Biography

90 minutes with commercial spots, the music-variety Bing Crosby road-show-case program, a 1968 prime time NBC Event Special - "The Bing Crosby Show" - was broadcast on NBC TV: Monday night, October 23, 1968; at the 19:00 hour. The 90 minute program was hosted primarily by Bing Crosby and his second banana co-host comedian Bob Hope. The original Crosby program's initial production title was based upon the show's plot for "Making Movies" scenario as a Crosby and Hope retrospective of their famous "Road" campaign feature film comedies. The NBC Event Special featured a cast of 1960's guest artists in a comedy-variety of musical performances and guest spots in the comedy special. The NBC TV "The Bing Crosby Show" (1968) event special has also been listed as a NBC event special "The Bing Crosby Special: Making Movies" (1968).

Officially known as dancers or unofficially labeled hoofers and as gypsies, Marc Breaux, his dancer-choreographer wife Dee Dee Wood, dancer Nick Vanoff and his wife, dancer Felisa Caputo (Vanoff) all had known and worked with each other on the opera, television and Broadway theatrical circuit. Nick Vanoff and Marc Breaux had been in the original Broadway company of Cole Porter's "Kiss Me Kate." When Nick produced the ABC TV music series "The King Family" (1965-1969), Nick had hired Marc Breaux to stage and direct the family's television series. Marc with his wife Dee Dee Wood, and assistant choreographer Gary Manteer staged every episode of "The King Family" television series. The NBC TV Bing Crosby Event Special was Marc Breaux's first major network special directing assignment after directing the Nick Vanoff produced ABC TV 30 minute variety series "The King Family." Marc and his wife Dee Dee Wood, with Gary Manteer assisting, developed and choreographed the Bing Crosby (1968) music variety production as a creative team.

Manteer performed as one of the Harmony Garden's waiters in Hello, Dolly! (1969), starring Barbra Streisand. Carrying a waiter's tray, Manteer passes behind Streisand while she is seated at her table in the Harmony Gardens choreographed staged production number.

Gary appeared as a dancer in many great musical films including: The Unsinkable Molly Brown; Funny Lady; Bye Bye Birdie; Finian's Rainbow; Inside Daisy Clover and Mary Poppins (playing a chimney sweep in the Chim Chim Cher-ee musical number.