Sunday 4 September 2011

Mitzi Gaynor: Vintage Style Icon

If you follow Juno Says Hello on Twitter, you might have seen that I often post pictures of vintage style icons on their birthday. Today is a particularly special occasion - gorgeous Mitzi Gaynor turns 80 years old. There are too many lovely photos of her to choose just one, so this birthday gal post has turned into a mini-blog. Enjoy!

Mitzi is an actress and dancer. The camera loved her and she started her career in showbusiness as a chorus girl.


Her dancing was legendary and Mitzi was often given her own TV 'special'. Here she is a program recorded in 1969:



In addition to her dancing career, Mitzi had a column in The Hollywood Reporter for many years.

Some of her routines are wonderfully camp and have no doubt influenced contemporary burlesque performers.

Like fellow dancer Ann-Magret (who tore it up with Elvis in Viva Las Vegas) she had gorgeous red hair.
Mitzi is best known for her role in 1958 movie South Pacific. I remember singing along to this with my mother when I was a little girl...

Mitzi toured her one-woman show, Razzle Dazzle: My Life Behind the Sequins (told you she was camp) in the United States throughout 2009 and 2011, and the show will be continued into 2012.

Many happy returns!