Virginia_Gibson

Virginia Gibson

Virginia Gibson

American actress (1925–2013)

This article is about the actress. For the singer, who in the early 1950s, recorded for MGM Records, see Ginny Gibson.

Virginia Gibson (born Virginia Gorski; April 9, 1925 – April 25, 2013) was an American dancer, singer and actress of film, television and musical theater.[1]

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Early years

Gibson was born on April 9, 1925, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was of Polish and Irish lineage[2] and graduated from St. Alphonsus Parochial School.[3]

Career

Gibson started her career in musicals in her hometown of St. Louis. In 1937, she was one of 35 girls chosen for the St. Louis Opera Company's ballet productions.[4] She danced in the chorus of a production of The Student Prince there in 1940,[5] and in 1943 she was part of the dancing chorus of the summer season of the Muny Opera.[6] In the fall of 1943, she was one of three dancers from that group to sign contracts to perform in Roll Up Your Sleeves on Broadway.[7] She used her birth name on Broadway through 1949.[8] In 1947, she returned to perform at the Muny Opera as the star of No, No, Nanette.[3]

Gibson was signed by Warner Bros. in 1950[9] and made her film debut in Tea for Two (1950).[10] Billed as a starlet, she was a member of a group of Hollywood actors who traveled across the country in 1951-1952 promoting the 50th anniversary of movie theaters. With Roscoe Ates and Charles Starrett, she toured eastern Oklahoma greeting the public. In Hollywood, she played supporting or leading roles in a number of Warner Bros. musicals. Her most famous film role was Liza in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954).[11] Warner Bros. elected to not renew her contract option. Gibson later said: "There are just so many musicals, and they had Doris Day. And who can shine in comparison to her vivacity?"[9]

Vincent Gardenia, Gibson, and Val Avery in "Sound of Violence", a 1959 episode of the anthology series Armstrong Circle Theatre

On television, Gibson was a regular on Captain Billy's Showboat (1948).[12] She also starred in So This Is Hollywood (1955).[12]: 987  She was a regular performer on The Johnny Carson Show (1955–56).[12]: 540  In 1956, she returned to Broadway to play Ethel Merman's daughter in the musical Happy Hunting. She then became one of the stars of Your Hit Parade,[12]: 1209  one of the most popular TV shows of the 1950s, for one season. She had a three-month stint as a jazz singer on the TV version of Young Doctor Malone. From 1962 to 1971, she cohosted (with Frank Buxton[2] and later Bill Owen) the ABC-TV children's documentary program Discovery.[2]

Gibson also appeared in commercials for a cake mixes, cameras, candy bars, detergents and various soap products, hair sprays and paper towels.[13]

When her performing career ended, Gibson taught at the HB Studio in New York.[8]

Personal life

Gibson never married or had any children. She adhered to Roman Catholicism[14] and was a lifelong Republican who supported Dwight Eisenhower during the 1952 presidential election.[15]

Death

On April 25, 2013, Gibson died in Newtown, Pennsylvania[16] at the age of 88.

Awards

In 1957, Gibson was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Beth Livingstone in Happy Hunting.[17]

Theatrical appearances

Filmography

References

  1. [1]
    "VIRGINIA GIBSON Obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved May 2, 2013. http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=90603
  2. [2]
    Harris, Harry (July 7, 1963). "Virginia Gibson Profits From 'Sweet Young Thing' Image". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. p. Programs and Personalities p 2. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. [3]
    "Chorus Girl In '43 Coming Back As Muny Opera Star". The St. Louis Star and Times. Missouri, St. Louis. May 13, 1947. p. 12. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. [4]
    "35 Ballet Girls Chosen for St. Louis Operas". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Missouri, St. Louis. October 11, 1937. p. 21. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. [5]
    "Dancing Chorus in 'The Student Prince'". The St. Louis Star and Times. Missouri, St. Louis. October 21, 1940. p. 15. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. [6]
    "These Complete the Dancing Chorus". The St. Louis Star and Times. Missouri, St. Louis. May 12, 1943. p. 17. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. [7]
    "Kid Regan's Column". The St. Louis Star and Times. Missouri, St. Louis. October 13, 1943. p. 19. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. [8]
    "Virginia Gibson". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  9. [9]
    Standish, Myles (July 27, 1958). "Pert Gibson Girl -- Virgniia, That Is". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Missouri, St. Louis. p. 4 G. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. [10]
    Kimbrough, Mary (January 8, 1952). "A Fan Letter From Joan Crawford". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Missouri, St. Louis. p. 3 C. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. [11]
    "Virginia Gibson: Singer, actress and dancer who starred in hit". The Independent. May 20, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  12. [12]
    Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  13. [13]
    "Virginia Gibson's Image". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. July 7, 1963. p. Programs and Personalities p 4. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. [14]
    Morning News, January 10, 1948, Who Was Who in America (Vol. 2).
  15. [15]
    Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, pg. 34, Ideal Publishers.
  16. [16]
    Lentz, Harris M. III (2014). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2013. McFarland. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-7864-7665-7. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  17. [17]
    "("Virginia Gibson" search results)". Tony Awards. American Theatre Wing. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
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