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Nine Legendary
Leading Ladies From Stage and Screen Donate Career Memorabilia to
the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Harlan Boll for Donors at
Davidson and Choy Publicity
(323) 954 7510 Office,
h.boll@dcpublicity.com
Public only:
(202) 633-1000
 At a special ceremony in
the historic El Portal Theater in North Hollywood today, nine legendary
leading ladies of American motion pictures, television and Broadway
productions donated objects from their award-winning careers to the National
Museum of American History. The objects will be preserved in the museum’s
permanent entertainment collections. Highlights include Carol Channing’s
diamond dress from the Broadway production "Lorelei"; Tippi Hedren’s script
from the movie "The Birds"; Florence Henderson’s People’s Choice Award;
Angela Lansbury’s costume from Broadway hit "Mame"; June Lockhart’s 1947
Tony Award; Julie Newmar’s original Catwoman suit from the TV show "Batman";
and a bequest of Esther William’s scrapbooks from her days as an MGM star.
The ceremony also commemorated the recent donations from Phyllis Diller and
Rose Marie.
"These ladies are a
testament to the enduring value of the American dream" said museum director
Brent D. Glass. "Anyone from any background can become a legend through hard
work and perseverance. These objects reflect the importance of the
performing arts in our culture, and we are honored to preserve them for
future generations," he added.
 Carol Channing
Since her Broadway debut in
"No For An Answer," Channing has been a star of international acclaim. Her
Broadway appearances included some of the most memorable characters in
theatrical history, winning three Tony Awards, including one for her
legendary portrayal of Dolly Levi in "Hello, Dolly!" and the Lifetime
Achievement Tony Award. Channing wore what is known as the diamond dress
when she played the signature character in the 1973 Broadway musical
"Lorelei." In addition to the dress, her donation also includes the original
1964 Tony Award for the first Broadway production of "Hello, Dolly!"
Phyllis Diller
Comedian Diller combined
wild costumes, untamed hair and a raucous laugh with self-deprecating
monologues to create one of comedy’s most popular characters. In addition to
her television, film and stage work, Diller made five records, wrote four
best-selling books, performed at the piano with more than 100 symphony
orchestras and appeared with Bob Hope before countless soldiers as part of
USO tours. Her donation includes a joke file cataloging more than 50,000
index cards of jokes documenting her stand-up career, as well as costumes,
scripts and other objects from her career.
Tippi Hedren
Tippi Hedren made her film
debut in Hitchcock’s "The Birds" and worked with the director again in "Marnie."
Her contributions to cinema have been honored with Life Achievement awards.
She was named "Woman of Vision" by Women of Film and Video in Washington,
D.C., and received the Presidential Medal. The Hitchcock heroine’s donation
includes her annotated scripts from "The Birds" and "Marnie" and Charlie
Chaplin’s "A Countess from Hong Kong."
Florence Henderson
Henderson, a multitalented
actress, talk show host, performer, recording artist, author, Broadway
veteran and philanthropist, has enjoyed one of the most outstanding careers
on film, television and on stage. She is known worldwide to fans of all ages
as America’s favorite mom Carol Brady from the classic hit TV series "The
Brady Bunch." Henderson was also the first woman ever to host "The Tonight
Show," and she starred in numerous Broadway hits, including the lead role in
"Fanny," as Maria in "The Sound of Music," as Nellie Forbush in "South
Pacific," and as Anna opposite Ricardo Montalban in the production of "The
King and I." Today, she hosts her own national cable talk show, "The
Florence Henderson Show," on the RLTV Network. Henderson’s donation is her
first "People’s Choice" award.
Angela Lansbury
Lansbury was unable to make
her presentation in person and actor Bruce Davidson read a brief statement
in her place. Never to be typecast, she has played an evil mother, innocent
girl, witch, scheming maid, free-spirit, two popular detectives and even a
singing teapot. Lansbury appeared in numerous Hollywood films, Broadway
musicals, television productions, cartoons and even a video game. Her
Broadway appearances were equally diverse and won her four Tony awards ("Mame,"
"Dear World," "Gypsy" and "Sweeney Todd"). Between 1946 and 1995, she won
six Golden Globes, 17 Emmy Awards and was nominated for an Academy Award for
her part in "Gaslight." Her donation includes the typewriter from the
opening title of the long-running TV show "Murder She Wrote" and the bugle
from the musical "Mame." Private collector Stephanie Troulman donated the
costume that Lansbury wore in the finale of that production.
