Grover Dale, We Hardly Knew Ye Either!

Grover Dale, born Grover Robert Aitken in 1935 and raised in McKeesport, PA, 

supposedly took a bus to NYC with $150 in his pocket

(at the age of 18!)

to take on The Dance World.

Which he basically did

(although for awhile he had a "day job" selling hotdogs at Nedick's):

First NYC dance job...The Jackie Gleason Show (1954) 

2nd NYC dance job...The Milton Berle Show (1955)

Broadway Debut...The Amazing Adele (1955)

2nd Broadway show...L'il Abner (1956)

Original cast of West Side Story (he played Snow Boy),

and he made the cover of Dance Magazine (below) in 1960!

 

Reminds one of Tommy Tune, right? 

 

Grover as Snow Boy, WSS, in which he had to dance AND ACT.
 

        Above with Joe Layton (choreographer) and Patricia Hartley, 

                    rehearsing for Noel Coward's Sail Away (1961).

          Co-starring with George Chakiris in "Young Girls of Rochefort" (1966).

Two lady co-stars:

Above, Catherine Deneuve (in "Rochefort")

and Elaine Stritch (in "Sail Away").

 

 

 

 

With Debbie Reynolds in 

"The Unsinkable Molly Brown", 1964

(look at those socks!).

And below with Anita Morris, his wife, and son James

(by then the red socks had become a thing).

   

Prior to his marriage to Anita (star of Nine, Seesaw, The Magic Show...which Grover directed btw, and many films),

he was in a 6 year relationship with Anthony Perkins. 

From the 1970s on,

Grover focused on choreographing (for the stage, TV and commercials), directing, and teaching.

Grover is presently 85 years old, but still active in the dance community.

As recently as 2018, he participated in a salute to 

Jerome Robbins (and "Jerome Robbins' Broadway," which he directed)

aboard the USS Intrepid.