RIP Sheree

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 12:51pm

I'm shocked and dismayed nobody noted the death of Miss Sheree North. She began as a Marilyn Monroe type, but found fame on TV for several decades and even won a Theatre World Award for Hazel Flagg. She was Kramer's mom and Blanche's sister! How quickly they forget....
Sheree's Obit

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 12:54pm

She'll always be Kramer's mom to me.

Rest in peace, momma.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 1:11pm

how sad, RIP Sheree

Updated On: 11/10/05 at 01:11 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 1:17pm

And don't forget her appearances on the Mary Tyler Moore Show in Season 5, as a cocktail singer with a "past," who gets involved with Mr. Grant.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 1:48pm

I am sure we did not forget as much as did not consider that the young ages represented on this board would know who she was. Some of us however are old enough to know that she was also considered part of the Rat Pack along with Angie Dickenson and Judy Garland.

[hinduigi]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:00pm

I have never heard of this person and don't give a flying ****

[BrendanStryker]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:07pm

Wow! How impressive that you would join this Board, to insult the memory of Sheree North! I would say welcome; but I'd rather you consider me the enemy.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:10pm

and another rude newbie joins the board.

you are a classic example about how NOT to act when you are new.

I give you three days before you are kicked off

Updated On: 11/10/05 at 02:10 PM

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:39pm

Wow, hinduigi...you managed to show us both your ignorance and sh!tty attitude in a single sentence. It usually takes a paragraph and at least a week.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:40pm

lildogs there actually was a headline here, as well as a thread, a couple of days ago. Don't despair, dear.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:40pm

lildogs, I absolutely love your avatar, and I keep forgetting to tell you...

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:41pm

Sorry, honey--I did a search...but I'm glad it posted before. Of course, it gave hindu a chacne to show his a$$. Better we know now than later.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:42pm

Oh I've known that for about a half hour or so.

Updated On: 11/10/05 at 02:42 PM

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:45pm

You always pick up on these things faster than I do, Rath..

Thanks Elphie...

At any rate, I know who you were Sheree, and we'll miss you.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:50pm

Sheree always reminded me, physically, of Dyan Cannon. They could have played sisters. (just think, if they could both sing and were both still alive, they could do the next revival of Side Show!LOL)...
God rest her pretty blonde head.

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:53pm

It's those smoky eyes, redhot. I wish Dyan could find more character roles rather than playing GILFs...grandmas I'd like to...you know. I wonder what kind of surgery Sheree was having?

[BrendanStryker]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 2:54pm

I know who she is, as well, and not just from Seinfeld. I'm available to kick the newbies ass, at a moment's notice.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 3:07pm

I just posted a thread saying hindu should be banned and the thread was deleted.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 3:16pm

My favorite performance of Ms. Cannon's is in Heaven Can Wait, with Warren Beatty - she is so frigging funny in that film.

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 3:25pm

She received an Oscar nom for that one, as well as for Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.

PJ--let him post whatever he wants, we've/you've weathered tougher storms than the squall that is hindu.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 7:13pm

Thanks for posting this Lil - I meant to do a notice for Sheree earlier.

Sheree's VERY good, and I don't think ever recieved the credit she was due for some very fine work. She was a terrific dancer and an excellent dramatic actress that Fox didn't quite know what to do with.

After a few years of working as a showgirl in Hollywood & Vegas nightclub floorshows, Robert Alton spotted her and put her into HAZEL FLAGG as a featured dancer, who originally capped a wild and sexy showstopping dance on a table-top by purring "Come and get it, boys!" In 1953, this was considered too raunchy for Broadway, so her few lines of dialogue were cut by the time the show reached Broadway - but her dances remained and Sheree got spectacular notices: "A looker with spectacular gams and figger...Miss North tears down what is left of the premises". When HAZEL FLAGG was bought by Partamount and turned into a Martin & Lewis vehicle, Sheree was the only star from the show who appeared in the film, now called LIVING IT UP and attracted even more glowing notices ("Sheree North Burns Up The Screen!")for her wild jitterbug number with Jerry Lewis "You're Gonna Dance with Me". She appeared on several early '50s TV shows, notably Bing Crosby's first TV special in 1953 (where another wild rock n' roll dance of hers set TV tubes exploding) and the Colgate Comedy Hour's production of ANYTHING GOES with Merman & Sinatra.

Signed by 20th Century Fox as a threat to the already rebellious Marilyn Monroe, Sheree got a lot of publicity as MM's 'replacement' in PINK TIGHTS a musical that was never made, and was tapped for THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS before Monroe came back to the studio. Then Sheree and Marilyn were slated for HOW TO BE VERY, VERY POPULAR (1955) when Monroe balked and Betty Grable (who had left Fox a year before) was lured back to replace MM. Sheree's "Shake, Rattle & Roll" dance was perhaps the only highlight of the film (aside from the great title song by Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn). Then Sheree was cast oppposite Tom Ewell in THE LIEUTENTANT WORE SKIRTS (1956) which got her a LIFE cover where she was billed as "Taking over" from MM. But canny Sheree was quoted as saying "Let's not kid ourselves. Marilyn's an institution like Coca-Cola and who's gonna replace that?" Her two best and very different films were THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE (1956) the life of songwriters DeSylva, Brown & Henderson (Dan Dailey, Ernest Borgnine & Gordon MacRae) where her "Birth of the Blues" and "Black Bottom" dance numbers (partnered with Jacques D'Amboise) are among the best dance numbers from any 1950s Hollywood musical, and NO DOWN PAYMENT (1957) a nearly forgotten gem about the tedium and decay of California suburban life in the 1950s that anticipates much in AMERICAN BEAUTY. Directed by Martin Ritt and starring Joanne Woodward, Jeffrey Hunter and Cameron Mitchell, Sheree shines as the wife of alcoholic used-car salesman Tony Randall (who is excepional).
By this time, Fox had signed Jayne Mansfield , who Sheree wryly noted "was much better equipped than I was to compete with Marilyn". After a few more films of declining quality, Sheree North left Fox in 1958, age 26. Some thought her agent Henry Wilson, did not do right by her, as he seemed to get the best picture deals for his male clients...Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, and Troy Donahue.

Updated On: 11/10/05 at 07:13 PM

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 11/10/05 at 9:08pm

I loved Sheree. I had not seen she passed. This is very sad.

[Kristie-K2]

Posted: 11/11/05 at 1:02am

Very Sad, my friend took an acting class from her. When he died from cancer, she went to the service. Very sweet lady

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/11/05 at 10:33am

I have always heard great things about The Best Things In Life Are Free, mostly about it being one of the screen's most underrated musicals--if it's on DVD, I'll put it in my NEtflix queue. Thanks for all the info, Master. I just love ending a sentence that way.