Who's Who in Musicals: Additional Bios II
by John Kenrick
(Copyright 2002)

Berman, Pandro S.
Film producer
b. Mar. 28, 1905 (Pittsburgh) - d. July 13, 1996 (Beverly Hills)
Born into an early film industry family, Berman worked his way up from script clerk to assistant director at RKO Studios. Soon after he began producing, he saw Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers steal Flying Down to Rio (1933) – and promptly decided to build a series of films around the duo. Beginning with The Gay Divorcee (1934), Berman produced seven Astaire-Rogers films, five of which were directed by Mark Sandrich. These now-classic musicals were among the biggest screen hits of the 1930s, with scores by some of the top composers of that time – Irving Berlin for Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936) and Carefree (1938), Jerome Kern for Roberta (1935) and Swing Time(1936), and George and Ira Gershwin for Shall We Dance (1937).

Berman produced numerous non-musicals for RKO, including Of Human Bondage (1934), Gunga Din (1937) and Stage Door (1939). After acting as executive producer for Orson Welles' landmark drama Citizen Kane (1941), Berman began a long stint with MGM, working predominantly on dramas and comedies. He occasionally handled musical projects, producing Ziegfeld Girl (1941), a remake of Rio Rita (1942), a remake of Kern's Roberta called Lovely to Look At (1952) and the Elvis Presley vehicle Jailhouse Rock (1957). Berman remained active as an independent producer through the 1960s, and received the Motion Picture Academy's Irving Thalberg Award in 1977.

Brown, Georgia
(b. Lillie Klot)
Actress, singer
b. Oct. 21, 1933 (London, UK) - d. July 5, 1992 (London)
Born in London's East End, this earthy performer was sent to the Welsh countryside during World War II to escape Nazi bombings. A fan of jazz, she took her stage name from the song "Sweet Georgia Brown." She won early acclaim as Lucy in the 1956 London revival of The Threepenny Opera, and repeated the role when she joined the cast of the long-running off-Broadway revival in 1957. Brown made theatrical history when she created the role of Nancy in the original London production of Lionel Bart's Oliver (1960). Brown's heart rending rendition of "As Long As He Needs Me" remains definitive, as does her uninhibited "Oom Pah Pah." She then starred in the 1963 New York production, earning a Tony nomination.

After replacing the lead in Bart's London musical Maggie May in 1965, Brown concentrated on film roles for more than a decade. She returned to Broadway to join the cast of the long-running revue Side By Side By Sondheim (1977). She created the title role in Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane's ill-fated Carmelina (1979) and took over the role of Dorothy Brock in the London production of 42nd Street (1984). She also toured Britain in Georgia Brown and Friends, a personal revue that she brought to Broadway for a limited run in 1982. After starring in Hal Prince's short lived Broadway musical Roza (1987), she limited herself to concerts and television appearances – including recurring roles on Cheers and Star Trek: The Next Generation. She died at age 58 due to complications after surgery for an intestinal blockage.

Cole, Jack
Dancer, choreographer, director
b. Apr. 27, 1914 (New Brunswick, NJ) - d. Feb. 17, 1974 (Hollywood)
After dancing with the Denishawn company, Cole organized a troupe that specialized in oriental dance. A versatile talent, he staged nightclub acts and appeared in the dance ensembles of several musicals before making his Broadway choreographic debut creating dances for Something for the Boys (1943). Cole's sensual, jazz-based style incorporated various ethnic influences, including pulsing drumbeats, minimal costumes and grinding hips. He also had a flair for making frankly sensual use of the body, and some of his most memorable creations demonstrate a unique homoerotic appreciation of the male physique

This combination proved effective in more than a dozen Broadway shows, including Magdalena (1948), Kismet (1953), Jamaica (1957), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Foxy (1964) and Man of La Mancha (1965). He served as both director and choreographer for Donnybrook (1964) and Kean (1964), which failed within months of each other.

