Gaynor was acclaimed more as an actor and dancer, but she had demonstrated her singing ability - and her great personal appeal - in such films as South Pacific.
While Mitzi had a successful career in Hollywood, she enjoyed a much longer one via her elaborate stage act in Las Vegas and other resorts, and on television.
From her New York Times obituary: "One network appearance made a particularly strong impression: her performance of the Oscar-nominated song 'Georgy Girl' at the 1967 Academy Awards, complete with complex choreography, four male backup dancers in white suits, and a striptease costume change. That led to a decade-long series of Emmy Award-winning variety specials, with titles like 'Mitzi and a Hundred Guys' and 'Mitzi Zings Into Spring.'"
Gaynor produced only two record albums - this one and its Verve follow-up, Mitzi Gaynor Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin. Her singing should be better remembered - it is persuasive.
Mitzi is almost entirely comprised of standards, save for the first song, "Do What You Do," by the Gershwins and Gus Kahn. That number originated with the 1929 Broadway musical Show Girl, where it was introduced by Ruby Keeler and Frank McHugh. Since Gaynor's revival, its most notable appearance has been on Bobby Short's 1973 Gershwin album.
The album also includes "Lazy," which Mitzi sang with Marilyn Monroe and Donald O'Connor in There's No Business Like Show Business (but which dates back to 1924).
On the LP, Mitzi sings with a great deal of personality and involvement, showing that her allure was not solely due to elaborate staging and costuming and her good looks.
There is at least one suggestion that she was not fully aware of her appeal. From the Times obit: "Late in life, Ms. Gaynor talked good-naturedly about Marilyn Monroe ... and Monroe’s success compared with hers. 'I had more talent. I could do more things,' she told The Hollywood Reporter sweetly in a video interview in 2013. But, she acknowledged, 'I wasn’t - sexy.'" OK, sure.
The fine backings on this LP are by Pete King. The record was issued in stereo, but my copy is in excellent mono, which I've enhanced with ambient stereo.
Verve's Promo for Mitzi
The tracks, which are quite short, are designed to lead into songs, and are generic, so they can be used with any of the cuts. Presumably, however, the DJs would have been asked to program the two songs from the LP that were released as a single - "I Won't Dance" and "Cheek to Cheek," both associated with another singer-dancer, Fred Astaire.
LINK to Mitzi and Verve Promo
