Skipper, William

William Skipper Jr. was born February 28, 1921 to William (Willie) Skipper and Ethel (Polly) McPherson. He was there only child. Willie and Ethel divorced and Ethel married Nick Vegliaciah in 1925.

Skipper graduated from Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama in 1939. He then became part of Ted Shawn’s men dancers at Jacob’s Pillow. Skipper briefly danced with Jack Cole’s group before moving to Broadway. On Broadway, he danced in a number of top shows of the era including, Higher and Higher (1940) with Jack Haley and June Allyson, Panama Hattie (1940-41) with Ethel Merman and Banjo Eyes (1941-1942) with Eddie Cantor.

In 1942 Skipper joined the Coast Guard (Willie Skipper was a Lt. Commander of the Coast Guard in the Gulf Coast region). He graduated from the Coast Guard Pharmacy program at Columbia University in 1944. He soon after joined the Coast Guard’s touring show called Tars & Spars. The show traveled throughout the United States, and eventually moved to Hollywood to film a movie version of the production.

Upon his discharge from the Coast Guard, Skipper returned to Broadway, and was cast as the juvenile lead in Annie Get Your Gun (1946) starring Ethel Merman. In 1948 he performed in Lend an Ear with Carol Channing and filmed his second motion picture Up in Central Park starring Deanna Durbin, Dick Haymes and Vincent Price. Skipper’s last Broadway show in 1955 was Almost Crazy, which he choreographed. The show closed after five performances. Skipper also danced in the following shows: Ballet Theater, Star & Garter with Gypsy Rose Lee, Billion Dollar Baby, Three to Make Ready, and Park Avenue. Skipper also appeared, directed or choreographed over 200 television productions.

From 1965-1967 he was a member of the faculty of the drama department at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. In 1967 he left Alabama to become the director of the Ruth St. Denis Foundation.

Although Skipper won a scholarship to become a part of Ted Shawn’s famous men dancers, he was a protégé of Ruth St. Denis. Skipper and St. Denis made a film together preserving for posterity the dances created by St. Denis. He was her official and unofficial booking agent. The two lived together several times over the years. Skipper and his mother Ethel moved into the St. Denis home. His mother died that winter and St. Denis died several months later in 1968.

Skipper had a varied career. He started as a dancer, performed in musical theater, choreographed a number of shows, and then became a Las Vegas showman and filmmaker/producer. He produced, directed, filmed and edited several films. The First Lady of Dance starring Ruth St. Denis was a film in which St. Denis performed her most famous dances. At the time she was 90 years old. Tallulah & the Bankheads was another film he produced.

Skipper died in Mobile Alabama on Oct. 15, 1987.

From the guide to the William Skipper papers, 1915-1987, (The New York Public Library. Jerome Robbins Dance Division.)