I Was On Stage With Mary Martin

[EdEval]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 1:10pm

Did you have the fortune to play on stage with the great Mary Martin?  Where you a child or young chorus singer or dancer in one of her shows?  Could you tell us a story about it?  Thanks.

Updated On: 8/15/19 at 01:10 PM

[JSquared2]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 2:02pm

You should really change your subject line to something like "Were you on stage with Mary Martin?"

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 5:49pm

Changing my password to MaryMartin.

Updated On: 8/9/23 at 05:49 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 7:18pm

I’m gonna bet most of the people who shared a stage with her, even in her heyday, are at least one foot in the grave if not already long dead

[rosheider]

Posted: 8/16/19 at 12:29am

She was doing stage work as late as 1987, so I'm sure there is someone still lurking around who worked with Miss Martin.  Her tales of working with Ezio Pinza in South Pacific and the sexual harassment she had to endure from him are really quite astounding.  Back then, though, they were troupers, for better or worse.  

[FranklinDickson2018]

Posted: 8/16/19 at 1:19am

rosheider said: "She was doing stage work as late as 1987, so I'm sure there is someone still lurking around who worked with Miss Martin. Her tales of working with Ezio Pinza in South Pacificand the sexual harassment she had to endure from him are really quite astounding. Back then, though, they were troupers, for better or worse."

Mary Martin mentions NOTHING of this in her rather candid autobiography.  Other than that she adored him. Can you please name your source for this?  I have read much about South Pacific (from Martin's point of view)  for a research project and again sexual harassment NEVER MENTIONED. I have NEVER heard anything remotely resembling sexual harassment from Pinza to Mary Martin.  Later on Florence Henderson talked about him at an Encores "talk-back" and she tells funny stories about his exploits with a dancer or two, but nothing even remotely sounding like harassment. (These were young women he was dating.)    Pinza and Martin did have a feud about a radiator in the hallway, but again nothing sexual about that.  Is there really a reputable source for this?   The newer bio on Mary Martin is obsessed with Martin's sexuality and again no references to sexual harassment other than a light-hearted interview she gave in 1950 that Pinza got carried away with his kissing and other comments from different folks about his reputation as a womanizer.   Martin quipped: I would tell Doris (his wife) to ask him to stop kissing me.  Is this really an implication of sexual harassment?  Martin says "we got along absolutely marvelously" which to me says it all.  If there was serious harassment I doubt she would have given the interview, and I doubt she would have been interested in working with him again as she was considering appearing with him in "Fanny."  They also appeared together on TV in 1954. 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 8/16/19 at 2:30am

Yes, the Italian half of my family held him in high esteem and a quick perusal of the 'Net didn't turn up anything.

[joevitus]

Posted: 6/17/20 at 9:33am

FranklinDickson2018 said: "rosheider said: "She was doing stage work as late as 1987, so I'm sure there is someone still lurking around who worked with Miss Martin. Her tales of working with Ezio Pinza in South Pacificand the sexual harassment she had to endure from him are really quite astounding. Back then, though, they were troupers, for better or worse."

Mary Martin mentions NOTHING of this in her rather candid autobiography. Other than that she adored him. Can you please name your source for this? I have read much about South Pacific (from Martin's point of view)for a research project and again sexual harassment NEVER MENTIONED. I have NEVER heard anything remotely resembling sexual harassment from Pinza to Mary Martin. Later on Florence Henderson talked about him at an Encores "talk-back" and she tells funny stories about his exploits with a dancer or two, but nothing even remotely sounding like harassment. (These were young women he was dating.) Pinza and Martin did have a feud about a radiator in the hallway, but again nothing sexual about that. Is there really a reputable source for this?The newer bio on Mary Martin is obsessed with Martin's sexuality and again no references to sexual harassmentother than a light-hearted interview she gave in 1950 that Pinza got carried away with his kissing and other comments from different folks about his reputation as a womanizer. Martin quipped: I would tell Doris (his wife) to ask him to stop kissing me. Is this really an implication of sexual harassment? Martin says "we got along absolutely marvelously" which to me says it all. If there was serious harassment I doubt she would have given the interview, and I doubt she would have been interested in working with him again as she was considering appearing with him in "Fanny." They also appeared together on TV in 1954."

