Description: These are three original Associated Press wire photos plus an original invitation to a "Some Enchanted Evening" fundraiser at Larry Hagman's famous estate, called "Heaven." 1. 7x11-inch photo of Mary Martin and her son Larry Hagman at the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium. It was the first time they had appeared together onstage since the 1950s when Martin was in South Pacific. 1980? 2. 8x10-inch photo of Mary Martin, Larry Hagman and Carol Channing in Los Angeles after the opening of "Legends" at the Dorothy Chandler Music Center Pavilion. 1986. 3. Larry Hagman and wife Maj and the mother Mary Martin at the wedding of daughter Heidi Kristina to Brian Blount at Hagman's Malibu home in 1983. 4. The invitation is a for a fundraiser benefit Rubicon Theater Company in Ventura, California. I was sent out by Maj and Larry Hagman and features a photo of Mary Martin in South Pacific on the cover. It measures 5x7 inches and comes with the original envelope and the original return mailing envelope. These images were transmitted electronically and then printed out on special thermal printers in the newsroom. Like all AP photos of this ilk, they have a sepia tone to them that converts to a lovely black and white when scanned. BACKGROUND Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (1949), the title character in Peter Pan (1954), and Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1959). She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989. She was the mother of actor Larry Hagman. Early life Martin was born in Weatherford, Texas. Her autobiography described her childhood as secure and happy.[1] She had close relationships with both of her parents as well as her siblings. As a young actress Martin had an instinctive ear for recreating musical sounds.[citation needed] Martin's father, Preston Martin, was a lawyer, and her mother, Juanita Presley, was a violin teacher.[2] Although the doctors told Juanita that she would risk her life if she attempted to have another baby, she was determined to have a boy. Instead, she had Mary, who became a tomboy.[citation needed] Martin's family had a barn and orchard that kept her entertained. She played with her elder sister Geraldine (whom she called "Sister"), climbing trees and riding ponies. Martin adored her father. "He was tall, good-looking, silver-haired, with the kindest brown eyes. Mother was the disciplinarian, but it was Daddy who could turn me into an angel with just one look."[2]: 19 Martin, who said "I'd never understand the law"[2]: 19 began singing every Saturday night at a bandstand that was near the courtroom where her father worked. She sang in a trio with her sister and Marion Swofford, all three in bellhop costumes. "Even in those days, without microphones, my high piping voice carried all over the square. I have always thought that I inherited my carrying voice from my father."[2]: 19 She remembered having a photographic memory as a child. School tests were not a problem, and learning songs was easy. She had her first experience of singing solo at a fire hall, where she felt the crowd's appreciation. "Sometimes I think that I cheated my own family and my closest friends by giving to audiences so much of the love I might have kept for them. But that's the way I was made; I truly don't think I could help it."[2]: 20 Martin's craft was developed by seeing movies and becoming a mimic. She would win prizes for looking, acting and dancing like Ruby Keeler and singing exactly like Bing Crosby. "Never, never, never can I say I had a frustrating childhood. It was all joy. Mother used to say she never had seen such a happy child — that I awakened each morning with a smile. I don't remember that, but I do remember that I never wanted to go to bed, to go to sleep, for fear I'd miss something."[2]: 20 Marriage During high school, Martin dated Benjamin Hagman before she left to attend finishing school at Ward–Belmont in Nashville, Tennessee. In Nashville she enjoyed imitating Fanny Brice at singing gigs, but she found school dull and felt confined by its strict rules. She was homesick for Weatherford, her family and Hagman. During a visit, Mary and Benjamin persuaded Mary's mother to allow them to marry.[3]: 16 She was legally married on November 3, 1930, at Grace Episcopal Church (Hopkinsville, Kentucky).[4] 10 months later, pregnant with her first child (Larry Hagman) she was forced to leave Ward–Belmont. She was, however, happy to begin her new life, but she soon learned that this life as she would later say was nothing but "role playing".[2]: 39 Their honeymoon was at her parents' house, and Martin's dream of life with a family and a white-picket fence faded. "I was 17, a married woman without real responsibilities, miserable about my mixed-up emotions, afraid there was something awfully wrong with me because I didn't enjoy being a wife. Worst of all, I didn't have enough to do." (p. 39) It was "Sister" who came to her rescue, suggesting that she should teach dance. "Sister" taught Martin her first real dance—the waltz clog. Martin perfectly imitated her first dance move, and she opened a dance studio. Here, she created her own moves, imitated the famous dancers she watched in the movies and taught "Sister's" waltz clog. As she later recalled, "I was doing something I wanted to do—creating."[2]: 44 Apprenticeship Wanting to learn more moves, Martin went to California to attend the dance school at the Franchon and Marco School of the Theatre and then opened her own dance studio in Mineral Wells, Texas. She was given a ballroom studio with the premise that she would sing in the lobby every Saturday. There, she learned how to sing into a microphone and how to phrase blues songs. One day at work, she accidentally walked into the wrong room, where auditions were being held. They asked her in what key she would like to sing "How Red the Rose, How Blue the Sky". Having absolutely no idea what her key was, she sang regardless and got the job.[citation needed] Returning to California, Martin was hired to sing "How Red the Rose" at the Fox Theater in San Francisco followed by a gig at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles. There was one catch: she had to sing in the wings. She scored her first professional gig unaware that she would soon be center stage.[citation needed] Soon after, Martin learned that her studio in Texas had been burned down by a man who thought dancing was a sin.[3]: 24 She began to express her unhappiness. Her father gave her advice, saying she was too young to be married. Martin left everything behind including her young son, Larry, and stayed in Los Angeles while her father handled her divorce from Benjamin Hagman for her. In Los Angeles, Martin plunged herself into auditions—so many that she became known as "Audition Mary". Her first professional audition and job was on a national radio network.