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Daniels (Danny) papers
LSC.1925
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Danny Daniels papers
Creator:
Daniels, Danny
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.1925
Physical Description:
36.2 Linear Feet
(61 boxes, 3 cartons, 2 shoe boxes, 16 flat boxes, 2 oversize flat boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1925-2004
Date (bulk): 1947-2004
Abstract: Danny Daniels was a tap dancer, choreographer, and entrepreneur. The collection consists primarily of material from his long
career on stage and in film and television. There are also records from his eponymous dance school, as well as other business
ventures. There is a small amount of personal material, including his collection of theater programs spanning five decades.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Language of Material: Materials are primarily in English, with a very small portion in French and Italian.
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
COLLECTION CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: This collection contains both processed and unprocessed audiovisua materials. Audiovisual
materials are not currently available for access, unless otherwise noted in a Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
note at the series and file levels. All requests to access processed digital materials must be made in advance using the request
button located on this page.
Conditions Governing Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
[Identification of item], Danny Daniels papers (Collection 1925). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user
interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides
a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive
processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
Processed by Douglas Johnson, May 2017.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
8213277
Danny Daniels was born Daniel Giani, Jr. on Oct. 25, 1924 in Albany, NY and had an extensive career as a dancer, choreographer,
director, and teacher. A childhood tap dance prodigy, he made his film debut as a featured dancer in
The Star Maker (Paramount, 1939). He later danced leading roles on Broadway and elsewhere. In 1952, Daniels collaborated with composer Morton
Gould on the work "Tap Dance Concerto," in which the sound of the dancer's feet is treated as a musical instrument. As a choreographer,
Daniels worked on several Broadway musicals, as well as several productions in Los Angeles and at other regional theaters.
He was nominated for Tony Awards for
High Spirits (1964),
Walking Happy (1967), and
Annie Get Your Gun (1967). In 1984 he won the award for
The Tap Dance Kid. He also worked extensively in film and television, perhaps most memorably as the choreographer for
Pennies from Heaven (MGM, 1981). Daniels was also an entrepreneur, marketing toys, founding a dance school, and selling dance instruction video
tapes by mail. He worked as recently as 2004, choreographing and having a cameo appearance in the short film
Tap Heat.
The Danny Daniels papers consist primarily of documents relating to Daniels' long career as a performer and choreographer.
There are scripts, correspondence, publicity material, choreography notes, audiovisual material, and props. There are also
records for various business ventures, especially the Danny Daniels Dance America school and Daniels' attempt to market instructional
videos. There is a relatively small amount of personal material, consisting of correspondence, audiovisual material, periodicals,
scrapbooks, wardrobe items, and ephemera. Also present is Daniels' collection of theater programs, amassed over a period of
five decades.
This collection is arranged into the following series:
- Series 1. Stage Productions
- Series 2. Unrealized Stage Productions
- Series 3. Film and Television Productions
- Series 4. Unrealized Film and Television Productions
- Series 5. Business Records
- Series 6. Personal Files
- Series 7. Theater Programs
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Musical theater -- United States.
Tap dancing
Dance teachers -- California -- Los Angeles.
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