Mitzi Gaynor

    If I asked you who played Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (1958) you might guess Mary Martin, who played her on Broadway. Or you might go with Doris Day or Ginger Rogers or maybe Debbie Reynolds. Nope. It was Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber. Okay, that’s the real name of the charming Mitizi Gaynor, whose interesting life ended at 93. She was a singer and dancer of considerable talent, and was quite prominent in the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals. But her movie career is capsuled in just six years. 

    After the 50's she just quit movies and concentrated on stage and nightclub work. Her husband was Jack Bean, also her agent, and they were together until Jack died in 2006. Well after her film career was over, she stopped the show at the Academy Awards in 1966, singing and dancing to Georgy Girl. The show’s producers had a hard time getting the audience to stop applauding and sit down!

There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954) is surely true. This is a Golden Age MGM musical with not much plot but lots of good singing and dancing. The Five Donahues are a vaudeville family until the kids grow up and move on. Ethel Merman is their mom, Dan Dailey is their Dad. Mitzi Gaynor, Donald O’Connor and Johnnie Ray (!) are other members. Marilyn Monroe is also on board to look pretty and smile. Theirs a trunk full of good songs, all written by Irving Berlin. 

In Anything Goes (1956) show biz producers Bill (Bing Crosby) and Ted (Donald O’Connor) travel to Paris to sign a new star. But each of them signs a girl, and the problem must be sorted out on the Trans Atlantic cruise back to America. Mitzi Gaynor and Zizi Jeanmaire are the talented girls and each gets to show her talent in various settings on the way to the U.S. That’s about it for plot, but the singing and dancing are good.

On a more serious note, there is The Joker Is Wild (1957) a pretty good film bio about performer Joe E. Lewis (Frank Sinatra), who displeased the Mob and got his face and throat slashed. But he gradually made his way back to stardom, stepping on others on the way. His poor wife (Mitizi Gaynor) and his best friend Austin (Eddie Albert) are among the casualties. Liquor and drugs ring the curtain down on the Joker. 

In one of the weirdest casting since Marlin Brando played Sky Masterson, David Niven is paired with Mitzi Gaynor They are a happily married couple trying to have a romantic interlude on their anniversary and being foiled by their children, their relatives, delivery people and life in general. One present is a new TV which David hates and kicks the screen in. This happens again and everyone is all mad about everything until there is a Hollywood ending and everyone is happy again. Happy Anniversary (1959) is Mitzi’s last film.

You can also follow Mitzi Gaynor in We’re Not Married (1952) and Les Girls (1957). All these films are available, probably for a price. All are for adults.