ARCHIVES #4 January/February 2006 (rerun from January, 2003) The genius of David Winters as producer-director-choreographer is apparent The synthesis of an innovative director (David), an award-winning cinematographer (Stephen Burum), a beautiful woman (Raquel Welch), exquisite locations (Paris, Mexico, Sun Valley, London), and an eclectic mix of guest stars (Bob Hope, Tom Jones, and John Wayne), resulted in one of the most dazzling, visually-pleasing, successful television musical specials.
Fresh from "Myra Breckenridge", Raquel had already decline over 20 offers to appear in a TV special, citing her reluctance to be confined to a studio. But David offered her a completely different venue: The world. David equated her to the sun that goes around the world, and wanted to create a journey showcasing her both as an entertainer and a person. Their history began when she was studying jazz dance with him at his dance studio in LA, shortly after West Side Story had wrapped; and her trust in him as an artist was supplemented by his recent acclaimed work with Nancy Sinatra and Ann-Margret. The three month shoot and extensive budget allowed David to present a fashionable sophisticated Raquel strolling a Parisian street; a tomboyish Raquel prancing in a Mexican fountain; clowning with Bob Hope, in an impressive Mae West mode; visiting a Mexican orphanage with John Wayne; performing with Tom Jones in a London nightclub; and perhaps a first, dancing with native Mayan dancers atop the Pyramids in the Yucatan. And in a strange twist of fate, Raquel fractured her elbow on the second to the last day of filming and David continued filming as she was taken away in an ambulance. David included that bit of cinema verite' into the final version.
Not without its challenges: massive flu bug in London; food poisoning in Mexico; David enduring a tongue lashing from an irate tourist who felt his hair was too long; and my personal favorite, a full blown fist fight between, David, his crew, Patrick Curtis (Raquel’s husband/manager) and the Mexican Press on the grounds of the Mayan city, over---nothing. But in the end, the special garnered incredible reviews, high ratings and profits for the network, and a World Television Award for David. Raquel also gained the foundation to do a Las Vegas Stage Act and eventually a turn on Broadway in Woman of the Year.
Question to David from Susan: During the California Dreaming sequence, how you get her skin to have that luminous and radiant golden brown sheen? Her skin was gorgeous. David's answer: I shot Raquel in what we call golden light. It is when the sun rises for 2 hours and when the sun sets for about 2 hours, and I would also have to create it when it wasn't there naturally. My cameraman, Steven Burum, who worked with me on all my shows, would take a shot and then I would take the exact shot to make sure that the subject was in and out of frame when I wanted them to be. At exactly the precise second and beat. This way I couldn't blame anyone else. But Steve is brilliant. He is now considered one of the top Cinematographers in the business and was nominated for an Academy Award for Hoffa, which starred Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito.
November/December 2005 Susan’s annual top ten “recommendations to add to your DW collection.” Well folks, it’s that time of year again. Time to prepare your wish list and shopping lists for the upcoming holidays. Again, here are my recommendations for your David Winters/David Winters-inspired collection. Enjoy. 1. West Side Story (Special Limited Edition)--archive June 2003 Special Features on Disc 2 include West Side Memories: 1-hour retrospective documentary containing Natalie Wood's original vocal recordings and new interviews with the cast and crew, including Robert Wise, Stephen Sondheim, and Tony Mordente. Original film intermission music restored and remixed in 5.1 surround; and collectible scrapbook. And yes, it was on the list last year, and guess what; it will be on next year’s too. If you have to ask why……………….
2. ED SULLIVAN SHOW, (September 14, 1958) http://www.madphat.com/mpmania/product635.html
3. Thrashin: DVD with Radical Special Features. - Archives April 2003 Yes this is the third straight year in a row for this skatingboarding classic, but with good reason. Not only does this cult classic star skating legends Tony Hawke and Tony Alva, but this film also helped launched the careers of some of the behind the scene folks, including second unit director, Stacy Peralta and production designer, Catherine Hardwicke, and inspired the making of some awarding-win movies. Read on. “Best single camera moment since Thrashin’” “……….on that on that skateboarding classic, Thrashin’”
4. Riding Giants. Written and directed by David’s one time second unit director and camera man, Stacy Peralta this semiserious, often rollicking, multigenerational insider's look at the origins of surfing, the colorful and subversive birth of surf culture, and the mythology and lure of the big wave, was the first documentary to open the Sundance Film Festival and won the American Cinema Editors, for Best Edited Documentary Film. 5, Dogtown and Z-Boys. Written and directed by Stacey Peralta. A-Rab may have had the Jets and their turf, but Stacy Peralta had his Z-Boys and Dogtown, and this affectionate tribute to his guys and that era, takes a looks the passion and the hunger that eventually transformed the world of skateboarding from its former image as a land-bound pastime for surfers to its status today as an extreme and acrobatic sport in its own right. Starting from the California surf community of Dogtown, the film follows the evolution of modern skateboarding through it's 70's heyday, its decline during the 80's, and its eventual (and highly lucrative) return in the 90's. 6. Lords of Dogtown. Written by Stacy Peralta and directed by Catherine Hardwicke. These Thrashin’ alums again tell the story of the Z-Boys but this time with “skactors and skatresses” portraying the rowdy Stacy, Tony Alva, etc. Look for the fun cameo of Tony Hawk (whose first film appearance was in Thrashin’) as an astronaut.