[3]: 26–29, 31 Among Martin's first auditions, she sang "Indian Love Call". After she finished the song, "a tall, craggly man who looked like a mountain" told Martin that he thought she had something special. It was Oscar Hammerstein II[2]: 58–59 This marked the start of her career. Radio Martin began her radio career in 1939 as the vocalist on a short-lived revival of The Tuesday Night Party on CBS. In 1940, she was a singer on NBC's Good News of 1940, which was renamed Maxwell House Coffee Time during that year.[5] In 1942, she joined the cast of Kraft Music Hall on NBC, replacing Connie Boswell.[6] She was also one of the stars of Stage Door Canteen on CBS, 1942–1945.[5] BroadwayMartin in promotional photo for the original production of The Sound of Music Martin was cast in Cole Porter's Leave It to Me!, making her Broadway debut in November 1938 in that production. She became popular on Broadway and received attention in the national media singing the spoof striptease song "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". With that one song in the second act, she became a star 'overnight'.[3]: 41 Martin reprised the song in Night and Day, a Hollywood film about Cole Porter, in which she played herself auditioning for Porter (Cary Grant). "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" catapulted her career and became very special to Martin—she even sang it to her ailing father in his hospital bed while he was in a coma. Martin did not learn immediately that her father had died. Headlines read "Daddy Girl Sings About Daddy as Daddy Dies". Because of the show's demanding schedule, Martin was unable to attend her father's funeral.[3]: 44–45 In 1943 she starred in the new Kurt Weill musical One Touch of Venus and then Lute Song in 1946.[7] As nurse Nellie Forbush, Martin opened on Broadway in South Pacific on April 7, 1949. Her performance was called "memorable ... funny and poignant in turns", and she earned a Tony Award.[8] Richard Watts Jr. of the New York Post wrote: "nothing I have ever seen her do prepared me for the loveliness, humor, gift for joyous characterization, and sheer lovableness of her portrayal of Nellie Forbush .... Hers is a completely irresistible performance."[9] She opened in the West End production on November 1, 1951. Her next major success was in the role of Peter in the Broadway production of Peter Pan in October 1954 with Martin winning the Tony Award. Martin opened on Broadway in The Sound of Music as Maria on November 16, 1959, and stayed in the show until October 1961. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The musical gave Martin "the chance to display her homespun charm".[8] In 1966, she appeared on Broadway in the two-person musical I Do! I Do! with Robert Preston and was nominated for the Tony Award (Leading Actress in a Musical). A national tour with Preston began in March 1968 but was canceled early due to Martin's illness. Martin portraying Peter Pan on stage, in 1954 Although she appeared in nine films between 1938 and 1943, she was generally passed over for the filmed version of the musical plays. She herself once explained that she did not enjoy making films because she did not have the connection with an audience that she had in live performances. The closest that she ever came to preserving her stage performances was her television appearances as Peter Pan. The Broadway production from 1954 was subsequently performed on NBC television in RCA's compatible color in 1955, 1956, and 1960. Martin also preserved her 1957 stage performance as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun when NBC television broadcast the production live that year. While Martin did not enjoy making films, she frequently appeared on television. Her last feature film appearance was a cameo as herself in MGM's Main Street to Broadway in 1953.[10] Martin made an appearance in 1980 in a Royal Variety Performance in London performing "Honeybun" from South Pacific. Martin appeared in the play Legends with Carol Channing in a one-year US national tour opening in Dallas on January 9, 1986.[3]: 272–278 Awards and honorsStar for Recording on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street, Hollywood: She also has one for Radio at 6609 Hollywood Blvd. Martin was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1973.[11] She received the Kennedy Center Honors, an annual honor for career achievements, in 1989. She received the Donaldson Award in 1943 for One Touch of Venus. A Special Tony Award was presented to her in 1948 while she appeared in the national touring company of Annie Get Your Gun for "spreading theatre to the rest of the country while the originals perform in New York." In 1955 and 1956, she received, first, a Tony Award for Peter Pan, and then an Emmy for appearing in the same role on television. She also received Tonys for South Pacific and in 1959 for The Sound of Music. In September 1963, a statue of Peter Pan dedicated to her was unveiled in Weatherford, donated by the Peter Pan Peanut Butter Company.[12] Personal life After Martin's 1936 divorce from Benjamin Hagman, she married Richard Halliday in 1940.[13] Early in their marriage, he worked as a drama critic for the New York World-Telegram and a movie critic for the New York Daily News. Eventually, Halliday became producer or co-producer of at least two of Martin's projects. In the early 1970s, the couple lived, according to his March 1973 obituary in the Connecticut Sunday Herald,[14] "on a vast ranch they own near Anápolis" in the state of Goiás, Brazil. The ranch was called "Nossa Fazenda Halliday" (Our Halliday Farm). Martin was called Dona Maria by people in the vicinity of the Brazilian ranch.[14] Cultural scholar Lillian Faderman wrote that Martin and actress Janet Gaynor often traveled together along with Halliday and with Gaynor's husband.[15] Gaynor and her husband discovered Anápolis in 1950, soon after, Martin and her husband visited.[16] Martin and Janet Gaynor had adjoining ranches near Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil.[17] On the evening of September 5, 1982, Martin, Janet Gaynor, Gaynor's husband Paul Gregory, and Martin's manager Ben Washer were involved in a serious car crash in San Francisco.[18][19] A van ran a red light at the corner of California and Franklin streets and crashed into the Luxor taxicab in which the group was riding, knocking it into a tree. Washer was killed, Martin sustained two broken ribs and a broken pelvis, and Gaynor's husband suffered two broken legs. Gaynor sustained several serious injuries.[18][19] The driver of the van was arrested on two counts of felony drunk driving, reckless driving, speeding, running a red light, and vehicular homicide. On March 15, 1983, he was found guilty of drunk driving and vehicular homicide and was sentenced to three years in prison. Gaynor died two years later from complications from her injuries.[20][21] Martin was a Democrat and supported Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.[22] Martin's sexuality has long been a topic of debate.[23][24] In 1979, Patsy Kelly told Boze Hadleigh that Martin was a lesbian.