Bush, Nat


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Bush, Nat

Post by Johan Melle » 23/05/2020, 0:10

Contamination - Nat Bush1.jpg
Nat Bush in Contamination (1980)

Nathaniel "Nat" Bush is an American dancer, singer and choreographer who spent the majority of his career in Italy, where he also supplemented his income by appearing in small, uncredited roles in numerous films. For many years he has been erroneously identified as Martin Sorrentino, so it's really about time that things are finally put straight.

Unfortunately, there's very little biographical information available on Nat. In the US, he was a member of The Archie Savage dancers and his earliest known appearance is a very small part alongside Savage in the Hollywood production South Pacific (1958). Archie Savage relocated to Italy shortly afterwards, and Nat was among the dancers who followed him. He can be seen appearing as part of The Archie Savage Dancers in the mondo movie Europa di notte (1959) and very probably also appears with Savage in some other mondo movies from the same period.

In the 1960s, he began to appear in acting roles - usually in small uncredited parts in films as well as some fotoromanzi, but he also played the leading role of Brother Rat in the Adrienne Kennedy play "La messa dei topi" ("A Rat's Mass"), performed at the New American Theatre in Rome in 1966.

He also had a career as a singer, most notably as a member of the New Folkstudio Singers (a new incarnation of the 1960s group The Folkstudio Singers) in the 1970s, and released the 12" single "Taste of Love Again" in 1983.

Nat can be seen in small uncredited roles in a number of Italian films from the late 1970s and early 1980s, including several well-known gory horror films (among them three movies directed by Lucio Fulci).

Nat's last known on-screen appearances are from 1983, but he appears to have continued to work as a choreographer and dance teacher. The most recent mention of him that I've been able to find is in the CV of dance teacher Fabrizio Laurentaci, who lists that in January 1988 he studied "Afrojazz technique with Nat Bush, American choreographer and teacher".

Filmography

1958
  1. South Pacific .... Firetender (credited)

    1959
  2. Europa di notte .... Member of The Archie Savage Dancers (credited as "Natt Bush")
  3. La casa dalle sette torri (TV movie) .... Guitar player in the tavern (uncredited)

    1966
  4. Il grande colpo dei 7 uomini d'oro .... Radio host / One of the general's soldiers (uncredited)

    1967
  5. Dossier Mata Hari (TV mini-series) - ep. 1 .... The notable Javanese (credited)
  6. Operazione San Pietro .... Cardinal (uncredited)

    1973
  7. La rappresentazione della terribile caccia alla balena bianca Moby Dick (TV mini-series) - ep. 2-5 .... Fedallah (credited)

    1976
  8. Il grande racket .... Tourist (uncredited)
  9. Il signor Robinson, mostruosa storia d'amore e d'avventure .... Native tribesman (uncredited)
  10. Quelle strane occasioni - segment "Italian superman" .... Porno nightclub patron (uncredited)

    1977
  11. Anno zero - Guerra nello spazio .... Journalist (uncredited)

    1978
  12. Follie di notte .... African dancer in nightclub (uncredited)
  13. Goodbye & amen .... CIA agent (uncredited)
  14. Papaya dei Caraibi .... Man at the macumba ritual (uncredited)
  15. Sam & Sally (TV series) - season 1, ep. 2: "Bedelia" .... Restaurant pianist (uncredited)
  16. Top Secret (TV movie) .... Sergeant (credited)
  17. Via della prostituzione .... Madame Claude henchman (uncredited)

    1979
  18. Zombi 2 .... Newspaper office employee (uncredited)

    1980
  19. Contamination .... Warehouse guard (uncredited)
  20. Paura nella città dei morti viventi .... Sergeant Clay (uncredited)

    1981
  21. Rosso sangue .... Policeman (uncredited)

    1982
  22. 1990: I guerrieri del Bronx .... Member of The Tigers (uncredited)
  23. Lo squartatore di New York .... Police detective (uncredited)
  24. Manhattan Baby .... Building caretaker (uncredited)

    1983
  25. Fuga dal Bronx .... News photographer (uncredited)

Additional credits
  • New Folkstudio Singers 76 (1976) - A 25 minute television concert of Nat and the rest of the New Folkstudio Singers performing various song. Nat and the rest of the group members are credited in the end titles.

Fotoromanzi
  • Le avventure di Jacques Douglas n. 38: "Nell'aria c'è un profumo di morte" (November 1968)
  • Letizia n. 102: "I fiori della metropoli non hanno sorriso" (25 November 1968)
  • Le avventure di Jacques Douglas n. 46: "I pirati di Isla Grande" (July 1969)
  • Kimba re dell'Africa nera n. 5: "Il messaggio della morte" (31 March 1970)
Last edited by Cinema Italiano on 29/11/2022, 19:25, edited 11 times in total.

