Alan Johnson (choreographer)
Encyclopedia
Alan Johnson is an award winning choreographer, best known for his work on Mel Brooks
films and for restaging Jerome Robbins
original choreography in live productions of West Side Story in the United States and internationally. Johnson has been linked to West Side Story since making his Broadway debut in the show in 1957. Johnson brought the West Side Story dance style into the mainstream when he choreographed several Gap
commercials in 2000. This commercial earned him an American Choreography award. Along with the GAP/WestSide advert, Alan also choreographed commercials for Dubonnet and Freixenet Champagne. He has worked with such performers as Shirley MacClaine, Leslie Uggams
, Bernadette Peters
, Tommy Tune
, Chita Rivera
and Ann-Margret
. He is a three-time Emmy winner.
and the Spanish Inquisition dance number from the film, History of the World Part I.
Johnson also directed Brooks in the 1983 film To Be or Not to Be
.
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
films and for restaging Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer, director, and choreographer known primarily for Broadway Theater and Ballet/Dance, but who also occasionally directed films and directed/produced for television. His work has included everything from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater...
original choreography in live productions of West Side Story in the United States and internationally. Johnson has been linked to West Side Story since making his Broadway debut in the show in 1957. Johnson brought the West Side Story dance style into the mainstream when he choreographed several Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
commercials in 2000. This commercial earned him an American Choreography award. Along with the GAP/WestSide advert, Alan also choreographed commercials for Dubonnet and Freixenet Champagne. He has worked with such performers as Shirley MacClaine, Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her work in Hallelujah, Baby! She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.-Singing:...
, Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
, Tommy Tune
Tommy Tune
Thomas James "Tommy" Tune is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won nine Tony Awards and the National Medal of Arts.-Early years:...
, Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
and Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...
. He is a three-time Emmy winner.
Relationship with Mel Brooks
Johnson has choreographed musical numbers in several Brooks' films, such as the infamous Springtime for Hitler number in The ProducersThe Producers (1968 film)
The Producers is a 1968 American satirical dark comedy cult classic film written and directed by Mel Brooks. The film is set in the late 1960s and it tells the story of a theatrical producer and an accountant who want to produce a sure-fire Broadway flop...
and the Spanish Inquisition dance number from the film, History of the World Part I.
Johnson also directed Brooks in the 1983 film To Be or Not to Be
To Be or Not to Be (1983 film)
To Be or Not to Be is a 1983 20th Century Fox comedy-drama film directed by Alan Johnson, produced by Mel Brooks with Howard Jeffrey as executive producer and Irene Walzer as associate producer. The screenplay was written by Ronny Graham and Thomas Meehan, based on the original story by Melchior...
.
As Choreographer
- Dracula: Dead and Loving ItDracula: Dead and Loving ItDracula: Dead and Loving It is a 1995 comedy film starring Leslie Nielsen, directed by Mel Brooks. It is a parody of the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, and of some of the films it inspired....
(1995) - History of the World: Part I (1981)
- The World's Greatest LoverThe World's Greatest LoverThe World's Greatest Lover is a 1977 comedy film starring Gene Wilder and Carol Kane.-Plot:Set in the silent film era, Rainbow Studios figure they are losing revenue to a rival studio because they don't have Rudolph Valentino...
(1977) - CosCos (TV series)Cos was an American sketch comedy/variety TV series that debuted on the ABC Network in September 1976. It was hosted by comedian Bill Cosby and featured an ensemble cast who would perform sketches each week...
(1976) TV Series - The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter BrotherThe Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter BrotherThe Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother is a 1975 English/American comedy film with Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Roy Kinnear and Leo McKern. The film was Wilder's directorial debut....
(1975) - Young FrankensteinYoung FrankensteinYoung Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard...
(1974) - Blazing SaddlesBlazing SaddlesBlazing Saddles is a 1974 satirical Western comedy film directed by Mel Brooks. Starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, the film was written by Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Al Uger, and was based on Bergman's story and draft. The movie was nominated for three...
(1974) - The ProducersThe Producers (1968 film)The Producers is a 1968 American satirical dark comedy cult classic film written and directed by Mel Brooks. The film is set in the late 1960s and it tells the story of a theatrical producer and an accountant who want to produce a sure-fire Broadway flop...
(1968)
As Director
- SolarbabiesSolarbabiesSolarbabies is a 1986 science fiction film, made by Brooksfilms and directed by Alan Johnson. It was released on DVD on March 6, 2007....
(1986) - To Be or Not to BeTo Be or Not to Be (1983 film)To Be or Not to Be is a 1983 20th Century Fox comedy-drama film directed by Alan Johnson, produced by Mel Brooks with Howard Jeffrey as executive producer and Irene Walzer as associate producer. The screenplay was written by Ronny Graham and Thomas Meehan, based on the original story by Melchior...
(1983)