Mitzi Gaynor: Her Life and Career

Bright and bubbly dancer, actress, and singer Mitzi Gaynor (1931–2024) landed in Hollywood in the uncertain period between bombshell Betty Grable’s impending retirement and Marilyn Monroe’s ascendance. She entered cinema stardom in comedies and musicals for Paramount, 20th Century Fox, and MGM. Her most significant role (as Nellie in the film adaptation of South Pacific) came as the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals began its decline. She transitioned into a steady run of nightclub revues, TV variety specials, and touring shows through her later career. Shelley, prolific biographer of film stars including most recently Alexis Smith and June Allyson, has pulled together a good deal of content on Gaynor, and its collection into a single resource gives this title value. Still, a significant amount of the text relies on newspaper articles and public interviews rather than any personal documents or researched insights, and much space is given to summaries of Gaynor’s film, television, and revue performances.