June Lockhart
Lockhart made her screen
debut in MGM’s version of
"A Christmas Carol,"
playing the daughter of stars and real-life parents
Gene and
Kathleen Lockhart. She had
appeared in a dozen or more movies when, in 1947, she had her
Broadway introduction
as the ingénue in the comedy "For Love or Money." The Tony—known then as The
Antoinette Perry Award—she received in the category of Best Newcomer will
join the museum’s collections. Lockhart went on to become one of TV’s most
recognizable moms, co-starring in two popular series
"Lassie" and
"Lost in Space."
Rose Marie
Rose Marie started her
career at the age of 3 by starring in several of the earliest talking films,
beginning with the 1929 short, "Baby Rose Marie the Child Wonder," which
theaters screened before feature films. Rose Marie had a brief Broadway
career in "Top Banana." When she joined the "The Dick Van Dyke Show" as an
original cast member, Rose Marie became a household name. She is the only
original member of the hit game show "Hollywood Squares" to have been part
of all of its reincarnations. As part of a singing and comedy act called "4
Girls 4," she toured extensively with
Rosemary Clooney,
Helen O’Connell and Margaret Whiting and recently released her bestselling
memoirs "Hold The Roses." Rose Marie’s donation includes more then 40
objects, including her trade mark, black hair bow and shoes from her days as
"Baby Rose Marie" on network radio and early talkies.
Julie Newmar
Newmar is known worldwide
for her role as the sultry Catwoman in the hit TV series "Batman" from which
she donated her costume. She also has played the original roles of Stupefyin
Jones in "Lil Abner" and Vera in "Silk Stockings" and was awarded a Tony
Award for her performance as Katrin Sveg in "The Marriage-Go-Round." Newmar
appeared in the sciencefiction series the "Twilight Zone" in 1963 as Miss
Devlin and the actress established an enthusiastic cult following for her
role as Rhoda the Robot in "My Living Doll."
Esther Williams
Williams was a member of
the U.S. Olympic team when World War II began and the games were cancelled.
With her stunning looks and muscular frame, MGM executives soon spotted her
in Billy Rose’s San Francisco Aquacade. Possessing the quintessential
combination of glamour and athleticism, Williams starred in motion pictures,
including "Bathing Beauty," "Neptune’s Daughter" and "Million Dollar
Mermaid." Throughout her film career, she swam more than 1,250 miles in 25
aqua-musicals for MGM, proving that she was not only a champion in the pool
but also at the box office. Throughout her years as an MGM star, the studio
kept enormous scrapbooks, which she has bequeathed to the museum.
Since its opening in 1926,
the Historic El Portal Theatre—first built as a Vaudeville house—became
famous for its Silent Movies and then Academy Award-winning films. As the
premier movie house in the valley, the El Portal Theatre has weathered the
Jazz Age, the Depression, four wars and the great earthquake of 1994.
Rebuilt in the late 90s and reopened in January. 2000, the once 1400-seat
movie palace now houses three theatres: the 42-seat studio theatre, the
95-seat forum and the 360-seat main stage.
The production art (below)
is by Glen Hanson, an internationally acclaimed designer and illustrator,
generously created the program and production artwork for the donation
ceremony. His work has appeared on MTV, Disney TV, in a variety of
publications, (Entertainment Weekly, L’Uomo, Vogue, Variety, The New York
Times), in ads for Sunsilk Shampoo and on the poster for off-Broadway hit
"Altar Boyz." His Web site is at
www.glenhanson.com
All of these donations will
go into the National Museum of American History’s entertainment collections.
The collection includes contain a variety of dazzling artifacts that present
the history of American life through the brightly-colored perspectives of
theater, film, radio, television, puppetry, circuses, carnivals and popular
music. Objects range from costumes to marionettes, theatrical scripts to
commercial recordings, sheet music to carousel figures. The National Museum
of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in
the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history.
Documenting the American experience from Colonial times to the present, the
museum looks at growth and change in the United States. The museum is closed
for major renovations and will re-open in fall 2008. For information about
the museum, please visit http://americanhistory.si.edu or call
Smithsonian Information at (202) 633-1000, (202) 633-5285 (TTY).
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