Doretta Morrow | |
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| Born | Doretta Marano (1927-01-27)January 27, 1927 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 28, 1968(1968-02-28) (aged 41) London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Stage and television actress |
| Years active | 1949-1960 |
| Spouse(s) | Fred A. Miller (19??-1955; divorced) Albert Hardman (19??) |
| Children | 1 |
Doretta Morrow (January 27, 1927 – February 28, 1968) was an American actress, singer and dancer who appeared in stage and television productions during the 1940s and 1950s. She is best remembered for having created roles in the original productions of three successfulBroadwaymusicals: Kitty Verdun inWhere's Charley? (1948), Tuptim inThe King and I (1951) and Marsinah inKismet (1953). She co-starred in the 1952 Hollywood filmBecause You're Mine, asMario Lanza's love interest. She appeared in several live television musicals. She retired from performance in 1960 at the age of 33.
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Morrow was bornDoretta Marano,[1] the daughter of Victor and Dolores Marano,[2] in theBensonhurst section ofBrooklyn, New York in 1927. Popular singerVic Damone was her cousin. At the age of 2 she moved with her family toVenice, Italy, where she began studying piano and singing. In 1943 she and her family moved back to New York, and she enteredNew Utrecht High School,[3] where she sang in the school's glee club.[2] She did not speak English until she was a teenager.[4]
In New York she studied singing with sopranoAlice Zeppilli.[5]
After completing high school, Morrow was cast in the musicalShooting Star[4] in 1945 which opened in Boston but never made it to New York. In 1946 she made her Broadway debut as Gretchen in the revival ofVictor Herbert'sThe Red Mill, replacing Ann Andre early in the show's run. A hit with the public, she played the role for a total of 17 months.[6] In October 1948 she created the role of Kitty Verdun in the original production ofWhere's Charley?;[1] notably introducing the song "My Darling, My Darling" (duet withByron Palmer). She remained with the production through its September 1950 closing.[3]
In March 1951 Morrow created the role of Tuptim in the original Broadway production ofRodgers and Hammerstein'sThe King and I, withGertrude Lawrence andYul Brynner. In the production she introduced the songs "I Have Dreamed" and "We Kiss in a Shadow"; both duets withLarry Douglas, as well as "My Lord And Master". She left the production in late 1951 to film her only Hollywood movie,Because You're Mine, in which she starred oppositeMario Lanza. In 1953 she returned to Broadway for the last time to create the role of Marsinah in the original cast ofKismet. She had previously appeared at the show's world premiere in Los Angeles with theLos Angeles Civic Light Opera (LACLO); a performance which notably introduced the song "Baubles, Bangles, & Beads" to the public. She also portrayed Marsinah in the originalWest End production ofKismet in 1955. In 1957 she portrayed the title role in the first national tour of the musicalFanny. Her final stage appearance was in 1959 in the original West End cast ofCole Porter'sAladdin in the role of The Princess.[3] She retired in 1960.
Morrow made her television debut in 1949 onThe Ed Sullivan Show. She appeared on that show several more times through 1958. She sang as a guest performer on several other variety programs during the 1950s, includingCavalcade of Stars,The Voice of Firestone,Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue,The Arthur Murray Party,The Steve Allen Show andGeneral Motors 50th Anniversary Show among others. For thePulitzer Prize Playhouse show she appeared in a 1950 live television version of theKurt Weill musicalKnickerbocker Holiday in which she played Tina Tienhoven. She played Monique DuPont in a 1951 television version of the musicalMiss Liberty for theMusical Comedy Time program, and performed the role of Polly Peachum in a 1952 television adaptation ofThe Beggar's Opera forCBS.[7]
She also starred in the live television musical specialsOnce Upon an Eastertime (1954)[citation needed] andThe Adventures of Marco Polo onMax Liebman Spectaculars (April 14, 1956).[8] She made her last television appearance in a 1959 episode ofThe Further Adventures of Ellery Queen.
Morrow was married to Fred A. Miller, a cargo-airline executive. That marriage ended in divorce in 1955. Shortly after her withdrawal from the public eye, she married Albert Hardman, an Englishman who worked as an underwriter forLloyd's of London. They had one child, a daughter.[9]
On February 28, 1968, Morrow died in London, aged 41,[3] fromlymphoma. She was buried inPutney Vale Cemetery in London.[10]
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