Biography

Jeanne Phelps was born on March 1, 1924 in Los Angeles to Lyndon Phelps and Ada Marie Grinnell. She was second to three siblings, brothers named Robert and Raymond. When Jean was about five years old the family moved to Santa Maria, California. In 1942 they moved back with their mother to Los Angeles. As teenagers living in the LA area they often practiced swing dance with their friends. In fact, Jean and Ray got along together so well that they often teamed in dance halls, as a famous photograph testifies. She won a dance contest at the Hollywood Legion Stadium with Gene Halverson, and with it a Screen Actors Guild card and her first movie role, a dancing part in the feature film Swing Fever (1943). The number, One Girl and Two Boys sung by Marilyn Maxwell to Kay Kyser's band, has become a classic although the three (Jean, Lennie Smith and Don Gallagher) remained uncredited. Then she would appear in Where Are Your Children? (1943) and Jive Junction (1943) (dancing with Bob Ashley) and in the swing short Groovie Movie (1944), partnering with Arthur Walsh. She also danced in The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945) with none less than Dean Collins. Yet she did not figure in any of those movies' credits, as neither did her colleagues, usually appearing as background dancers. She married Harold "Babe" Davi whom she would later divorce. In 1946 she acted in El Rancho Vegas hotel under Nick Castle's choreography for several months.

Then in 1948 she started training with famed ballroom dancer Frank Veloz, of the Yolanda and Veloz duo. When wife Yolanda retired the following year, Jean partnered with Frank. They would marry in 1963, continuing with their dancing commitments until he died. They collaborated with Marge Champion, taught Susan Hayward and coached Anthony Dexter for the role of Valentino in the 1951 movie of the same title Valentino (1951), choreographing Lana Turner, Rita Moreno and Ricardo Montalban in Latin Lovers (1953). One can see what a great job Frank and Jean, Tony Dexter and Patricia Medina did together watching the tango sequence in the first film. They opened dance schools and had a TV show. Then when Veloz died in 1981 Jean retired, until the filming of a swing documentary by Rudy Linan brought her back to dancing, and she has continued to do so ever since, well into her 90s. And she is affectionately loved by all the swing and Lindy dancers around the world. Just watch one of her many videos and get stunned. She has her own website too (jeanveloz.com).