by Ruthy Lawrence Doering, guest feature-writer
The “Ed Sullivan Show” … three men in a rehearsal studio doing a dance number from the Broadway show, Carnival in Flanders. Your eyes were drawn to one man, whose precision and dynamics as a dancer took your breath away.
The “Ed Sullivan Show” … three men in a rehearsal studio doing a dance number from the Broadway show, Carnival in Flanders. Your eyes were drawn to one man, whose precision and dynamics as a dancer took your breath away.
That man was Matt Mattox, performing choreography by Jack Cole.
Matt was born in the city of Tulsa in Oklahoma in 1921. He began dancing at the early age of eleven. In 1948, he met Jack Cole, who became Mattox’s inspiration. Then Mattox tried out the Hollywood scene. He made connections with two big influential Hollywood dancers, Nico and Cyd Chraisse. They set up auditions for him at MGM. MGM was so impressed, they signed him to a two-year contract as a stock contract dancer.
