Editing Bob Fosse (section)

=== 1947–1953: Contract with MGM ===
After his discharge, Fosse moved to New York City in 1947 with the ambition of being the new [[Fred Astaire]]. He began to study acting at the American Theatre Wing, where he met his first wife and dance partner, Mary Ann Niles (1923–1987).<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Bob Fosse {{!}} Biography, Style, Musicals, Movies, Awards, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Fosse |access-date=2021-11-16 |website=britannica.com}}</ref> His first stage role was in ''[[Call Me Mister]]'', along with Niles.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/fosse0000wass |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/fosse0000wass/page/44 44] |title=Fosse |last=Wasson |first=Sam |date=2013 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-547-55329-0}}</ref>  In 1948, [[Tony Charmoli]] danced in ''[[Make Mine Manhattan]]'', but gave the part to Fosse when the show toured nationally. Charmoli also found Fosse work as a dancer on the TV shows he was working on when Fosse returned from the tour.<ref name="HollywoodR">{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tony-charmoli-dead-emmy-winning-choreographer-mitzi-gaynor-shirley-maclaine-was-99-1306721 |title=Tony Charmoli, Emmy-Winning Choreographer for Mitzi Gaynor and Shirley MacLaine, Dies at 99 |last=Barnes |first=Mike |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=2020-08-10 |access-date=2020-08-11}}</ref>

Fosse and Niles were regular performers on ''[[Your Hit Parade]]'' in its 1950–1951 season. [[Dean Martin]] and [[Jerry Lewis]] saw their act in New York's [[The Pierre|Pierre Hotel]] and scheduled the couple to appear on ''[[The Colgate Comedy Hour]]'' in 1951.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Colgate Comedy Hour |website=[[IMDb]] |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0785142/ |access-date=August 3, 2023}}</ref>

Fosse was signed to an [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] contract in 1953.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-24-mn-10106-story.html |title=Choreographer and Director Bob Fosse Dies |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> His early screen appearances as a dancer included ''[[Give a Girl a Break]]'', ''[[The Affairs of Dobie Gillis]]'' and ''[[Kiss Me Kate (film)|Kiss Me Kate]]'', all released in 1953. Fosse's choreography of a short dance sequence in ''[[Kiss Me Kate (film)|Kiss Me Kate]]'' and dance with [[Carol Haney]] brought him to the attention of Broadway producers.<ref name=pbs1>[https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/bob-fosse/ "Bob Fosse Biography"] [[PBS]]; accessed January 27, 2010</ref> In ''Kiss Me Kate'', Fosse starred alongside [[Howard Keel]], [[Kathryn Grayson]], and [[Ann Miller]]. Fosse played Hortensio within ''The Taming of the Shrew'' dance sequences.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/kiss-me-kate-01843a3d-9a6e-9ca8-8f36-f3ebdec14698|title= Kiss Me Kate|website= Academy Museum|accessdate= May 20, 2024}}</ref>