[25] In 2016, biographer David Kaufman stated that Halliday served as "[Martin's] husband, her best friend, her gay/straight 'cover,'" [26] while in 2019, The Advocate stated that Martin "simply [was the subject of] a lifetime of lavender rumors."[27] DeathPeter Pan statue in Martin's hometown of Weatherford in Parker County, Texas Martin died of cancer at age 76 at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, on November 3, 1990.[28][29] She is buried in City Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford, Texas.[30] Larry Martin Hagman (September 21, 1931 – November 23, 2012) was an American film and television actor, director, and producer, best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera Dallas, and the befuddled astronaut Major Anthony Nelson in the 1965–1970 sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. Hagman had supporting roles in numerous films, including Fail-Safe, Harry and Tonto, S.O.B., Nixon, and Primary Colors. His television appearances also included guest roles on dozens of shows spanning from the late 1950s until his death, and a reprise of his signature role on the 2012 revival of Dallas. Hagman also worked as a television producer and director. He was the son of actress Mary Martin. Hagman underwent a life-saving liver transplant in 1995. He died on November 23, 2012, from complications of acute myeloid leukemia.[1][2] Early life Hagman was born on September 21, 1931, in Fort Worth, Texas.[3] His mother, Mary Martin, became a Broadway actress and musical comedy star after his birth. His father, Benjamin Jackson Hagman, who was of Swedish descent, was an accountant and lawyer who worked as a district attorney.[4][5][6] Hagman's parents divorced in 1936 when he was five years old. He lived with his maternal grandmother, Juanita Presley Martin, in Texas and California, while his mother became a contract player with Paramount in 1938. In 1940, Hagman's mother met and married Richard Halliday before giving birth to a daughter, Heller, the following year.[7] Hagman attended a strict academy, Black-Foxe Military Institute, and briefly Woodstock Country School, a boarding school in Vermont.[8] When his mother moved to New York City to resume her Broadway career, Hagman again lived with his grandmother in California.[9] A few years later, his grandmother died, so Hagman joined his mother in New York City. In 1946, Hagman moved back to his hometown of Weatherford, and attended Weatherford High School, from which he graduated. One summer, he worked for oilfield-equipment maker Antelope Tool Company. Although his father wanted Hagman to become a lawyer and join his practice,[9] he was drawn to drama classes and reportedly fell in love with the stage. He graduated from high school in 1949, and decided to pursue acting.[9] He attended Bard College, New York, majoring in dance and drama, but dropped out after one year.[10] Career Hagman began his career in 1950 acting in productions at Margaret Webster's school at the Woodstock Playhouse in Woodstock, New York.[11] That summer, during a break from his one year at Bard College, he worked in Dallas as a production assistant and acting in small roles in Margo Jones's theater company. He appeared in The Taming of the Shrew in New York City, followed by numerous tent show musicals with St. John Terrell's Music Circus in St. Petersburg, Florida and Lambertville, New Jersey. In 1951, Hagman appeared in the London production of South Pacific with his mother and stayed in the show for nearly a year. In 1952, Hagman received his draft notice and enlisted in the United States Air Force.[12] Stationed in London, he spent the majority of his military service entertaining U.S. troops in the United Kingdom and at bases in Europe.[13] After leaving the Air Force in 1956, Hagman returned to New York City, where he appeared in the off-Broadway play Once Around the Block, by William Saroyan. That was followed by nearly a year in another off-Broadway play, James Lee's Career. His Broadway debut occurred in 1958 in Comes a Day. Hagman appeared in four other Broadway plays, God and Kate Murphy, The Nervous Set, The Warm Peninsula and The Beauty Part.[14] During this period, he also appeared in numerous, mostly live, television programs. Hagman's first television role was as Kenneth Davidson in the 1957 episode "Saturday Lost" of the syndicated crime drama, Decoy, starring Beverly Garland as the first female police officer in a television lead. In 1958, he joined Barbara Bain as a guest star in the short-lived adventure-drama series Harbormaster and appeared three times on Lloyd Bridges' syndicated adventure series, Sea Hunt. In 1960, he was cast in the CBS summer medical series Diagnosis: Unknown in the role of Don Harding in the episode, "The Case of the Radiant Wine". In 1961, Hagman joined the cast of daytime soap opera The Edge of Night as Ed Gibson and stayed in that role for two years. In 1963 and 1964, he appeared twice in segments of the CBS legal drama, The Defenders[15] In 1964, he made his film debut in Ensign Pulver, the sequel to 1955's Mister Roberts. That same year, he also appeared in the Cold War thriller Fail Safe. I Dream of JeannieHagman and Barbara Eden on I Dream of Jeannie (1965) In 1965, Hagman was cast as "genie" Barbara Eden's master and eventual love interest, Air Force Captain (later Major) Anthony Nelson, in the NBC situation comedy I Dream of Jeannie, which ran for five seasons from 1965 to 1970.[16] The show entered the top 30 in its first year and was NBC's answer to the successful 1960s magical comedies, Bewitched on ABC and My Favorite Martian on CBS. Two reunion movies were later made, both televised on NBC: I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later (1985) and I Still Dream of Jeannie (1991), but Hagman did not appear in either of them. At Dragon Con, in 2010, Hagman said he was never approached about it.[17] In 1999, after 29 years, Hagman agreed to reunite with Jeannie co-stars Barbara Eden and Bill Daily and creator/producer Sidney Sheldon on The Donny and Marie Show. In 2002, when I Dream of Jeannie was set to join the cable channel TV Land, Hagman once again took part in a reunion with Eden and Daily, this time on Larry King Live. On the TV Land Awards in March 2004, Hagman and Eden were the first presenters to reunite on stage. The following October, Hagman and Daily appeared at the Ray Courts Hollywood Autograph Show. And the following year, 2005, brought all three surviving stars from I Dream of Jeannie to the first cast reunion at the Chiller Expo Show.[18] Hagman and Eden reunited in March 2006 for a publicity tour in New York City to promote the first-season DVD of I Dream of Jeannie. He reunited once again with Eden on stage in the play Love Letters at the College of Staten Island in New York and the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. The appearance marked the first time the two performers had acted together since Eden appeared with Hagman in a five-episode arc on Dallas in 1990.