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Virginia Gibson

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

Virginia Gibson
Gibson in 1967
Born
Virginia Gorski

(1925-04-09)April 9, 1925
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 2013(2013-04-25) (aged 88)
Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
  • singer
Years active1937–1971

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]

Early years

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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

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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

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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

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

Awards

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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

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Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "VIRGINIA GIBSON Obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved May 2, 2013. http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=90603
  2. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b "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. ^ "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. ^ "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. ^ "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. ^ "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. ^ a b "Virginia Gibson". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  9. ^ a b 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. ^ 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. ^ "Virginia Gibson: Singer, actress and dancer who starred in hit". The Independent. May 20, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  12. ^ a b c d 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. ^ "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. ^ Morning News, January 10, 1948, Who Was Who in America (Vol. 2).
  15. ^ Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, pg. 34, Ideal Publishers.
  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. ^ "("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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