The Nicholas Brothers

Biography

Fayard Nicholas (October 28, 1914, Mobile, Alabama, USA – January 24, 2006, Los Angeles, California, USA) and Harold Nicholas (1921 – 2000), constituted what was, without a doubt, the most talented and spectacular power tap-dancing duo in the history of show business. They grew up in Philadelphia where their parents played in the orchestra at the Standard Theatre, a vaudeville house for blacks. The brothers were soon in vaudeville themselves, billed initially as the Nicholas Kids. By 1932, they had graduated to the renowned Cotton Club in Harlem, where, for the next two years, they delighted the all-white audiences and rubbed shoulders with great black entertainers such as Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway. In 1936, the Nicholas Brothers made their Broadway debut with Bob Hope and Fanny Brice in Ziegfeld Follies and appeared in London in Lew Leslie’s revue, Blackbirds of 1936.

A year later, they were back on Broadway in the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart hit musical, Babes in Arms. Their film career had begun in 1932 with two short films, Black Network and Pie Pie Blackbird (featuring Eubie Blake And His Band), and it continued via Calling All Stars (1936), and the Don Ameche – Betty Grable musical, Down Argentine Way (1940), in which the brothers did a breathtaking dance to the lively number “Down Argentina Way.” The sequence was choreographed by Nick Castle who worked with the duo on most of their subsequent pictures, and gained them a five year contract with 20th Century-Fox. During the rest of the ‘40s, the Nicholas Brothers contributed some electrifying and superbly acrobatic dances to films such as Tin Pan Alley, The Great American Broadcast, Sun Valley Serenade, Orchestra Wives, Stormy Weather, and The Pirate (1948). In 1946, they both starred in the Broadway musical, St. Louis Woman, in which Harold introduced Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s appealing ‘Ridin’ On The Moon’ and (with Ruby Hill) the all-time standard, “Come Rain Or Come Shine.” Of course, as blacks, in films, they were only allowed to be a speciality act and were never considered for leading roles.

This is apparently one of the main reasons why, in the ‘50s, they worked in Europe for several years where audiences and managements were more racially tolerant. When Fayard decided to return to the USA, Harold stayed in France and carved out a solo career for himself there. After seven years, they were reunited in America and played in nightclubs and on television until Fayard contracted arthritis and underwent two hip-replacement operations. Harold continued as a solo performer and was top-billed in the musical Back In The Big Time (1986). Fayard was still active in non-performing areas of the business and won a Tony Award when he co-choreographed 1989’s Broadway musical Black And Blue, with Cholly Atkins, Henry LeTang and Frank Manning. In 1991, the Nicholas Brothers received Kennedy Center Honours for their outstanding work over a period of more than 60 years. A year later, a documentary film, We Sing & We Dance, celebrated their wonderful careers and included tributes from Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, M.C. Hammer, and Clarke Peters. In 1994, members of the cast of Hot Shoe Shuffle, London’s ‘New Tap Musical’, also paid tribute to their ‘inspiration’ – the Nicholas Brothers.

