All tagged Helen Gallagher
Jule Styne was a one of the great composers for the Broadway musical stage, having penned the melodies for such classic scores as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Bells Are Ringing, Gypsy, and Funny Girl. Styne’s first Broadway score, however came in the form of the breezy and bright High Button Shoes, which premiered in 1947. Paired with lyricist Sammy Cahn, the show is best remembered as the musical that introduced that showtune classic “Papa, Won’t You Dance with Me?” and the clever dance sequences staged by Jerome Robbins.
Helen Gallagher is an actress who came very close to being one of Broadway musicals’ biggest stars, on a par with Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, or Gwen Verdon. Always one of the standout supporting players in such musicals as High Button Shoes, Make A Wish, and Pal Joey, for which she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. It was inevitable that she would ultimately land a starring role in a Broadway musical that would launch her career into the stratosphere where it belonged. That vehicle, for all intents and purposes, should have been the 1953 musical Hazel Flagg wherein Gallagher played the title character.
Helen Gallagher was a mainstay of the Broadway musical throughout 50s, 60s, and 70s. A celebrated supporting player with a delicious comedic timing and a radiant personality, she never seemed to find that vehicle that would elevate her to star status. Gallagher won Tony Awards for Supporting Actress for her appearances as Gladys Bumps in the 1952 revival of Pal Joeyand for Best Actress for her turn in the 1971 revival of No, No, Nanette.
