Alan Johnson (February 18, 1937 – July 7, 2018) was a three-time

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

-winning American choreographer, best known for his work on

Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...

films and for restaging

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

' original choreography in live productions of ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'' in the United States and internationally. Johnson was linked to ''West Side Story'' since making his Broadway debut in the show in 1957. He brought the ''West Side Story'' dance style into the mainstream when he choreographed several GAP clothing commercials in 2000. This commercial earned him an American Choreography award. Along with the GAP/WestSide advertisements, Johnson also choreographed commercials for Dubonnet and Freixenet Champagne.

Relationship with Mel Brooks

Johnson choreographed musical numbers in several Brooks films, such as the infamous "

Springtime for Hitler ''Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp With Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden'' is a fictional musical play within a play in Mel Brooks' 1967 film '' The Producers'', as well as the stage musical adaptation of the movie and the 2005 movie adaptation ...

" number in '' The Producers'', the "Spanish Inquisition" dance number from the film, ''

History of the World, Part I ''History of the World, Part I'' is a 1981 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks also stars in the film, playing five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomás de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, ...

'' and " Puttin' On the Ritz" in ''

Young Frankenstein ''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Victor Fra ...

''. Johnson also directed Brooks in the 1983 film ''

To Be or Not to Be "To be, or not to be" is a speech given by Prince Hamlet in the so-called "nunnery scene" of William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'' (Act 3, Scene 1). The speech is named for the opening phrase, itself among the most widely known and quoted lines ...

''.

Filmography

As choreographer

*'' Dracula: Dead and Loving It'' (1995) *''

'' (1981) *''

The World's Greatest Lover ''The World's Greatest Lover'' is a 1977 American parody film directed, written by and starring Gene Wilder, and co-starring Carol Kane and Dom DeLuise. It is a tribute/spoof of classic silent comedies and the "old Hollywood" of the 1920s, spec ...

'' (1977) *'' Cos'' (1976) TV Series *''

The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother ''The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother'' is a 1975 American musical comedy film with Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Roy Kinnear, and Leo McKern.'' Variety'' film review; December 3, 1975, page 22. The film wa ...

'' (1975) *''

'' (1974) *''

Blazing Saddles ''Blazing Saddles'' is a 1974 American satirical postmodernist Western black comedy film directed by Mel Brooks, who co-wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg and Alan Uger, based on a story treatment by Be ...

'' (1974) *'' The Producers'' (1968)

As director

*''

'' (1983) *''

Solarbabies ''Solarbabies'' (also known as ''Solarwarriors'' and ''Solarfighters'') is a 1986 American science fiction film, made by Brooksfilms and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was the second and final film directed by Alan Johnson, who is better k ...

'' (1986)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Alan 1937 births 2018 deaths Primetime Emmy Award winners American choreographers Film choreographers Musical theatre choreographers People from Ridley Park, Pennsylvania