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 Icon Mitzi Gaynor has worked with them all: Monroe, Sinatra, Crosby. Here, she recalls the joys of her days during the golden age of Hollywood.
Mitzi Gaynor is a true showbiz legend. She has starred in classic Hollywood musicals like Anything Goes, Les Girls and, with Marilyn Monroe, There’s No Business Like Show Business. Her most famous role, however, was as Ensign Nellie Forbush in South Pacific where she ‘washed that man right out of her hair’. Currently she is rehearsing for her upcoming one-woman show, Razzle Dazzle: My Life Behind The Sequins.
Your first film was with the fabled Betty Grable. Was she wary or supportive of you?
She was just so sweet. I was a huge fan of hers and I think I scared her as I followed her around so much. At one stage she turned to me and said,
“Honey, aren’t you sick of looking at me?” She put on no airs and was even more beautiful in the flesh than she was on screen. Years later when I opened in Vegas, she led the standing ovation on my opening night.
You co-starred with Marilyn Monroe in There’s No Business like Show Business. What was she like to work with?
I think she went through hell working with Ethel Merman and me. We were both stage dames. Ethel would even sometimes scream, “Bring in the blonde!”
I felt sorry for her as her marriage to Joe Di Maggio had just collapsed. She wanted desperately to be famous but she didn’t want to pay the price. Even though she had a good sense of humour it was hard to be a friend to her.
The original casting of Some Like It Hot was Bob Hope, Danny Kaye and me! What a different film that would have been!
You have worked with some of the most famous leading men in movie history. What were your impressions of people like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and David Niven?
Frank [Sinatra] was wonderful. When I was shooting The Joker Is Wild with him, I had my audition for South Pacific. It was also the same day that I had a huge casino scene with loads of extras. Frank told me to ‘go get it’ and fixed the whole situation up with the director.
Bing Crosby called me ‘Brookie’. When I asked why, he told me I reminded him of a brook trout. What that meant, I have no idea.
And David Niven was my favourite leading man. I starred in two movies with him. He used to keep me entertained for hours with his fabulously funny stories.
Your most famous role is that of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific. How did you come to score this plum role?
My wonderful husband [Jack Bean] arranged for me to audition in the ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel in front of Oscar Hammerstein and director Josh Logan. I was nervous but after three songs I kicked off my shoes and enjoyed the experience. I was shattered when Oscar said, “Thank you Mitzi, you’ve been a great sport”. I was convinced that was the end of it. Part of the reason I think I won the part was that I was the right age.
You left movies in the early 1960s to concentrate on performing live. Why?
There was nothing exciting on the horizon, and remember that I got my start performing live. My stage success I owe to my husband as he reminded me that we were in the ‘business of show’.
Your legendary TV specials will be made available for the first time on DVD later this year. When were they made and who were some of your co-stars?
I made eight TV specials between 1968 and 1978. Each show was a lavish blend of song, dance and sparkling comedy. They won six Emmys and amongst my co-stars were Bob Hope, Suzanne Pleshette and Ed Asner.
I adore the title of your upcoming one-woman show, Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle – My Life Behind The Sequins. What can we expect to see and is there any chance of your touring Australia?
The show is about my journey through life. It’s divided into two acts. The first act is about my movie career. It ends when I wash my hair live on stage and sing that song. The second act is about my stage and TV career. During the course of the night, I talk about my connections with people such as Marlene Dietrich and The Beatles.
We’re opening in San Francisco in January, 2009 and there is an excellent chance of us touring Australia. It would be my first visit to your country.
I really hope you do tour here. Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you. I feel I’ve found a new friend. I expect you to help me with my bags when I hit Sydney.
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