Truth about the 1973 death of Irene Ryan (and "Pippin" love thread)- Page 4

[bradactor]

Posted: 2/21/13 at 5:33am

This was posted way back and I found it in my hotmail folders:
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre.musicals
From: [e-mail] (Shipshe)
Date: 1996/08/15
Subject: Answering PIPPIN questions

To set the record straight on several of the questions in a recent string:
The PIPPIN video was made in Canada expressly as a video, although it was
performed in front of an audience because there was so much "relating" to
the audience in that show. The video cast never toured or did the show
anywhere else. There was no album ever released as far as I know.
Someone put a "?" after Eric Berry's name, who played my pop Charlemagne
in the original company. He ws a very distinguished British actor who died
just about two years ago out here in California. He played his role for
the full five-year run on Broadway, and then did the entire National Tour.
PIPPIN bought him his country house and his beloved dog. One of the scary
joys of doing the show was the suspense about what he would actually say
during his number "War Is A Science"!!
Dear Irene Ryan did NOT die during a performance. Nor did she finish her
contract. Here's the true story:
Irene was lonely in New York City. She missed her life and her friends in
LA where she had lived for many years, and the cold winter and the
eight-show schedule undermined her spirit somewhat. But, trouper that she
was, she never missed a performance. However, I started to notice that she
was beginning to look weak, or listless. I sat and watched her big number
on stage every night, and I saw that she began to cut down on her moves,
and to generally diminish the amazing energy that she would normally put
out every time (on opening night, she stopped the show cold, and I had to
stand there for about eight minutes waiting for the applause to die down
before I could go on!). One Saturday matinee, she looked particularly
drained, and I got worried that she might be sick. I was having dinner
with Fosse at my house between shows; so I went to Ben Vereen and asked
him to contact Stuart Ostrow (the producer) and have him come to the
evening show, and I would ask Bob to do the same. I told Bob that I
thought perhaps Irene needed a vacation, even though contractually she
didn't have one coming for some months; it might do her good to go to
California for a while, and then finish up her contract when the weather
was warmer. Bob said he'd take a look at her in the next day or two.
When I returned to the Imperial for the evening show, the call had just
come through from Kennedy airport: Irene was on a plane to Los Angeles.
She had had her bags packed before the matinee, and right after the show,
with the help of Walter Willison, my friend and standby, she had left for
the airport right after the afternoon performance. Her standby, Lucie
Lancaster, went on that night, and then continued to play the part until
Dorothy Stickney took over some weeks later.
Irene, upon landing in LA, was taken right to the hospital, diagnosed with
malnutrition!! We all called and sent her cards and love and wishes to get
better fast, but she basically wasted away over the next few days. I
belive she actually died about three days later of some kind of heart
failure.
I have always thought that her behavior was like that of an old cat, who
curls up under the bed and goes to sleep and just doesn't wake up. Irene
knew (either consciously or not) that it was her "time". She stuck with
her job as long as she could, and then, without fanfare, went home to die.

[bradactor]

Posted: 2/21/13 at 5:36am

The message I posted was from a reply by John Rubenstein, the original Pippin in the musical. He use to post on the google group rec.arts.theatre.musicals as Shipshe
Hope this message helps answer the question posed.

[bradactor]

Posted: 2/21/13 at 5:53am

I just posted the same message without reading what had already been posted. Sorry about that. I think it is the truth.

[edelsohn]

Posted: 4/30/13 at 1:29pm

Walter Willison, John Rubinstein's understudy for Pippin, posted the following on YouTube in 2011:

"From her the first preview performance in "PIPPIN" at The Kennedy Center to Opening Night on Broadway, which landed her a Motown recording contract the next day [at the time of her passing, under the guidance of producer Bob Crew, she had recorded half the songs for the unreleased album; two tracks, Stephen Schwartz' "No Time At All" and "Time" by Bob Crew, were released on 45 and became number one singles], to her final matinee six-months later, Irene literally stopped the show eight times a week, receiving the kind of tumultuous, five minute ovations reserved for only our most beloved stage performers. Three days after receiving her Tony Award nomination, though undetected by the audience, she suffered a stroke on stage during her final Saturday matinee performance. That evening she flew to Los Angeles and returned to her home in Santa Monica for one last day before being hospitalized that Monday, and operated on for a brain tumor a few days later. She watched the 1973 Tony Awards from her hospital bed, and passed away the following week. on April 26, 1973, just a month after her final Broadway performance." [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8z-qTG-Yt4]

The description above is the most plausible one that I have read and ties together the various rumors in a reasonable way. It is consistent with John Rubinstein's description. As Mr. Rubinstein wrote, Mr. Willison was the person who apparently helped her get to the airport and may have helped her pack.

