No Swan So Fine: removed Category:American naval personnel of World War II; added Category:American military personnel of World War II using HotCat
'''Edgar Nelson Barclift''' (14 September 1917 – 24 December 2008) was an American choreographer and dancer, and the romantic partner of the composer and songwriter [[Cole Porter]] in the early 1940s.
Barclift found work as a dancer in [[Kurt Weil]]'s 1937 opera ''[[The Eternal Road (opera)|The Eternal Road]]'' but the production was postponed as a result of designer [[Norman Bel Geddes]] striking water while creating a replica of a mountain at the [[Manhattan Opera House]]. Due to the postponement Barclift was able to attend the Bennington School of the Dance in 1937; while there he studied with [[Doris Humphrey]], [[Charles Weidman]] and [[Martha Graham]]. He returned to New York City in the autumn to resume work on ''The Eternal Road''. In 1939 Barclift danced at the World's Fair in New York. His first solo work was in Rodgers and Hart's ''[[Too Many Girls (musical)|Too Many Girls]]'' (1939).
With the entry of the United States into the Second World War, Barclift joined the United States Army in 1942 and was stationed at [[West Point]] and [[Fort Jay]], where he was apart of the army's Theatre Section. Porter would regularly write to Barclift; often at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning while he was working on songs. Porter's letters to Barclift often contained Hollywood gossip and flirtatious epithets. Porter's addressed Barclift as his "cute little nose". A romance developed between Barclift and Porter during the latters work on the 1942 musical ''[[Something for the Boys]]''. Barclift later said that "[[You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To]]" was his and Porter's 'song'.
Barclift was the principal dancer and co-choreographer of [[Irving Berlin]]'s ''[[This Is the Army#Broadway musical|This is the Army]]'' (1942). He was the choreographer of the musical ''[[Around the World (musical)|Around the World]]'' (1946). ''Around the World'' was produced and directed by [[Orson Welles]], who also wrote the book for the musical. It was composed by Porter. ''This is the Army'' ran from at the [[Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)|Broadway Theater]]; the subsequent success of the musical saw it being made into a film of the same name. Barclift also played the dancer Zorina in the show<ref name="Goldstein2010"></ref>
Barclift also contributed lyrics to sketches on ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]'', and featured as a dancer on the show in 1953.
The dancer Dorothy Bird recalled dancing with Barclift in her 2002 memoir ''Bird's Eye View'', describing him as a "happy-go-lucky lighthearted dancer" who was "very proud of his native American Indian heritage". Bird described Barclift's physique as "Tall and loose-limbed" and related that he was "open and generous in his movements". Barclift and Bird auditioned for the musical ''[[Lady in the Dark]]'', showing their prepared act for the show to the show's choreographer, Albertina K. Rasch. Bird related in her memoir that Rasch simply appropriated her and Barclift's dance for the show without asking their permission, a common practice at the time. Barclift was drafted into the United States Army during the run of ''Lady in the Dark'', and once surprised Bird by taking his place to dance with her in the musical while on temporary leave.<ref name="BirdGreenberg2002"></ref>
Barclift in mentioned by [[Christopher Isherwood]] in his diary entry for 15 April 1968 when he visits Isherwood and asks him to be in a TV programme with [[Laura Huxley]].<ref name="Isherwood2012"></ref> Barclift died in 1993 in Palm Springs, California, after a long illness.<ref name=Variety93>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name=LATimes00>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
==References==
*
==External links==
*
*[https://ift.tt/2EiiOVA Images of Barclift in Yale Libary's Beinecke Digital Collections]
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:American choreographers]]
[[Category:American dancers]]
[[Category:American lyricists]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:LGBT people from Virginia]]
Barclift found work as a dancer in [[Kurt Weil]]'s 1937 opera ''[[The Eternal Road (opera)|The Eternal Road]]'' but the production was postponed as a result of designer [[Norman Bel Geddes]] striking water while creating a replica of a mountain at the [[Manhattan Opera House]]. Due to the postponement Barclift was able to attend the Bennington School of the Dance in 1937; while there he studied with [[Doris Humphrey]], [[Charles Weidman]] and [[Martha Graham]]. He returned to New York City in the autumn to resume work on ''The Eternal Road''. In 1939 Barclift danced at the World's Fair in New York. His first solo work was in Rodgers and Hart's ''[[Too Many Girls (musical)|Too Many Girls]]'' (1939).
With the entry of the United States into the Second World War, Barclift joined the United States Army in 1942 and was stationed at [[West Point]] and [[Fort Jay]], where he was apart of the army's Theatre Section. Porter would regularly write to Barclift; often at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning while he was working on songs. Porter's letters to Barclift often contained Hollywood gossip and flirtatious epithets. Porter's addressed Barclift as his "cute little nose". A romance developed between Barclift and Porter during the latters work on the 1942 musical ''[[Something for the Boys]]''. Barclift later said that "[[You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To]]" was his and Porter's 'song'.
Barclift was the principal dancer and co-choreographer of [[Irving Berlin]]'s ''[[This Is the Army#Broadway musical|This is the Army]]'' (1942). He was the choreographer of the musical ''[[Around the World (musical)|Around the World]]'' (1946). ''Around the World'' was produced and directed by [[Orson Welles]], who also wrote the book for the musical. It was composed by Porter. ''This is the Army'' ran from at the [[Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)|Broadway Theater]]; the subsequent success of the musical saw it being made into a film of the same name. Barclift also played the dancer Zorina in the show<ref name="Goldstein2010"></ref>
Barclift also contributed lyrics to sketches on ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]'', and featured as a dancer on the show in 1953.
The dancer Dorothy Bird recalled dancing with Barclift in her 2002 memoir ''Bird's Eye View'', describing him as a "happy-go-lucky lighthearted dancer" who was "very proud of his native American Indian heritage". Bird described Barclift's physique as "Tall and loose-limbed" and related that he was "open and generous in his movements". Barclift and Bird auditioned for the musical ''[[Lady in the Dark]]'', showing their prepared act for the show to the show's choreographer, Albertina K. Rasch. Bird related in her memoir that Rasch simply appropriated her and Barclift's dance for the show without asking their permission, a common practice at the time. Barclift was drafted into the United States Army during the run of ''Lady in the Dark'', and once surprised Bird by taking his place to dance with her in the musical while on temporary leave.<ref name="BirdGreenberg2002"></ref>
Barclift in mentioned by [[Christopher Isherwood]] in his diary entry for 15 April 1968 when he visits Isherwood and asks him to be in a TV programme with [[Laura Huxley]].<ref name="Isherwood2012"></ref> Barclift died in 1993 in Palm Springs, California, after a long illness.<ref name=Variety93>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name=LATimes00>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
==References==
*
==External links==
*
*[https://ift.tt/2EiiOVA Images of Barclift in Yale Libary's Beinecke Digital Collections]
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:American choreographers]]
[[Category:American dancers]]
[[Category:American lyricists]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:LGBT people from Virginia]]
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