[19][20] Dallas In 1978, Hagman was offered two roles on two television series that were debuting. One was for The Waverly Wonders and the other for Dallas, in the role of conniving elder son and businessman J.R. Ewing. When Hagman read the Dallas script at his wife's suggestion, they both concluded it was perfect for him. Hagman based his portrayal in part on Jess Hall Jr., the owner of Antelope Tool and Supply Company, where Hagman had worked as a young man.[9] Dallas became a worldwide success, airing in 90 countries, most notably the United Kingdom,[21] where it was enjoyed even by members of the country's royal family,[22] and led to several successful primetime spin-offs.[23] Hagman became one of the best-known television stars of the era. Producers were keen to capitalize on that love/hate family relationship of J.R., building anticipation to a fever pitch in "A House Divided", the 1980 cliffhanger season finale in which J.R. is shot by an unknown assailant, leading to the world-wide "Who shot J.R.?" phenomenon.[24] At the beginning of the fourth season[25] later that year, audience and actors were trying to guess "Who shot J.R.?", now one of fictional TV's most famous questions. During the media buildup, Hagman was involved in contract negotiations, delaying his return in the fourth season. Holding out for a higher salary, Hagman did not appear in the first episode of the show until the final few minutes. Producers were faced with a dilemma of whether to pay the greatly increased salary or to write J.R. out of the program. Lorimar Productions, the makers of the series, began shooting different scenes of Dallas that did not include Hagman. In the midst of negotiations, Hagman took his family to London for their July vacation.[9] He continued to fight for his demands and network executives conceded that they wanted J.R. to remain on Dallas. From then on, Hagman became one of the highest-paid stars in television. At the beginning of the 1980–81 season, writers were told to keep the storylines away from the actors until they really found out who actually shot J.R. and three weeks passed until the culprit was revealed on November 21, 1980, in a ratings record-breaking episode. For his performance as J.R. Ewing, Hagman was nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1980 and 1981, but did not win. He was also nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, between 1981 and 1985. He was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest award seven times for Outstanding Villain on a Prime Time Serial, Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial, Favorite Super Couple: Prime Time and Outstanding Actor in a Comic Relief Role on a Prime Time Serial and won five times. Hagman received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement from Academy member Ray Lee Hunt at the 1981 Achievement Summit in Dallas.[26] In 1984, co-star Barbara Bel Geddes left Dallas, following a contract dispute that had resulted from her March 1983 quadruple heart bypass surgery. At one point, Hagman suggested to his real-life mother Mary Martin that she play Miss Ellie, but she rejected the suggestion and Bel Geddes was briefly replaced by Donna Reed for the 1984–1985 season, before Bel Geddes returned in better health for the 1985–1986 season. By the end of its 14th season in 1991, ratings had slipped to the extent that CBS decided to end Dallas. Hagman was the only actor to appear in all 357 episodes. He had also made five guest appearances on the Dallas spin-off series Knots Landing in the early 1980s. Some years after Dallas ended, Hagman appeared in two subsequent Dallas television movies: J.R. Returns in 1996 and War of the Ewings in 1998. Hagman reprised his role as J.R. Ewing in TNT's continuation of Dallas, which began in 2012.[27][28] In 2011, while filming the new series, Hagman said, "Of course it's fun to play the villain."[29] As a result of Hagman's death in 2012, his character J.R. was killed off in season two of Dallas. Unused footage of Hagman was used in season three as part of the season's story arc, which aired in 2014. Other workTelevisionTV series Here We Go Again (1973): From top: Dick Gautier, Nita Talbot, Hagman and Diane Baker Hagman starred in two short-lived series in the 1970s, The Good Life (1971–1972) and Here We Go Again (1973). In 1993, Hagman starred in Staying Afloat as a down-on-his-luck former millionaire who agrees to work undercover with the FBI to maintain his playboy lifestyle.[30] Originally ordered for two TV movies and a weekly series by NBC, the pilot movie aired in November 1993 to critical drubbing and low ratings, ending production.[31][32] In January 1997, Hagman starred in a short-lived television series titled Orleans as Judge Luther Charbonnet, which lasted only eight episodes. In 2002, he made an appearance in the fourth series of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer's British comedy panel game, Shooting Stars, often appearing bewildered at the nonsensical questions and the antics of the hosts – during the show Hagman even stated that he would fire his agent as a result. In January 2011, Hagman made a guest appearance in the seventh season of Desperate Housewives as a new husband for Lynette Scavo's mother, Stella (played by Polly Bergen). He also directed episodes of I Dream of Jeannie and The Good Life, as well as several episodes of Dallas and In the Heat of the Night, which was the only series he directed, but in which he did not act. [citation needed] Film Hagman appeared in such feature films as The Group; Fail-Safe; Harry and Tonto; Mother, Jugs & Speed; In Harm's Way; The Eagle Has Landed; Superman; S.O.B.; Nixon; and Primary Colors. His television work included Getting Away from It All, Sidekicks, The Return of the World's Greatest Detective, Intimate Strangers, Checkered Flag or Crash and A Howling in the Woods Hagman directed (and appeared briefly in) the 1972 comedy horror film Beware! The Blob, also called Son of Blob, a sequel to the 1958 horror film The Blob. It was the only feature film he directed.[33] Music The release of a Columbia single performed with his mother Mary Martin, Get Out Those Old Records, in 1950, was credited to Mary Martin and her Son Larry, with orchestration by Mitch Miller. It was released in Australia as a-78 rpm single, catalogue number DO-3409. In 1980, Hagman recorded a single called "Ballad of the Good Luck Charm".