Mitzi Gaynor was born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber on September 4 1931 in Chicago. Her father was a violinist and cellist. Her mother was a dancer. She was enrolled in her first dance class when she was only eight years old. Her family moved from Chicago to Elgin, Illinois and then to Detroit and finally to Los Angeles. She trained as a ballerina while still young. At 13 she convinced Edwin Lester, general director of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera that she was 16 and as a result she got a part in the musical Song without Words. Afterwards in a West Coast production of Jerome Kerns' Roberta she danced a comedy bit. She then appeared in productions of The Fortune Teller, Song of Norway, Naughty Marietta, and The Great Waltz.
It was while she was in The Great Waltz that she was noticed by a Fox producer and she was signed to 20th Century Fox. Having gone by "Mitzi Gerber," 20th Century Fox gave her the stage name "Mitzi Gaynor." She made her feature film debut in My Blue Heaven in 1950. Mitzi Gaynor's film career unfolded mostly during the Fifties. It was in that decade that she appeared in the movies Take Care of My Little Girl (1951), Golden Girl (1951), We're Not Married! (1952), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952), The I Don't Care Girl (1953), Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953), Three Young Texans (1954), There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), Anything Goes (1956), The Birds and the Bees (1956), The Joker is Wild (1957), Les Girls (1957), South Pacific (1958), Happy Anniversary (1959), and Surprise Package (1960). Mitzi Gaynor appeared on television on The George Jessel Show, The Frank Sinatra Show, The Dick Clark Show, This Is Your Life, The Donald O' Connor Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show.
In the Sixties Mitzi Gaynor appeared in the movie For Love or Money (1963). She appeared on television on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Jack Paar Program, The Kraft Music Hall,. Laugh In, and The Merv Griffin Show. Her first television special, Mitzi, aired in 1968. It was followed in the Sixties by the special Mitzi's 2nd Special. It was in 1961 that Mitzi Gaynor began performing in Las Vegas. By 1968 she reportedly earned $45,000 a week in Las Vegas. She would also perform at various nightclubs in the United States and Canada.
In the Seventies Mitzi Gaynor appeared almost annually on TV specials on CBS, including Mitzi...the First Time, Mitzi...A Tribute to the American Housewife, Mitzi...and a Hundred Guys, Mitzi...Roarin' in the 20's., Mitzi...Zings into Spring, and Mitzi...What's Hot What's Not.
Mitzi Gaynor also recorded the albums Mitzi (1959) and Mitzi Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin (1959). She also appeared on the soundtrack albums for the movies There's No Business Like Show Business, Anything Goes, Les Girls, and South Pacific. In the 1990s she was a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter.
It is a mark of how big a star Mitzi Gaynor was that she was the headliner on the February 16 1964 edition of The Ed Sullivan Show rather than The Beatles, who were making their second appearance on the show. The Beatles were apparently fans of Mitzi Gaynor, as they asked her for her autograph. Of course, there should be little wonder that Mitzi Gaynor would be a star. She was an incredible singer and dancer who seemed to be filled with energy. When one saw Mitzi Gaynor on screen, one could not help but notice her. She remained vibrant well into her later years, so much so that it seems hard to believe she is gone. She was active on social media and she maintained close ties with Turner Classic Movies. She had attended the TCM Classic Film Festival and went on the TCM Cruise. Mitzi Gaynor certainly loved her fans, something she made clear in her posts to various social media. She referred to her audiences as "the sunshine of my life." Mitzi Gaynor's fans certainly loved her back, to the point that many of us feel as if we have lost a friend. Few performers were ever as dazzling, as talented, or as loved as Mitzi Gaynor.
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