeting Gower Champion

03:13

Marge Champion on reuniting with Gower Champion after World War II

07:42

Marge Champion on her relationship with Gower Champion as a dancer

02:16

Marge Champion on her chemistry with Gower Champion and their rehearsal process

04:15

Marge Champion on her and Gower Champion's act

09:18

Marge Champion on her and Gower Champion getting hired for Admiral Broadway Revue

01:29

Marge Champion on Gower Champion's choreography for the television camera

02:14

Marge Champion on the rehearsals for Your Show of Shows (which she appeared on with Gower Champion)

01:02

Marge Champion on the feeling right before going on "live" TV for Your Show of Shows (which she appeared on with Gower Champion)

02:12

Marge Champion on Gower Champion's choreography for the television camera

01:44

Marge Champion on appearing in various features with Gower Champion

03:44

Marge Champion on Gower Champion experimenting with choreography on film

05:28

Marge Champion on appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show with Gower Champion and touring the Soviet Union with Ed Sullivan

15:49

Marge Champion on dancing with Gower Champion on The Perry Como Show

03:08

Marge Champion on her and Gower Champion's final television appearance on The Bell Telephone Hour

02:43

Marge Champion on assisting Gower Champion in his choreography and her directing career

03:34

Marge Champion on the social upheaval of the 1960s and her split with Gower Champion

02:30

Marge Champion on the legacy of Gower Champion

03:25

Cyd Charisse

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Marge Champion on Cyd Charisse

00:53

Tony Charmoli

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Marge Champion on Tony Charmoli

00:50

Perry Como

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Marge Champion on dancing with Gower Champion on The Perry Como Show

03:08

Walt Disney

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Marge Champion on Walt Disney

00:44

Nanette Fabray

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Marge Champion on Nanette Fabray

01:38

Bob Fosse

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Marge Champion on Bob Fosse

00:46

Max Liebman

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Marge Champion on Max Liebman

01:51

Dinah Shore

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Marge Champion on working on The Dinah Shore Show and various other television shows in the late '50s

07:17

Ed Sullivan

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Marge Champion on appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show with Gower Champion and touring the Soviet Union with Ed Sullivan

15:49

Gwen Verdon

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Marge Champion on Gwen Verdon

00:44