On October 17th Hollywood lost a bright star with the passing of Mitzi Gaynor at age 93. I was privileged to know her personally and n 2005 the effervescent leading lady of South Pacific graced the second annual LA Harbor International Film Festival (LAHIFF) Red Carpet at the Hollywood Nostalgia Tribute (HNT) gala held in the elegant The Arcade Building across from the Warner Grand Theatre art deco movie palace in historic downtown San Pedro – Port of Los Angeles (POLA) - where the 35 mm film was screened after the reception to a nearly full house. Mitzi was joined by co-stars John Kerr and France Nuyen who had not been together since the film’s wrap party in c.1958.

After being introduced and brought on stage by the evening’s emcee restaurateur John Papadakis (RPV resident) she regaled the audience with anecdotes about making the movie. She was simply adorable and so entertaining and funny. Mitzi attended the HNT as a favor to yours truly who knew her through her dear late friend screenwriter Clifford Campion. I was fortunate to be a guest in her lovely home many times attending her annual Christmas season open house that was like being in its own Hollywood “walk of fame” with such illustrious guests as Gene Kelly,William Windom, Jess Marlow among others.

When we chose South Pacific it happened to be the 60th anniversary of VJ Day and the afternoon film program was the POLA premiere of a new documentary about the Pacific Theater of War of WW II called Price For Peace (dir. James Molle) that still plays in the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. My late Father was a Navy officer aboard the USS Cabot in the Pacific so it was especially poignant to feature the film and honor him and all veterans. LAHIFF also included the source book for the musical James Michener’s Tales Of The South Pacific as the selection for the education outreach program “Read the Book, See the Movie”(RBSM) promoting literacy and more thoughtful to view a film. To date RBSM has distributed over 20K books free to students and community.

Considering Mitzi’s rise to fame is (somewhat) depicted in the classic musical film There’s No Business Like Show Business, that embodies her spirit, in which she starred with Ethel Merman, Dan Daily, Donald O’Conner and Marilyn Monroe. The movie was the 10th HNT presentation in 2013. The vivacious dancer and actress conquered every aspect of show business to become an icon as a performer on the theatrical stage, in motion pictures, television, concerts and the foremost night clubs of America. With the passing of her good friend and colleague Donald O’Conner, who was the Founding President of The Professional Dancers Society (PDS), Mitzi became the immediate choice to replace him. She had pledged total support to the charity formed to provide aid for dancers in need and to the PDS association with the Actors Equity Fund of America. Her generosity for all the “gypsies” as stage and film dancers are nicknamed is renowned.

Born September 4, 1931, she was a native of Chicago, yet spent her early years in nearby Detroit where at age ten ballet instructor Kathryn Etienne first saw her dance and said, “This child should go to Hollywood.” Her family agreed and accompanied by her mother and an aunt she headed west when she was 11 years old, with Etienne joining them to continue her dance training. When Mitzi’s mother secured a secretarial job with the esteemed Los Angeles Civic Light Opera (CLO) its fabled leader Edwin Lester took notice of her remarkable daughter.

Lester and the CLO great choreographer Ada Broadbent were so impressed with the talented ingénue they put her under contract to the company. Though only in her early teens she was cast in key roles in the CLO popular musical productions under the name Mitzi Gerber, a shortened version of her given name Francesca Mitzi Von Gerber. Soon she was thrilling audiences in such classic operettas as Roberta where she was spotted by veteran 20th Century Fox musical director Henry Koster and immediately signed to a long term motion picture contract. It was Koster who decided on a permanent name change with more cachet, in deference to the esteemed film star and first Academy Awardâ winner, Janet Gaynor.

It seemed like every major Hollywood star wanted to work with the sparkling newcomer and Mitzi found herself making her debut with one of the film and music’s all time icons Bing Crosby in My Blue Heaven. Audiences loved her, and she rose to stardom in such films as: Take Care of My Little Girl, Golden Girl (playing California Gold Rush era entertainer Lotta Crabtree), We’re Not Married (with Eddie Bracken), Bloodhounds of Broadway, The I Don’t Car Girl (playing vaudeville headliner Eva Tanquay), Down Among the Sheltering Palms, The Birds And The Bees, Three Young Texans, Anything Goes (with O’Conner), The Joker Is Wild (with Frank Sinatra), Les Girls (with Gene Kelly), Happy Anniversary (with David Niven), For Love Or Money and Surprise Package (with Noel coward and Yul Brynner). She was composer/lyricist Cole Porter’s personal choice for the film version f Anything Goes, and also starred in the famed musical on stage throughout the country.

