November 9
Born Today:
Kay Thompson
Multi-talented performer Kay Thompson (1909-1998) is perhaps best known as the author of the Eloise series of children’s books, but she was also a vocal arranger for movie musicals as part of the legendary Freed Unit at MGM Studios during the 1940s and 1950s. In 1947 she left MGM to create a nightclub act that was wildly popular in Las Vegas and was lured back into musicals, this time as one of the lead actors in Funny Face (1957). Thompson danced with Fred Astaire (1899-1987) and Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) and Thompson’s performance in the Think Pink number sparkles. If only she could have been talked into doing more musicals because she is a rare treat.
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Movie: Flower Drum Song released in 1961