STAGE TO SCREENS: Chats with Osment, Lindsay-Abaire, Ashley and Gaynor
By Michael Buckley
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Elizabeth Ashley photo by Joan Marcus
Between shows on a Wednesday,
Elizabeth Ashley , whose smoky voice is two parts Tallulah, one part Stritch, speaks via telephone from the Booth Theatre, where she stars in Horton Foote's
Dividing the Estate and shares a dressing room with Penny Fuller, "one of my dearest, closest friends," who plays her daughter.
Ashley was succeeded by Fuller in Barefoot in the Park (44 years ago). "Penny's one of the best people who ever walked the face of the earth, and an absolutely brilliant actress. We're like family, but as opposite as two women can be.
"She's chic; I'm sort of a mechanic. My dressing room usually looks like a place you go for a valve-and-lube job. Stagehands come to me, 'cause I'll have a Number-5 drill. Lovely little glass things adorn Penny's dressing table.
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"Penny's probably at a chic brunch; I just finished a roast beef sandwich. I'm on the floor, on a ratty yoga mat and ratty quilt, surrounded by my script, notes, trash can, and laptop. Broadway glamour, man."
Seen Off-Broadway (with the same cast) in 2007, Foote's play has been transferred by Lincoln Center Theater (and opens Nov. 20). "It's rare to get to explore a play more deeply," observes Ashley.
"We have a wonderful new set, better wigs and costumes. I don't think I've ever in my life been with a greater ensemble. Not a weak link in it. You don't see many plays, these days, with 13 people. I love playing with Hallie Foote [the playwright's daughter]. The character she plays and the way she plays it is just wonderful.
"Working with Horton has been a great privilege. I haven't been in a play in years that audiences love as much. There are challenges, specific tasks that, as an actor, I must fulfill. I convincingly have to be her age. [Matriarch Stella is 83]. I'm 69. I thought: What would I be like at that age, and in her condition?"
Theatricality and truth form the fabric of her fiber on the stage or off. A unique survivor, who "hates pomposity more than anything," she's dedicated to her craft. "One of the things I really love about being on the stage is that it's a discovery. I don't wake up and say, 'I'm going to discover something today' and I tend to avoid people who do. It's subliminal. I believe faithfully that the life that's inside the actor is what communicates viscerally to the audience. A new, true moment has to happen for the first time every night."
She has a history with Michael Wilson, the Dividing the Estate director. "It's the happiest collaboration of my life! [They've worked together on several plays, many by her close friend, Tennessee Williams.] I'm a good first mate. The writer builds the ship and the director is captain. I can argue with the captain about navigation or whatever, but the bottom line is that Michael's the captain. He's really great and makes it a joy!"
Unable to discuss all the plays in which she's appeared, I ask the gifted actress to share recollections of some of them. She graciously agrees.
Take Her, She's Mine
Barefoot in the Park
Ring Around the Bathtub (1972): "That was after I made some movies, married a bunch of people, and quit the business [a first time]. Right off, I said, 'Change the title.' Did they listen? [Laughs]"
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Caesar and Cleopatra
Agnes of God
Though born in Ocala, FL, Ashley grew up in Louisiana. "My mother divorced my father and put a few states between them. I'd get shipped off to Florida, in the summer, to spend time with my father and his family. You reinvent yourself for every situation in order to survive."
An "under-five" [lines] part brought Ashley to Broadway. "The Highest Tree , by Dore Schary [who also directed] was trying out in Philadelphia. Barbara Loden, who later married [Elia] Kazan, was playing the role, but Kazan wanted her to be in [his movie] 'Wild River,' with Lee Remick and Monty Clift. I'd done a small part, the previous summer, at the Neighborhood Playhouse, in a play for the Theatre Guild. They remembered me, and they needed me overnight. I had to join Equity. There was already an Elizabeth Cole [her birth name]. I chose Ayer, my mother's maiden name. Someone had that, too. Ashleigh was a branch of my mother's family and I changed the spelling."