[34][35] Product spokesman During the 1980s, Hagman was featured in a national televised Schlitz beer campaign, playing on, but not explicitly featuring, the J.R. character. He wore the same kind of Western business outfit – complete with cowboy hat – that he wore in his role. The end of each 30-second spot featured a male voice-over saying, "Refreshing Schlitz beer...the gusto's back..." Hagman, grinning into the camera, added: "...and I'm gonna get it!" He also made commercials for BVD brand underwear. In 2010, Hagman was hired as a spokesman for SolarWorld, a German solar energy commercial enterprise. While the SolarWorld commercials specifically mention neither Dallas nor J. R. Ewing, Hagman essentially revisits the character (complete with a picture of Hagman as J. R. Ewing from the original series on the mantle), stating that his oil company days are long over, "though still in the energy business", meaning solar energy, instead,[36] which alternative energy now plays a major part of the next-generation Ewing family war between Christopher and John Ross III. Personal lifeHagman with Maj Axelsson in 1983 Hagman in 2010 Hagman in August 2011 In 1973, his stepfather Richard Halliday died and Hagman reconciled with his mother, Mary Martin, soon after.[non sequitur] The two were close until her death from colon cancer in 1990. In 1954, Hagman married Swedish-born Maj Axelsson[9] (born May 13, 1928, in Eskilstuna, Södermanlands län, Sweden – died May 31, 2016, in Los Angeles, California); they had two children, Heidi Kristina (born 1958) and Preston (born 1962). Longtime residents of Malibu, California, they then moved to Ojai. Hagman was a member of the Peace and Freedom Party from the 1960s.[37] Hagman derided U.S. President George W. Bush prior to the Iraq War. In 1969, Hagman's friend, musician David Crosby, supplied him with LSD after a concert:[38] "LSD was such a profound experience in my life that it changed my pattern of life and my way of thinking and I could not exclude it [from my autobiography]."[39] Hagman was introduced to marijuana by Jack Nicholson as a safer alternative to Hagman's heavy drinking. "I liked it because it was fun, it made me feel good and I never had a hangover."[9] Although Hagman was a member of a 12-step program, he publicly advocated marijuana as a better alternative to alcohol. In 1995, Hagman underwent a life-saving liver transplant after he was diagnosed with liver cancer, which was most likely brought on by roughly 40 years of heavy drinking.[40][41] His clinical picture was further complicated by cirrhosis of the liver, which had been diagnosed three years earlier in 1992. Hagman did not receive preferential treatment as a celebrity, with a 1995 UPI article stating that the donor liver "matched Hagman's anonymous physical profile listed with the United Network for Organ Sharing."[40] He was also a heavy smoker as a young man before quitting at age 34.[42] He was the chairman of the American Cancer Society's annual Great American Smokeout for many years and also worked on behalf of the National Kidney Foundation.[12] After attending a soccer game in Bucharest between Steaua Bucharest and West Ham United, he became a well-known fan of the Romanian team.[43][44][45] In 2001, Hagman wrote his autobiography titled Hello Darlin': Tall (and Absolutely True) Tales About My Life.[12] In a 2007 interview, Hagman discussed his support for alternative energy.[46] On a 2008 episode of Living with Ed, Hagman and his wife showed actor Ed Begley Jr. their solar-powered, super-energy efficient home named "Heaven" and talked about their green lifestyle.[47] Maj Hagman was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2008 and Hagman at first took the lead in caring for her, but her condition deteriorated. By 2010, she required 24-hour nursing care. As a result, Hagman put their 43-acre estate in Ojai up for sale listing it at $11 million.[9][41] Friendship with Carroll O'Connor Hagman had a long friendship with actor Carroll O'Connor, beginning in 1959 when Hagman was starring in the Broadway play God and Kate Murphy and O'Connor was working as an assistant stage manager.[citation needed] Later, as the two struggled as young actors, they rented apartments near each other in New York. Hagman's daughter Heidi, whom O'Connor had known since her childhood, joined the cast for one season of Archie Bunker's Place. Hagman directed several episodes of O'Connor's later series In the Heat of the Night. The two remained close after the death of O'Connor's son Hugh and Hagman delivered a eulogy at the funeral. Illness and death In June 2011, Hagman said he had stage 2 throat cancer.[9] He commented, "As J. R. I could get away with anything — bribery, blackmail and adultery, but I got caught by cancer. I do want everyone to know that it is a very common and treatable form of cancer. I will be receiving treatment while working on the new Dallas series. I could not think of a better place to be than working on a show I love, with people I love."[48][49] Hagman had an acorn-sized tumor removed from his tongue in 2011. In June 2012, the cancer was said to be in remission.[9] Then, in July 2012, doctors diagnosed Hagman with myelodysplastic syndrome (formerly known as preleukemia). Hagman died on November 23, 2012, at Medical City Dallas Hospital in Dallas following complications from acute myeloid leukemia, after being interviewed for the National Geographic documentary The '80s: The Decade that Made Us, which aired in April 2013.[50] In a statement to the Dallas Morning News, Hagman's family said: "Larry's family and close friends had joined him in Dallas for the Thanksgiving holiday. He died surrounded by loved ones. It was a peaceful passing, just as he had wished for."[29][51] The New York Times described him as "one of television's most beloved villains".[52] Tributes Actress Barbara Eden, a longtime friend of Hagman's, who played Jeannie on I Dream of Jeannie and Lee Ann de la Vega on Dallas, said: "Larry was one of the most intelligent actors I ever worked with. He more than hit his marks. And when you're working with another actor, you know immediately if the ball isn't tossed back. Plus, Larry was savvy about the business, which I wasn't."[53] In an interview with Australia's News 10, she commented that their on-screen chemistry on the set of Jeannie "was not work" and "our timing was right. I can't even explain it. It was wonderful."[54] Actress Linda Gray, who played Sue Ellen Ewing on Dallas, called Hagman her "best friend for 35 years" and was at his bedside when he died, her agent told the BBC. In a statement, she said: "He was the Pied Piper of life and brought joy to everyone he knew. He was creative, generous, funny, loving and talented and I will miss him enormously. He was an original and lived life to the fullest."[55][56] Actor Patrick Duffy, who played Bobby Ewing on Dallas, was also at his bedside when he died. In a statement, he said: "Friday, I lost one of the greatest friends ever to grace my life. The loneliness is only what is difficult, as Larry's peace and comfort is always what is important to me, now as when he was here. He was a fighter in the gentlest way, against his obstacles and for his friends. I wear his friendship with honor."