Mitzi Gaynor is an Emmy Awardwinning actresssingerdancercomedienne who starred in movies including There’s No Business Like Show Business, Anything Goes, and South Pacific — for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. She launched a wildly successful stage career in 1961 and was even billed over The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. (They asked for her autograph) Yesterday, Gaynor descended upon Hillsdale, giving a delightful show that was more standupcomedy routine than CCA. She used nine accents, burst into “O, Canada!,” and agreed to a student’s marriage proposal before dismissing his offer with a glib, “You’re too old for me.”
You’ve worked opposite a number of amazing men in your romantic comedies. Who was your favorite to work with?
David Niven in “The Birds and The Bees,” which was a remake of “The Lady Eve.” I played his daughter. And then I did a picture called “Happy Anniversary” with him. He was the most fun — a man’s man and a woman’s man. He was charming and amusing and fun and brilliant and I loved him. And then Rossano Brazzi. We understood each other.
Who was the best to dance with?
Donald O’Connor was the best dancer. But he wasn’t as good a partner as Gene Kelly. And both men were Virgos. Isn’t that interesting?
Now, you have an amazing love story of your own, with Jack Bean. What was that like?
I’d broken up with Howard Hughes, and I had a friend who was an agent. He called me and said, “I want you to go to the opening of this singer at The Coconut Grove,” and I said, “But I can’t, darling. I can’t. The paparazzi will just eat me up alive!” and he said “Oh, knock it off.”
It was on a Tuesday night, and he said he couldn’t pick me up because he had to be with this singer [Harry Belafonte. Mitzi initially thought he was Italian]. But he said he was going to send a friend of his, another agent.
So I’m all done up because I really wanted to be hot. And when I opened the door, this guy was standing there. And he was this tall, with light brown, SpencerTracy colored hair, the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen, long lashes, sweet face, lovely mouth. And he said “I’m here to pick up Mitzi Gaynor. My name is Jack Bean,” and I said, “Well, I’m Mitzi Gaynor. Don’t you know me? I’m a movie star!” And he said, “I’m sorry, Miss Gaynor. I only see foreign films.” And I loved it. And his car was a really old, dirty Plymouth. And in the back seat was this duffel bag full of his dirty laundry. And I loved it.
And that was it. From then on, that was it. He loved me. And I loved him.
What was your first fight?
We didn’t really fight about anything. We were like one person. We were The Beans. It was only silly things like him saying, “Yummy, how many times do I have to tell you? I don’t want lambchops.”
What’s the secret to a successful marriage?
Separate bathrooms.
And then, finally, what’s the best romantic comedy that you’ve seen recently?
My favorite show, honestly, is Modern Family. I love the people. I think Phil is an unsung hero. I think Claire is a little bit like me. She’s so controlling. Cam and Mitchell are adorable. And that little girl, Lily, is going to be a real force. She’s so tough.