Cole also staged the dances for twenty Hollywood films, including Cover Girl (1944) and The Jolson Story (1946). Cole staged several memorable screen sequences for Marilyn Monroe, including her classic "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" routine in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). The volatile sex goddess insisted that Cole be called in to assist her in There's No Business Like Show Business (1954 - uncredited) and Some Like It Hot (1959 - uncredited).  Cole played a key role in training many leading theatrical dancers, including Carol Haney and Gwen Verdon – who served as his assistant for seven years. Because many of Cole's fresh and intriguing dances were created for otherwise ill-fated musicals, he has never achieved the recognition his talents deserved. 

Forrest, George ("Chet")
Composer, lyricist
b. July 31, 1915 (Brooklyn) - d. Oct. 10, 1999 (Miami)

Wright, Robert Craig
Composer, lyricist
b. Sept. 25, 1914 (Daytona Beach, FL) - July 27, 2005 (Miami, FL)
Forrest and Wright collaborated on special material for Los Angeles nightclub revues, where their work attracted the attention of major studios. The duo adapted existing music and created new songs for the MGM's versions of Maytime (1937) and Sweethearts (1938), two of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald's strongest vehicles. For The Firefly (1937), Forrest and Wright added lyrics to an existing Rudolph Friml-Herbert Stouthart melody, resulting in the popular hit "The Donkey Serenade." All told, their songs were heard in 58 films.

Most of Forrest and Wright's stage works featured melodies freely adapted from the works of great classical composers. Song of Norway (1944), a fictional love story involving the life and music of Edvard Grieg, was a surprise hit, proving that there was still an audience for romantic operetta. It ran for three years and featured the rapturous "Strange Music." Gypsy Lady (1946) failed in its attempt to recycle some old Victor Herbert tunes, but Forrest and Wright hit pay dirt adapting the melodies of Alexander Borodin for Kismet (1953). Part operetta, part bawdy burlesque, this opulent musical featured "Baubles, Bangles and Beads," "And This is My Beloved" and the smash hit "Stranger in Paradise." A popular success despite dismissive reviews, Kismet won the Tony for Best Musical, and won acclaim for stars Alfred Drake, Doretta Morrow and Richard Kiley.

Forrest and Wright saw several projects close out of town, including a musical version of Grand Hotel (1958) featuring their original melodies. They had less luck collaborating with Brazilian composer on the melodically abmitious but dramatically unsatisfying jungle musical Magdalena (1948). The ill-fated Broadway productions of Kean (1961) and Anya (1964) – the latter adapting melodies by Serge Rachmaninoff – left the team on the outer fringes of a much changed theatre business. They remained active, supervising revivals of Kismet and revising their less well known shows for regional productions. Grand Hotel made it to Broadway in 1989, but director Tommy Tune had replaced part of the original score with new numbers by Maury Yeston -- to Forrest & Wright's dismay. The two men remained professional and personal partners until Forrest's death at age 84. Wright died six years later at age 90.

Gemignani, Paul
Musical director
b. California
One of Broadway's most respected musical directors, Gemignani earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State College in 1960. He scored several films before relocating to New York, where he worked as a Broadway pit musician before becoming replacement musical director of Stephen Sondheim's Follies (1971). Gemignani  became closely identified with Sondheim's musicals, working on Pacific Overtures (1976), Side by Side by Sondheim (1977), Sweeney Todd (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sunday in the Park With George (1984), Into the Woods (1987) and Passion (1994). He also conducted the orchestras for such memorable hits as On the Twentieth Century (1978), Evita (1979), Crazy For You (1992), the acclaimed revival of Kiss Me Kate (1999), and the underrated Adventures of Tom Sawyer (2001).

