Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was a featured performer in the very first Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day parade. He danced the entire route and, according to legend, never repeated a step the whole way. He was the greatest tap dancer the world has ever seen, or is ever likely to see.
I don’t know about greatest, but definitely the most famous. Most people probably can’t think of another famous tap dancer (other than the West Virginia guy)
He wasn't supposed to hold her hand, but she held his hand anyway. " well done Shirley " brilliant tap. You know, wasn't even aware I got the '👍', but just came back to my comment and watched the video again and I'm still wow'ed by the tap and timing. That dance would impress any watchers a 1000 years from now.
It makes me tear up too. You see Bojangle's sincere compassion and patience with 6 year old Temple. She was beung exploited by Hollywood and he was being excluded due to Jim Crow racism. But, in this dance sequence, he holds her hand to guide her and keep her safe on those stairs. Bojangles Robinson coukd see that baby girl's talent and she trusted him.
I hate it when I accidentally hit the wrong button. I accidentally disliked this at first, and had to quickly correct. 😅 RIP Shirley Temple. Such an adorable angel.
Shirley Temple was super bright. She had an above average vocabulary at the age of 3. She was dancing at the age of 2. Her co-stars said not only did she know her own lines, but everyone else's as well. She had a wonderful relationship with him, and when she asked him questions as to why certain things were so he never said anything that revealed what was really going on and why he couldn't stay in the same hotel as her.
She would soon enough realize. Some didn't talk about the negatives to children. Accentuate the positive is always best. It shows her parents let her be herself, and befriend who she wanted to.
He was smart. He knew that she was his friend and would be upset if she knew the truth. She was too little to understand or carry adult problems. He knew she’d find out soon enough. Plus he might’ve gotten in trouble for telling her the truth. Black people had to be very careful about what they said or did because there were always people around who could get them in trouble with the law for no good reason if the Black person said or did something the white folk didn’t like. It was super easy to trump up charges against them. It makes me angry.
@@d.lawrence5670during that time black actors couldn't perform with white actors unless they were children..Mr. Robinson was Mrs. Shirley Temple-Blacks master tap dance teacher and they became lifelong friends..they made history together and put smiles on many faces ❤
@@d.lawrence5670they really weren’t allowed. Back then even dancing together in a move caused controversy. Bo and Shirley were the first interracial dance partners to appear on film. It was met with a lot of negative backlash. Papers criticized both of them. However they were both such big stars at the time it was considered a racial milestone of progress.
Love the backstory to this scene. I also love how they “got caught” goofing around and both tan off while holding hands with the biggest smiles on their faces. That is pure love and just so special ❤
two great american talents. the story goes the she was not to hold hands with mr bojangles but she insisted. also he was to dance alone she only watched again she put her foot down creating the first time in a film a black man held a white women's(girl's) hand.back them this was unheard of.YOU GO SHIRLEY!
C'mon....black folk always held little white kids hands. How far back you want to go? They were often their caretakers. Please. There was a big difference between holding a woman's hand and a little girl's and society knew it.
@@nyrockchicxx that was in slavery and they hand to take care of white people children so it was okay to touch but after slavery ended black weren't slaves anymore so they weren't allowed to even go near white folks anymore not so much as to stare at them either.
@@trethespiritual4734 your wrong on that one after slavery ended young black women in there early teens were often employed as caretakers for white children they were of course treated horrible though
The way she looks up in admiration--knowing the times--is heartwarming and brings tears to my eyes. We have a lot of work to do here in the States but I feel so much empathy and pain for my ancestors. And, I thank them for their hardwork.
Deva DeWalt speaking as a white woman who grew up watching this, I can attest that everyone I knew had a great deal of respect and admiration for Mr. Robinson.
Ah, Mr. Bill Bojangles Robinson. One of the best tap dancers there ever was and no one can surpass his kind of talent. He who one awards from kings in Europe. When he was receiving one reward from a king, he had to walk up a few steps to the king and he tap danced his way up. That's how it all started. He even held a world record of running backwards in a 100 yard dash in 13.7 seconds in 1922. That record was broken in 1977 by a Paul Wilson in 13.3, but all the same, that's amazing to know. However, his fantastic dancing on the stair shall forever be the best of his signatures. RIP, Mr. Bojangles. And to you sweet little Shirley Temple, the only little girl who could keep up with Mr Bojangles' steps.
@@deliawright8626 Have you not seen Mr. Trevor Miles perform. Many have said his voice sounds like a cross of Yoko Ono in the style of Bob Dylan. And dances like a King crab on fire .
From the Wikipedia for Bill Robinson, Shirley Temple recounts, "Robinson walked a step ahead of us, but when he noticed me hurrying to catch up, he shortened his stride to accommodate mine. I kept reaching up for his hand, but he hadn't looked down and seemed unaware. Fannie called his attention to what I was doing, so he stopped short, bent low over me, his eyes wide and rows of brilliant teeth showing in a wide smile. When he took my hand in his, it felt large and cool. For a few moments, we continued walking in silence. "Can I call you Uncle Billy?" I asked. "Why sure you can," he replied... "But then I get to call you darlin.'" It was a deal. From then on, whenever we walked together it was hand in hand, and I was always his "darlin." I find that such a heartwarming and awesome story. One more interesting factoid is that... "...After Robinson was signed by 20th Century Fox, it was decided that he would perform his famous stair dance with Temple. While Robinson liked the idea, he quickly realized that he could not teach his complex stair dance to a seven-year-old in the few days permitted by the shooting schedule. Instead, he taught Temple to kick the riser (face) of each stairstep with her toe. After watching her practice his choreography, Robinson modified his routine to mimic her movements, so that it appeared on film that she was imitating his steps. The sequence was the highlight of the film."
This. This was the dance that I watched as a little girl of 5 that made me ask my mom to take me to tap dance lessons. I wanted to tap just like them. I tap danced into my 20's, taught classes, and even won some awards. Regardless, I still am moved by the incredible talent of these two larger than life celebrities. Bless them. I don't doubt they inspired a nation of dancers.
