Joan McCracken turned a bit part in Oklahoma! into overnight stardom — her pratfall in the chorus made her Broadway’s “girl who falls down,” and it caught Hollywood’s attention, leading to starring roles in movie musicals like MGM’s Good News and Hollywood Canteen.

She worked with game-changing choreographers: George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Jerome Robbins, and Eugene Loring… helping shape their earliest experiments in American dance.

And she became Bob Fosse’s greatest influence (his words). She pushed him beyond nightclubs and onto the path that redefined Broadway.

But behind the spotlight was a young woman battling a secret life-threatening illness. And yet, she refused to stop performing.

In this episode of The Rest of the Story on the Hey, Dancer! podcast, I trace her journey from a Philadelphia childhood and early ballet/acro training to Broadway fame, Hollywood contracts, and her lasting influence on some of the greatest choreographers of the 20th century.

Her story is bigger than a pratfall. It’s the story of a dance pioneer whose legacy must be remembered.

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