Who are Broadway's forgotten stars? — Page 2

Daisy, I usually remind people of Nanette Fabray as the fabulous grandmother on "One Day at a Time." Though no one under 25 remembers that show anymore either.

Swen Swenson - Alas, dead of aids in the plague. I can't remember the date, but it would be in Theatre World. Late 80s-early 90s.

---

---

Updated On: 9/4/03 at 01:33 PM

not exactly what you mean,,,, but i wish the glorious Helen Gallagher would return to Broadway:)

---

In regards to Vera-Ellen...

Yes, her baby Victoria died of SIDS and then her husband, Victor, divorced her shortly after. She had a slight breakdown that led her to seclusion in her mansion in Hollywood. She stopped making pictures and she kind of faded from the spotlight. She died really young, too -- from cancer.

It's rumored that she was anorexic. I mean, look at the VAST difference in size from WONDERMAN or THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE to WHITE CHRISTMAS. She went from being a healthy dancer with a muscular build to being a stick figure.

I used to know someone who was friends with her before her death and apparently she went on this all protein diet and cut out carbs completely. SO unhealthy, especially for someone SO active. I guess her lack of nutrition took on the same effects as one who suffers from anorexia, which is why her upper body slowly started taking on a skeleton form. Notice in WHITE CHRISTMAS, all her outfits have long sleeves and high necks, but show off her twig legs. The tops of her outfits were actually padded because she was so embarrassed by it.

It's so sad that she felt the need to be thinner. MGM did a number on her. They even made her get a nose job. She was so talented and beautiful. A sad fate she suffered.

I agree... no other dancer of her time danced with such passion and ease. She was so versatile as a dancer, too.


The pic above is a pic of her pre-diet, when she was contracted with Samuel Goldwyn. She was a healthy, muscular girl... and about the same size as me. It irritates me SO much that MGM told her she was too "chunky".

---

Updated On: 9/4/03 at 05:17 PM

And because I can't figure out how to get more than one pic in one response... here's the last pic.

V-E post nose job and diet.

Sad, no?

---

I've always loved V-E. The pre-anorexic Vera-Ellen had a very similar look to me. Physical shape was very similar and I have the same face shape and "look" (I kind of have that chipmunk cheeks thing going on when I smile).

It saddens me that she felt she had to lose weight to maintain her career. Curse on MGM!

Aside from Ginger Rogers, she may have possibly been my favorite female movie musical performer. She's adorable in "Three Little Words" and "On the Town," too! Have you seen "Belle of New York"? Not the best movie, but the gowns are gorgeous and Vera-Ellen and Fred Astaire dancing together is like heaven. (She and Fred didn't have the same chemistry that he had with Ginger, but they certainly were fabulous together!)

Growing up, my dream was to dance like V-E, sing like Rosemary Clooney, and have the comedic and dramatic versatility that Miss Rogers possessed. To have all three, I think, would equal QUITE the triple threat!

---

Helen Gallagher has recently appeared in productions of 70 Girls, 70 and No, No, Nannette(but not in her Tony winning role:))

Asides from Ryan's Hope and her numerous Emmy awards, for about 35YEARS! now she has been teaching Musical Comedy Technique for theater to private students. I think I just saw on this thread that she is teaching now also at HB studios.....

Her performance as Lucille in No, No Nannette was simply

glorious and brought her a richly deserved Tony. I suspect Ms. Gallagher will grace us with her presence on Broadway once again. She is a knockemdead performer:)

Nannette Fabray? Those of us who know The Carol Burnett Show well have an idea of her great gifts, as she guested often. I believe just a couple of seasons ago Fabray appeared in the play The Prince of Central Park....

I believe she was on Sid Caesar's show, in addition to Imogene Coca I guess:) That is a bit before my time.

Many of us also remember her performing "Papa, Won't You Dance With Me" on the Tony Awards 25th Anniversary Celebration.

And of course, she played Mary Richard's mother on The Mary Tyler Moore Show:), which of course also had a great musical comedy theater legend

Nancy Walker(Rhoda's mother and Sophia's sister on The Golden Girls)

I have read that Walker's performance of I'm Still Here, was the best there ever was.

P.S. To hear how an exciting musical theater performance can be captured on tape listen to the No, No, Nannette OCR:)))

You will plotz from Helen Gallagher's Where Have my Hubby Gone Blues

---

Updated On: 9/5/03 at 11:59 AM

Ron, I heard Linzi was doing Roxie in CHICAGO somewhere recently, but alas, I don't know where!!

---

Thanks, guys, for the Linzi updates. I did a Google search and saw that she is ending her "Chicago" gig tomorrow.

That's the consequence of flop musicals.

I've never registered the name of Linzi Hately.

To be forgotten one has to have been known. Somehow I don't believe this young woman even made the known list, outside the lists of some musical theatre....er, fans.

BB

Jerry Lanning was in the 1776 revival at the Roundabout. He was also Elaine Stritche's vis-a-vis in the SAIL AWAY concerts at Carnagie Hall a few years ago.

Whatever happened to Marlyn Mason?

Cory English (he was a stand-out Barnaby in the TWHM revival a few years ago)

Joan Deiner?

Lena Horne?

Philip Anglim?

Paula Prentiss?

Romain Fruge?

---