Isn't it called "hoofing" what he does? It's a special kind of tap dancing... often without music and not so clip-a-de-clap... hard for me to explain what I mean. I'm no expert but it's a special kind of black tapdancing style...
This film also has a historical 1st for its time-Shirley & Bojangles actually holding hands up the steps-that was NOT done in movies of that period til then. Blacks & whites didn't touch if they danced together!
That's sad. Those 2 made such a touching pair and the hand holding was, I think, a part of the "message". The south hasn't changed that much since back then, that's for sure
You don't see talent like this, this level, much anymore. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was one of the top tap dancers in the world. The Nicholas Brothers were also incredible, and there's a few more icons of that day. So much talent. Some of those men can be seen in the movie "Taps" and even in their 60's, 70's, and 80's could STILL rip up the floor. Just incredible.
Looked over him? That man was loved, the world over. When he died, a million an a half people lined the streets of New York, from Harlem to Brooklyn, just to say goodbye. The largest funeral ever in NYC history.
Hmmm...I’d probably tumble down, breaking _both_ of my legs and ankles, and maybe my hip as well, wail like a baby and hope to god nobody saw it, and when the ambulance picks me up...I’d just say I got beaten and mugged by a hooligan who broke into my house to spare me the embarrassment. 😂 Because of Shirley Temple films, I took two dancing lessons when I was 6, but can’t really do it anymore, but this sequence is by no means for beginners. This is like a Metallica solo of tap-dancing!
Everybody talking all this crap, and not giving Bill Bojangles Robinson the credit he deserves. He taught Shirley Temple how to to tap dance, as she stated in an article, he told her to feel the beat when he would be teaching her these choreography's and not count it, and she had to want to dance because she did learn it and pick it up so well. He was not a house anything, he did what he did to survive during that time, he was an enormous talent, even Fred Astaire and Gene Kelley said they would not have been as good as they were, if not for Bill Bo Jangles Robinson. She stated they were good friends and that, she had respect for him and he for her, and that he never mentioned the racist things he had suffered to her at any time, so therefore she never knew what he went through. She said in the article he always said to her, that everything was copacetic, even one time when she stayed at a hotel and he stayed in a room above a drugstore and she asked him why did he not stay at the hotel, as she stated, he told her everything was copacetic. Was glad to see these dance scenes with the two of them posted! Again, God bless Bill Bojangles Robinson and Shirley Temple!
I'm reading her book now and when they showed this movie in the south, they edited out them holding hands in this scene because they knew it would cause an uproar. Made me sad. But what a huge amount of talent between the two.
Have you ever noticed that often times back then whites who were racist against black people still liked black entertainers? Robinson was popular with both blacks and whites, and was probably the most well known and highest paid black entertainer of his era. Even bigots would often look past his skin color and appreciate his great tallent.
Alex tepe yea they appreciated their talent but they would never have them use their bathrooms or restaurants or stay in the hotels etc..... watch the movie green book. Also Sinatra insisted his friend Sammy Davis jr stay in a room in the same hotel as him nd the rat pack. Arseholes!!!
John Knee o read the same thing about Louis Armstrong. Even though he was world famous and a New Orleans native he still had to stay in a separate hotel. He once said that it seemed he got treated better anywhere else in the world than he did in his hometown.
Historic, groundbreaking cinema right here. I'm sure there is one heck of a backstory as to what convinced the movie studio to pull this one off in 1935!
helps that Shirley was no. 1 at box office and Bill exuded charm, talent and fun.. plus daryl z--studio boss--liked to take chances--and it worked here--audiences loved bill and Shirley together.
Ha! No female -- 6 year old girl no less -- living in this era had the power to refuse anything. Shirley was a commodity. She did what she was told. End story.
The truth is the parts featuring black people were edited out of movies for southern audiences. Movies in those days were constructed so blacks appeared only in songs and dance numbers that could removed without hurting the plot.
Ground breaking? I wouldn't go that far. it's really just heighten minstrel stuff. White audiences weren't really challenged watching blacks play servants who dance and sing. Dramatic roles for blacks were still decades away.
So much talent was required of Hollywood back then, you weren't getting nowhere if you couldn't sing, act, AND dance. Back then tap dancing was the biggest thing and nearly every single successful actor or actress back then had a background in it. Many talent scouts went to dance studios looking for new stars, in fact that's how they found miss Shirley :) I'm not complaining about the new actors and actresses, nor any new stars in general, it's just interesting how much more they had to be capable of back then.
@@maddierosemusic NO ! Jerry Jeff Walker wrote the song about Jerry's stay in jail with Mr. Bojangles... Two different Bojangles. (Easy research, do it...)
@@johnnyp8979Nah. Meeting another tap dancing “Mr. Bojangles” in JAIL? Nope. You can bet Mr. Walker made up the jail story. But he undoubtedly got the idea for the song from THIS.
@@Amaberean JJW went to jail in 1965 in new Orleans for public intoxication, while in that jail, he met a WHITE FELLOW that also danced and lives hand to mouth and usually stayed in jail(s) basically for room n board thanks to the county/town he was in. Song was written by 1968 with help of David Bromberg. And yes, Mr Bill BOJANGLES died in 1949, he was an African American dancer, YES, and very well known... (but this is another person). This white fella took BOJANGLES as a pseudo name to cover real identity. Mr Bojangles song and something about his dog that died 20 years back but still hurts 🥲, but still dances the days away... Jerry Jeff was a transplanted Nu Yark'er to Austin, TX area, I know, I lived in Austin during that time 😬. All's good 👍, just listen and enjoy the beauty of the Texas country outlaw movement... JAMES McMURTRY. BLAZE FOLEY. JUSTIN TOWNES EARL n dad STEVE EARL. TOWNEZ VAN ZANDT. GUY CLARK. FLACO. DOUG SAHMS n TEXAS TORNADOES. WILLIE. WAYLON. And so many more...