THANK YOU!

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 6/17/20 at 11:45am

rosheider said: "Her tales of working with Ezio Pinza in South Pacificand the sexual harassment she had to endure from him are really quite astounding. Back then, though, they were troupers, for better or worse."

 

Filing this in my NEVER HAPPENED folder.

 

Updated On: 6/17/20 at 11:45 AM

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 6/17/20 at 6:18pm

I once had a book of all her needlepoint that she used to do in her dressing room.

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 6/17/20 at 6:26pm

SweetLips22 said: "I once had a book of all her needlepoint that she used to do in her dressing room."

 

Me, too.  I especially remember a large rug she made in blocks, and then had the blocks stitched together in Hong Kong.  She was very talented.

 

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/17/20 at 6:27pm

I am shocked that Sondra Lee isn't all over this already.

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 6/18/20 at 2:06am

Highland Guy said: "SweetLips22 said: "I once had a book of all her needlepoint that she used to do in her dressing room."



Me, too. I especially remember a large rug she made in blocks, and then had the blocks stitched together in Hong Kong. She was very talented.

Another favourite that inspired my love of stitching[even used to do it on long haul flights when you could take needles on board. And boy, did those hosties love me with all those free drinks.  Even did one in Thai Airlines colours, very abstract, for a steward[of course]. Loved the reactions from my straight passenger neighbour.

Oh sorry, distracted, Kaffe Fassett--a genius in needle craft and colour.

It all links[somehow] in case others are bored with my waffle.

 

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 6/18/20 at 1:59pm

I dunno about it happening to Mary Martin, but Rita Moreno is another who has stories about Ezio Pinza (see here). It's not like people haven't heard about his behavior.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/18/20 at 2:47pm

Pinza's been dead for 63 years. Talk about a foot in the grave-- he clearly has both in his, and his hand isn't going to pop out to haunt us any time soon. Bringing whatever dalliances he took part in-- unwarranted or not-- is even more egregious than making Fosse "pay for his sins" in that fictional bio-series from last year.  

I was hoping this thread would be a nice diversion about someone's recollections of appearing with the eternal Mary Martin. Why did I even bother clicking? Ah well... 

Mary Martin is youth, joy and freedom. Long may she linger in our hearts and memories. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 6/18/20 at 3:08pm

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "I dunno about it happening to Mary Martin, but Rita Moreno is another who has stories about Ezio Pinza (see here). It's not like people haven't heard about his behavior."

I love this clip. Love Rita Moreno. Also love that she speaks well of The King and I in the full interview. 

Updated On: 6/18/20 at 03:08 PM

[fosterfan2]

Posted: 12/8/20 at 6:25pm

I've loved Rita Moreno from the first time I heard her on the WSS film soundtrack. The film came out a few years before I was born,but fortunately my musical theater-loving parents played the record a lot in our house. I've seen the film many times as a teen and adult. I've also seen Moreno on talk shows and she's very funny and entertaining.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/11/20 at 1:17pm

Being too scared to come forward about sexual harassment and fight it because society has long told women to deal with it doesn’t make someone “a trooper”.

[jadewick]

Posted: 12/14/20 at 4:22am

I was hoping this thread would be a nice diversion about someone's recollections of appearing with the eternal Mary Martin. Why did I even bother clicking

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 1/18/21 at 12:54pm

Considering the young woman who played Liesl in the original Broadway production is still alive, it isn't out of the question that there are still those out there who shared the stage with Martin.  Now, you just have to get them on Broadway World.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 1:39pm

Rossano Brazzi (from the South Pacific movie) was also a great womanizer. Mitzi Gaynor had a rough time until his wife showed up on set (swathed in furs--and the movie was filmed in Hawaii)

[Ensemble1691557786]

Posted: 8/9/23 at 6:13am

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 8/9/23 at 9:53pm

Mary would have celebrated her 100th birthday on Dec 1 of this year. 
 

South Pacific was the first show I ever saw. My grandmother took me when I was 4 or 5. (Thus I was raised on musicals). Mary’s role as Nellie had recently been taken over by Martha Wright).