In 1958 she made international motion picture history with her star turn as the high spirited WW II nurse Ensign “Nellie Forbush” in the film adaptation of Rogers & Hammerstein’s hit Broadway musical South Pacific, with its multitude of memorable tunes including “Some Enchanted Evening”, “Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair:”, “Honey Bun”, “Younger Than Springtime”, and “Cock Eyed Optimist” (that embodied Mitzi’s own spirit). The film played over 5,000 times in its premiere engagement in London to become one of the longest running films in history.

As television rose to become the most popular medium in entertainment Mitzi soon found herself entertaining audiences at home in near a dozen lavishly produced musical specials with glamorous wardrobe by designer Bob Mackie garnering 16 Emmy nominations. Every major musical and dramatic star in the business flocked to be part of the highly rated extravaganzas, garnering her another crown as the leading musical star of television.

In the height of her extraordinary success a new venue in the Nevada desert beckoned and she took to the stage in Las Vegas. The gambling capitol’s biggest headliner at the height of its show business acclaim for many years Mitzi reigned as the Queen of the desert in her own lavishly staged productions, while she also continued to bring star quality to theatres, auditoriums and arenas throughout the USA.

Always true to her theatrical roots throughout her career Mitzi also starred in theatrical and operatic theatre productions such as Song of Norway, Louisiana Purchase, Naughty Marietta, The Great Waltz and Fortune Teller in the major theatres in the country. She was up for the role of Lola in Damn Yankees, however her film contract precluded that Broadway turn. She would have been terrific and brought her wholesome sexiness to the part of the vixen character.

. Married for 52 years since early in her career to theatrical (and her) manager Jack Bean, who she charmingly called “Daddy” until his death in 2006, the popular couple resided in Beverly Hills. Their elegant and cozy home with their treasured art collection was the height of hospitality where invitations to enjoy the succulent Hungarian cuisine she prepared from old family recipes were eagerly sought by her plethora of friends and peers.

She remained active in show business into her 80s, making her New York nightclub debut in 2010 at 78 years old at Feinstein’s Cabaret in Midtown Manhattan. She was ever charming, witty, and humorous; and popular with journalists and interviewers often asked her for the wisdom that came with maturity. “The secret to aging gracefully is simple,” she told The Chicago Sun-Times in 2013. “Just have a good attitude. Enjoy who you are. Remember that life is a wonderful thing.” She was indeed the “cockeyed optimist” of South Pacific, who was in love with a wonderful guy, radiant on screen and off. I feel so fortunate to have known her and that she was a part of the LAHIFF and San Pedro history for posterity.

In 2012 Mitzi was interviewed for Emmy Magazine and is in the oral history archive. Here’s the link for that interview:

https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/mitzi-gaynor

Also find out more about Mitzi Gaynor and links for viewing films at www.imdb.com

Personal note: When a student at Richard Henry Dana Junior High School I organized a group of six gals to perform in the “Blue & Gold Review” stage production of the delightful “Honey Bun” number from South Pacific. Replete with sailor suits and our own voices. It was a hit and I still know the choreography. What’s rather droll is to recall that the “Girls Vice Principal” called me in one day and relayed that we must change the (suggestive) lyric from “…broad where a broad should be broad” and we came up with “…curved where a girl should be curved”. Considering contemporary mores it seems so innocuous, however we complied as good girls would.

Another family connection to the show is that my first cousin Bartlett Sher directed the esteemed revival of the musical in 2008 that hadn’t been produced since its debut in c. 1949. It was another smashing success. The show (must and still) goes on!

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Stephanie Mardesich, a native of San Pedro from a family who arrived in the harbor area over 100 years ago. An alumna of U.S.C. School of Cinematic Arts; founder-director of the LA Harbor International Film Festival; credited journalist and public relations consultant, she launched "Cinema Stephanie" film critique blogette in 2017. More recently, she created "Eclectic Culture" lifestyle stories and reviews blog. She is also co-producer with Jack Baric (S.P. native and R.P.V. resident) of the oral history project Stories of Los Angeles Harbor Area: For Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (SOLAHA) - Volume II debuted in March 2020.

For more see:

(to look up films) www.imdb.com

www.laharborfilmfest.com( Cinema Stephanie blogette)

www.storieslaharborarea.com (histories/stories)