Back when Hollywood had TALENTED people blow audiences away from countless hours of rehearsal and practice and natural skill...instead of artificiality, autotune, editing and CG hack models pretending to be talented. I miss the good 'old days.
That was so endearing. What a talented pair, they really push the envelope back in those days because mixed races never dance together as specially in public.
There was another movie with Bill made in 1935 and he had chosen a white woman as his dance partner. Bill thought it would be OK if she used blackface, but it never worked out I guess.
Whouahhh the gentleman deserves an Olympic Gold medal for such a performance. I'm gobsmacked by how physical it is. Going up and down stairs and tapdancing at the same time for such a long time. RESPECT
Love this...but it makes me tear up a bit when I think this man entertained millions but had to suffer Jim Crow and segregation. Shameful. Thank you Mr. Bojangles.....
Many criticize Robinson for being an "uncle tom-ish" character. Well people need to remember that he didn't have much of a choice back in the days of the 1930's. He worked with the cards he was dealt with.
+TimelineProvision TP They could've formed, but they heavily restricted from Jim Crow and segregation laws. Plus the KKK kept them too scared to do anything and didn't have the right leadership. So they had to wait until the 60's when civil rights were in full swing and they had the courage to go for it. Then in the 70's they had their own hollywood, it was called Blaxploitation
She was a little bundle of uncomplicated joy. Her talents were limited though, all she could do when just out of infancy, was sing, dance, remember her lines, handle the pressure of stardom without self-destructing, show-up on time and charm the socks off just about everyone.
One of my favorite scenes ever! These two great talents are so sweet together. So touching --brings tears to my eyes. Bojangles was Shirley's mentor and they stayed close until his death in 1949. Rest in peace Shirley and Bojangles. Thank you for entertaining us! You were both one of a kind
Bill Bojangles moves so gracefully, it's as if he is floating, all the while executing, seemingly effortlessly, these perfect, complex rhythms. His dancing is like a welcome raincloud moving through a parched land, the grace of the cloud inspiring awe, and the rhythm of the raindrops inspiring joy. No one else in the field comes close.
I'm a 28 year old man from Florida I just wish that I could find a woman who would enjoy these older movies as much as I do I listen to mostly 50s music my favorite movies are from the '20s to the '60s I know there must be somebody out there
I love all these classics I don't know why teenagers my age don't appreciate classics such like Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rodgers and many more. I LOVE THEM ALL
Bojangles..MASTERFUL Thank u Sir! But I must tell u, the way Shirley observed that was no acting and when she said "I want to do that too" I just wanted to pick her up and give a big hug.. ADORABLE
Best ever. Brings back memories of me and my father. Bill Robinson the hardest working dancer back then. So may people use his routines (borrowed). Lol
Robinson was encouraged to do his famous stairs dance with Temple, but he knew he couldn't teach the complex steps to her, at age 7, in the few days they had. So, he taught her the 'kick the riser' step, and then watched her do it. He modified his dance to match her steps so that it would look like she was imitating him.
I just watched that movie Bojangles" with Gregory Hines portraying him and it was fantastic! That scene dancing on the stairs on both sides was incredible footwork. All the charities Robinson gave to ought to be listed on Wikipedia part of his biography! What an amazing man he was! It was also a tribute to Gregory Hines for his tremendous, talented dancing he did in this film. May he rest in peace, too. He was too young to die at 57 years old.
Such incredibly gifted and talented stars. Talent these days just isn't on the same level as these and they are paid so much more for doing so much less.
The way I heard it was that to help Shirley remember the dance steps he worked out a system of signals to let her know what steps came next. He would squeeze one finger for one step and another for the next. Ether way they make a great dance team, not to forget they made history in so many ways.
I love how easy he makes it look! Such perfect spatial awareness is rare, let alone the tap skills :D I'm so proud that my 2 yo enjoys this so much that she asks for Mr. Bojangles by name (and wants to be Shirley Temple of course).
February 22,1934: "The Little Colonel" premieres starring Shirley Temple, Lionel Barrymore and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, featuring the famous stair dance; Hollywood's first interracial dance couple. Classic. RIP Shirley Temple, RIP Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Thank you, mysticmoon1984 for the upload of this beautiful and classic piece of movie history. Blessings....
Mr B made his style of dancing so grand and easy. DOubt any one could do his dances today, white or black. Shirley Temple and Mr B just a natural team The Lil Colonel and Heidi the best made then and now. Thank you so much for sharing with the world. Pax +
Richard Wright I recall reading an interview with someone in this movie where they claimed it was all done in one take. During rehearsal, Shirley's mom scolded her for not "paying attention" to the dance moves, but Shirley exclaimed, "But mommy, I am!"Thats how great Shirley Temple was and still is today.
Gil Guzman we will never again, see the likes of her ,.on top of that she had to memorize lines and go to studio school.how can a six to eight year old do all that.
I don't think I've ever seen this movie in its entirety, yet I've seen this dance number several times. I will never not love watching this-- puts a huge smile on my face every time!
This just brought tears to my eyes. Such innocent. We don't see that today. Mr Bo Jangles and little Shirley Temple. We loved you and thank you . Rest in peace.
and then it took another like 30 something years until Captain Kirk kissed Uhura for the first interracial kiss! but until then they never had a problem with Kirk lusting after green aliens lol
TV was always behind the times. In the movies they were more progressive. They had the first nudity (1890s) first sex (1910s) and first interracial kiss (1950s) .
I am so glad that we have RUclips. So we can honor all those amazing old artists. Without RUclips I would have never found this. Bill ''Bojangles'' Robinson, was a very tallented man. And Shirley was an amazing actress for her age
There will never be another Mr. Bojangles. Never another Shirley Temple. Never a return to the time when Hollywood was making simple and sweet films like these.
@@joycampi7233 Yes. But at least we do live in a time where they haven't destroyed the old films and we can still see them. We'll have to be careful about that.
