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Gower Champion

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Gower Champion
Gower andMarge Championin 1957
Born
Gower Carlyle Champion

(1919-06-22)June 22, 1919
Geneva, Illinois,US
DiedAugust 25, 1980(1980-08-25)(aged 61)
New York City, US
Occupations
  • Actor
  • theatre director
  • choreographer
  • dancer
Years active1939–80
Spouses
​
​
(m.1947;div.1973)​
Karla Russell Champion
​
​
(m.1976)​
Children2
AwardsHollywood Walk of Fame
6162 Hollywood Boulevard

Gower Carlyle Champion(June 22, 1919 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor,theatre director,choreographer,and dancer.

Early years[edit]

Champion was born on June 22, 1919, inGeneva, Illinois,as the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice Carlisle. He was raised inLos Angeles,California,where he graduated fromFairfax High School.[1]He studied dance from an early age and, at the age of fifteen, tourednightclubswith friend Jeanne Tyler billed as "Gower and Jeanne, America's Youngest Dance Team". In 1939, "Gower and Jeanne" danced to the music of Larry Clinton and his Orchestra in a Warner Brothers & Vitaphone film short-subject, "The Dipsy Doodler" (released in 1940).[2]

Career[edit]

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Champion worked onBroadwayas a solo dancer and choreographer. After serving in theU.S. Coast GuardduringWorld War II,Champion metMarjorie Belcher,who became his new partner, and the two were married in 1947.

In the early 1950s, Marge and Gower Champion made seven film musicals:Mr. Music(1950, withBing Crosby), the 1951 remake ofShow Boat(withHoward KeelandKathryn Grayson), 1952'sLovely to Look At(a remake ofRoberta,also with Keel and Grayson), theautobiographicalEverything I Have Is Yours(1952),Give a Girl a Break(1953, withDebbie ReynoldsandBob Fosse),Jupiter's Darling(1955, with Keel andEsther Williams), andThree for the Show(1955, withBetty GrableandJack Lemmon). All were made forMetro-Goldwyn-MayerexceptMr. Music(Paramount) andThree for the Show(Columbia).

Throughout the 1950s, they performed on a number oftelevisionvariety shows, and in 1957 they starred in their own short-livedCBSsitcom,The Marge and Gower Champion Show,which was based on their actual career experiences.

Gower and Marge Champion appeared as the Mystery Guests on the May 15, 1955 airing ofWhat's My Line.Mary Healyguessed who they were.

In 1948, Champion had begun to direct as well, and he won the first of eightTony Awardsfor his staging ofLend an Ear,the show that introducedCarol ChanningtoNew York Citytheater audiences. During the 1950s, he worked on only two Broadway musicals — choreographingMake a Wishin 1951 and directing, staging, and starring in3 for Tonightin 1955 — preferring to spend most of his time in Hollywood. However, in the 1960s, he directed a number of Broadway hits that put him at the top of his profession.[3][4]

1960 to 1964[edit]

He had a solid success in 1960 withBye Bye Birdie,a show about an Elvis-like rock star about to be inducted into the army. The show starred relative unknownsChita RiveraandDick Van Dykealong with a youthful cast. It ran for 607 performances and won four Tony awards, including Best Musical and two for Champion's direction and choreography. Next cameCarnival!in 1961, which ran for 719 performances and garnered seven Tony nominations, including one for Champion's direction. In 1964, Champion directed one of Broadway's biggest blockbusters,Hello, Dolly!.It ran for 2,844 performances — almost seven years! Starring Carol Channing as Dolly Levi, it is perhaps best remembered for the title number, where Dolly is greeted by the staff of a restaurant after having been away for years. The show won ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, as well as two for Champion's direction and choreography.

1964 to 1980[edit]

Champion had his fourth consecutive hit musical withI Do! I Do!in 1966. It featured a cast of two — veteransMary MartinandRobert Preston— playing a couple seen throughout the years of their marriage. The show ran for 560 performances and received seven Tony nominations, including one for Champion's direction.

His next show,The Happy Timein 1968, broke his streak. It had a relatively disappointing run of only 286 performances. This would be followed by many more disappointments and worse on Broadway.

In 1969, Champion was the producer, choreographer and director[5]of the41st Academy Awardsceremony, which earned mostly favourable reviews.[6][7]

In the 1970s, Champion directed minor hits (Sugarin 1972 and the revivalIrenein 1973), flops (Mack & Mabelin 1974) and complete disasters (Rockabye Hamlet— seven performances in 1976 — andA Broadway Musical,running only one night in 1978, not to mentionPrettybelle,which closed out of town in 1971). On top of this, he and Marge were divorced in 1973.