In summary, she suffered a stroke *on stage* during the Saturday matinee performance. The audience probably did not realize it and Mr. Rubinstein only noticed that she looked drained. She immediately flew back to Los Angeles that evening, was hospitalized on Monday, and died a few weeks later.
Irene Ryan on The Hollywood Palace with explanation about her stroke and death.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 4/30/13 at 4:18pm

Thanks, guys, for the specific accounts.

[Paul W. Thompson]

Posted: 4/30/13 at 5:50pm

I had seen John Rubinstein's post from the 90s, but I didn't know about Walter Willison's statement until just now. And yes, it does seem like it ties things up nicely. As the OP on this thread, I am grateful that the urban legend I heard growing up with an eye on the theater was indeed remembered by others. And I'm glad we have laid it to rest, with the truth about her amazing performance and sad decline here for all to see. When I started this thread, I certainly didn't know that a Broadway revival would finally come to pass! But yes, the show has never been dated in my eyes, and I always hoped that others felt the same way. RIP Miss Ryan.

Watching your flings be flung all over
Makes me feel young all over
In just no time at all...

[Paul W. Thompson]

Posted: 7/26/13 at 7:03pm

Just to add a bit of clarity to the tale: the 1973 Tony Awards took place on Sunday, March 25, 1973, 15 days after we believe Miss Ryan left the production, and 32 days before her death. The show took place at the Imperial Theatre, where "Pippin" had opened the previous fall. On the broadcast, Ben Vereen and company performed "Magic To Do," which means that the legendary light wall of hands seen on the broadcast videotape must have been the real one used every night during performances!

Updated On: 7/26/13 at 07:03 PM

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 5/21/18 at 6:30pm

Updated On: 5/21/18 at 06:30 PM

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 5/21/18 at 8:04pm

I ran across this rare recording of Irene Ryan and remembered this thread.

No Time At All.

Turns out they did have small (enough) audio recorders at the time, and that PIPPIN still had another run in it. The applause at the end is astonishing, well over a minute. Did she stop the show like this 8 shows a week?

[Kristie-K2]

Posted: 5/21/18 at 8:44pm

Thanks...I Loved it....

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Posted: 5/21/18 at 8:46pm

ghostlight2 said: "I ran across this rare recording of Irene Ryan and remembered this thread.

No Time At All.

Turns out they did have small (enough) audio recorders at the time, and thatPIPPIN still had another run in it. The applause at the end is astonishing, well over a minute. Did she stop the show like this 8 shows a week?"

Thanks for that.  What great memories.  I can’t speak for all 8 shows per week, but she certainly stopped the show both times I saw it.  It was the perfect marriage of performer, role, and performance.  And it helped that she was a beloved TV star from a show that lasted forever.  

For years all the actresses playing Berthe did it in the style of Irene Ryan, in other words as a woman who was much older than the 66 years she sings about.  In fact, many regional productions I saw changed the lyric to 86.  It was only in the most recent revival that the original lyric made sense.  

And thanks for resurrecting this thread.  It’s one of my favorites on BWW.  I remember the announcement of her death in the New York Times and the mystery surrounding it as if it were yesterday.

[mikey2573]

Posted: 5/21/18 at 10:41pm

"Turns out they did have small (enough) audio recorders at the time,"

I know of several audio recordings that predate this PIPPIN recording by close to a decade.  There is an audio of the pre-Broadway tour of OLIVER!, the final performance of the Original Broadway Cast of CAMELOT, of course most are familiar with the Streisand FUNNY GIRL recording, as well as Merman in GYPSY.  Those would all be from the 60s.  Are there any older than that? 

[ABitOnTheSide]

Posted: 5/22/18 at 12:59pm

I have nothing to add but this has been an excellent thread. Thanks for bumping. I just totally wasted an hour at work.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 5/22/18 at 1:54pm

A reminder of the way things used to be.

What a great thread!