Jane Powell

Jane Powell (born Suzanne Lorraine Burce; April 1, 1929) is an American singer, dancer and actress who rose to fame in the mid-1940s with roles in various Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals.

Powell was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where she achieved local fame as a singer, touring the state as the Oregon Victory Girl selling victory bonds. As a teenager, she relocated to Los Angeles, California, where she signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Powell's vocal, dancing, and acting talents were utilized for lead and supporting roles in musicals such as A Date with Judy(1948, with friend Elizabeth Taylor), Royal Wedding (1951, with Fred Astaire), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954, with Howard Keel) and Hit the Deck (1955).

Roles (in Idea Wiki Only)
By the late 1950s, her film career slowed, leading her to transition to theatre with performances in various touring shows as well as two Broadway productions. In 1985, Powell relocated with her fifth husband, former child star Dickie Moore (who died in 2015), to New York City and Wilton, Connecticut, where she is occasionally active in local theatre.

MGM contract[edit]
Powell in A Date with Judy (1948).

Within her first few years at MGM, Powell made six films, appeared on radio programs, performed in theatre productions (including The Student Prince)[11] and even sang at the inauguration ball for President Harry S. Truman on January 20, 1949. When not making films, Powell traveled to theaters around the country doing a vaudeville act, which she hated.[12] Powell's second film was Delightfully Dangerous, which she called the "worst movie I've ever made."[2] Holiday in Mexico was her first Technicolor film; her first two films had been black and white.

Powell's charm and spunk made her stand out in her follow-up vehicle, Three Daring Daughters, originally titled The Birds and the Bees,[13]in which she co-starred with Jeanette MacDonald, who took the young performer under her wing. The film proved another hit, and she was given top billing in a string of Joe Pasternak-produced musicals including A Date with Judy (1948) with schoolmate Elizabeth Taylor. She made Luxury Liner (1948), a romantic musical comedy, and Nancy Goes to Rio (1950) with Ann Sothern.

Powell worked side by side with Fred Astaire and Peter Lawford in Royal Wedding (1951), when she was brought in to replace June Allyson, who had become pregnant, and then Judy Garland, who had to withdraw due to personal problems. According to film historian Robert Osborne, in a six-minute scene in the movie, Powell and Astaire match witty banter, sing, and dance in a performance that showcases the actress's energy and talent. "We can also see her comic ability, in that number [3]," Osborne said. "She's hilarious—chewing gum, swinging her hips, and acting like a 'tough broad.' It's too bad MGM didn't capitalize more on her comedic side."[7]

In 1954, Powell starred in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, opposite Howard Keel, which gave her the opportunity to play a more mature character than in previous films. Her other films include: Rich, Young and Pretty (1951), Small Town Girl (1953), Three Sailors and a Girl(1953), Athena (1954), Deep in My Heart (1954), Hit the Deck (1955) and The Girl Most Likely (1957).

Known mainly for musical comedy, Powell appeared in a rare dramatic role in The Female Animal from Universal Pictures in 1958, which turned out to be the final film of co-star Hedy Lamarr. In 1956, Powell recorded a song, "True Love", that rose to 15 on the Billboard charts and 107 on the pop charts for that year, according to the Joel Whitburn compilation. This was her only single to make the charts. Also in 1956, Powell performed the song "I'll Never Stop Loving You" at the 28th Academy Awards.[14]

Reflecting on her work in musical films, Powell said:

Stage roles[edit]
Powell in Three Daring Daughters

Her roles include the touring productions of Unsinkable Molly Brown, Most Happy Fella, The Boy Friend, Brigadoon, The Sound of Music, Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, Carousel, Meet Me in St. Louis, Peter Pan,[16] The Girl Next Door and How She Grew and Irene, in which she made her Broadway debut, following Debbie Reynolds in the title role.[17] Howard Keel and she also appeared on stage together in a revival of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, ''I Do! I Do![17][18] and South Pacific''. Powell also toured in 1964 in a musical review entitled Just 20 Plus Me! It was done to a recorded track and featured Powell with 20 handsome "chorus boys". Asked after the performance if the production was going to be made available on a commercial recording, she said simply, "No." In the early 1980s, she toured in the comedies Same Time, Next Year, The Marriage-Go-Round and Chapter Two. In 1996 and 1997, she appeared in the off-broadway production After-Play. She also performed the role of the Queen in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella at New York City Opera. In 2000, she appeared in the off-Broadway production Avow, for which she received great reviews for a role which showed off her excellent comedic timing.

Radio[edit]

 * 1944 - Powell played the title role in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Screen Guild Theatre on CBS.[32]
 * 1947 - Powell co-starred with Frank Sinatra in Songs by Sinatra.[33]
 * 1952 - Lux Radio Theatre (episode Royal Wedding)[34]

Recordings[edit]

 * 1949 - Romance - Columbia Masterworks LP (ML 2034)[35]
 * 1949 - A Date with Jane Powell - Columbia Masterworks LP (ML 2045)[35]
 * 1956 - Can't We Be Friends? - Verve Records LP (MGV 2023), re-released as a Limited Edition Japanese import CD in a mini-LP slip case in 2004.
 * 2000 - Hansel and Gretel/Alice in Wonderland - Collectables Records CD[35]
 * 2001 - Romance/A Date with Jane Powell - Collectables Records CD (COL-CD-6670 / Sony A-50271)