Filmography

*Harold Nicholas solo     **Fayard Nicholas solo

  • Night at the Golden Eagle (2002)
  • Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There(2002)
  • Night at the Golden Eagle (2001)
  • **A Night at the Golden Eagle; 2000, Independent. (Adam Rifkin, director, Fayard Nicholas)
  • *Funny Bones; 1995, Suntrust Films. (Jerry Lewis, Leslie Caron, Oliver Platt, Harold Nicholas)
  • A&E Special, The Nicholas Brothers: We Sing and We Dance 1992
  • *The Five Heartbeats; 1990. Twentieth Century Fox …. (Harold Nicholas as…Sarge, Robert Townsend, Diahann Carroll)
  • *Tap; 1989, Hoofer Films/Tri-Star. (Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis, Jr., Harold Nicholas, et al)
  • That’s Dancing!; 1985, MGM/UA (All-Star cast)
  • *Disco 9000; 1974 (Harold Nicholas)
  • That’s Entertainment! 1974, MGM. (Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Nicholas Brothers, et al) (archive footage)
  • *Uptown Saturday Night; 1974, Warner Brothers. (Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Harry Belafonte, Harold Nicholas as….Little Seymour)
  • **The Liberation of L.B. Jones; 1970, Columbia. (Lee J. Cobb, Roscoe Lee Browne, Lola Falana, Fayard Nicholas)
  • *L’Empire de la nuit; 1963, UFA-Comacio, French (Eddie Constantine, Harold Nicholas as…Sidekick)
  • Pathe News Reel; 1948
  • Botta e Riposta; 1951, Italian.(Louis Armstrong, Nicholas Brothers, Jack Teagarden, Earl Hines)
  • The Pirate; 1948, MGM. (Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Nicholas Brothers)
  • Dixieland Jamboree; 1946, Vitaphone short subject. (Cab Calloway, Adelaide Hall, Nicholas Brothers)
  • *Carolina Blues; 1944, Columbia. (Ann Miller, Kay Kyser, Victor Moore, Harold Nicholas, Four Step Brothers.)
  • *The Reckless Age; 1944, Universal. (Gloria Jean, Henry Stephenson, Harold Nicholas, Delta Rhythm Boys.)
  • Take It or Leave It; 1944, Twentieth Century Fox. (Phil Baker, Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton, Nicholas Brothers.)
  • Stormy Weather; 1943
  • Orchestra Wives; 1942, Twentieth Century Fox. (George Montgomery, Glenn Miller, Jackie Gleason, Cesar Romero, Nicholas Brothers.)
  • Sun Valley Serenade; 1941, Twentieth Century Fox. Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller, Milton Berle, Nicholas Brothers, Dorothy Dandridge, Nicholas Brothers.)
  • The Great American Broadcast; 1941, Twentieth Century Fox. Alice Faye, John Payne, Jack Oakie, Nicholas Brothers, Ink Spots.)
  • Tin Pan Alley; 1940, Twentieth Century Fox. (Alice Faye, Betty Grable, Don Ameche, Carmen Miranda, Nicholas Brothers)
  • Down Argentine Way; 1940, Twentieth Century Fox. (Betty Grable, Don Ameche, Carmen Miranda, Nicholas Brothers.)
  • Calling All Stars; 1937, British Lion. (Larry Adler, Ambrose & His Orchestra, Elisabeth Welch, Buck & Bubbles, Nicholas Brothers.)
  • My American Wife; 1936 MGM. (Francis Lederer, Ann Sothern, Billie Burke, Nicholas Brothers.)
  • The Black Network; 1936, Vitaphone short subject. (Nina Mae McKinney, Nicholas Brothers, Amanda Randolph.)
  • Coronado; 1936, MGM. (Eddie Cuchin & His Orchestra, Jack Haley, Andy Devine, Leon Errol, Nicholas Brothers.)
  • The Big Broadcast of 1936; 1935, Paramount. (Bing Crosby, Burns & Allen, Cab Calloway, Jackie Oakie, Nicholas Brothers, et al.)
  • The All-Colored Vaudeville Show; 1935, Vitaphone short subject. (Adelaide Hall, Nicholas Brothers.)
  • Kid Millions; 1934, Samuel Goldwyn. (Eddie Cantor, George Murphy, Ann Sothern, Ethel Merman, Nicholas Brothers.)
  • *Syncopancy; 1933, Max Fleisher / Paramount short subject. (Stoopnagie & Bud, Harold Nicholas)
  • *The Emperor Jones; 1933, United Artists. (Paul Roberson, Fredi Washington, Dudley Digges, Harold Nicholas.)
  • Pie, Pie Blackbird; 1932, Vitaphone short subject. (Eubie Blake & his band, Nina May McKinney, Nicholas Brothers.)

Awards

  • Dance Magazine Award; 1995
  • Gypsy Award presented by the Professional Dancers Society; 1994
  • Star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame; 1994
  • Flo-Bert Award; 1992
  • The National Black Media Coalition Lifetime Achievement Award; 1992
  • Kennedy Center Honors; 1991
  • Harbor Performing Arts Center Lifetime Achievement Award to Harold; 1991
  • Tony Award to Fayard for choreography of “Black and Blue”; 1989
  • DEA Award presented to Harold by the Dance Educators of America; 1988
  • “Ebony” Lifetime Achievement Award; 1987
  • Apollo Theater’s Hall of Fame, First Class Inductees; 1986
  • Ellie Award presented by the National Film Society; 1984
  • Bay Area Theaters Critics Circle Award to Harold for Best Principal Performance in “Stompin’ at the Savoy”; 1981
  • Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame; 1978

Historical Photo Gallery

Licensing

As the exclusive licensing agent for the Nicholas Brothers, CMG Worldwide is dedicated to maintaining and developing a positive brand image for our client. CMG is a leader and pioneer in its field, with over four decades of experience arranging licensing agreements for hundreds of personalities and brands in various industries, including sports, entertainment, music, and more. We actively seek out commercial opportunities that are consistent with our brand positioning goals, and we are committed to pursuing strategies that meet the goals of our clients, as well as our licensing partners.

Please contact us today if you are interested in licensing opportunities with the Nicholas Brothers. For a full list of CMG Clients, please visit our website here.





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