Vera-Ellen Tries To Get Perry Como To Dance!

Because of his "Mr. Relaxation" persona/moniker, Perry Como was good-naturedly ribbed throughout his career by showbiz personalities, with the zenith of the jests perhaps being SCTV's "Perry Como: Still Alive" skit in the early eighties, featuring a semi-comatose Eugene Levy crooning his way through songs. But when it came to lampooning Como's laid-back image no one was more proficient at it than Como himself. He beat the SCTV lampooners to the punch over two decades earlier by portraying himself falling asleep in the middle of his own TV show! (see the end of the "Kewpie Doll" video I've posted). Here, from 1956, we have another example of Como having some fun with his image. In order to get out of dancing, he sends in another dancer (the show's choreographer, Louis DaPron) to take his place. Meanwhile, Mr. Como relegates himself to a rocking chair onstage and yawns through the performance! Sorry about the less-than-stellar video quality; gotta settle for what's available with some of these early clips.