Feb 6, 2023: Gosh....Mom grew up on Shirley Temple movies. (Mr. Bojangles was such a talented man!) As a child, learning the dance routines became easier for Shirley. Thanks, Kate
What incredible talent! Miss this so much. No one is looking at skin color, only two people getting along and having fun. HELLO! Most people feel the same! Get it together
Shirley always said Bojangles was her favorite dance partner. She learned dance routines by listening to the "taps". Very bright little girl.
Hello Susan, How are you doing?
I heard she was like 4-5 years old memorizing everyone's lines I saw a interview on it. Very smart kid
this scene alone probably brought race relations ahead 30 years
when we see the same thing entertains us we think...maybe we aren't so different
You can see that they have great chemistry and that she trusts and looks up to him, they where great people and had amazing talent.
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was a featured performer in the very first Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day parade. He danced the entire route and, according to legend, never repeated a step the whole way. He was the greatest tap dancer the world has ever seen, or is ever likely to see.
I don’t know about greatest, but definitely the most famous. Most people probably can’t think of another famous tap dancer (other than the West Virginia guy)
He wasn't supposed to hold her hand, but she held his hand anyway. " well done Shirley " brilliant tap. You know, wasn't even aware I got the '👍', but just came back to my comment and watched the video again and I'm still wow'ed by the tap and timing. That dance would impress any watchers a 1000 years from now.
She grabbed his hand!!
@@brianshepherd9927 he offered his hand. what do you expect.
Why wasn't she supposed to touch his hand again 😕? And don't say bc he's a BM 😡🤬
@@LoveMyDaisyGirl911 At the time yes. She wasn't allowed to - but did anyway. It was one of the first if not the first times it was depicted in film.
Heard she was very fond of him
Haven't seen this in years. Still brings a tear to my eye. Rest In Peace Shirley. Both angels are now dancing in heaven.
This one made me cry today.
Omg rest in peac I started crying in school when the teacher played this
It makes me tear up too. You see Bojangle's sincere compassion and patience with 6 year old Temple. She was beung exploited by Hollywood and he was being excluded due to Jim Crow racism. But, in this dance sequence, he holds her hand to guide her and keep her safe on those stairs. Bojangles Robinson coukd see that baby girl's talent and she trusted him.
My classmate Jon said this was "How dumb!" and called Bojangles the n-word.
I hate it when I accidentally hit the wrong button. I accidentally disliked this at first, and had to quickly correct. 😅
RIP Shirley Temple. Such an adorable angel.
Shirley Temple was super bright. She had an above average vocabulary at the age of 3. She was dancing at the age of 2. Her co-stars said not only did she know her own lines, but everyone else's as well. She had a wonderful relationship with him, and when she asked him questions as to why certain things were so he never said anything that revealed what was really going on and why he couldn't stay in the same hotel as her.
51Saffron she held his hand when she wasn’t supposed to. Incredible
She would soon enough realize. Some didn't talk about the negatives to children. Accentuate the positive is always best. It shows her parents let her be herself, and befriend who she wanted to.
@@EagleArrow Right?
@@EagleArrowyou can still be truthful, nuture child to be better humans then their parents and ancestors
He was smart. He knew that she was his friend and would be upset if she knew the truth. She was too little to understand or carry adult problems. He knew she’d find out soon enough. Plus he might’ve gotten in trouble for telling her the truth. Black people had to be very careful about what they said or did because there were always people around who could get them in trouble with the law for no good reason if the Black person said or did something the white folk didn’t like. It was super easy to trump up charges against them. It makes me angry.
Rest in Peace Shirley and Bojangles. Both superb entertainers.
Amen to that!
There probably still tap dancing
In heaven ❤️
They continue to dance together in Heaven! ❤
Uh, he had a name, he wasn't a servant or slave. He was an actor named Bill Robinson.
They had a wonderful friendship in real life. She always said even as an adult that he was absolutely wonderful and lots of fun! 😂❤
Surprised they were even ALLOWED to be friends back then...
@@d.lawrence5670during that time black actors couldn't perform with white actors unless they were children..Mr. Robinson was Mrs. Shirley Temple-Blacks master tap dance teacher and they became lifelong friends..they made history together and put smiles on many faces ❤
@@d.lawrence5670they really weren’t allowed. Back then even dancing together in a move caused controversy. Bo and Shirley were the first interracial dance partners to appear on film. It was met with a lot of negative backlash. Papers criticized both of them. However they were both such big stars at the time it was considered a racial milestone of progress.
Love the backstory to this scene. I also love how they “got caught” goofing around and both tan off while holding hands with the biggest smiles on their faces. That is pure love and just so special ❤
i know... 💕💕💕
Bojangles was awesome, and he made it look so effortless.
+Peter Metcalfe and shirley!
...and his STAMINA...omg!
@@jessiejames7492 poor girl was so short she was taking leaps of faith down those steps!
Then again, *he* was the one running up & down the stairs for 3 straight minutes
Lets face it, it was in a different time. Men in general were gentalmen, that is no longer true..very sad
Bill Robinson is a HUGE talent! Simply amazing! For any child to even come close to holding their own next to him is unbelievable!
So true
Shirley was someone special
two great american talents. the story goes the she was not to hold hands with mr bojangles but she insisted. also he was to dance alone she only watched again she put her foot down creating the first time in a film a black man held a white women's(girl's) hand.back them this was unheard of.YOU GO SHIRLEY!
C'mon....black folk always held little white kids hands. How far back you want to go? They were often their caretakers. Please. There was a big difference between holding a woman's hand and a little girl's and society knew it.
nyrockchicxx You’re both correct, but I think Pia meant depicted in films.
@@nyrockchicxx that was in slavery and they hand to take care of white people children so it was okay to touch but after slavery ended black weren't slaves anymore so they weren't allowed to even go near white folks anymore not so much as to stare at them either.
