He spent his school vacations at the MGM studios, eventually dancing in the chorus of movie musicals such as The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Rosalie (1937), Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), Babes in Arms (1939), and The Wizard of Oz (1939) .
Saddler was an original member of the American Ballet Theatre, appearing in Giselle, Pillar of Fire, and Fancy Free before heading overseas to serve in World War II.
When he returned, he decided to forego ballet in favor of Broadway musicals, appearing in High Button Shoes (1947) and two 1950 revues, Dance Me a Song and Bless You All, before winning his first assignment as a choreographer for Wonderful Town in 1953, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Choreography.
Saddler has directed Together on Broadway: Mary Martin and Ethel Merman, George Abbott: Celebration, and I Hear Music of Frank Loesser and Friends, a concert featuring the composer's widow, Jo Sullivan.
Champion and Saddler remained friends after the production and became the subjects of a short film, Keep Dancing, about the two dancers leading meaningful lives at age 90.