Mention of two early (seemingly forgotten) understudy stints in the Broadway comedies Roman Candle and Mary, Mary - causes Ashley to shriek. "Oh, my God, yes! Jesus! [Laughs]"
For Take Her, She's Mine , I note, she won Tony and Theatre World Awards. "Did I? I guess. There was also the 'too much, too soon' downside. It's better than being prom queen, then suddenly you're being shot through the cellars of hell. It's high as you fly, low as you go." In 1978, she published a no-holds-barred memoir, "Actress: Postcards from the Road," that's definitely worth the read.
"Only 'The Carpetbaggers' and 'Ship of Fools' are worth mentioning," says Ashley, of her movies, "but that was a thousand years ago." Fond memories of Johnny Carson remain: "A genius, one of the most graceful, kindest, intelligent, brilliant people that you'll ever run across. All you had to do was let Johnny lead you, and you would be funnier, smarter, more original than you would ever be again."
"Evening Shade" was her only TV series. "Working with Ossie Davis, Charlie Durning, Michael Jeter, and Burt Reynolds [for 78 episodes, 1990-94] it doesn't get any better."
Is there a role that's given her the most satisfaction? "Sweet Bird of Youth that's an extraordinary character [Alexandra Del Lago/Princess Kosmonopolis]. The great Michael Kahn directed that, and I played opposite the great Michael Hayden.
"I'd seen Geraldine Page play her, my first time in New York, I also saw Kim Stanley in Far Country . Those [performances] cooked me, man. I didn't know what that was, but whatever that was, my life's ambition, if possible, was to be some teeny, tiny part of that."
"You've succeeded," I tell her. Replies Ashley, "You think? I don't know." Before signing off with a "Happy trails, darling" and holding court while once again Dividing the Estate , she gives another hand to Foote.
"Horton's a great writer, a thousand years old, but sharp as a tack. He has generosity of spirit as a man, an artist, and a friend. I feel very fortunate to be in this play. I know that doesn't sound like me, 'cause I have a heart that's like a wad of coal."
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Mitzi Gaynor photo by Green Isle, Inc.
Probably best-remembered as Nellie Forbush in the movie "South Pacific," a mere 50 years ago, ritzy, glitzy
Mitzi Gaynor has a (City Lights) DVD, "Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years" being released Nov. 18.
Featured are highlights from eight TV specials, in which the red-haired dancer-singer-actress starred, between 1968 and '78. Says Gaynor "You don't see shows like that any more. Every one was like a motion picture, gorgeously photographed." Not only does Gaynor remind audiences of her talent, but also delightfully introduces it to younger generations.
"I worked with the best choreographers, the best directors. My husband produced them. He was a very, very fine producer and I miss him desperately." She was Mrs. Jack Bean for 52 years,
from 1954 until his 2006 death. "Nov. 18, the release day for the DVD, is the date we were married."
First shown on WLIW (Ch. 21), Long Island's PBS station, it airs nationwide on PBS in December (check local listings). It may be seen again on WLIW (Nov. 30, 9 PM; Dec. 2, 1 PM; Dec. 4, 11:30 PM; and Dec. 6, 7:30 PM all ET). The documentary includes comments from Gaynor, Kelli O'Hara, Kristin Chenoweth, Carl Reiner, Bob Mackie, and others. Gaynor dances, sings, and does comedy (including "the Kid" and a late-night movie spoof). Among the exclusive 20-minute bonus material featured on the DVD offered by PBS are performances of "Everybody Loves My Baby" and "Camptown Races"/"Waiting for the Robert E. Lee."
Chicago-born Francesca Mitzi Marlene De Charney von Gerber ("Put in all the names that you want," she jokes) made her debut, at age three, in a recital by her mother, an exhibition ballroom dancer. (Dad played the cello.)
Moving with her family to Detroit, by age nine, the youngster was determined to be a dancer. When her instructor moved to L.A., young Mitzi (accompanied by mother and aunt) followed in her (fancy) footsteps.
As a teen, Mitzi Gerber appeared in productions of Song Without Words and Roberta . With the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, she did The Fortune Teller .
That production transferred to Broadway under the title Gypsy Lady , where it opened in September 1946, with music by Victor Herbert, lyrics by (Robert) Wright and (George) Forrest (the latter team also directing).