@@trethespiritual4734 your wrong on that one after slavery ended young black women in there early teens were often employed as caretakers for white children they were of course treated horrible though
@@trethespiritual4734 Ummmm have you watched The Help?!
The way she looks up in admiration--knowing the times--is heartwarming and brings tears to my eyes. We have a lot of work to do here in the States but I feel so much empathy and pain for my ancestors. And, I thank them for their hardwork.
Deva DeWalt speaking as a white woman who grew up watching this, I can attest that everyone I knew had a great deal of respect and admiration for Mr. Robinson.
His sweetness-- where did that come from??? That's more astounding even.
Wonderful talented people 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤
I'm confident that things have moved on for all Americans.
Ah, Mr. Bill Bojangles Robinson. One of the best tap dancers there ever was and no one can surpass his kind of talent. He who one awards from kings in Europe. When he was receiving one reward from a king, he had to walk up a few steps to the king and he tap danced his way up. That's how it all started. He even held a world record of running backwards in a 100 yard dash in 13.7 seconds in 1922. That record was broken in 1977 by a Paul Wilson in 13.3, but all the same, that's amazing to know. However, his fantastic dancing on the stair shall forever be the best of his signatures. RIP, Mr. Bojangles. And to you sweet little Shirley Temple, the only little girl who could keep up with Mr Bojangles' steps.
Ray "Rubber Legs" Bolger far surpasses Bill Robinson but he's in a whole other league of his own. Just saying.
JohnSilverfan01 umm no he is the best
@@mel3687 Ray Bolgers was great,but not in the same league as Bill Robinson!
@@mel3687 nope, apples and oranges.
@@deliawright8626 Have you not seen Mr. Trevor Miles perform. Many have said his voice sounds like a cross of Yoko Ono in the style of Bob Dylan. And dances like a King crab on fire .
From the Wikipedia for Bill Robinson, Shirley Temple recounts, "Robinson walked a step ahead of us, but when he noticed me hurrying to catch up, he shortened his stride to accommodate mine. I kept reaching up for his hand, but he hadn't looked down and seemed unaware. Fannie called his attention to what I was doing, so he stopped short, bent low over me, his eyes wide and rows of brilliant teeth showing in a wide smile. When he took my hand in his, it felt large and cool. For a few moments, we continued walking in silence. "Can I call you Uncle Billy?" I asked. "Why sure you can," he replied... "But then I get to call you darlin.'" It was a deal. From then on, whenever we walked together it was hand in hand, and I was always his "darlin."
I find that such a heartwarming and awesome story.
One more interesting factoid is that...
"...After Robinson was signed by 20th Century Fox, it was decided that he would perform his famous stair dance with Temple. While Robinson liked the idea, he quickly realized that he could not teach his complex stair dance to a seven-year-old in the few days permitted by the shooting schedule. Instead, he taught Temple to kick the riser (face) of each stairstep with her toe. After watching her practice his choreography, Robinson modified his routine to mimic her movements, so that it appeared on film that she was imitating his steps. The sequence was the highlight of the film."
This. This was the dance that I watched as a little girl of 5 that made me ask my mom to take me to tap dance lessons. I wanted to tap just like them. I tap danced into my 20's, taught classes, and even won some awards. Regardless, I still am moved by the incredible talent of these two larger than life celebrities. Bless them. I don't doubt they inspired a nation of dancers.
+clearbluesea2 Your story is similar to mine. It sounds amazing.
Paula Abdul said she loved Shirley and Bogangles
Love stories when talent is moved forward in a generation. Glad it was passed on to you and you passed it on to others in your lessons.
Isn't it called "hoofing" what he does? It's a special kind of tap dancing... often without music and not so clip-a-de-clap... hard for me to explain what I mean. I'm no expert but it's a special kind of black tapdancing style...
That's great.
I'm younger than him and I can't walk up my stairs without my knees popping. Exceptional talent and performance 👍
He was born in like the 1870s I’m pretty sure. So I’m sure you’re doing better then he is right now physically that is
This film also has a historical 1st for its time-Shirley & Bojangles actually holding hands up the steps-that was NOT done in movies of that period til then. Blacks & whites didn't touch if they danced together!
RIP, Ms temple-you'll be missed and remembered by so many of us!
In the American south any scenes in which Shirley's & Bill's hands touched had to be edited out.
That's sad. Those 2 made such a touching pair and the hand holding was, I think, a part of the "message". The south hasn't changed that much since back then, that's for sure
@@dianaa.1735 She was a close friend of his until he died.
oh geesh stfu
You don't see talent like this, this level, much anymore. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was one of the top tap dancers in the world. The Nicholas Brothers were also incredible, and there's a few more icons of that day. So much talent. Some of those men can be seen in the movie "Taps" and even in their 60's, 70's, and 80's could STILL rip up the floor. Just incredible.
That MAN is so talented. It's a shame that so many more that looked just like him never got to be loved and admired. I love you Bill Robinson : )
Looked over him? That man was loved, the world over. When he died, a million an a half people lined the streets of New York, from Harlem to Brooklyn, just to say goodbye. The largest funeral ever in NYC history.
@@ex4life96 they said people that LOOKED like him as In black people, not him specifically
We don’t need your admiration or love. Just get out of your way.
@@byHexted that statement not valid lots a famous black folks back then
Look at it from Shirley's viewpoint - what an incredible, beautiful memory to carry with you for the rest of your life!!!!!
If i tried this I would probably fall down the stairs
Carsen Darling I'd probably pull the stairs down with me!
Hmmm...I’d probably tumble down, breaking _both_ of my legs and ankles, and maybe my hip as well, wail like a baby and hope to god nobody saw it, and when the ambulance picks me up...I’d just say I got beaten and mugged by a hooligan who broke into my house to spare me the embarrassment. 😂
Because of Shirley Temple films, I took two dancing lessons when I was 6, but can’t really do it anymore, but this sequence is by no means for beginners. This is like a Metallica solo of tap-dancing!
id fall down the stairs break my neck then die tbh
@@SunBunz awwe ;w; here have a cookie~
Lmao
I am 81 and I do remember this. ❤️❤️❤️ Thanks for the memories!
