Obituaries : Gene Bell; Longtime Tap-Dancer, Vaudevillian

Gene Bell, a tap-dancer in the old vaudeville style known for his tributes to the footwork of Bill Robinson, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, has died at 81.

Bell died June 2 at his Los Angeles home, said Milt Larsen, former head of the Society for the Preservation of Variety Arts.

When the Downtown Variety Arts Theatre presented its last vaudeville hurrah in 1988, Times reviewer Ray Loynd said of Bell:

“The show’s unqualified treat is 74-year-old tap-dancer extraordinaire Gene Bell, whose soft-shoe and high-stepping act is enthralling and phenomenally cheering.”

Born in Buffalo, N.Y., and raised in New York City, Bell began performing when he was 10: He tap-danced while his sister played a comb with a slip of paper on the sidewalk outside the Palace Theater. Sallie Green, a minstrel show headliner, saw the youngster and launched him in show business.

During his long career, Bell performed at popular clubs nationwide and in venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, Madison Square Garden and Harlem’s Apollo Theater.

He appeared as the opening act for stars such as the late Josephine Baker, Red Skelton, Don Rickles, Wayne Newton, Juliette Prowse and Rosemary Clooney. Bell also was a popular guest on television variety programs, including “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Tonight Show,” “The Mike Douglas Show” and “The Merv Griffin Show.” Bell was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in the television special titled “Minstrel Man.”

An occasional actor, Bell appeared in films such as “The Days of Heaven” and “All-American Boy.”

Bell is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Lupe; two sons, Ruben and Ralph; four daughters, Aida, Patricia, Linda and Isabel; a sister, Birdie Joseph of New York; a 102-year-old aunt, Carrie Smith of Los Angeles; 18 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.