fosterfan2 said: "I remember reading that Sandra Church was Jules Styne's girlfriend at the time Gypsy was being cast,and that was how she got the title role. But after Gypsy,not much was heard about her. I only know what I read,because I wasn't born yet and I discovered Gypsy as an adult in the '90s."
I read a pretty recent interview she did, and she didn't mention that. She said it was between her and another well-known actress, and that she won out. And she quickly retired after Gypsy because she didn't love the experience and didn't want to "turn into" Merman.