Gil Brady and his wife Nicki (1933-89) were jitterbug and West Coast Swing champions in the 1940s and 1950s. They together and separately danced in many movies such as ‘Don’t Knock the Rock’, ‘The Benny Goodman Story’ and ‘Rock Around the Clock’.
They won numerous awards and swing dance championship titles against such swing dance notables as Dean Collins, Lenny and Kay Smith, Lou Southern, Hal Takier and Jack Carey.
Gil now resides in Las Vegas, NV. (2002.) They can be spotted in the movies they danced in by looking for Gil’s signature ‘Glasses’. Gil and Nicki opened Ceasar’s Palace in Las Vegas with Frank Sinatra and also had a dance group called “Gil and Nicki and the So and So’s.”
Gil and Nicki were both inducted into the “California Swing Dance Hall of Fame” in 1991.
1993 This is the first and only time Lindy legend Frankie Manning and Gil Bradey (Don’t Knock The Rock) were jamming together. The energy of Frankie and his expressions are purly amazing and are a special reminder of his greatness. Also in this video are Erin Stevens, Barbara Kaufer, Jenn Olsen, and Luise Thwaite.
In 1997 Jean Veloz appeared on St. Louis swing dancer John Hudson’s Los Angeles cable TV show, showing clips of her movie appearances and doing an interview. Jean was back on the show in 1998 dancing with Gil Brady, one of the showcase dancers in the movies Don’t Knock the Rock and Rock Around the Clock; Jean and Gil performed on the show.
| 1955 – Benny Goodman Story | Al Jarvis Show | |
| 1956 – Don’t Knock The Rock (on Couch & Piano) | Red Skelton Show | |
| 1956 – Rock Around The Clock | ||
| 1956 – That Certain Feeling | ||
| 1957 – Untamed Youth | ||
| 1958 – Houseboat | ||
| 1959 – Daddy-O | ||
| Bundle Of Joy | ||
| Carnival Rock | ||
| Girl Can’t Help It, The | ||
| Juke Box Rhythm | ||
| Running Wild | ||
1955 Rock Around The Clock, partner Nikki Brady
1955 Running Wild, partner Nikki Brady
1955 Benny Goodman Story, partner Nikki Brady
1956 Bundle of Joy, partner Nikki Brady
1956 Don’t Knock The Rock, partner Nikki Brady
1956 The Girl Can’t Help It, partner Nikki Brady
1956 That Certain Feeling, partner Nikki Brady
1957 Carnival Rock, partner Nikki Brady
1957 Untamed Youth, partner Nikki Brady … Film Clip
1958 Houseboat, partner Nikki Brady
1959 Juke Box Rhythm, partner Nikki Brady
www.whoswhoinswingdance.com/who/wwb1.html
two dance scenes spliced together from the film ‘Running Wild’, 1955 (featuring Gil & Nicky Brady, Lennie Smith, Lou Southern)
from the film ‘Bundle of Joy’, 1956
dancers include beside actress Debbie Reynolds, Joe Lanza, Gil Brady & Nicki Faustino, Lennie Smith, Freda Angela Wyckoff
from the film ‘Don’t Knock the Rock’, 1956
from the film ‘Don’t Knock the Rock’, 1956
from the film ‘Don’t Knock the Rock’, 1956
from the film ‘Carnival Rock’, 1957 (when the singer chooses Gil as dance partner)
from the film ‘bop girl goes calypso’, 1957
from the film ‘Untamed Youth’, 1957
from the film ‘Daddi-O’, 1958
short clips from the film ‘Summer Love’, 1958 and ‘Don’tKnock the Rock’, 1956 (Gil & Nicky Brady)
short sequence inserted into a ‘professional’ dance troupe’s routine from the opening credits from the film ‘Juke Box Rhythm’, 1959 (Gil & Nicky are dancing in the foreground and you only get to see his face in a wink-and-missed split second)
Post Comment