One more Irene Ryan mystery
Apr 30
2013, 01:29:35 PM
Walter Willison, John Rubinstein's understudy for Pippin, posted the following on YouTube in 2011:
"From her the first preview performance in "PIPPIN" at The Kennedy Center to Opening Night on Broadway, which landed her a Motown recording contract the next day [at the time of her passing, under the guidance of producer Bob Crew, she had recorded half the songs for the unreleased album; two tracks, Stephen Schwartz' "No Time At All" and "Time" by Bob Crew, were released on 45 and became number one singles], to her final matinee six-months later, Irene literally stopped the show eight times a week, receiving the kind of tumultuous, five minute ovations reserved for only our most beloved stage performers. Three days after receiving her Tony Award nomination, though undetected by the audience, she suffered a stroke on stage during her final Saturday matinee performance. That evening she flew to Los Angeles and returned to her home in Santa Monica for one last day before being hospitalized that Monday, and operated on for a brain tumor a few days later. She watched the 1973 Tony Awards from her hospital bed, and passed away the following week. on April 26, 1973, just a month after her final Broadway performance." [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8z-qTG-Yt4]
The description above is the most plausible one that I have read and ties together the various rumors in a reasonable way. It is consistent with John Rubinstein's description. As Mr. Rubinstein wrote, Mr. Willison was the person who apparently helped her get to the airport and may have helped her pack.
In summary, she suffered a stroke *on stage* during the Saturday matinee performance. The audience probably did not realize it and Mr. Rubinstein only noticed that she looked drained. She immediately flew back to Los Angeles that evening, was hospitalized on Monday, and died a few weeks later.
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