Everybody talking all this crap, and not giving Bill Bojangles Robinson the credit he deserves. He taught Shirley Temple how to to tap dance, as she stated in an article, he told her to feel the beat when he would be teaching her these choreography's and not count it, and she had to want to dance because she did learn it and pick it up so well. He was not a house anything, he did what he did to survive during that time, he was an enormous talent, even Fred Astaire and Gene Kelley said they would not have been as good as they were, if not for Bill Bo Jangles Robinson. She stated they were good friends and that, she had respect for him and he for her, and that he never mentioned the racist things he had suffered to her at any time, so therefore she never knew what he went through. She said in the article he always said to her, that everything was copacetic, even one time when she stayed at a hotel and he stayed in a room above a drugstore and she asked him why did he not stay at the hotel, as she stated, he told her everything was copacetic. Was glad to see these dance scenes with the two of them posted! Again, God bless Bill Bojangles Robinson and Shirley Temple!
I'm reading her book now and when they showed this movie in the south, they edited out them holding hands in this scene because they knew it would cause an uproar. Made me sad. But what a huge amount of talent between the two.
casefamily5 it makes me mad not sad! Racism is from the devil!!!
Have you ever noticed that often times back then whites who were racist against black people still liked black entertainers? Robinson was popular with both blacks and whites, and was probably the most well known and highest paid black entertainer of his era. Even bigots would often look past his skin color and appreciate his great tallent.
Alex tepe yea they appreciated their talent but they would never have them use their bathrooms or restaurants or stay in the hotels etc..... watch the movie green book. Also Sinatra insisted his friend Sammy Davis jr stay in a room in the same hotel as him nd the rat pack. Arseholes!!!
John Knee o read the same thing about Louis Armstrong. Even though he was world famous and a New Orleans native he still had to stay in a separate hotel. He once said that it seemed he got treated better anywhere else in the world than he did in his hometown.
What's cool about them two is that he treated her like it she was his own daughter 😢
I watched a documentary about him, he and Shirley had a lovely father daughter relationship, he even bought her an electric car
And they had FUN
I loved finding out he actually adapted his stair dance in this scene for Shirley and it's in fact him imitating her to make it look so flawless
@@missyadams did electric cars exist back then?
@@someonesomeone7423 if I hadn't seen the footage of Shirley Temple driving it in the documentary about him, I wouldve said no.
Historic, groundbreaking cinema right here. I'm sure there is one heck of a backstory as to what convinced the movie studio to pull this one off in 1935!
Chauntel Bland I was told that Shirley refused to work if he wasn't there
helps that Shirley was no. 1 at box office and Bill exuded charm, talent and fun.. plus daryl z--studio boss--liked to take chances--and it worked here--audiences loved bill and Shirley together.
Ha! No female -- 6 year old girl no less -- living in this era had the power to refuse anything. Shirley was a commodity. She did what she was told. End story.
The truth is the parts featuring black people were edited out of movies for southern audiences. Movies in those days were constructed so blacks appeared only in songs and dance numbers that could removed without hurting the plot.
Ground breaking? I wouldn't go that far. it's really just heighten minstrel stuff. White audiences weren't really challenged watching blacks play servants who dance and sing. Dramatic roles for blacks were still decades away.
I see two people having the time of their lives. Bravo awesome
these two have more talent in one leg than all current pop stars.
Amen!
YOU'RE SO RIGHT. it's sad to see 71 thumbs down for this clip
loool !!!
So much talent was required of Hollywood back then, you weren't getting nowhere if you couldn't sing, act, AND dance. Back then tap dancing was the biggest thing and nearly every single successful actor or actress back then had a background in it. Many talent scouts went to dance studios looking for new stars, in fact that's how they found miss Shirley :) I'm not complaining about the new actors and actresses, nor any new stars in general, it's just interesting how much more they had to be capable of back then.
omg yes😂
"I met a man, Bojangles, and he danced a little." While the lyric may not be about him, - RIP and may they both be tapping across heaven's clouds.
It IS about him. I always thought it was just a story, but it's true.
@@maddierosemusic
NO !
Jerry Jeff Walker wrote the song about Jerry's stay in jail with Mr. Bojangles...
Two different Bojangles.
(Easy research, do it...)
Oh, so not the same guy?@@johnnyp8979
@@johnnyp8979Nah. Meeting another tap dancing “Mr. Bojangles” in JAIL?
Nope.
You can bet Mr. Walker made up the jail story. But he undoubtedly got the idea for the song from THIS.
@@Amaberean
JJW went to jail in 1965 in new Orleans for public intoxication, while in that jail, he met a WHITE FELLOW that also danced and lives hand to mouth and usually stayed in jail(s) basically for room n board thanks to the county/town he was in.
Song was written by 1968 with help of David Bromberg.
And yes, Mr Bill BOJANGLES died in 1949, he was an African American dancer, YES, and very well known... (but this is another person).
This white fella took BOJANGLES as a pseudo name to cover real identity. Mr Bojangles song and something about his dog that died 20 years back but still hurts 🥲, but still dances the days away...
Jerry Jeff was a transplanted Nu Yark'er to Austin, TX area, I know, I lived in Austin during that time 😬.
All's good 👍, just listen and enjoy the beauty of the Texas country outlaw movement...
JAMES McMURTRY.
BLAZE FOLEY.
JUSTIN TOWNES EARL n dad STEVE EARL.
TOWNEZ VAN ZANDT.
GUY CLARK.
FLACO.
DOUG SAHMS n TEXAS TORNADOES.
WILLIE.
WAYLON.
And so many more...
RIP Shirley Temple & Bojangles, legends for ever!
The way her tiny little hand disappears into his. So cute!