[57][58] Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, whether singing or for comedic effect. Channing originated the lead roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1949 and Hello, Dolly! in 1964, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the latter. She revived both roles several times throughout her career, playing Dolly on Broadway for the final time in 1995. She was nominated for her first Tony Award in 1956 for The Vamp, followed by a nomination in 1961 for Show Girl. She received her fourth Tony Award nomination for the musical Lorelei in 1974. As a film actress, she won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Her other film appearances include The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Skidoo (1968). On television, she appeared as an entertainer on variety shows. She performed The White Queen in the TV production of Alice in Wonderland (1985), and she had the first of many TV specials in 1966, titled An Evening with Carol Channing.[1] Channing was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1981 and received a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 1995.[2] She continued to perform and make appearances well into her 90s, singing songs from her repertoire and sharing stories with fans, cabaret-style. She was one of the "legends" interviewed in the award-winning documentary, Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There.[3] She released her autobiography Just Lucky I Guess in 2002, and Larger Than Life was released in 2008, a documentary film about her career.[4] Early life Channing was born in Seattle, Washington, on January 31, 1921,[5] the only child of Adelaide (née Glaser; 1886–1984) and George Channing (1888–1957). Her father, born George Christian Stucker, was multiracial and changed his surname for religious reasons before Carol's birth. He became a Christian Science practitioner, editor, and teacher.[6][7] George Channing's mother, Clara, was African-American, and his father, George Stucker, was the son of German immigrants. Carol's maternal grandparents, Otto Glaser, and Paulina Ottmann, were both of German-Jewish origin.[8][9] A city editor at The Seattle Star, George Channing took a job at The San Francisco Chronicle and the family moved to California when Channing was two years old.[6][7] Channing attended Aptos Junior High School and Lowell High School in San Francisco, graduating in 1938. She won the Crusaders' Oratorical Contest and a free trip to Hawaii with her mother in June 1937.[10] When she was 17, she left home to attend Bennington College in Vermont and her mother told her for the first time that her father's mother was African American and his father was German American.[11]: 50 [12]: 8 Her mother felt that the time was right to tell her since now that she was going off to college and would be on her own, she didn't want her to be surprised if she ever had a Black baby.[11]: 8 [13][14][15][a] Channing wrote: I know it's true the moment I sing and dance. I'm proud as can be of [my Black ancestry]. It's one of the great strains in show business. I'm so grateful. My father was a very dignified man and as white as I am.[15] Channing publicly revealed her African-American ancestry in 2002.[18] Channing majored in drama at Bennington and during an interview in 1994 revealed that she first wanted to perform on stage as a singer when she was in the fourth grade. She recalled being emotionally drawn to the stage after seeing Ethel Waters perform.[19] Channing performing Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949) Channing stated that in the fourth grade she ran for and was elected class secretary: "I stood up in class and campaigned by kidding the teachers. The other kids laughed. I loved the feeling — it was a very good feeling; it still is." She read the class minutes every Friday, often impersonating the children who were discussed.[20] She also considers the fact that she was able to see plays while very young to have been an important inspiration: I was lucky enough to grow up in San Francisco and it was the best theater town that Sol Hurok knew and he brought everybody from all over the world and we schoolchildren got to see them with just 50-cent tickets.[21] Her election to class secretary continued through grammar and high school: "It was very good training—like stock."[20] Those weekly sessions in front of students became a habit which she carried to Bennington College, where she would entertain every Friday night. During her junior year, she began trying out for acting parts on Broadway. After playing a small part in the revue, The New Yorker noted her performance: "You'll be hearing more from a comedienne named Carol Channing."[20] The inspiration she received from that brief notice made her decide to quit school. However, it was four years before she found another acting job. During that period, she performed at small functions or benefits, including some in the Catskill resorts. She also worked in Macy's bakery.[20] CareerStage Channing was introduced to the stage while helping her mother deliver newspapers to the backstage of theatres.[b] Her first job on stage in New York City was in Marc Blitzstein's No for an Answer, starting January 1941, at the Mecca Temple (later New York City Center). She was 19. She moved to Broadway for Let's Face It!, where she was an understudy for Eve Arden, who was 13 years older than Channing. Much later, in 1966, Arden was hired for the title role in Hello Dolly! in a road company when Channing left to star in the film Thoroughly Modern Millie.[23] Channing won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago's theatres in 1966 (Eve Arden won the next year).[24] Finding roles that suit the strange and wonderful charms of Carol Channing has always been a problem to Broadway showmen. She looks like an overgrown kewpie. She sings like a moon-mad hillbilly. Her dancing is crazily comic. And behind her saucer eyes is a kind of gentle sweetness that pleads for affection. Life magazine cover story, 1955[25] Five years later, Channing had a featured role in Lend an Ear (1948), for which she received her Theatre World Award and launched her as a star performer. She credited illustrator Al Hirschfeld for helping make her a star when he put her image in his widely published illustrations.[26] She said that his drawing of her as a flapper was what helped her get the lead in her next play, the Jule Styne and Anita Loos musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. From that role, as Lorelei Lee, she gained recognition, with her signature song from the production, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," among the most widely known.[27][28] In January 1950, Time magazine ran a cover story about her becoming a new star on Broadway, followed by cover stories in Life magazine in 1955 and 1964.[29][30][c][d][e][f] In 1956, Channing married her manager and publicist Charles Lowe. During the 1950s, he produced the Burns and Allen comedy show, which starred George Burns and Gracie Allen.