Anyhow, I thought I spotted the name Robert Altman in the White Christmas credits. As Hogfather (part I) began I grabbed my laptop and tried to find out how Robert Altman (of M.A.S.H. and Gosford Park fame) was involved with White Christmas. Turned out he wasn't, the name was in fact Alton, not Altman, and I lost interest.
But then I Googled Vera Ellen, given that Mom was always a major fan and it sort of rubbed off on me. I was electrified to read that the first husband of Vera Ellen was named Robert Hightower. It was also moderately interesting that her second husband was Victor Rothschild of the Jewish Banking Family Rothschild. Only moderately because I'm not related to the Rothschild's, so far as I know, chance would be a fine thing... I am, however, a Hightower, or rather my great-grandmother was.
It is generally agreed amongst Hightower genealogists that all the Hightowers in the US descend from a Joshua Hightower who left England for the Virginia colony in the mid-1600's. I looked at people who were DNA matches for me and/or four other maternal cousins who are Hightowers. There were 300-some DNA matches who had the name Hightower in their family tree. I could trace - in a rough & ready sort of way using other people's family trees - them all back to Joshua. So I'm ready to claim any Hightower as a cousin (even if it is 11th Cousin or something silly).
So who was this Robert Hightower who was married to Vera Ellen? I can show you a photo of him on his second marriage (to yet another dancer). I'm still researching what I can document about his life and there are some rather sad stories (I've never claimed to have a 'normal' family). However, it seems that he also had a brother and a sister who were successful dancers, though not on the scale of Vera Ellen. More about them later.
And then, looking for one Hightower dancer, I found yet another, one I should have known about as she was from Oklahoma. If you wish, you can watch Rosella Hightower dancing. I think she is absolute magic!
2 comments:
My wife was a Hightower, first cousin to the dancing Hightowers (Louis, Marilyn and Bunnie) The dancing Hightowers were born and reared in Destin, FL.
I met Bun and Marilyn before their deaths.
Randy Gilmore
Hi Randy! How exciting that you were married to a Hightower. I have a 1st cousin once removed (she was Mom's first cousin) who married a man named Hightower but never realised they were very distant cousins. She did know she was descended from a Hightower, but not that all Hightowers are likely related Mom and her brother were exhibition ballroom dancers in their youth and the brother was a professional choreographer and dance teacher. It seemed to run in that branch of our family. Of course since the Hightowers came to the US in something like the 1600s, there are a lot of people with that name around! Thanks very much for leaving your comment.
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