To date, Gemignani has served as conductor for more than 35 Broadway productions, receiving three Grammy nominations along the way. Aside from composing various film scores, he was musical supervisor for the screen version of A Little Night Music (1978). He has also appeared as a guest conductor with the New York, Boston and San Francisco Philharmonics, among others. In 2001, Gemignani was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award. He has served as musical director for several PBS-TV specials, including broadcast performances of Follies, A Little Night Music and Passion. Maried to actress Derin Altay, he is the father of actor Alexander Gemignani.

Sandrich, Mark
Film director, producer
b. Aug. 26, 1900 (Brooklyn) - d. Mar. 4, 1945 (Hollywood)
After getting his start in silent films, Sandrich directed several minor RKO musicals before he was selected by producer Pandro S. Berman to direct Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in The Gay Divorcee (1934). Sandrich did such a fine job showcasing the elegant team that he directed four more vehicles for them – Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), Shall We Dance (1937) and Carefree (1938). When Rogers moved on to dramatic roles, Sandrich continued directing and producing musicals, including Paramount's delightful Irving Berlin tune fest Holiday Inn (1942) starring Astaire and Bing Crosby. Nine days into directing the same two stars in Blue Skies (1945), Sandrich died of a heart attack at age 44.

Stothart, Herbert
Composer, arranger, musical director
b. Sept. 11, 1885 (Milwaukee, WI) - d. Feb. 1, 1949 (Los Angeles)
This one-time music teacher began his Broadway career with neophyte lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, creating the score for the short-lived Always You (1920). He continued to work with Hammerstein and a succession of co-composers, including Wildflower (1923) with Vincent Youmans and Rose Marie (1924) with operetta master Rudolph Friml. He collaborated with lyricist Bert Kalmar and composer Harry Ruby on Good Boy (1928), which introduced the hit "I Wanna Be Loved By You." With the introduction of sound films in the late 1920s, Stothart was one of the first major stage composers to relocate to Hollywood. He contributed songs to dozens of early screen musicals, most notably adapting an existing Rudolph Friml melody into "The Donkey Serenade" for The Firefly (1937). Stothart became one of the leading figures in MGM's musical department, arranging, composing and/or conducting the background scores for over 100 films. His background music for The Wizard of Oz (1939) received an Academy Award. A legend among those in the business, Stothart remained on the job until his death at age 63.

Temple, Shirley
Actress, singer, dancer
b. Apr. 23, 1928 (Santa Monica, CA)
With curly hair, dimples and a sparkling smile, Shirley Temple became the most beloved child star in show business history. She was cast in bit screen parts before her rendition of "Baby Take a Bow" in Stand Up and Cheer (1934) made the bosses at 20th Century Fox studios take notice. The talented tot's breakout performance came in Little Miss Marker (1934), which brought the six year old a special miniature Academy Award. The movie going public found this poised tyke a delightful antidote to the drudgery of the Great Depression, making her a top box office star for several years.

Temple starred in a variety of films – even those that were not full-blown musicals usually included a song or two. She introduced some of the biggest song hits of the 1930s, including "On The Good Ship Lollipop," "Animal Crackers in My Soup," Her musicals included Curly Top (1935), The Littlest Rebel (1935), Dimples (1936), Little Miss Broadway (1938), and The Little Princess (1939). Temple's most memorable performances included four films with veteran black dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson – their warm off-screen rapport shone through in their on-screen tap routines, the first mixed-racial musical numbers to be seen in many parts of the USA.

Fox refused to loan Temple to MGM for The Wizard of Oz (1939) – a move which broke her heart but opened the way to stardom for Judy Garland. As Temple moved into her teens, she continued to appear in comedies and lighter dramas for various studios, retiring from the screen in 1949. She did some television work in the 1950s, but concentrated on raising a family. Active in the Republican party, Temple served as US Ambassador to Ghana, the United Nations, and Czechoslovakia. After retiring from public service, she received another special Academy Award (this time full-sized) and the Kennedy Center Honor. Temple has had the satisfaction of seeing her films remain perennial family favorites thanks to home video.

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