Director and choreographer’s other hits include
Stanley Donen, the former Broadway chorus boy who made a name for himself in Hollywood directing classic musical films like “On the Town” and “Singin’ in the Rain,” has died at age 94.
One of Donen’s sons confirmed the news on Saturday to Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips. A rep for Donen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Donen helped reinvent the big-screen musical, with a series of hits that included 1954’s “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” 1957’s “The Pajama Game,” 1958’s “Damn Yankees!” and 1957’s “Funny Face,” with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire.
Not only did he integrate song, dance and story in a way that enlivened MGM musicals of the era, but he was also a technical innovator in an era before CGI, as in the memorable scene in 1950’s “Royal Wedding” when Fred Astaire seemed to dance on the walls and ceiling while singing “You’re All the World to Me.
