User:Kevin Dale McKeown/Jeni LeGon

Once billed as “Hollywood’s Chocolate Princess”, and the first African-American woman to sign a major studio contract (MGM - Hooray for Love), Dr. Jeni LeGon has been a vibrant and treasured presence on the local cultural scene since ‘retiring’ to Vancouver, British Columbia in the 1960s.

She has taught scores of young performers to dance, sing and to be proud members of the human race. She has had many, as she calls them. “rainbow families” with youngsters from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds in her school. All of them emerged completely colour blind.

Born in Chicago in 1916, Jeni LeGon made her professional debut as a chorine with the Count Basie Orchestra at the Uptown Theater in Chicago, launching a stage and film career that would span the ‘30s, 40s and 50s and find her still performing, teaching and mentoring through another four decades and into the new millennium. Her solo appearances took her to Hollywood with a show headed by Shelton Brooks (author of "Some of These Days") and Alberta Prime, where she was discovered by Earl Dancer, former manager of Ethel Waters.

His guidance led to contracts for “Hooray for Love” with R.K.O., "The Coconut Grove" and MGM. She was released from the MGM contract to go to London for "Follow the Sun". a version of “At Home Abroad”, playing on Broadway starring Bea Lillie, Eleanor Powell and Ethel Waters. Jeni did both Ethel’s and Eleanor's roles. She then returned to New York to play the Apollo with Fats Waller and toured the East with various bands of the day.

Back to Hollywood again, where she made a number of movies, wrote the song 'The Spring' with Phil Moore, which Lena Horne did in her first movie "Panama Hattie", produced by Arthur Freed. Jeni had been under contract to Arthur Freed who was now Lena's producer and this led to Phil's getting the job as accompanist for Lena and as musical arranger in the studios.

Playing the Paramount in LA with Fats Waller, Jeni was chosen for a leading role in "Early to Bed", the Broadway musical written by Fats. She married Phil Moore. Back to Hollywood where she made more movies, including Easter Parade, I Walked with a Zombie, and Cab Calloway’s 1937 film Hi-De-Ho in which she played the role of “Minnie the Moocher”. She also appeared in episodes of the radio series Amos 'n Andy and the George Raft TV series.

Touring landed Jeni in Vancouver, Canada, where she decided to stay. She continued teaching, touring and choreographing shows and making movies, before she went to London again in 1985, at the age of 69, to take part in the World Theater Festival, featuring the Pelican Players from Toronto.

Jeni was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1987 and received the Micheaux Award.

She was inducted into the Tap Dance Hall of Fame in Los Angeles in 1993.

In February 1998, Jeni was honoured in Vancouver during Black History Month for her contribution to black culture and her films and documentaries about her were shown for the occasion.

The National Film Board of Canada‚s documentary film of her life, Living in a Great Big Way, was released at the Montreal World Film Festival in August, 1999, and was given special mention as “an inspiring portrait of an incredible, vibrant 20th century woman”, by the jury at that year’s Vancouver International Film Festival. Oklahoma City University conferred on Jeni LeGon the Degree of Doctor of Performing Arts in American in February, 2002 and on July 14, 2002 she was inducted into the Tap Dance Hall of Fame as part of the New York City Tap Festival, Tap City 2002.

On March 7th, 2003 Jeni was inducted into the Smithsonian Institution where, with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, a special presentation was held at the National Museum of American History ˆ “Jeni LeGon: Tappin‚ at the Smithsonian. Dr. LeGon’s red tap shoes from Ali Baba Goes to Town, her costume and steel drum from her Jazz Caribe show, and papers and newspaper clippings from her career are now part of the permanent collection of the National Museum of American History. In the summer of 2004, Jeni was honored at Tap Festivals in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles. She taught valuable workshops in each of the cities where she appeared.

In the spring of 2005, months short of her 89th birthday, Dr. LeGon appeared as featured guest at the West Coast Tap Dance Collective’s Third Annual Tap Day Celebration, Turn on the Tap, May 22nd at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, honouring the contributions of Vancouver’s own living legend, world renowned tap dancing star of stage and screen.

She appeared that June at the Sunshine Coast Film Society’s special presentation of the film, Living in a Great Big Way, co-presented with the Gibson Jazz Festival, and she was featured at the First Annual Calgary Tap Summit in July, where she will conducted master classes and appearing on stage.

Now 94, Dr. LeGon lives in Vancouver with her husband, Vancouver born percussionist Frank Clavin. She continued well into her early 90s to travel extensively to take part in dance community celebrations, receive awards and tributes, and share her love for her art with appreciative students, colleagues and audiences.

References: American Tap Dance Foundation: http://www.atdf.org/awards/legon.html National Film Board of Canada: http://nfb.ca/collection/films/fiche/?id=33822 New York Times: http://movies.nytimes.com/person/41095/Jeni-LeGon