Rosemary Clooney | Hollywood Yesterday

Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis on The Colgate Comedy Hour

One of my quirkiest regrets (when it comes to Old Hollywood stars) is that so many aren’t remembered as they “should be” or as they “deserve to be.” Many, especially when they became older, did television and/or commercials and this is how many are remembered by most. If only they had prophetic advisers to tell them to steer clear of commercials. They’re shown so frequently (and right in the comfort of the viewer’s own home!) that the image becomes ingrained.

The only way for us Old Hollywood enthusiasts to counter that is to get more pictures, videos, and information OUT THERE of the stars when they were full of vitality, packed with talent, and beautifully radiant.

When I think about this conundrum, one of the names that always comes to mind is Rosemary Clooney. This actress and singer was very beautiful and talented, and.. could she ever sing?! She absolutely had the voice of an angel.

There’s so much more to her than paper towel commercials!

Rosemary Clooney Trivia:

Rosemary was born and raised in Maysville, Kentucky – she was one of five children.
The street in Maysville – where her parents lived when she was born – was renamed in her honor.
Rosemary and her sister Betty sang at their grandfather’s mayoral election campaigns, which he won three times.
Her big break came in in 1954 when she starred in White Christmas Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Vera-Ellen.
She and then-husband José Ferrer had five children between 1955 and 1960. The marriage was a very tempestuous one and is cited for the cause of her nervous breakdown in 1968. She recovered and returned to work in 1976.
George Clooney is her nephew (he’s the son of Rosemary’s brother Nick Clooney).
Rosemary’s son, Gabriel is married to singer Debby Boone.
Once Rosemary was performing with singer/pianist Michael Feinstein at the Hollywood Bowl. Before taking the stage, they were both noticeably nervous. Expecting Rosemary to give him words of strength and encouragement, Michael Feinstein was shocked when she told him, “Don’t think this ever gets any easier!“
One of her more interesting quotes (and she had a lot of them!) was: “In the final analysis, it’s true that fame is unimportant. No matter how great a man is, the size of his funeral usually depends on the weather.”
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording in Hollywood, California.
She performed annually at the “Rosemary Clooney Music Festival” in her hometown of Maysville, Kentucky.
Beginning in 1980, Rosemary called Augusta, Kentucky home. What a peaceful retreat it must have been from her busy showbiz days!
On October 1st, 2005, her Augusta, Kentucky home was partially transformed into a celebration of her life, The Rosemary Clooney House – a non-profit foundation headed by former Kentucky Lt. Gov Dr. Steve Henry and his wife, former Miss America and Augusta native, Heather French Henry.
After Rosemary Clooney’s death, her children bought the home from the Henrys.
The Rosemary Clooney House has the largest collection of White Christmas memorabilia in the world.
Rosemary Clooney is buried at St. Patrick’s Cemetery near her mother and grandmother in Maysville, Ky.

Below, Rosemary Clooney sings “Hey There.”

Be prepared to become obsessed with this beautiful voice.

Vera-Ellen Trivia:

Vera-Ellen (an only child )was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1921.
Her nickname was “Bunny.”
Vera was painfully shy as a child and, by nine, had developed health problems.
Went to the same Cincinnati ballroom dance studio as a child as Doris Day. Their parents even carpooled together to the dance studio.
When asked about causing a sensation when she wore a form-fitting gold lame sheath to the Oscars in 1958, Vera-Ellen perfectly replied, “Why not? It’s the way Oscar dresses.”
She was a Radio City Rockette (and one of the youngest) but was fired after two weeks because she showed too much individuality on stage.
The beautiful star silently battled anorexia before doctors even understood the condition, let alone how to treat it.
Vera-Ellen co-starred with Donald O’Connor in Call Me Madam (1953). One of her all-time personal favorite dances was in this film. She and the wonderful O’Connor danced to “Something to Dance About,” choreographed by the renowned Robert Alton.
When studios (sadly) began making fewer musicals (in the 1950s), Vera-Ellen began to fade from the public eye.
One of the few actresses to have danced with both Fred Astaire AND Gene Kelly onscreen. Other actresses that are in this exclusive little club include Judy Garland, Cyd Charisse, Rita Hayworth, Debbie Reynolds, and Leslie Caron.
Fred Astaire said about her, “She was a real accomplished dancer, that girl. Ballet, tap dancing, anything you wanted to do.“
During the filming of White Christmas, the costumes were made to cover Vera-Ellen’s neck because, due to anorexia, it appeared much older than her face.
Once said, “Fred Astaire will never say, though he’s always asked, which of his dancing ladies was his favorite partner. If you ask me, he preferred the solo turns.”
The beloved classic White Christmas (1954) is the movie Vera-Ellen is most remembered for. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney were her costars in this iconic Christmas film.
Vera-Ellen apparently was a bit of a bookworm as a child! In her own words, “I was called a bookish child. Mother sent me to a ballet teacher in Cincinnati when I was nine years old. I guess I was an awkward child and the family wanted me to be graceful. When I found out I liked to dance and people seemed to like to watch me, I was determined to go places.”
She enjoys a lasting legacy as one of Hollywood’s finest dancing stars from Musicals’ cherished glory days.