Episode 59 – Rediscovering MGM’s Dancing Queen Eleanor Powell With Authors Paula Broussard & Lisa Royère - Part 1
On this episode of Hollywood Obsessed, host Tony Miros speaks with authors Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère whose new book "Eleanor Powell Born To Dance" is a loving and faithful tribute to one of Hollywood’s great dance icons whose career throughout the years has been largely overlooked!
During their conversation with Tony, Paula, and Lisa discuss how they met Eleanor in the 1970s and became friends with her, how they started doing their research about her life after she passed away in 1982, how they put all their research away for decades until the pandemic and then started writing the book, the reason why Eleanor’s star hasn’t shined as bright as Astaire, Garland or Kelly’s throughout the decades, her career in vaudeville and Broadway, how Louis B Mayer got her to sign a contract for Metro Goldwyn Mayer and move to Hollywood, what it was like being a contract player at MGM during the Golden Age of Hollywood, how Eleanor met her favorite movie star Joan Crawford on the MGM lot, and how LB Mayer gave Powell her private rehearsal bungalow to keep her from using empty soundstages to practice her dance routines, and how Eleanor’s only son Peter Ford chose not to contribute to this book about his mom.
PAULA BROUSSARD
Paula Broussard is an experienced journalist. In addition to her years as a newspaper reporter, she has written extensively on dance for such publications as Dance Magazine, LA Weekly, Dance Spirit, and Dance Teacher. She holds a BA in mass media/communications from Chapman University with a minor in dance and also studied French at the University of Paris, Sorbonne.
LISA ROYÈRE
Lisa Royère has a love of classic films, particularly musicals, and has extensive knowledge about the MGM era. Her years of dance training give her excellent critical insight into this field. An authority on Powell's career, she has written about Powell in American Classic Screen Profiles and served as a consultant on several book projects. Fluent in French, she has also done translation and editing work in the United States and France, where she lived for twenty-five years.
Official Website Eleanor Powell: Born To Dance https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813197883/eleanor-powell/
To Purchase On Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Eleanor-Powell-Dance-Screen-Classics/dp/0813197880
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Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère
Author / Historian
Paula Broussard is an experienced journalist. In addition to her years as a newspaper reporter, she has written extensively on dance for such publications as Dance Magazine, LA Weekly, Dance Spirit, and Dance Teacher. She holds a BA in mass media/communications from Chapman University with a minor in dance and also studied French at the University of Paris, Sorbonne.
Lisa Royère has a love of classic films, particularly musicals, and has extensive knowledge about the MGM era. Her years of dance training give her excellent critical insight into this field. An authority on Powell's career, she has written about Powell in American Classic Screen Profiles and served as a consultant on several book projects. Fluent in French, she has also done translation and editing work in the United States and France, where she lived for twenty-five years.
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