Vivian Blaine

Vivian Blaine (born Vivian Stapleton; November 21, 1921 – December 9, 1995) was an American actress and singer, best known for originating the role of Miss Adelaide in the musical theater production of Guys and Dolls, as well as appearing in the subsequent film version, in which she co-starred with Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Frank Sinatra.

Vivian Blaine
Vivian Blaine in Something for the Boys (1944)
Born
Vivian Stapleton

(1921-11-21)November 21, 1921
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedDecember 9, 1995(1995-12-09) (aged 74)
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeKensico Cemetery
Years active1934–1985
Spouse(s)
Manny Franks
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​
(m. 1945; div. 1956)​

​
​
(m. 1959; div. 1961)​

Stuart Clark
​
​
(m. 1973; her death 1995)​

Early years

Blaine was born in Newark, New Jersey to Leo Stapleton, an insurance agent,[1] and Wilhelmina Tepley.[2] The cherry-blonde-haired Blaine appeared on local stages as early as 1934 and she started touring after graduating from South Side High School.[3]

Personal appearances

Blaine was a touring singer with dance bands starting in 1937.

At one point in the 1940s, she was the top-billed act at New York's Copacabana nightclub. In his book, Dean and Me: (A Love Story), Jerry Lewis wrote about appearing at the club when Blaine was on the same bill: "We [Lewis and Dean Martin, as the double act Martin and Lewis] weren't even the top-billed act. That honor went to a Broadway singing star named Vivian Blaine, who'd conquered Manhattan, gone out to Hollywood to make movies for 20th Century Fox, then returned to the Big Apple in triumph. Vivian was a lovely and very talented actress and singer ..."[4]

Film

In 1942, Blaine's agent and soon-to-be husband Manny Franks signed her to a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox, and she moved to Hollywood, sharing top billing with Laurel and Hardy in Jitterbugs (1943) and starring in Greenwich Village (1944), Something for the Boys (1944), Nob Hill (1945), and State Fair (1945).

Stage
Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide and Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit in the 1950 original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls

Following her Fox years, Blaine returned to the stage, making her Broadway debut as Miss Adelaide in the Frank Loesser musical Guys and Dolls in 1950. Her character Miss Adelaide has been engaged to inveterate gambler Nathan Detroit played by Sam Levene for 14 years, a condition which, according to her song "Adelaide's Lament", has given her a psychosomatic cold as well as chronic heartbreak.

After the show's 1,200-performance Broadway run, Vivian Blaine and Sam Levene reprised their roles as Miss Adelaide and Nathan Detroit in the first UK production of Guys and Dolls, which opened at London's West End Coliseum a few days before the 1953 Coronation; the two stars performed their roles 553 times, including a Royal Command Variety Performance for Queen Elizabeth on November 9, 1953. Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide, Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit and Robert Alda as Sky Masterson also performed twice daily in a reduced version of Guys and Dolls when the first Las Vegas production opened a six-month run at the Royal Nevada, September 7, 1955, the first time a Broadway musical was performed on the strip. Vivian Blaine recreated her role as Miss Adelaide in the film version in 1955.

Blaine also appeared on Broadway in A Hatful of Rain, Say, Darling, Enter Laughing, Company, and Zorba, as well as participating in the touring companies of musicals such as Gypsy.

Television

As Blaine reached age 50, her television career took off, with guest appearances on shows like Fantasy Island, Murder, She Wrote and The Love Boat, and a recurring role in the cult hit Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.[5] On the 25th annual Tony Awards in 1971, she appeared as a guest performer and sang "Adelaide's Lament" from Guys and Dolls.

Blaine in her later years was managed by Rob Cipriano and L'Etoile Talent Agencies in New York City. Cipriano spent the early 1980s developing projects for Blaine, including Puppy Love, a TV sitcom with Jake LaMotta and Pat Cooper. She always commented that working with Cipriano reminded her of working with her first husband Manny Franks.