7. Movin’ With Nancy With Jessica reminding us that no one walks in her boots like Nancy Sinatra, I just had to add Nancy’s fabulous special to the list again. Granted she does not perform her career-making number, but who cares. Nancy was one of the two coolest chicks from that era and she never looked better than in this award winning television special. From the very first steps of Nancy's legendary boots, the audience is taken on a journey through '60s pop culture, with Emmy Award nominated choreography by David Winters. This gem features singing partner Lee Hazelwood, father, Frank, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.; trend-setting fashions, hit songs and scenic California locations. And forget the remote; you need to sit through the RC Mad Mad Colas Ads. I especially love the one featuring Dino, Desi, and Billy.
8. Hullabaloo: Volumes 5-8
10. Codename Vengeance Future monthly feature
September/October 2005 As with the case of so many multi-talented artists, David was born with innate talent and an eye and mind for creativity. And again, as with so many multi-talented artists, David developed his own unique style, by being the ultimate student, learning from some the best. Sometimes he learned from just watching from afar, as in the case of James Cagney, “I sure LOVED his dancing in Yankee Doodle Dandy! Wow he was incredible. I am a real fan of his and his is the ONLY autograph i ever asked for. I never told him i was in show business when I got it either. What a guy....what a star......” Or with Gene Kelly: “Gene Kelly was my childhood hero. I could relate to Gene because he wore street clothes and was very athletic in his dancing. He was more of the ordinary man on the street. Gene was more muscular and I loved his leaps. I also loved the fact that he would dance in t shirts and just ordinary street wear. That is why West Side Story appealed to me so much. It was kind of like being Gene Kelly for a while”. But for the most part, David worked directly with and became a protégé of some highly regarded and innovative artists, including Jerome Robbins and good friend and father-figure, Luigi, a household name and icon in the dance world, and the artist and genius who is credited with creating and teaching the current modern jazz technique. Or as some have referred to him: The Godfather of Jazz Dance. Eugene Louis Faccuito was dubbed Luigi by his friend, mentor, and colleague, Gene Kelly. As a child, he was a natural that he not only wore out the cement in his parents home but was dancing professionally by the age of 10. When he arrived in Hollywood, after serving in the Navy, he hoped to follow in the footsteps of his idols Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. And as a handsome dancer/actor singer, it seemed reasonable goal. But the gods had other ideas. He got into an auto accident leaving him paralyzed on his right side of his body and the left side of his face and putting him in a coma for months. Doctors told him he would never walk again, much less dance. But in classic Hollywood style, he created his motto, Never stopMoving and shunned conventional physical therapy and developed his own exercise routine that allowed him to be supple and enabled him to have greater control over his body. Today, you can still buy T-shirts with Never Stop Moving at his studio. (See Link below) He eventually recovered enough to be cast in the chorus of On the Town, beginning his lifelong friendship with Gene Kelly and during his 8 year career movie career, he performed in such classics as Annie Get You Gun, An American in Paris, Singing in theRain, Band Wagon, and White Christmas (with David’s buddy and fellow WSS star, George Chakiris)
While on the movie sets, Luigi began use break time to position and perfect the steps. Other dancers plus Gene Kelly and Robert Alton noticed too and asked him to create techniques to help the other dancers. Gradually he began teaching informally on the stage sets at studios. This led to an assistant position for many choreographers on Broadway, and eventually Luigi opened his first school, First World Jazz Center, the world’s first jazz school , where he befriended and taught many performers including, John Travolta, Liza Minellia (who still takes classes on a regular basis), Ann Reinking, Barbra Streisand, Ben Vereen, and one wild and upcoming choreographer and director, David Winters. He still can be found teaching anywhere from 2 to 4 classes a day at Studio Maestro on Manhattan’s Upper Westside. In 2003, Luigi received the DanceTeacher Magazine 2003 Dance Teacher Lifetime to Jazz Master. While Luigi has had the honor and thrill of teaching and mentoring so many outstanding artists over the years, one of his favorites is still David Winters. Another favorite, is Terry Clark, a very successful dance teacher herself with two studios in CA. Not only does Ms. Clark continue to take classes from Luigi whenever she is in town, but every year Ms. Clark returns to New York with some of her students so they can experience a Luigi class. She fondly recalls when David first joined Luigi’s studio”
“I remember David coming to class at Luigi's studio on Broadway next to the Winter Garden Theatre just before he started choreographing Hullabaloo. He just came in from the coast from choreographing Shindig and a beach blanket movie. Luigi taught an 11 A.M. technique class, a 1p.m intermediate class and a 3 P.M. professional class .Each class was an hour and a half. David always took the 3 P.M. class that also included Eliot Gould, Susan Stroman and many other professionals. David and Luigi had a great relationship. They had a mutual respect for each other. Luigi to this day calls David "his number 1 boy." And that is so true, in a phone conversation I recently had with Luigi, he described David as his son and “he will always be my son.” And David has to say: “I feel like I am one of the most fortunate people in the world as I have lived my dream, and at the same time i have met and worked with my idol, Mr. Kelly. I also met and became friends with Fred Astaire and he even came to my office once and I had one of my most memorable experiences with him. But most of all, I met and became a student and a friend of a man who never gave up and became a real life hero to so many of us dancers ,Luigi. He is an inspiration to everyone who studies with him. Going to Luigi's class is like no other class in the world. He is truly a dance master and I am so happy that he was recognized as such. I just wish I could have been there to share it with him. He is responsible for so many of us going on to success. He is a very very special human being and I am proud to know him. Luigi is a one of a kind. He is truly the king of dance.”
And like father like son, David has gone on to befriend, nurture and mentor many other artist himself. For more information on this incredible man and friend and mentor of David, check out this site: |
