Born January 13, 1925 Stage and Screen Actress Gwen Verdon!
From leg braces to Broadway star (talk about inspirational!) – Gwen Verdon’s mom enrolled her in dance classes as a child to help strengthen her legs due childhood rickets.
“Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets, and little man, little Lola wants you!”
-as Lola in Damn Yankees
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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
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Lovely to see the “Damn Yankees” clip but you might want to mention that Gwen was married to the immensely talented choreographer Bob Fosse. She worked with him and he influenced her dancing. With her talent, I suspect she influenced his work as well.
Verdon was a dance force on Broadway to be reckoned with – she was the original Lola in “Damn Yankees” (reprising the role in the film), the original Charity in “Sweet Charity”, and the original Roxie in “Chicago” on Broadway.
I had the pleasure of meeting this very nice lady at the Los Angeles premiere of “Fosse” at the Ahmanson Theatre in 1998 (the final leg of the pre-Broadway tour). Verdon had broken her foot and was sitting out the first song of the show. We chatted about the show. It is a memory I will treasure.
Thank you so much for posting. I’ve never seen Gwen Verdon on Broadway, but my parents did, and they continue to rave about her…
Very glad to hear that she was a pleasure to meet ant that she spent time talking with you.