Back at the Civic Light Opera, she played roles in Naughty Marietta and The Great Waltz . At the time Gaynor was offered a Fox movie contract, she and David Wayne had auditioned for Cole Porter's 1950 musical Out of This World . "We had to decide between doing the show, or filming 'My Blue Heaven.' [Jokingly, in a grande-dame manner:] We decided to be movie stars , dah-ling. [Laughs]"
Gaynor was considered as Ado Annie in "Oklahoma!"; however, Fox refused to loan her out, and Gloria Grahame played the "I Cain't Say No" gal. (Rodgers and Hammerstein had also considered Gaynor for a Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun , but that never materialized.) She rejected "The Best Things in Life Are Free" (which went to Sheree North), and was the original choice for Marilyn Monroe's part in "Some Like It Hot."
Recalls Gaynor, "Billy Wilder said he wanted me to do the picture. First, it was going to be opposite Bob Hope and Danny Kaye. Bob wouldn't have been a good idea, because he would have brought in his gag writers. Then it was going to be Frank Sinatra and someone and me. If it turned out to be anyone else but who did it, the picture wouldn't have been the same. I think it's just perfect the way it is."
Completing her contract with the L.A. Civic Light Opera, Gaynor appeared in Jollyanna , an early 1950s reworked version of Flahooley (the short-lived musical that marked Barbara Cook's Broadway debut). The Jollyanna star was Bobby Clark, whom Gaynor recalls as "darling."
From 1950 to 1963, the newly named Mitzi Gaynor made 17 movies, starring in all but the first ("My Blue Heaven"). "I've been so lucky, Michael, because I've never worked with a stinker. None had attitude. If any had a little, at the beginning, I'd say, 'Get over yourself, Mary.' I can't stand pretentiousness."
Gaynor has fond memories of some of the talents with whom she appeared onscreen.
Betty Grable ("My Blue Heaven," 1950): "My favorite movie star of all time. I used to follow her all over the set. Finally, she said, 'Please don't follow me.' I said, 'But I love you, Miss Grable.' [Laughs]"
Dan Dailey (her romantic interest in "My Blue Heaven"; her father in "There's No Business Like Show Business," 1954): "I loved Dan."
James Barton (her father in "Golden Girl," 1951): "He was wonderful! He and his wife and I would have lunch at the Fox commissary. He'd tell great stories about when he was in The Ziegfeld Follies . We did a chair dance together, and Jim did a solo, with cartwheels."
David Niven (father in "The Birds and the Bees," a 1956 remake of "The Lady Eve"; husband in "Happy Anniversary," a 1959 film based on Anniversary Waltz ): "David was a man's man and a woman's man one of the most amusing people I've ever known."
Ethel Merman ("There's No Business..."): "I played her daughter. She used to call me 'Mitzelah'; I called her 'Mom.'" (Merman teams with Gaynor for Irving Berlin's "A Sailor's Not a Sailor Till a Sailor's Been Tattooed.")
Donald O'Connor ("There's No Business...," "Anything Goes," 1956, two episodes of his 1954-55 TV series): "My darling, darling Donald. I adored him. He was very Irish and very complicated. He was unsung, and should have gotten more credit. Donald was the best dancer I worked with."
Bing Crosby ("Anything Goes"): "Bing called me 'Brookie.' I said, 'What does that mean?' He said, 'When you walk away, your little fanny looks like a brook trout going upstream.'"
Gene Kelly ("Les Girls," 1957): "I said, 'I'm really tired.' He said, 'You can't be.' I said, 'Arrivederci, alligatore .' Gene said, 'What does that mean?' I said, 'See you later, alligator.' We just fell in love."
Frank Sinatra ("The Joker Is Wild," 1957, in which she played Martha Stewart, but not that one; two TV specials): "Frank helped me to get 'South Pacific.' He gave me time off to audition for Oscar Hammerstein."
Yul Brynner ("Surprise Package," 1960): "The king! Enough said."
Noel Coward ("Surprise Package"): "What a dear! He arrived at the studio: 'Have no fear, Noel is here. Ah, you must be Mitzi.' I said, 'Ah, you must be You.'"
Kirk Douglas ("For Love or Money," 1963): "A nice man, but we were doing a comedy, and Kirk's sense of humor is non-existent."
