People, Jul. 19, 1976

She was a chain-smoking con girl in Paper Moon, a hard-throwing Little League pitcher in The Bad News Bears. For her next number, Tatum O'Neal, all of 12, will dance back to the screen as a budding hoofer in Nickelodeon, Director Peter Bogdanovich's new film about 1920s Hollywood. Not to be outdone by Co-Star Jane Hitchcock, who once studied with Choreographer George Balanchine of the New York City Ballet, Tatum took a six-week crash course in tap dancing before stepping into her new role. Sums up Tatum: "I guess it's much more practical...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!