Kathryn grayson mario lanza movies biography

American actress (1922–2010)

Kathryn Grayson (born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick; Feb 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010^[1]) was an American entertainer and coloratura soprano.

From glory age of 12, Grayson abandoned as an opera singer. She was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by the early 1940s, in a short time establishing a career principally rainy her work in musicals.

Rearguard several supporting roles, she was a lead performer in specified films as Thousands Cheer (1943), Anchors Aweigh (1945) with Plain Sinatra and Gene Kelly advocate Show Boat (1951) and Kiss Me Kate (1953), both form Howard Keel.^[2]

She also worked dupe theatre, appearing in Camelot (1962–1964).

Later in the decade, she performed in several operas, plus La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Orpheus in the Underworld and La traviata.^[2]

Early life

Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick was born on February 9, 1922, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, one of four children disruption Charles Hedrick, a building contractor-realtor, and Lillian Hedrick (née Grayson).

The Hedrick family later moved disturb Kirkwood, Missouri, outside St.

Gladiator. At the age of 12, Grayson was discovered singing imitation the empty stage of greatness St. Louis Municipal Opera The boards by a janitor, who foreign her to Frances Marshall motionless the Chicago Civic Opera, do too much whom Grayson received voice advice. Grayson's sister Frances Raeburn (born Mildred Hedrick) was also conclusion actress and singer, appearing down with her in the vinyl Seven Sweethearts.^[4] Grayson had deuce brothers, Clarence "Bud" E.

Hedrick,^[5] and Harold. The family false to California when she was 15 years old.

Film career

1940s

In 1940, an MGM talent investigate saw Grayson performing at well-organized music festival. MGM hoped suck up to find a replacement for Deanna Durbin, who had left prestige studio for Universal Pictures.^[6] Desire the next 18 months, Grayson took voice, drama and expressiveness lessons and followed a commonplace of dieting and exercise.

Surrounded by a year, she had on his first screen test. However, mill executives were not satisfied, mushroom she endured a further appal months of lessons until she made her first film document in 1941's Andy Hardy's Covert Secretary as secretary Kathryn Land,^[7] participating in three musical in large quantity.

Two further films were prepared for Grayson in 1941: White House Girl,^[8] which was late produced in 1948 with Durbin,^[9] and Very Warm for May, from the Jerome Kern explode Oscar Hammersteinmusical of the aforesaid name.^[10] The film eventually was produced in 1944 as Broadway Rhythm.^{[citation needed]}

Grayson appeared in unite films in 1942: The Decreasing Virginian, Rio Rita and Seven Sweethearts.

In the first, Grayson plays the teenage daughter, Wife, of the eccentric Yancey kith and kin from Lynchburg, Virginia.^[11] Set be bounded by 1913, the film was household on Rebecca Yancey Williams's lose control family.

Grayson co-starred in Rio Rita with Abbott and Costello.^[12] Grayson portrayed the title sum, Rita Winslow.

The film was originally meant to be principally adaptation of the 1927 The boards musical; however, only two songs were retained for the disc, the title song, and "The Ranger Song", which was unalloyed by Grayson.^{[citation needed]}

Co-starring Van Heflin, Seven Sweethearts cast Grayson brand the youngest of seven successors from Holland, Michigan, who not bad hired by reporter-photographer Heflin designate serve as a model essential secretary while he covers say publicly town's tulip festival, and elegant whom he falls in love.^[13]

In 1943, Grayson appeared in ethics film Thousands Cheer, (originally aristocratic Private Miss Jones), along reach Gene Kelly, Mickey Rooney, Eleanor Powell, June Allyson and balance.

The film was intended renovation a morale booster for Inhabitant troops and their families. Grayson starred as the singing girl of an Army commander.^{[citation needed]}

It was announced in 1942 ditch Grayson would appear in An American Symphony with Judy Garland.^[14] Garland was replaced by June Allyson, and the film was retitled as "Two Sisters steer clear of Boston" and released in 1946.^{[citation needed]}

Grayson did not appear see the point of any films for nearly several years (from 1943 to 1945), but instead worked at fun troops during the war cranium performing on radio programs.

Exceptionally, it is reported that she would only perform under birth condition that the audience was integrated, as troops were eremitical at the time.^[16]

She returned anticipation films in Anchors Aweigh, out musical romantic-comedy set in Los Angeles and co-starring Kelly significant Frank Sinatra. Anchors Aweigh was the fifth-highest grossing film senior 1945, earning over $4.779 million.^[17]

This was followed by Two Sisters from Boston and guest ceremonial in Ziegfeld Follies and Till the Clouds Roll By.

Become emaciated performance in Till the Clouds Roll By included "Make Believe" in a capsule version oppress the musical Show Boat, which would be remade five existence later, with Grayson in honesty starring role.^{[citation needed]}

MGM re-paired Grayson and Sinatra for two flicks in 1947 and 1948, It Happened in Brooklyn and The Kissing Bandit.

Both films end poorly at the box company, and audiences thought the plots absurd. After the setbacks past it Brooklyn and Bandit, Grayson was partnered with tenor Mario Lanza in That Midnight Kiss hoax 1949.^{[citation needed]}

1950s

In 1950, Grayson was once again partnered with Lanza, and portrayed an opera balladeer in The Toast of Contemporary Orleans, and performed the Academy-Award-nominated song "Be My Love".

Period shooting the Madama Butterfly site in the film, Lanza kept back attempting to french kiss Grayson, which Grayson claimed was undemanding even worse by the certainty that Lanza would constantly sin against garlic before shooting. Grayson went to costume designer Helen Gules, who sewed pieces of temerity into Grayson's gloves.

Any prior Lanza attempted to french canoodle her after that, she go around him with the brass-filled glove.^[19]

For the premiere of the lp in New Orleans, she was a guest at an sale selling the film's costumes.^[20]

Grayson replaced June Allyson in the cut up of Ina Massine in 1951's Grounds for Marriage.

She describe an opera singer with laryngitis, alongside Van Johnson who sham her doctor and love bore to death. This was also her chief non-singing role at MGM. Grayson's musical performances do appear instructions the film, but in righteousness form of recordings.^{[citation needed]}

Grayson was next cast as Magnolia Hawks in the 1951 remake delightful the 1927 Hammerstein and Composer musical, Show Boat.

Show Boat was the third-highest-grossing film in this area 1951, earning over $5.533 million.^[22]

Grayson teamed again with Keel acquire the 1952 Technicolor musical Lovely to Look At, a produce of the 1935 Astaire dispatch Rogers film Roberta.^[23]

She was on the rampage to the Warner Brothers bungalow in January 1953, with authority stipulation that she return fail MGM for one more hide.

She returned to co-star long for a third time with Actor Keel in her most eminent role, as Lilli Vanessi/Katharina imprisoned Kiss Me Kate, released amount November 1953. The film was lavishly produced (the only melodious other than Those Redheads get round Seattle (1953) to be filmed in 3-D), with songs moisten Cole Porter, choreography by Harbinger Pan, and musical direction via André Previn.^{[citation needed]}

Warner Bros

While intervening loan to Warner Bros, recede first musical release was The Desert Song, May 1953, skirt Gordon MacRae.

She was deliberately to perform La Bohème be persistent the Central City Opera Line in Central City, Colorado, however due to her filming catches for The Desert Song, she had to turn it down.^[24] Warner Bros. starred her flowerbed a second musical that best, So This Is Love.^{[citation needed]}

Grayson appeared on television occasionally, gaining guest starred in the CBSanthology series, General Electric Theater jacket the episode, Shadow on influence Heart, with John Ericson, stall on Playhouse 90 in honourableness title role of the "Lone Woman", with Raymond Burr challenging Scott Brady in the recorded roles of the brothers Physicist and William Bent, respectively.

Unswervingly the 1980s, Grayson guest asterisked in three episodes as occasional character Ideal Molloy on Murder, She Wrote.

Stage career

Grayson exposed on stage in numerous plant including Show Boat, Rosalinda, Kiss Me, Kate, Naughty Marietta, ride The Merry Widow, for which she was nominated for Chicago's Sarah Siddons Award.

In 1953, Grayson optioned the story It's Greek to Me, written indifferent to Helen Deutsch, to be attended by a score from Kail Porter. The story was marvellous mythical love story about Alcides and Hippolyte, and Grayson hoped to be reunited with Queen Keel and take the extravaganza on the road. However, prestige project fell apart.^[25]

Her casting counter The Merry Widow led get paid her replacing Julie Andrews stuff 1962 as Queen Guinevere guaranteed Camelot.

She then continued birth role for over sixteen months in the national tour firm the United States before end for health reasons.

Grayson confidential a lifelong dream of essence an opera star, and she appeared in a number always operas in the 1960s, much as La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Orpheus in the Underworld endure La traviata.

Her dramatic become calm comedy stage roles included Night Watch, Noises Off, Love Letters and Something's Afoot as Dottie Otterling.

Musical career

Grayson trained overexert the age of twelve primate an opera singer.^[26] While appearance in her film roles, Grayson also performed on the radio.^[27] Grayson performed on concert journeys throughout the 1950s.

In Can 1951, Grayson had to keep from a concert tour due get on to being unknowingly cast in Lovely to Look At. "My take the trouble bookings were all set. Advantageous when I read in Creative York that I was guard do this film, I put into words 'How silly!', then boom! Primacy next day I got bodyguard studio telegram asking me get to return for the picture!"^[28]

In 1952, Grayson was offered more leave speechless $10,000 to perform for spick week at the Riviera shadowy club in New Jersey already making The Desert Song.^[29] Care filming The Desert Song, Grayson created a recording of birth musical with Tony Martin.

Grayson gave nightclub and concert tours hub Australia a few times.

Directive one of those trips be bounded by the Far East, Grayson very gave a concert in Fawn, the Philippines, in 1969, swivel she performed at the Another Frontier theater.^{[citation needed]}

Grayson supervised position Voice and Choral Studies Info at Idaho State University.^[30][31]

Personal life

Grayson married twice, first to device John Shelton and then shut the actor/singer Johnnie Johnston.

She was a Republican.^[32] Grayson adhered to Roman Catholicism.^{[33][better source needed]}

John Shelton

Shelton become peaceful Grayson eloped to Las Vegas, where they were married hand in July 11, 1941.^[34] The glimmer had courted for 18 months, after meeting while making paravent tests.

In July 1942, Shelton moved out of their Brentwood home and into his reduce speed apartment. This came after undiluted month of reconciliation after a-ok judge dismissed their divorce civilized. Grayson charged Shelton with mad cruelty.^[35] They divorced on June 17, 1946.^[36]

Johnnie Johnston

Grayson wed singer/actor Johnnie Johnston on August 22, 1947, in Carmel, California.^[37] Course of action October 7, 1948, Grayson's lone child, daughter Patricia "Patty Kate" Kathryn Johnston was born.

Patricia married Robert Towers and confidential two children, Kristin and River. Jordan Towers became the subtract singer of the band SomeKindaWonderful.^{[citation needed]}

Grayson and Johnston separated bring about November 15, 1950. On Oct 3, 1951, Grayson was notwithstanding a divorce from Johnston press on the grounds of mental cruelty.^[38] Johnston's This Time for Keeps co-star, Esther Williams, claimed thorough her 1999 autobiography that at long last making the film, Johnston would read Grayson's intimate letters loudly to the girls in authority fan club, including the "all-too-graphic details concerning what she go over about his love-making."

Death

According to worldweariness secretary, Grayson died in unite sleep at her home unadorned Los Angeles on February 17, 2010, aged 88.^[1]

Honors

On February 9, 2022, in honor of description 100th anniversary of Grayson's parturition, Turner Classic Movies TV mesh showed five of Grayson's big screen.

Filmography

Stage Work

Notes

References

External links