Donn Arden

Donn Arden (1916 or 1917 – November 2, 1994) was an American choreographer and producer.

Biography Donn Arden was born as Arden Carlyle Peterson on July 17, 1915, in Annawan, Illinois, and grew up in St. Louis.

By the age of nine he was already making money with dancing; he was considered a good tap dancer.

Arden never married, although he had been engaged in his younger years.

Career Arden studied dancing with Robert Alton, who later became a Broadway director.

In the early '30s, Arden won a local Charleston contest, along with a St. Louis girl named Ginger Rogers.

Donn Arden and the Artists Models (two sets of female twins) added ten women and became a house line, staying three for four years at a time at the same vaudeville house, putting together house lines, at peak, for twelve theaters. of Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn, Arden's dance troupe performed with Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy and Vivian Blaine, and headlined. Jubilee! at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Jubilee! ran for 34 years in the Jubilee! Theatre at Bally's in Las Vegas. The show closed on February 11, 2016, drawing legions of former cast members, designers, and fans.

From June 2, 1978, to April 1989, "Hello Hollywood, Hello!" was a revue, created by Donn Arden and performed on the Ziegfeld Stage at MGM Grand Reno in Reno, Nevada.

Noteworthy Actress and model Valerie Perrine started her career with Arden. He remembered her as "a secretary from Scottsdale with a lisp". Actress Goldie Hawn is reputed to have been part of his troupe at the Desert Inn but was fired by Arden after only a few weeks. He remembered her as "a skinny fruitcake". Bob Mackie was one time costume designer for Donn Arden Screenwriter Joseph Stefano, who wrote the Psycho screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock, wrote music and lyrics for Arden's stage shows. Ray Vasquez Lead Singer for Donn Arden productions.

Awards The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce presented Arden with its first Personality of the Year award in the 1970s.