Arthur Duncan on The Betty White Show (1954) | Tap Dance

Arthur Duncan (born September 25, 1933) is an American tap dancer, known for his stint as a performer on The Lawrence Welk Show from 1964 to 1982, which, along with his earlier inclusion (despite Southern objections) on the 1954 Betty White Show, made him the first African-American regular on variety television programs.

Born in Pasadena, California, Duncan entered show business at age 13, when he was a member of a dance quartet that performed at McKinley Junior High School in Pasadena, California.

He later entered Pasadena City College to study pharmacy, but left to pursue a career in show business, touring with The Jimmie Rodgers Show and The Betty White Show. In 1957, Duncan joined Bob Hope's troupe touring U.S. military bases, making him the first African American to be part of that 100-member group.[5]

After several years of appearances in Europe, Duncan was discovered by Lawrence Welk's personal manager Sam Lutz. After appearing as a guest on the show, Lawrence Welk offered Duncan a permanent spot as a member of his "musical family."

The 1989 film Tap featured Duncan in a cameo appearance with other famous tap dancers.

In 2004 Duncan was honored at the annual "Tap Extravaganza" in New York City.

In 2006, Duncan was honored for his contributions to tap dance at the 15th Annual St. Louis Tap Festival.

In 2017, Duncan appeared on the series premiere episode of the reality talent series Little Big Shots: Forever Young, where he performed a dance and reunited with actress Betty White.

In 2018, Duncan made an appearance on The Talk as part of a surprise for co-host Sheryl Underwood who performed a tap dance routine with Savion Glover as part of the show's New Year's Evolution. Underwood said Duncan was her inspiration for tap dancing. Duncan gave Underwood flowers to congratulate her return to tap dancing.

In 2020, Duncan was inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame of the American Tap Dance Foundation. - Wikipedia
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Video originally shared on archive.org
Shared for historical purposes.
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