After the failures of the previous decade, Champion was able to make a comeback with his longest-running show. In 1980, he choreographed and directed a stage adaptation of the movie classic,42nd Street.It won the Tony for Best Musical, and Champion was nominated for his direction and choreography, winning for the latter. The show ran for 3,486 performances, but Champion did not live to see one, having died in the morning on opening day.

Personal life[edit]

Champion was married in 1947 to actressMarjorie Celeste Belcher,who became famous as Marge Champion. Together, they had two sons: Blake and director Gregg Champion. They divorced in January 1973.[8]In 1976, he married Karla Russell.

He also has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.

Death[edit]

Champion was diagnosed in early 1979 withWaldenström's macroglobulinemia,a rare form of blood cancer, by his doctors at the Scripps Institute. He began treatment atCedars of Lebanon Hospitalin Los Angeles and was advised not to take on work.[9]Champion died at 10:00 a.m. on August 25, 1980, in Manhattan atMemorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.[10]

Champion's death came only ten hours before the opening-night performance of42nd Street,the Broadway musical he choreographed and directed. It would be his swan song, running nine years. ProducerDavid Merrickasked Champion's family to withhold the news from everyone, including the show's cast, until after the opening performance. During the enthusiastic curtain calls, Merrick came onstage and made the announcement to the stunned cast and audience amidst the wild applause. "This is a very tragic moment," he said. "I'm sorry to have to report that today, Gower Champion died."[11][12][13]

Broadway credits[edit]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Awards
  • 1949 Tony Award for Best Choreography –Lend an Ear
  • 1961 Tony Award for Best Choreography –Bye Bye Birdie
  • 1961 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical –Bye Bye Birdie
  • 1964 Tony Award for Best Choreography –Hello, Dolly!
  • 1964 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical –Hello, Dolly!
  • 1968 Tony Award for Best Choreography –The Happy Time
  • 1968 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical –The Happy Time
  • 1981Drama Desk Awardfor Outstanding Choreography –42nd Street
  • 1981 Tony Award for Best Choreography –42nd Street(posthumous award)
Nominations
  • 1962 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical –Carnival!
  • 1967 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical –I Do! I Do!
  • 1973 Tony Award for Best Choreography –Sugar
  • 1973 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical –Sugar
  • 1975 Tony Award for Best Choreography –Mack & Mabel
  • 1975 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical –Mack & Mabel
  • 1981 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical –42nd Street(posthumous nomination)

References[edit]

  1. ^"Senior Year Stories - Fairfax High School".Public Broadcasting Service.2008. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-08-30.Retrieved2008-05-21.
  2. ^Chad (2019-10-25)."Gower Champion".Hollywood Walk of Fame.Retrieved2023-09-14.
  3. ^"Gower Champion".The Official Masterworks Broadway Site.Retrieved2023-09-14.
  4. ^"The Stars: Gower Champion".Broadway: The American Musical.Retrieved2023-09-14.
  5. ^"Program, 41st Annual Academy Awards".Margaret Herrick Library Digital Collections.Oscars.org.
  6. ^Greenberg, Abe (April 15, 1969). "Best Actress Tie Brings Gasps".Hollywood Citizen-News.p. 2, Academy Awards section.
  7. ^Warga, Wayne (April 15, 1969). "Old Excitement Lives As Oscars Finds New Home".Los Angeles Times.p. 3.
  8. ^Hoffman, Jan (July 14, 1999)."Public Lives. A Dancer's 8-Decade Arc to Top Banana".The New York Times.
  9. ^Payne-Carter, David;McNamara, Brooks;Nelson, Stephen (1999).Gower Champion: Dance and American Musical Theatre(First ed.). Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 130, 132.ISBN0-313-30451-3.
  10. ^Correy, John (26 August 1980)."Gower Champion Dies Hours Before Show Opens; A Rare Blood Disease Champion Dies Hours Before Opening".The New York Times.p. A1.Retrieved2008-10-13.
  11. ^Moore, Keith (August 26, 1980)."Broadway's Gower Champion Dies at 61".New York Daily News.
  12. ^Taylor, Clarke (August 27, 1980)."Life and Death on 42nd Street".Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^"42nd STREET opening night announcement (1980, Broadway)".YouTube.

Further reading[edit]

  • Gilvey, John Anthony.Before the Parade Passes by: Gower Champion and the Glorious American Musical(2005), St. Martin's Press,ISBN0-312-33776-0

External links[edit]

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