She immediately showed a natural aptitude for movement and was discovered by Gus Edwards (of the "Vaudeville Kiddie Review") while performing acrobatics on a beach in Atlantic City, NJ.

Jack Benny and Eddie Cantor, who frequented Atlantic City and saw her perform, and her teacher, McKernan, are credited with having suggested to Powell that she set her sights on Broadway.

[5] In training Powell, Donohue and Boyle used an unconventional method: in order to counteract her tendency toward pulling away from the floor and working through her feet, as one does in classical ballet and acrobatics, they had her wear an army surplus belt during her lessons, which had one sandbag attached on either side.

[2] Powell, now 16 years of age, booked tour on the vaudeville circuit, where she shared a bill with, among others, the renowned tap dance duo Buck & Bubbles.

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson had popularized an extremely Irish-influenced tap style, barely leaving the balls of his feet – it was bouncy and buoyant.

In 1935, Powell made the move to Hollywood and showcased her talent in a specialty number in her first major film, George White's 1935 Scandals.

[13] Powell was well received in her first starring role in 1935 Broadway Melody of 1936 (in which she was supported by Jack Benny and Frances Langford), and delighted 1930s audiences with her endless energy and enthusiasm, not to mention her stunning dancing.

III, MGM was headed for bankruptcy in the late 1930s, but the films of Eleanor Powell, particularly Broadway Melody of 1936, were so popular that they made the company profitable again.

Broadway Melody of 1940, in which Powell starred opposite Fred Astaire, featured an acclaimed musical score by Cole Porter.

Lady Be Good (1941) gave Powell top billing and a classic dance routine to "Fascinatin' Rhythm," but the main stars were Ann Sothern and Robert Young.

Ship Ahoy (1942) and I Dood It (1943), in which Powell starred with Red Skelton, are considered lesser efforts, although in Ship Ahoy, her character played a central role in the story, and Powell's dance skills were put to practical use when she managed to tap out a Morse code message to a secret agent in the middle of a dance routine.

In another routine from Ship Ahoy, she danced to the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with Buddy Rich on drums and the two performed a great musical partnership with the number "Tallulah".

She was signed to play opposite Dan Dailey in For Me and My Gal in 1942, but the two actors were removed from the picture during rehearsals and replaced by Gene Kelly and Judy Garland.

Overseas audiences saw one additional Powell dance performance in 1946, however: the compilation The Great Morgan included a number that had been cut[14] from Honolulu.

Williams, in her autobiography The Million Dollar Mermaid, writes of being touched, watching Powell rehearsing until her feet bled, in order to make her brief appearance as perfect as possible.

Around this time, she was ordained a minister of the Unity Church and later hosted an Emmy Award-winning[15] Sunday morning TV program for youth entitled The Faith of Our Children (1953–1955).

Powell divorced Ford in 1959, and that year, encouraged by Peter, launched a highly publicized nightclub career, including performances in Las Vegas[16] and appearances at Lou Walters' Latin Quarter in Boston.

During the early 1960s she made several guest appearances on variety TV programs, including The Ed Sullivan Show and The Hollywood Palace.

She made her final public appearance in 1981 at a televised American Film Institute tribute to Fred Astaire, where she received a standing ovation.

Powell's films continue to be broadcast on television regularly by Turner Classic Movies, with most released in the VHS video format in 1980s and 1990s.

In February 2007, Warner Home Video announced plans to release a boxed DVD set of Eleanor Powell's musical films by year end.