Frankie Manning was one of Whitey's Lindyhoppers. He danced at the Savoy in the heyday of swing. He toured and appeared in films, most notably 1941's "Hellzapoppin." (he's in overalls) After WWII, the swing craze ended, Frankie came home from war, took a job as a postman, and lived a fairly uneventful life for the next 40-odd years. Then in the mid-80s, producers of the musical "Black and Blue" were searching for dancer from that swing era. Frankie was found and brought out of retirement to help choreograph the show. It was then he also began teaching swing-era dances at a studio downtown. This is when I danced with him: literally. He was still flipping women over his back! And despite his decades of living in the obscurity of civil service and loss of creative life, he has never shown an ounce of bitterness.
In 1989 Frankie Manning turned 75 years old, had a profile on 60 Minutes, and won a Tony Award!
Forever young, he turns 95 in 2009. Bless his gentle soul. He is one of a kind.
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