Thursday, March 19, 2009

Happy Birthday, Patricia Morison!

The actress who found her greatest success as Lilli Vanessi in the original production of Kiss Me, Kate turns 94 today. Her other big credit was a replacement Mrs. Anna in The King and I, which she took on tour and revived regionally over the years. Morison was signed to motion pictures as a rival to Dorothy Lamour, but found herself underused and returned to the stage. She lives in retirement in California and from what I hear, is in excellent health and spirits.
Here's a clip of Morison and co-star Alfred Drake singing "Wunderbar" in the 1958 telecast of Kiss Me, Kate.



And here is Morison with Yul Brynner performing "Shall We Dance?" on the 1971 Tony Awards.

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