Academy Award-winning dance director responsible for choreographing several dozen of Hollywood's most truly memorable musicals, including every one of the nine Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers 1930s gems - not to mention Fred and Ginger's screen swan song, The Barkleys of Broadway (1949). He also choreographed some half-dozen of Betty Grable's musicals ...
The MGM Jerome Kern (27 January 1885-11 November 1945, age 60) biographical movie musical "Till the Clouds Roll By" featured Angela Lansbury (b. 16 October 1925) performing as a London music hall soubrette, swinging in a London vaudeville music hall production number. All of Angela Lansbury's previous MGM musical films had her singing voice performances ghost dubbed. Angela convinced producer Arthur Freed that she should do her own singing, as a London music hall soubrette, a light lyric soprano with a very youthful voice. Coloratura and soubrette are very closely related. A coloratura will have the flexibility and a few more usable notes on top, while a soubrette is required to have low A's. Angela's London music hall "swing" number was choreographed by Hermes Pan, (10 December 1909-19 September 1990, age 80), with a ton of dancing chorus boys, elaborate sets and costumes. Angela, born in 1925, twenty years old in 1945 when the sequence was filmed. Judy Garland at age 22 (10 June 1922-23 June 1969) performed her production numbers in "Till the Clouds Roll By", directed and staged by her new husband Vincente Minnelli (28 February 1903-25 July 1986). There is only one MGM stage on the lot where the theatre scenes were always filmed. The stage, located in the middle of the MGM lot, is on the main MGM street dividing the lot in half.
2
According to the DVD commentary for Top Hat (1935), he often dubbed Ginger Rogers taps for her films with Fred Astaire. He is rumored to have done so in high heels for authenticity.
3
In the years he worked as a choreographer for Fred Astaire at RKO, Hermes always taught Ginger Rogers the dance steps well before she worked with her on-screen perfectionist partner. Hermes would first dance the Astaire part while Ginger slowly learned hers. Hermes resemblance to Astaire -- not only physically but as a dancer -- can be best seen in a specialty number he does with Rita Hayworth in the Fox film My Gal Sal (1942) a remarkable imitation of a Astaire and Rogers.
4
His given name Hermes may have come from the mythical Greek god, but his stage name Pan was simply an abbreviated form of the Greek surname Panagiotopoulos. Panagiotopoulos literally means 'son of Panagiotis', and Panagiotis is a common Greek given name derived from the epithet of Virgin Mary Panagia (All-Holy).
5
He was noted for his remarkable resemblance to Fred Astaire, and often served as a double during the planning of dance sequences for Astaire's films.
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
Aiutami a sognare
1981
choreographer
Lost Horizon
1973
choreography and staging
Darling Lili
1970
choreographer and staging
Finian's Rainbow
1968
choreographer
An Evening with Carol Channing
1966
TV Special choreographer
The Hollywood Palace
1964-1965
TV Series choreographer - 2 episodes
The Great Race
1965
choreographer
My Fair Lady
1964
choreographer
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1964
TV Series choreographer - 1 episode
The Pink Panther
1963
choreographer - uncredited
Cleopatra
1963
choreographer
Flower Drum Song
1961
choreographer
The Pleasure of His Company
1961
choreographer
The Bell Telephone Hour
1961
TV Series choreographer - 1 episode
Astaire Time
1960
TV Movie choreographer
The George Burns Show
1960
TV Special choreographer
The Frances Langford Show
1960
TV Series choreographer - 1 episode
Academy Award Songs
1960
TV Movie choreographer
Startime
1960
TV Series choreographer - 1 episode
Can-Can
1960
dance stager
Another Evening with Fred Astaire
1959
TV Special choreographer
The Blue Angel
1959
choreographer
Porgy and Bess
1959
choreographer
Never Steal Anything Small
1959
choreographer
An Evening with Fred Astaire
1958
TV Special choreographer
Pal Joey
1957
choreographer
Silk Stockings
1957
all dances in which Fred Astaire appears choreographed by
Meet Me in Las Vegas
1956
choreographer
Hit the Deck
1955
choreographer and staging - uncredited
Jupiter's Darling
1955
choreographer
The Student Prince
1954
choreographer
Kiss Me Kate
1953
choreographer
The Actress
1953
choreographer - uncredited
Sombrero
1953
choreographer
Lovely to Look At
1952
choreographer
Footlight Varieties
1951
choreographer - segment "Radio City Revels"
Texas Carnival
1951
choreographer
Excuse My Dust
1951
choreographer
For Heaven's Sake
1950
