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
Blaine in 1955
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.
EducationSouth Side High School
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Singer
Years active1934–1985
Known forGuys and Dolls
Something for the Boys
State Fair
Spouses
Manny Franks
​
​
(m. 1945; div. 1956)​
    Milton Rackmil
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1959; div. 1961)​
      Stuart Clark
      ​
      (m. 1973)​

      Early life

      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
      Vivian Blaine in Something for the Boys (1944)
      Screenshot of Vivian Blaine from the trailer for State Fair (1945)
      (L-R): June Haver, Vera-Ellen and Vivian Blaine in Three Little Girls in Blue (1946)

      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

      Blaine 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

      Blaine was a special guest during the This is Your Life tribute episode to Laurel and Hardy, seen over NBC-TV on December 1, 1954. Blaine had worked with the duo in the film Jitterbugs and had fond memories of the experience.

      On the 25th annual Tony Awards in 1971, she appeared as a guest performer and sang "Adelaide's Lament" from Guys and Dolls.

      Later in her career, her television career took off, with guest appearances on shows like Fantasy Island, The Love Boat (S2 E9 1978), and a recurring role in the cult hit Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.[5]

      Her final onscreen appearance was in "Broadway Malady", a Season 1 episode of Murder, She Wrote.

      Personal life

      In 1983, Blaine 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; this included the last recordings of her songs from Guys and Dolls. Her prior albums for Mercury Records have all subsequently been reissued on CD.[6]

      According to Blaine, she was a registered Democrat and a lifelong practicing Roman Catholic.[7]

      Death

      Blaine died of congestive heart failure in Beth Israel Hospital North in New York City on December 9, 1995, aged 74.[8]

      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
      Thru Different EyesSue Boardman
      Girl TroubleBarbaraAlternate titles: Between You and Me / Man from Brazil
      1943He Hired the BossSally Conway
      JitterbugsSusan Cowan
      1944Greenwich VillageBonnie Watson
      Something for the BoysBlossom Hart
      1945Nob HillSally Templeton
      State FairEmily Edwards
      Doll FaceMary Elizabeth 'Doll Face' CarrollAlternate title: Come Back to Me
      1946If I'm LuckyLinda Farrell
      Three 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(final film role)

      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" (final television role and final onscreen appearance)

      Stage work
      • One Touch of Venus (1948)
      • Bloomer Girl (1949)
      • Light Up the Sky (1949)
      • Guys and Dolls (1950–53)
      • Panama Hattie (1955)
      • A Hatful of Rain (1956–58)
      • Rain (1957)
      • Say, Darling (1958)
      • Gypsy (1960)
      • A Streetcar Named Desire (1961)
      • Born Yesterday (1961)
      • Gypsy (1962)
      • Enter Laughing (1963)
      • Mr. President (1964)
      • Guys and Dolls (1964-1966)
      • Never Too Late (1965)
      • Cactus Flower (1966–67)
      • Damn Yankees (1967)
      • Any Wednesday (1968)
      • Don't Drink the Water (1968–69)
      • Take Me Along (1968)
      • The Marriage-Go-Round (1970)
      • Zorba (1970–71)
      • Company (1971–73)
      • Light Up the Sky (1971)
      • The Glass Menagerie (1972)
      • Follies (1973)
      • I Do! I Do! (1973)
      • Twigs (1973–74)
      • Hello, Dolly! (1974)
      • The Best of Everybody (1975)
      • Brothers and Sisters (1975)
      • Light Up the Sky (1975)
      • Almost on a Runway (1976)
      • How the Other Half Loves (1977)
      • Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1977–79)
      • The Boy Friend (1979)
      • The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1979)
      • Zorba (1984) (replacement for Lila Kedrova)
      • Hello, Dolly! (1985)

      References
      1. 1930 United States Federal Census
      2. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
      3. Grimes, William (December 14, 1995). "Vivian Blaine, the First Adelaide In 'Guys and Dolls,' Is Dead at 74". The New York Times. 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 978-0-3074-2355-9. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
      5. "Vivian Blaine - About This Person". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2008. Archived from the original on February 7, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
      6. "Vivian Blaine: Songs from The Ziegfeld Follies & The Great White Way". Sepia Records. February 12, 2008. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
      7. An Interview With Vivian Blaine, Skip E. Lowe, 1992
      8. "Vivian Blaine, Broadway Star of 'Guys and Dolls', dies at 74". Bangor Daily News. December 15, 1995. Retrieved February 26, 2014.

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