Mitzi Gaynor
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| Mitzi Gaynor | |
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 from the trailer for There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) |
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| Born | 4 September 1931 Chicago, Illinois |
| Official website | |
Mitzi Gaynor (born September 4, 1931, Chicago, Illinois) is an American actress, singer, and dancer.
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[edit] Career
Born as Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber, Gaynor trained as a ballerina as a child and began her career as a chorus dancer. She sang, acted and danced in a number of film musicals, often paired with some of the biggest male musical stars.
Notable early roles included There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) which featured Irving Berlin's music and also starred Ethel Merman, Dan Dailey, Marilyn Monroe, Donald O'Connor, and Johnnie Ray.
She also appeared in Les Girls (1957, directed by George Cukor) with Gene Kelly and Kay Kendall, and the remake of Anything Goes (1956), co-starring Bing Crosby, Donald O'Connor, and Zizi Jeanmaire, loosely based on the musical by Cole Porter, P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton.
Gaynor's biggest international fame came from her starring role as Ensign Nellie Forbush in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, one of the most financially successful musicals of all time, although it was largely panned by critics. For her performance, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best actress.
She made films with many other well-known stars, including Ginger Rogers, Frank Sinatra, David Niven, Dan Dailey, Betty Grable and Oscar Levant. She made her last film to date in the early 1960s. One of her last films was the United Kingdom production Surprise Package (1960), a musical comedy thriller directed by Stanley Donen. Her co-stars were Yul Brynner and Noel Coward. The film had a theme song by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn.
Following her film work, Gaynor remained a popular favorite. She often performed songs at Academy Awards ceremonies. At the 1967 Oscar telecast, she sang the theme from the film Georgy Girl. Gaynor later added the number to her concert repertoire. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Gaynor starred in nine acclaimed television specials which garnered 16 Emmy nominations. As an interesting historical footnote, Gaynor appeared directly after The Beatles when they made their American television debut on Ed Sullivan Show. She sang "Too Darn Hot".
Gaynor also recorded two albums for the Verve label - one called Mitzi, and the second called Mitzi Gaynor Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin. It is estimated that she earned more from the record royalties on the South Pacific soundtrack album than her salary for the movie. She also recorded the title song from her film, Happy Anniversary for the Top Rank label.
For several decades, Mitzi Gaynor was a top attraction in Las Vegas and at nightclub and concert venues throughout the Unites States and Canada. During the 1990s, Gaynor also became a featured columnist for the influential newsmagazine The Hollywood Reporter. During her nightclub years, Gaynor rehearsed and broke in her night club routines at 'The Cave,' a popular night club in Vancouver. She developed a certain affinity for the city and was much appreciated by both the local media and the viewing public, frequently making guest appearances on local television for interviews. "Mitzi's back in town," became an annual slogan when Gaynor would come to the city for a number of weeks each year to break in her Las Vegas routines.
On October 14, 2006, the NY Alumni "adopted" Gaynor as an official "New Yorker" at Beverly Hills High School in California. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a proclamation paying tribute to her distinguished career as a singer, dancer, actress and writer.LA Style Watch.
On December 4, 2006, Jack Bean, Gaynor's husband of 52 years, died of pneumonia in the couple's Beverly Hills home, aged 84. A producer and personal manager, Bean guided Gaynor's career, most notably securing her the lead role in South Pacific, even over the character's creator on Broadway, Mary Martin.
On April 10, 2007 Mitzi Gaynor was honored by the Museum of Television & Radio in Los Angeles with a special evening celebrating her acclaimed television specials of the 1960s and 70's. The sold-out event, Mitzi Gaynor Razzle-Dazzle!:The Special Years, featured a screening followed by a panel discussion with Gaynor, designer Bob Mackie and director/choreographer Tony Charmoli. In conjunction with the event, the Museum also featured a month-long gallery exhibit, Mitzi By Mackie, featuring Bob Mackie's Emmy-winning costumes from her specials along with a selection of costumes from Gaynor's legendary stage shows and concert appearances.
Miss Gaynor is currently at work on a new one-woman live stage show and a DVD box set of her television specials.
[edit] Filmography
- It's Your Health (1949) (short subject)
- My Blue Heaven (1950)
- Take Care of My Little Girl (1951)
- Golden Girl (1951)
- We're Not Married! (1952)
- Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952)
- The I Don't Care Girl (1953)
- Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953)
- Three Young Texans (1954)
- There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
- The Birds and the Bees (1956)
- Anything Goes (1956)
- The Joker Is Wild (1957)
- Les Girls (1957)
- South Pacific (1958)
- Happy Anniversary (1959)
- Surprise Package (1960)
- For Love or Money (1963)
[edit] The Television Specials
On October 14, 1968 Mitzi Gaynor starred in her first television special, Mitzi. In specials including Mitzi - The First Time and Mitzi...Zings into Spring she showcased the triple-threat talents she had perfected first as a theatrical performer, then in films like There's No Business Like Show Business, Les Girls, and South Pacific, and finally as a cabaret performer.
Each special was a lavish blend of song, dance and comedy with guest stars drawn from the top ranks of the business including Bob Hope, Carl Reiner, Michael Landon, Suzanne Pleshette, Ken Berry and George Hamilton. Even the 80 member USC Marching Band marching band joined her for a musical medley.
[edit] List of Television Specials
- The Kraft Music Hall:The Mitzi Gaynor Christmas Show (1967)
- Mitzi (1968)
- Mitzi's 2nd Special (1969)
- Mitzi: The First Time (1973)
- Mitzi: A Tribute to the American Housewife (1974)
- Mitzi...and a Hundred Guys (1975)
- Mitzi...Roarin' In the 20's (1976)
- Mitzi...Zings Into Spring (1977)
- Mitzi...What's Hot, What's Not (1978)