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Re: Nat Bush

Post by Johan Melle » 23/05/2020, 0:14

South Pacific (1958) as Firetender during a ceremonial dance sequence. In his earliest known role, Nat appears alongside Archie Savage, whose dance group he was a member of. There are four firetenders, and I think Nat is the one of the far left.
South Pacific - Nat Bush1.jpg
South Pacific - Nat Bush2.jpg
screenshot.jpg
Thanks to Nick for the pictures

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Re: Nat Bush

Post by Johan Melle » 23/05/2020, 0:20

Europa di notte (1959) credited as Natt Bush, as Member of The Archie Savage Dancers. Nat's first appearance in an Italian production was in this mondo movie. Unfortunately, I'm not able to point out Nat among the dancers as the print isn't terribly good, plus the male dancers are largely relegated to the background while most of the spotlight is awarded to the females.
Europa Di Notte - Nat Bush1.jpg
Europa Di Notte - Nat Bush2.jpg
Europa Di Notte - Nat Bush3.jpg
Europa Di Notte - Nat Bush4.jpg
Europa Di Notte - Nat Bush5.jpg
Europa Di Notte - Nat Bush6.jpg

The Archie Savage dancers are also supposed to appear in various other mondo movies made around the same time, so it's likely that Nat may appear in those as well, but I haven't been able to find any of them...

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Re: Nat Bush

Post by Johan Melle » 23/05/2020, 0:24

Il grande colpo dei 7 uomini d'oro (1966) as Radio host. This role comes a full seven years after his previous known film appearance.
Grande Colpo - Nat Bush1.jpg
Grande Colpo - Nat Bush2.jpg

I believe he also has a second role in the film as One of the general's soldiers, but the scene is rather dark and he's only glimpsed for a second or two
Grande Colpo - Nat Bush3.jpg
Grande Colpo - Nat Bush4.jpg

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Re: Nat Bush

Post by Johan Melle » 23/05/2020, 0:26

Nat played the leading role in the stage play "La messa dei topi" ("A Rat's Mass") by Adrienne Kennedy, performed at the New American Theatre in Rome in 1966. Here's a short notice about the play in the La Stampa newspaper on 27 October 1966
Messa Dei Topi - La Stampa.jpg

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Re: Nat Bush

Post by Johan Melle » 23/05/2020, 0:32

Dossier Mata Hari (1967) (TV mini series) - episode 1, as The notable Javanese. Nat has a larger than usual role here, appearing in several scenes alongside Cosetta Greco in the role of Mata Hari. Unfortunately, I could only find a cropped and poor-looking version that's missing the credits, but Nat is credited in the cast list printed in Radiocorriere TV.
Dossier Mata Hari - Nat Bush1.jpg
Dossier Mata Hari - Nat Bush2.jpg
Dossier Mata Hari - Nat Bush3.jpg
Dossier Mata Hari - Nat Bush4.jpg

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Re: Nat Bush

Post by Johan Melle » 23/05/2020, 0:36

Fotoromanzo Letizia n. 102: "I fiori della metropoli non hanno sorriso" (25 November 1968). Nat has an uncredited but reasonably large role here as Tom, a servant to the bad guys who helps the two protagonists to escape from the clutches of his employers.
Letizia 102 - Nat Bush1.jpg
Letizia 102 - Nat Bush2.jpg
Letizia 102 - Nat Bush3.jpg
Letizia 102 - Nat Bush4.jpg
Letizia 102 - Nat Bush5.jpg
Letizia 102 - Nat Bush6.jpg

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Re: Nat Bush

Post by Johan Melle » 23/05/2020, 0:49

Fotoromanzo Le avventure di Jacques Douglas n. 38: "Nell'aria c'è un profumo di morte" (November 1968). Another uncredited but fairly large role for Nat as a hotel servant. There's a running gag (albeit not a very funny one) throughout the story that the protagonist Jacques Douglas (played by Luciano Francioli) keeps addressing Nat's character as Joe even though he repeatedly points out that his name is actually Donald.
Jacques Douglas 38 - Nat Bush1.jpg
Jacques Douglas 38 - Nat Bush2.jpg
Jacques Douglas 38 - Nat Bush3.jpg
Jacques Douglas 38 - Nat Bush4.jpg
Jacques Douglas 38 - Nat Bush5.jpg

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Re: Nat Bush

Post by Johan Melle » 23/05/2020, 0:54

Fotoromanzo Le avventure di Jacques Douglas n. 46: "I pirati di Isla Grande" (July 1969). Just a small henchman role this time. This is also the earliest role to feature Nat with a beard, which he would keep throughout most of his later career.
Jacques Douglas 46 - Nat Bush1.jpg
Jacques Douglas 46 - Nat Bush2.jpg
Jacques Douglas 46 - Nat Bush3.jpg

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Re: Nat Bush

Post by Johan Melle » 23/05/2020, 0:59

Fotoromanzo Kimba re dell'Africa nera n. 5: "Il messaggio della morte" (31 March 1970). Nat has a reasonably large role as a tribal warrior in this Tarzan-inspired jungle adventure. In France, this was published under the title "Le message de la mort" in April 1967. Why it took three years for it to be published in Italy I do not know...
Kimba 5 - Nat Bush1.jpg
Kimba 5 - Nat Bush2.jpg
Kimba 5 - Nat Bush3.jpg
Kimba 5 - Nat Bush4.jpg
Kimba 5 - Nat Bush5.jpg

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