Thelma Ritter ("For Love or Money"): "One of my all-time favorites. She was like a school of acting. Her timing was absolutely brilliant!"
Among her movies, she claims, "My favorite was 'Golden Girl,' my first starring role. It meant a great deal to me. The cast [including Dale Robertson as her Confederate spy-love interest, and Dennis Day] was wonderful, and we had a great director, Lloyd Bacon." She played the real-life Lotta Crabtree, a mid-19th-century entertainer, and at the end delivers a stirring rendition of "Dixie."
Her "most important movie," however, was "South Pacific." She won the role of Nellie over such stalwart competition as Doris Day, Elizabeth Taylor and Susan Hayward.
Declares Gaynor, "I was the right one. I had [theatre] experience. That was important and I could sing in the same keys Mary Martin sang in." She considered co-star Rossano Brazzi (Emile de Becque), "The most beautiful, sexiest Latin lover who ever lived. I told him that. Rossano said, 'I know.' Ray Walston [Luther Billis] was a darling. I think our scenes were really good. John Kerr [Lt. Joe Cable] was lovely, very reserved, which is good for that character. He became a lawyer [in real life]."
Following "For Love or Money" (1963), Gaynor left the screen, and was quoted, "I have no desire to do films any more." Instead, she turned to TV and concert appearances. Preceding the (DVD) specials, she performed on several television variety shows, including a 1964 unprecedented 15-minute guest appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," headlining the same night that American audiences were introduced to an upcoming British group called The Beatles. At the 1966 Academy Awards ceremony, Gaynor and the Ernie Flatt Dancers did a showstopping "Georgy Girl" (an Oscar-nominated song, with lyrics, incidentally, by Jim Dale).
Starting at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, in 1961, Gaynor began doing her acclaimed nightclub and concert appearances. New versions were created each year; she toured four months a year, for decades. During the 1989-90 season, she received raves for an 11-month, 36-city tour, starring as Reno Sweeney in Cole Porter's Anything Goes .
Recently, while in New York, Gaynor saw the current South Pacific revival. "I wish our movie was as good. Kelli's so tiny and Paolo, oh, Paolo! [References, of course, to Kelli O'Hara and Paolo Szot.] Danny Burstein as Billis is so funny. It's a fabulous production!"
Rehearsals are underway for what promises to be another fabulous production, "A tour of a new Mitzi Gaynor show that opens in San Francisco, in January. I have eight [Bob Mackie] costume changes, and while I'm changing, audiences will see scenes from 'Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years.'" Welcome back, Ms. G!
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Various and Sundry
Nathan Lane guest stars on FOX-TV's Nov. 19 "'Til Death" , playing the brother of series star Brad
Garrett , his Odd Couple colleague.
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Come January, Pulitzer Prize winner (The Young Man from Atlanta ) Horton FooteDividing the Estate
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Comedian-actor-playwright Steve Martin guest stars Nov. 20 on NBC's Emmy-winning "30 Rock" .
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Upcoming guest stars on "Law & Order: SVU" : Nov. 18, rapper Antwan Andre Patton (aka Big Boi of Outkast ) and Carlos Leon (whose off-screen credits include dad to Madonna's first child); Nov. 25, Mike Farrell ("M*A*S*H") , two-time Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn, A Chorus Line Tony winner Kelly Bishop (who went by Carole, not Kelly, as Sheila), and Peter Hermann (husband of series star Mariska Hargitay ).
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Filmmaker Steve Anderson will release a film of Mike Daisey 's latest monologue If You See Something Say Something
Peabody award-winning filmmaker Anderson, who wrote and directed the feature film "The Big Empty" as well as the documentary film "F---," is currently filming the solo-actor piece for a future release. "With his signature style commentary, at once biting and hilarious, Daisey investigates the secret history of the Department of Homeland Security through the untold story of the father of the neutron bomb and a personal pilgrimage to the Trinity blast site," according to The Public Theater. "If You See Something Say Something takes us on a journey in search of what it means to be secure and the price we are willing to pay for it." It plays through Nov. 30 at Joe's Pub.
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Stage to Screens is Playbill.com's monthly column that connects the dots between theatre, film and television projects and people. Contact Michael Buckley at stagetoscreens@aol.com.