[31] When Allen was forced to discontinue performing due to heart ailments, she saw that Burns needed a partner to play against on stage since he was best as a straight man. She remembered that Channing, like she, had one of the most distinctive and recognizable voices in show business, and Lowe asked Channing if she would perform with Burns. She accepted immediately, and Channing worked on and off with Burns through the late 1950s. Burns also appeared in her TV special, An Evening with Carol Channing, in 1966.[32] In 1961, Channing became one of the few performers nominated for a Tony Award for work in a revue (rather than a traditional book musical); she was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for the short-lived revue Show Girl.[33] David Burns and Channing in Hello, Dolly! (1964) Channing came to national prominence as the star of Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly! (1964). Her performance as Dolly Levi won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She recalled that playwright Thornton Wilder so loved the musical, which was based on his play, The Matchmaker, that he came once a week.[31] He also planned to rewrite his 1942 play The Skin of Our Teeth, with Channing playing the parts of both Mrs. Antrobus and Sabina but died before he could finish it.[31] Approval of her performance in the 1960s meant she was often invited to major events, including those at the White House, where she might sing. Channing was a registered Democrat and was invited to the Democratic convention in 1964 in Atlantic City, New Jersey where she sang "Hello, Lyndon" for Lyndon B. Johnson's campaign.[34] She was a favorite of Lady Bird Johnson, who once gave her a huge bouquet after a show.[35] In 1967, she also became the first celebrity to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. The old-fashioned plot of Hello, Dolly, when first described, might seem uninspired, says columnist Dick Kleiner: But then you sit in the audience and Carol Channing comes out, turns on her huge eyes and monumental smile—and you sit there with a silly grin on your face for 2 1/2 hours, bathed in the benevolent spell of a great comedienne...It is hard to imagine her doing anything else but making people smile. She is that human curio, the born female comic.[20] The show had first opened on Broadway on January 16, 1964, and by the time the show closed in late December 1970, it had become the longest-running musical in Broadway history, with nearly 3,000 performances. Besides Channing, six other stars played the title role during those seven years: Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, Betty Grable, Pearl Bailey, Phyllis Diller and Ethel Merman.[36] Peter Palmer and Channing in Lorelei (1973) Al Hirschfeld's illustration of her was printed on the front page of the "Sunday Theatre" section of The New York Times. She felt that this image captured the essence of her character, having posited in writing, "How did the great Hirschfeld know precisely what I was thinking? ... To be Hirschfelded is an eerie experience. You better not have anything to hide, because he'll expose it like a neon sign" ...[11]: 68 [g] The illustration was also printed on the cover of magazines, including Horizon.[37] She later appeared in the movie biography about his life, The Line King, in 1996.[38] Channing reprised her role of Lorelei Lee when the musical Lorelei, directed by Robert Moore and choreographed by Ernest O. Flatt, premiered in 1973 at the Oklahoma City (6000 seat) Civic Center Music Hall and broke all box office records after six days' worth of performances sold out within 24 hours.[39] To commemorate this record event, the street running in front of the Music Hall was renamed Channing Square Drive in her honor. Also in the cast were Peter Palmer, Brandon Maggart, Dody Goodman, and Lee Roy Reams. For nearly a year, the stage musical then toured 11 cities across the country. Lorelei had earned a hefty profit by the time it opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on January 27, 1974, and ran for a total of 320 performances. Channing also appeared in two New York City revivals of Hello, Dolly!, and toured with it extensively throughout the United States.[40] She performed songs from Hello, Dolly during a special television show in London in 1979.[41] Film Channing also appeared in a number of films, including The First Traveling Saleslady (1956), in which she gave future star Clint Eastwood his first onscreen kiss; the cult film Skidoo; and Thoroughly Modern Millie (starring Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, John Gavin, and Beatrice Lillie). For Millie she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.[42][43][44] Channing said she was especially grateful to Andrews for helping her develop her character: "She will forever be my angel," she says.[45] Due to her success on Broadway in Hello Dolly! and her co-starring role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Channing attracted the attention of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who were interested in starring her in a sitcom. Directed and produced by Arnaz and written by Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis (who co-wrote I Love Lucy and The Lucy Show), The Carol Channing Show starred Channing as Carol Hunnicut, a small-town girl trying and failing to make it in New York City show business. Character actors Richard Deacon and Jane Dulo were in the supporting cast. The pilot was filmed in front of a live audience (with a laugh track added) at Desilu in 1966 but did not sell as a series.[46][better source needed] Channing performing with Pearl Bailey in 1973[47] During her film career, Channing also made some guest appearances on television sitcoms and talk shows, including What's My Line? where she appeared in 11 episodes from 1962 to 1966.[48] Channing did voice-over work in cartoons, most notably as Grandmama in an animated version of The Addams Family from 1992 to 1995.[49] Television During most of her career, Channing was asked to perform in various skits or appear as a guest on regular shows. In the 1960s, she was on The Andy Williams Show.[50] In 1974, she participated in the television special Free to Be... You and Me, based on Marlo Thomas' best-selling album of 1972, in which Channing also appeared. Free... won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special and The Peabody Award.[51][52][53] In 1980, she guest starred on The Muppet Show where she participated in several skits, performed a medley of Jeepers Creepers, and sang her signature song, Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend, as a duet with Miss Piggy. In 1985, she played the role of the White Queen in the television special Alice in Wonderland.[54] In 1986, Channing appeared on Sesame Street and sang a parody of the song "Hello, Dolly!" called "Hello, Sammy!", a love song being sung by Carol to a character known as Sammy the Snake (as voiced by Muppets creator Jim Henson). Carol, in this parody segment, serenades Sammy telling him just how much she loves and adores him while Sammy coils himself around Carol's arms. Carol's song includes lyrics such as: "So..turn on your charm, Sammy/Coil yourself around my arm, Sammy/Sammy the Snake, I'll stake a claim on you".