At 12 years old his leg was amputated on his mother’s kitchen table. At 40 he was a world renowned tap dancer and a regular on the Ed Sullivan show. He is “The Dancing Man” Peg Leg Bates. As a disabled African-American, Clayton Bates fought discrimination on two fronts eventually rising to become jazz dance royalty. Stunning archival film clips and commentary by tap greats such as Honi Coles and Gregory Hines demonstrate that Peg Leg Bates was far more than a novelty act. Additional onscreen commentary by Ruth Brown, Percy Sutton, Chuck Green, Lon Chaney and Buster Brown tell the story of Bates’ onstage genius as well as his business acumen. When other entertainers were living the high ligh, Bates saved his money and opened a Catskill resort that welcomed African Americans. “The Dancing Man” concludes at his nightclub on the final night before his retirement, when the greatest living tap dancers make the pilgrimage to perform for him and lift a glass. Ruth Brown sums up his influence on African-American culture in his time, “In those days, there were two great things for Black people. One was that Peg Leg Bates was going to be on television and the other was that Joe Louis was going to fight.”

SCREENINGS:
PBS National Broadcast
Chicago International Film Festival
National Educational Film & Video Festival
Houston International Film Festival
Columbus International Film Festival
Amsterdam
St. Petersburg
Munich Film Festivals

Production Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Arts, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting