Latest Release
- The More I See You (Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, February 16, 1964) - Single · 2023
- When The Saints Go Marching In/Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho (Medley/Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, February 16, 1964) - Single · 2021
- Vintage Hollywood Classics, Vol. 32: Judy Garland meets Gene Kelly (Remastered 2017) · 2017
- Vintage Hollywood Classics, Vol. 32: Judy Garland meets Gene Kelly (Remastered 2017) · 2017
- Happy Anniversary / Play for Keeps - Single · 2015
- Hollywood Movie Stars Sing · 2014
- A Mixed Bag of Hits, Vol. 1 · 2013
- A Mixed Bag of Hits, Vol. 1 · 2013
- A Mixed Bag of Hits, Vol. 1 · 2013
- Those Magnificent MGM Musicals: Silk Stockings, The Barkleys of Broadway and Les Girls · 2012
Essential Albums
- When South Pacific was turned into a film in 1958, the US was only about a decade out from World War II. In the intervening years, the anti-Communist sentiment that had helped validate the war had turned inward in the form of McCarthyism, a period during which a broad swath of Americans—particularly people in the arts—were cast as Communist sympathisers. Though nowhere near as outspoken as some of their creative peers, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were nevertheless allied with liberal causes—a fact that South Pacific made clear. Not only did the movie venture to soften stereotypes of Southeast Asian people, it dealt head-on with questions of race and prejudice in quietly daring ways. “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught”—an explanation of inherited racism sung by Marine Lieutenant Joe Cable—was the most overt example. But there’s also the arc of Nellie Forbush, the American nurse who manages to look past her prejudice against mixed-race people and embrace her feelings for the French planter Emile de Becque, who has several children with a Polynesian woman (“I’m In Love With a Wonderful Guy”). Or “Happy Talk”, a song by the jovial island woman Bloody Mary, who tries to help Lieutenant Cable shake his fear of marrying a nonwhite woman. Of course, such good messages won’t spread far if the songs aren’t catchy. But the melodies on South Pacific were strong enough to endure for decades after its release.
Singles & EPs
About Mitzi Gaynor
A popular '50s and '60s singer, actress, and dancer, Mitzi Gaynor was recognized for not only her singing and dancing abilities but also her bright-eyed personality and chirpy charm. She brought zest and vivacity to all the Broadway shows and films she starred in. Known for her dancing techniques, she starred with such singing and dancing greats as Bing Crosby in Anything Goes, Frank Sinatra in The Joker Is Wild, and Gene Kelly in Les Girls. Her career has spanned all media, including films, television specials, and Broadway, and she continues to sing and dance on the nightclub circuit. Born Franceska Mitzi Marlene de Charney von Gerber in Chicago on September 4, 1930, Mitzi Gaynor is said to be of Hungarian ancestry. Her mother was a ballerina and greatly influenced Mitzi to pursue dancing at the age of four. At the tender age of 12, she became a member of the corps de ballet of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera. After performing in many plays and musicals she finally made her professional acting debut in 1950 when she starred in the film My Blue Heaven. She also signed with the Fox studio in 1950, making numerous musicals such as Bloodhounds of Broadway, Down Among the Sheltering Ponds, and Take Care of My Little Girl. However, many of these films were unsuccessful, and the Fox studio dropped Mitzi in 1954. After a temporary setback in the acting profession, Mitzi Gaynor met talent agent Jack Bean and married him in 1954. With a talent agent for a husband, her performing career took off once again. She began starring again on Broadway in such hits as There's No Business Like Show Business, The Birds and the Bees, and Anything Goes. Those successes on Broadway and performing with many great leading men led producer Joshua Logan to choose Mitzi to star in his screen version of South Pacific in 1958. She performed in her last film, For Love or Money, in 1963. During the '60s and '70s, Mitzi Gaynor performed in several successful musical television specials. Although her career was a roller coaster ride of films and television specials, her boisterous personality exists in the success of several Broadway musicals. Her nightclub performances and singing debuts remain a large part of her career. ~ Kim Summers
- HOMETOWN
- Chicago, IL, United States
- BORN
- 4 de septiembre de 1931
- GENRE
- Soundtrack