Tommy Dix, a singer and actor, known for the tune Buckle Down, Winsocki and for appearing in both the Broadway play and film versions of Best Foot Forward has died at 101, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Born a sickly child on Dec. 6, 1923, in New York, and raised by his single mother, Dix became interested in music from an early age. He gained attention for singing around his neighborhood and soon was asked to perform on nationwide radio shows multiple times. Dix would eventually be offered a fellowship at the Juilliard School of Music at 15 years old.
In 1940, he premiered on Broadway as part of the ensemble of The Corn Is Green, starring Ethel Barrymore, followed by a role as military cadet Chuck Green in Best Foot Forward, choreographed by the great Gene Kelly. The story, starring Rosemary Lane, follows a Winsocki Military Academy student, Bud Hooper, jokingly inviting Hollywood starlet Gale Joy to be his date at the junior prom, only for chaos to ensue when Joy surprisingly accepts.
After a run of 326 performances, the play became a film in 1943, with Dix upgraded to the Hooper role and Lucille Ball taking over as Gale Joy. Dix would enter the U.S. Army soon after, helping to sell $3 million worth of war bonds after an injury prevented him from going into the field.
Despite attempts to return to his career after World War II, Dix would leave the entertainment world behind, working for his father’s lumber company and later real estate and construction before retiring in 1986.
Dix is survived by his wife Catherine, his son, Grayson, a grandson, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
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