Back when Hollywood had TALENTED people blow audiences away from countless hours of rehearsal and practice and natural skill...instead of artificiality, autotune, editing and CG hack models pretending to be talented. I miss the good 'old days.
They were wonderful together, such a clever talented little girl and Mr Bo Jangles… what an incredible dancer, love this clip!!!
That was so endearing. What a talented pair, they really push the envelope back in those days because mixed races never dance together as specially in public.
There was another movie with Bill made in 1935 and he had chosen a white woman as his dance partner. Bill thought it would be OK if she used blackface, but it never worked out I guess.
Mr. Robinson flat-out OWNED every last one of those stairs! 🥰😍
Good ol' Bojangles, may he Rest In Peace. Still the greatest tap dancer who ever lived.
Grew up watching this performance. It never gets old.
Man I LOVE Shirley Temple. She could dance really good, and kept her curls on point! RIP ~a legend!!!!
😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷🤕🤧
All that hairspray. I'm sure they had hairspray back then.
Whouahhh the gentleman deserves an Olympic Gold medal for such a performance. I'm gobsmacked by how physical it is. Going up and down stairs and tapdancing at the same time for such a long time. RESPECT
Ikr! Tap dancing up and down the stairs *while* playing music with his mouth. The stamina. The man was too good.
Bojangles...Oh how the world still needs you... Rest In Power, Sir. You will never be forgotten.
Bojangles was an amazing talent, he’s a legend. Shirley was an amazing talent too
Hello Melissa, How are you doing?
Love this...but it makes me tear up a bit when I think this man entertained millions but had to suffer Jim Crow and segregation. Shameful. Thank you Mr. Bojangles.....
American Child Are you serious? The evil manufactured system of white supremacy is what fuels racial tensions. Get your mind right, dude.
unfortunately continues to do so--restricting voting districts to make it harder for black voters to get to polls
Many criticize Robinson for being an "uncle tom-ish" character. Well people need to remember that he didn't have much of a choice back in the days of the 1930's. He worked with the cards he was dealt with.
+TimelineProvision TP They could've formed, but they heavily restricted from Jim Crow and segregation laws. Plus the KKK kept them too scared to do anything and didn't have the right leadership. So they had to wait until the 60's when civil rights were in full swing and they had the courage to go for it. Then in the 70's they had their own hollywood, it was called Blaxploitation
SuperGomez59 yep
He even did his own beat box. Mr Bojangles you rock!
She was a little bundle of uncomplicated joy. Her talents were limited though, all she could do when just out of infancy, was sing, dance, remember her lines, handle the pressure of stardom without self-destructing, show-up on time and charm the socks off just about everyone.
+Ernesto Nomparte Forchetto Was that statement meant to be ironic?
Yes, of course. I'm a fan.
Limited? Shirley had more talent in her little finger than all actors in Hollywood!!
@@lewisfrazier3506 I'm being ironic there.
@@lewisfrazier3506 Agree
One of my favorite scenes ever! These two great talents are so sweet together. So touching --brings tears to my eyes. Bojangles was Shirley's mentor and they stayed close until his death in 1949. Rest in peace Shirley and Bojangles. Thank you for entertaining us! You were both one of a kind
Bill Bojangles moves so gracefully, it's as if he is floating, all the while executing, seemingly effortlessly, these perfect, complex rhythms. His dancing is like a welcome raincloud moving through a parched land, the grace of the cloud inspiring awe, and the rhythm of the raindrops inspiring joy. No one else in the field comes close.
I'm a 28 year old man from Florida I just wish that I could find a woman who would enjoy these older movies as much as I do I listen to mostly 50s music my favorite movies are from the '20s to the '60s I know there must be somebody out there
Not your age....
@@deliawright8626 there has to be someone I know some young people who like The drifters like there goes My baby etc
Loved Shirley when she was younger like this in films.... This one with “Uncle Billy Robinson” was one of my favs.
i had fun make it .
Tap dancing up and down stairs and he's not even out of breath. Impressive.
Bill Bojangles Robinson and Shirley Temple at their best. Thank you for this.
Such a talented young lady and mr. Bojangles Robinson was one of the greats. God bless them both. Dancing in heaven with no judgement.
I love all these classics I don't know why teenagers my age don't appreciate classics such like Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rodgers and many more. I LOVE THEM ALL
***** WOW I hope making that comment made a difference in your life because it sure didn't faze me ... thanks bye! :D
+Dominique Isaac-Welcome im a teenager and i love classic movies
Thats great i wish more of us did
Dominique Isaac-Welcome I feel
I absolutely agree I don't care if its not considered 'cool' to watch these great classics I love them so I'll continue to keep enjoying them. :)
Bojangles..MASTERFUL
Thank u Sir!
But I must tell u, the way Shirley observed that was no acting and when she said "I want to do that too" I just wanted to pick her up and give a big hug.. ADORABLE
Here's to you Mr. Robinson. Shirley Temple was so talented beyond the cute, dimple-faced charm. The sheer intricacy of those steps...
Pure talent!
Shall we ever see anything like that again?
Save these scenes!
2020 😭😭😭
bill bajongle
Mr. Robinson had more talent in his little toe than most of today's Hollywood performers.
So true
The Devine beauty of this made my heart smile, like non other, then laughing with tears of joy pouring out of my eyeballs. It's a beautiful thing.
Best ever. Brings back memories of me and my father. Bill Robinson the hardest working dancer back then. So may people use his routines (borrowed). Lol
One of the best tap dancers of all time. He was awesome !!!!
Robinson was encouraged to do his famous stairs dance with Temple, but he knew he couldn't teach the complex steps to her, at age 7, in the few days they had. So, he taught her the 'kick the riser' step, and then watched her do it. He modified his dance to match her steps so that it would look like she was imitating him.
