Fayard Nicholas

In 1941, as America went to war, Hollywood went to work. It produced two masterpieces--Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" and John Huston's "The Maltese Falcon"--and amassed a body of art rarely rivaled in any year since. That wasn't all. Fifty years ago, groundbreaking ceremonies were held in Woodland Hills for the Motion Picture and Television Fund's Country House and Hospital, a retirement home for members of the industry.

Shy, soft-spoken pop singer Janet Jackson accepted the Starlight Foundation's Humanitarian Award Saturday night, saying, "For me to be involved in a program honoring children is a special privilege. . . . I derive strength from the courage of the children." Jackson, other honorees and a handful of celebrities were at the Century Plaza for a 5 1/2-hour black-tie benefit for the international foundation, which grants wishes to critically, chronically and terminally ill children.

Reflecting the 1930s concept that tap-dancers are musicians, a group of teens--members of the Jazz Tap Ensemble Caravan Project--will be doing the shim-sham shimmy at the Falcon Theatre this weekend. They will perform contemporary tap-dance and duplicate some of the works of America's foremost tap-dancers, the Nicholas Brothers, known for flashy high jumps and for splits without using their hands. "The steps in tap-dancing are very basic," said Gail Hooks, managing director of the group.

With Hollywood presenters galore, but also a pervasive sense of family, the eighth annual American Choreography Awards celebrated dance in film and television during a 3 1/2-hour program Sunday at the Orpheum Theatre. Despite its name, the event honored only dance-for-camera and didn't limit eligibility to Americans.

Without a visit from Gregory Hines late in the program, an evening with the Jazz Tap Ensemble would be . . . well, still a great evening of tap and jazz. But Hines' now-familiar invitational tap-off (he invites whoever has their tap shoes onstage to jam) seemed a fitting way to cap the ensemble's 20th anniversary concert at the Ford Amphitheatre Sunday night.

If Old Hollywood ever has an official last hurrah, it probably won't be markedly different from Thursday's benefit black-tie premiere of MGM's "That's Entertainment! III" at Mann's National in Westwood. The searchlights were burning and the red carpet was rolled out for the stars who made the spectacular MGM musicals of the '30s, '40s and '50s.

There was a red carpet outside Harlem's famed Apollo Theater on Sunday evening and a capacity audience inside. Enthusiastic and vocal, the crowd was eager to pay tribute to Gregory Hines, who died of cancer Aug. 9 at age 57. The theater is where Hines' exemplary and multifaceted career began as a boy in the 1950s.

The prima ballerina, now in her 70s, settled in her seat, ready for a performance she would not be able to see. Then something extraordinary happened. The room filled with clear, precise notes--music from the feet of children schooled in the art of tap dance. With her failed eyesight, the ballerina could not see the intricate steps, the meaningful expressions, the posture of the dancers, but she could hear the dance. A smile spread across the ballerina's face.