Eleanor Powell

"Eleanor Powell was without a doubt the premiere tap-dancing film star of all time...her legendary performances graced such MGM motion pictures as Born to Dance and Rosalie, and her "Begin the Beguine" number with Fred Astaire from Broadway Melody of 1940 will never be duplicated... Powell has long deserved a good biography. Her life and career should never be forgotten."—Stephen Michael Shearer, author of Patricia Neal: An Unquiet Life

"With Eleanor Powell: Born to Dance, authors Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère pay an overdue tribute to one of Hollywood's most mesmerizing dancers with this engaging and detailed biography. Despite Royère's personal connection to Powell, the book presents an objective and balanced portrait of an entertainer who reluctantly traded in her pointe shoes for tap and made film history."—Christina Rice, author of Mean...Moody...Magnificent! Jane Russell and the Marketing of a Hollywood Legend

"Eleanor Powell was arguably one of the best female dancers in an era that included Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers, and Ann Miller. Unlike most of her contemporaries, she usually danced solo, though her partners included Fred Astaire, George Murphy, Buddy Ebsen—and, surprisingly, one of her most enjoyable, Gracie Allen. After reading Born to Dance, I want to go back and watch every one of her films. It's about time someone wrote a bio of Powell, and after this book, there is no reason for anyone to write another!"—Eve Golden, author of Strictly Dynamite: The Sensational Life of Lupe Velez

"In Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère, Eleanor Powell has the biographers she deserves. Their Eleanor Powell: Born to Dance is a warmhearted account of Powell's ascent from childhood poverty to international stardom, a journey reliant on both Powell's immense talent and her relentless perfectionism. The authors combine vivid descriptions of Powell's fabulous tap dance sequences with behind-the-scenes accounts of the painful physical and emotional costs she endured to achieve them."—Sydney Ladensohn Stern, author of The Brothers Mankiewicz: Hope, Heartbreak, and Hollywood Classics

"This book is a loving and faithful tribute to one of Hollywood's great dance icons. Well-written and thoroughly researched, it will be indispensable for anyone interested in Eleanor Powell and the art of tap."—Brian Harker, author of Sportin' Life: John W. Bubbles, an American Classic