That is so good.They danced so well together.I loved it.😃
I just watched that movie Bojangles" with Gregory Hines portraying him and it was fantastic! That scene dancing on the stairs on both sides was incredible footwork. All the charities Robinson gave to ought to be listed on Wikipedia part of his biography! What an amazing man he was! It was also a tribute to Gregory Hines for his tremendous, talented dancing he did in this film. May he rest in peace, too. He was too young to die at 57 years old.
Yes, sad loss of Gregory Hines.
Thsnk you. I will go watch. Eversince l watched white nights i have respected gregory hines.
Two great legends. I hope they're still dancing up a storm in Heaven. :)
Hello Margaret, How are you doing?
Such incredibly gifted and talented stars. Talent these days just isn't on the same level as these and they are paid so much more for doing so much less.
That was one talented little girl. She could keep up with a pro like Bill Robinson step by step.
Ist true step by step
The way I heard it was that to help Shirley remember the dance steps he worked out a system of signals to let her know what steps came next. He would squeeze one finger for one step and another for the next. Ether way they make a great dance team, not to forget they made history in so many ways.
this is by far my favorite tap dance from Shirley in all her movies. it looks and sounds so cool, tap dancing looks fun to do
I like how cheeky they looked when they were running up the stairs in the end ❤❤❤
I love these classic Shirley Temple films. I especially love how they used clips from some of the old classic films in a video version of Uptown Funk!
Mr Bojangles is simply amazing thank you for the entertainment you gave us and such a natural
I love how easy he makes it look! Such perfect spatial awareness is rare, let alone the tap skills :D I'm so proud that my 2 yo enjoys this so much that she asks for Mr. Bojangles by name (and wants to be Shirley Temple of course).
February 22,1934: "The Little Colonel" premieres starring Shirley Temple, Lionel Barrymore and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, featuring the famous stair dance; Hollywood's first interracial dance couple. Classic. RIP Shirley Temple, RIP Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Thank you, mysticmoon1984 for the upload of this beautiful and classic piece of movie history. Blessings....
Please Mr. Bojangles - Dance! ♥ I love Shirley and Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson. Legends.
Mr B made his style of dancing so grand and easy. DOubt any one could do his dances today, white or black.
Shirley Temple and Mr B just a natural team
The Lil Colonel and Heidi the best made then and now.
Thank you so much for sharing with the world.
Pax
+
Her laugh at 2:38 was genuine she was having fun with Mr Bojangles they really shine in this scene ❤️
All children should watch these films, my 2 grandkids love them.and all their mums and dad's doing.
I can't imagine the amount of rehearsal that it took to get this down
Richard Wright I recall reading an interview with someone in this movie where they claimed it was all done in one take. During rehearsal, Shirley's mom scolded her for not "paying attention" to the dance moves, but Shirley exclaimed, "But mommy, I am!"Thats how great Shirley Temple was and still is today.
Mangasakka shirly temple and spanky mcfardland two kid genuisis.We will probably never see the likes again
Gil Guzman we will never again, see the likes of her ,.on top of that she had to memorize lines and go to studio school.how can a six to eight year old do all that.
For Shirley maybe, but not Bonjangles, it's what he did
Shirley had the easy part. Not discrediting, but it takes strong lead
they can finally be reunited. R.I.P. Shirley Temple
I don't think I've ever seen this movie in its entirety, yet I've seen this dance number several times. I will never not love watching this-- puts a huge smile on my face every time!
Badass pure badass. From both of them.
This just brought tears to my eyes.
Such innocent.
We don't see that today.
Mr Bo Jangles and little Shirley Temple.
We loved you and thank you .
Rest in peace.
Movies first interracial dance team.
and then it took another like 30 something years until Captain Kirk kissed Uhura for the first interracial kiss! but until then they never had a problem with Kirk lusting after green aliens lol
TV was always behind the times. In the movies they were more progressive. They had the first nudity (1890s) first sex (1910s) and first interracial kiss (1950s)
.
They probably treated him like shit behind the scenes tho.....
luis grant
It wasn't save the last dance???
My life is a lie😢
She kept her eyes right on him when they were doing the steps. Didn't matter to her about his skin. Great job to you both.
Talent and chemistry came together without race and age making a difference!❤❤❤
Wow they both look like prodigy (Shirley) and master (Bojangles) 😊 Super class acts to be entertained by
Bojangles. I could watch him dance all day :)
I am so glad that we have RUclips. So we can honor all those amazing old artists. Without RUclips I would have never found this. Bill ''Bojangles'' Robinson, was a very tallented man. And Shirley was an amazing actress for her age
There will never be another Mr. Bojangles. Never another Shirley Temple. Never a return to the time when Hollywood was making simple and sweet films like these.
Sad isn't it? 😔
@@joycampi7233 Yes. But at least we do live in a time where they haven't destroyed the old films and we can still see them. We'll have to be careful about that.
A pioneer and American hero. Thank you for your gifts sir.
Wow the talent and skill along with the historical significance of this scene is powerful!
RIP, Mr. Bojangles. Wish you had been born in a better era. And Shirley Temple. Oh my. That little one was talented AF.
I remember seeing this as a kid. I used to practice my own version of this on my stairs at home!
Love watching this Man dance and so much patience and enjoyment in teaching and dancing with Shirley Temple is evident from the film.
Gotta LOVE 'Bojangles' and Shirley together!!!!
We’ll never see movies like this again Dat’s for sure 😮
This man was a brilliant dancer!
Oh memories... laying in front of the tv on a Sunday afternoon watching musical movies, sure one day that would be me .
Stay safe stay well x
When your mom says clean the house but you bored
Feb 6, 2023: Gosh....Mom grew up on Shirley Temple movies. (Mr. Bojangles was such a talented man!) As a child, learning the dance routines became easier for Shirley. Thanks, Kate
This is good stuff! A happy place in the midst of a pandemic. Makes me smile and forget the troubles for a bit🕺
What incredible talent! Miss this so much. No one is looking at skin color, only two people getting along and having fun. HELLO! Most people feel the same! Get it together