Personal life

Blaine's first marriage, to Franks, lasted from 1945 to 1956. She then married Milton Rackmil, president of Universal Studios and Decca Records, in 1959, and recorded several albums prior to their 1961 divorce. In 1973, Blaine married Stuart Clark. In 1983 she became the first celebrity to make public-service announcements for AIDS-related causes. She made numerous appearances in support of the then fledgling AIDS-Project Los Angeles (APLA) and in 1983 recorded her cabaret act for AEI Records which donated its royalties to the new group;[6] this included the last recordings of her songs from Guys and Dolls. Her prior albums for Mercury Records[7] have all subsequently been reissued on CD.[8]

Death

Blaine died of congestive heart failure on December 9, 1995, aged 74.[9]

Filmography
Vivian Blaine in 1946 film Doll Face
Pin-up photo of Vivian Blaine for the September 1, 1944 issue of Yank, the Army Weekly

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1942It Happened in FlatbushMinor Role
1942Thru Different EyesSue Boardman
1942Girl TroubleBarbaraAlternate titles: Between You and Me / Man from Brazil
1943He Hired the BossSally Conway
1943JitterbugsSusan Cowan
1944Greenwich VillageBonnie Watson
1944Something for the BoysBlossom Hart
1945Nob HillSally Templeton
1945State FairEmily Edwards
1945Doll FaceMary Elizabeth 'Doll Face' CarrollAlternate title: Come Back to Me
1946If I'm LuckyLinda Farrell
1946Three Little Girls in BlueLiz Charters
1952Skirts Ahoy!Una Yancy
1953Main Street to BroadwayVivian BlaineUncredited
1955Guys and DollsMiss Adelaide
1957Public Pigeon No. 1Rita DeLacey
1972RichardWashington Doctor
1979The DarkCourtney Floyd
1982ParasiteMiss Elizabeth Daley
1983I'm Going to Be FamousLaura Lowell

Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1953The Philco Television PlayhouseEpisode - "Double Jeopardy"
1954Center StageEpisode - "Heart of a Clown"
1954The Colgate Comedy HourWinnie PotterEpisode - "Let's Face It"
1955Damon Runyon TheaterCutie SingletonEpisode - "Pick the Winner"
1955Hallmark Hall of FameGeorgina AllertonEpisode - "Dream Girl"
1955What's My Line?Mystery Guest
1956The Bob Hope ShowEpisode - "The Awful Truth"
1956General Electric Summer OriginalsEpisode - "It's Sunny Again"
1957Lux Video TheatreCoralEpisode - "The Undesirable"
1963Route 66Dixie MartinEpisode - "A Bunch of Lonely Pagliaccis"
1976Mary Hartman, Mary HartmanBetty McCullough21 episodes
1978Fantasy IslandMrs. DeverseEpisode - "The Big Dipper/The Pirate"
1978Katie: Portrait of a CenterfoldMarietta CutlerTV movie
1978The Love BoatBarbara SharpEpisode - "The Minister and the Stripper"
1979Vega$LenoraEpisode - "Everything I Touch"
1979The Cracker FactoryHelenTV movie
1979Fast FriendsSylviaTV movie
1979Sooner or LaterMake-up ArtistTV movie
1979CHiPsVivian BlaineEpisode - "Roller Disco: Part 2"
1983Amanda'sAunt SoniaEpisode - "Aunt Sonia"
1985Murder, She WroteRita BristolEpisode - "Broadway Malady"

Stage work

References
  1. 1930 United States Federal Census
  2. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
  3. Grimes, William. "Vivian Blaine, the First Adelaide In 'Guys and Dolls,' Is Dead at 74", The New York Times, December 14, 1995. Accessed December 19, 2019. "Ms. Blaine was born in Newark. Originally her last name was Stapleton. While she was still in elementary school, her father, a theatrical agent, booked $1-a-night singing dates for her at nightclubs, company parties and police benefits. At 14 she began singing with the Halsey Miller Orchestra, and after graduating from Southside High School went on the road with little-known bands."
  4. Lewis, Jerry; Kaplan, James (2007). Dean and Me: (A Love Story). Crown/Archetype. ISBN 9780307423559. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  5. "Vivian Blaine - About This Person - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. 2007-01-18. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  6. "Vivian Blaine - Live In Hollywood (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  7. "Vivian Blaine Singing Selections From Pal Joey/Annie Get Your Gun: Vivian Blaine: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  8. "VIVIAN BLAINE - Sings Songs from The Ziegfeld Follies & The Great White Way (SEPIA 1106)". Sepiarecords.com. 2008-02-12. Archived from the original on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  9. "Vivian Blaine, Broadway Star of 'Guys and Dolls', dies at 74". Bangor Daily News. 1995-12-15. Retrieved 2014-02-26.

Further reading
  • Oderman, Stuart, Talking to the Piano Player 2. BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 1-59393-320-7


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