dance coach - uncredited
Let's Dance
1950
choreographer
Three Little Words
1950
dances created and directed by
The Barkleys of Broadway
1949
dance director
That Lady in Ermine
1948
choreographer
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
1947
choreographer
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
1947
dances stager
Till the Clouds Roll By
1946
choreographer - uncredited
Blue Skies
1946
dance director
State Fair
1945
choreographer
Diamond Horseshoe
1945
choreographer
Hangover Square
1945
dance coach: Linda Darnell - uncredited
Irish Eyes Are Smiling
1944
dance director
Pin Up Girl
1944
choreographer
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
1943
dance director
Coney Island
1943
choreographer / specialty dancer - uncredited
Hello Frisco, Hello
1943
choreographer - uncredited
Springtime in the Rockies
1942
choreographer
Iceland
1942/I
choreographer - uncredited
Footlight Serenade
1942
dance director
My Gal Sal
1942
choreographer
Roxie Hart
1942
dances stager
Song of the Islands
1942
dances staged by
Rise and Shine
1941
choreographer
Week-End in Havana
1941
dances staged by
Sun Valley Serenade
1941
dances staged by
Moon Over Miami
1941
dances staged by
Blood and Sand
1941
dance director: fiesta - uncredited
That Night in Rio
1941
dance staged by
Second Chorus
1940
dance director
Bachelor Mother
1939
choreographer - uncredited
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
1939
dance director
Carefree
1938
choreographer - uncredited / ensembles stager
Having Wonderful Time
1938
dance director - uncredited
Radio City Revels
1938
dances stager
A Damsel in Distress
1937
dance director
Stage Door
1937
dance director - uncredited
Shall We Dance
1937
ballet stager
Quality Street
1937
choreographer - uncredited
A Woman Rebels
1936
choreographer - uncredited
Swing Time
1936
dance director
Mary of Scotland
1936
choreographer - uncredited
Follow the Fleet
1936
ensembles stager
I Dream Too Much
1935
dances created by
In Person
1935
dance director
Top Hat
1935
choreographer - uncredited / ensembles stager
Old Man Rhythm
1935
choreographer
A Dog of Flanders
1935
dance director - uncredited
Roberta
1935
assistant dance director
The Gay Divorcee
1934
assistant dance director - uncredited / choreographer - uncredited
Cockeyed Cavaliers
1934
assistant dance director - uncredited
Strictly Dynamite
1934
choreographer - uncredited
Hips, Hips, Hooray!
1934
assistant dance director - uncredited
Flying Down to Rio
1933
assistant dance director - uncredited
Melody Cruise
1933
assistant dance director - uncredited
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Pal Joey
1957
Choreographer at Dress Rehearsal (uncredited)
Kiss Me Kate
1953
Sailor (uncredited)
A Life of Her Own
1950
Specialty Dancer
Pin Up Girl
1944
Apache Dancer (uncredited)
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
1943
Madge's Dancing Partner (uncredited)
Coney Island
1943
Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
Footlight Serenade
1942
Assistant Dance Director (uncredited)
My Gal Sal
1942
Dancing Partner
Moon Over Miami
1941
Kay's Dance Partner in Conga Number (uncredited)
Second Chorus
1940
College Clarinetist (uncredited)
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
1995
producer: "TONIGHT WE MURDER"
The Barkleys of Broadway
1949
"Shoes with Wings On" 1949
Pin Up Girl
1944
performer: "Once Too Often" - uncredited
Footlight Serenade
1942
performer: "Land on Your Feet" - uncredited
My Gal Sal
1942
performer: "ON THE GAY WHITE WAY"
Moon Over Miami
1941
performer: "Kindergarten Conga" 1941
Music Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
Lost Horizon
1973
stager: musical numbers
Darling Lili
1970
stager: musical numbers
Meet Me in Las Vegas
1956
creator: musical numbers
Hit the Deck
1955
stager: musical numbers
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Astaire Time
1960
TV Movie associate producer
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story
1987
TV Series documentary thanks - 1 episode
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976
Documentary acknowledgement: the special style and content of the musical sequences were created by
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Great Performances
1991
TV Series
Himself
Rita Hayworth: Dancing Into the Dream
1990
TV Movie documentary
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues
1988
Video documentary
Himself
American Masters
1987
TV Series documentary
Himself
Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story
1987
TV Series documentary
Himself
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
1984
Documentary
Himself
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Fred Astaire
$1.7 Million