[55] Songwriter Jule Styne, who wrote the score for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, invited her on his television special in 1987 where she performed another one of her signature songs, "Little Girl from Little Rock".[56] In 1993, she poked fun at herself in an episode of The Nanny. The episode "Smoke Gets in Your Lies" shows the producer auditioning for a new musical, and Channing, playing herself, is trying out. Just after the producer announces he wants a stage presence that is instantly recognizable to the entire country, Channing begins with her signature "Hello, Dolly!", but he stops her with a resounding "Next!".[57] In January 2003, Channing recorded the audiobook of her best-selling autobiography Just Lucky, I Guess: A Memoir of Sorts, directed and produced by Steve Garrin at VideoActive Productions in New York City. It was during the recording sessions that she received a phone call from her childhood sweetheart Harry Kullijian that rekindled their romance and led to their marriage a few months later. In January 2008, the documentary Carol Channing: Larger Than Life (which chronicles Channing's life and career) was released.[58] Personal lifeThis section relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this section by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: "Carol Channing" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Channing in 2009 Channing was married four times. Her first husband was Theodore Naidish, whom she married in 1941 when she was 20. He was a writer who in 1944 wrote Watch Out for Willie Carter,[11]: 52 [59] but during the nearly five years of their marriage, earned little income: "There was no money for food, clothing or housing."[11]: 52 Still, Channing adored his émigré Jewish family, stating in her memoir, "There is nothing so safe and secure as an immigrant, foreign-language-speaking family all around you. It was a dream come true for me. They look after you, you look after them. They make chick'n in the pot if you're sick. You learn marvelous new-sounding words every minute."[11]: 48 Channing and Naidish lived near his grandparents in Brighton Beach in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. She remembered his grandfather Sam Cohen introducing her to some of his neighborhood friends, who were amazed that she enjoyed hearing their funny stories. "They were delighted that I almost ate them up alive," she wrote, "because they were so funny, especially since such appreciation was coming from what we all thought then was a shiksa (me)." She learned to speak fluent Yiddish from "Grandpa Cohen", a skill that helped her understand the boardwalk conversations that went on around her in town.[11]: 51 Her second husband Alexander F. Carson, known as Axe,[60] or "The Murderous Ax",[11]: 109 played center for the Ottawa Rough Riders Canadian football team and was also a private detective.[60] They married in 1950 and divorced in September 1956.[61] They had one son, Channing Carson.[62] In September 1956, "Immediately following the entry of the divorce decree" from Carson,[61] Channing married her manager and publicist Charles Lowe. In 1960, Carson's parental rights were severed due to his abandonment,[61] and his and Channing's son took his stepfather's surname. As the judge stated, "The differences in environment and miles would result in a gross injustice in itself to the child, who at this very tender stage does not even know what his real father looks like. He probably doesn't even realize that the present husband of Mrs. Channing is not his father."[61] Channing Lowe publishes his cartoons as Chan Lowe.[63] Channing filed for divorce from Lowe in 1998, but her estranged husband died before the divorce was finalized.[64] After Lowe's death and until shortly before her fourth marriage, the actress's companion was Roger Denny, an interior designer.[65] In 2003, while recording the audiobook of her autobiography Just Lucky, I Guess, at VideoActive Productions, NYC, produced and directed by Steve Garrin, she rekindled her romance with her junior high school sweetheart, Harry Kullijian, and they married on May 10, 2003.[66] They later performed at their old junior high school in a benefit for the school. They also promoted arts education in California schools through their Dr. Carol Channing and Harry Kullijian Foundation. They resided in both Modesto, California, and Rancho Mirage, California. They would also spent some of their time in Palm Springs.[67] Harry Kullijian died on December 26, 2011, the eve of his 92nd birthday.[68] Channing had unique dietary habits. In 1978, she said she had not eaten restaurant food in 15 years and preferred only organic food. When invited to restaurants, she brought several sealed containers with her own food, such as zucchini or chopped celery, and simply asked for an empty plate and glass.[69] For dessert, she ate seeds. By 1995, Channing had resumed eating food served by restaurants.[70] However, she did not drink alcoholic beverages of any kind.[31] She was a survivor of ovarian cancer.[71] Channing died from natural causes on January 15, 2019 at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, at the age of 97.[72][73] On January 16, 2019, the lights on Broadway were dimmed in her honor. A crowd congregated outside the St. James Theatre, as it had also been the anniversary of the opening of the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!.[74] Betty Buckley dedicated the January 15, 2019 performance of the national tour of the revival of Hello, Dolly! in San Diego to Channing following her death. [75] Channing's ashes were scattered between the Curran Theatre and the Geary Theater in San Francisco.[76] Legacy and honorsThe handprints of Carol Channing in front of The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort 1970, Channing was the first celebrity to perform at a Super Bowl halftime.[77]In 1973, it came to light during the Watergate hearings that Channing was on a master list of Nixon's political opponents, informally known as Nixon's "enemies list". She subsequently said that her appearance on this list was the highest honor in her career.[78]1981, Channing was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.[79]1984, Lowell High School renamed its auditorium The Carol Channing Theatre in her honor.[21]1988, The city of San Francisco, California, proclaimed February 14, 1988, to be "Carol Channing Day."[80]1995, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award.[81]2004, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts by California State University, Stanislaus.[82]2004, she received the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre.[83]2010, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.[84]In December 2010, Channing was honored at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Gypsy of the Year competition.[85]
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