Gower Champion
Encyclopedia
Gower Carlyle Champion was an American
actor
, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer.
, the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice Carlisle. He was raised in Los Angeles, California
, where he graduated from Fairfax High School. He studied dance from an early age and, at the age of fifteen, toured nightclub
s with friend Jeanne Tyler billed as "Gower and Jeanne, America's Youngest Dance Team." In 1939, "Gower and Jeanne" danced to the music of Larry Clinton and his Orchestra in a Warner Brothers & Vitaphone film short-subject, "The Dipsy Doodler" (released in 1940).
as a solo dancer and choreographer. After serving in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II
, Champion met Marjorie Belcher
, who became his new partner, and the two were married in 1947.
In the early 1950s, Marge and Gower Champion made seven film musicals: Mr. Music (1950, with Bing Crosby
), the 1951 remake of Show Boat
(with Howard Keel
and Kathryn Grayson
), 1952's Lovely to Look At
(a remake of Roberta
, also with Keel and Grayson), the autobiographical Everything I Have Is Yours (1952), Give a Girl a Break
(1953, with Debbie Reynolds
and Bob Fosse
), Jupiter's Darling
(1955, with Keel and Esther Williams
), and Three for the Show
(1955, with Betty Grable
and Jack Lemmon
). All were made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
except Mr. Music (Paramount
) and Three for the Show (Columbia
). As of January 2011, only Show Boat, Lovely to Look At, and Give a Girl a Break have been released on DVD.
Throughout the 1950s, they performed on a number of television
variety shows, and in 1957 they starred in their own short-lived CBS
sitcom, The Marge and Gower Champion Show, which was based on their actual career experiences.
In 1948, Champion had begun to direct as well, and he won the first of eight Tony Awards for his staging of Lend an Ear, the show that introduced Carol Channing
to New York
theater audiences. During the 1950s, he only worked on two Broadway musicals — choreographing Make a Wish
in 1951 and directing, staging and starring in 3 For Tonight in 1955 — preferring to spend most of his time in Hollywood. However, in the 1960s, he directed a number of Broadway hits that put him at the top of his profession.
He had a solid success in 1960 with Bye Bye Birdie, a show about an Elvis-like rock star about to be inducted into the army. The show starred relative unknowns Chita Rivera
and Dick Van Dyke
along with a youthful cast. It ran 607 performances and won four Tony awards, including Best Musical and two for Champion's direction and choreography. Next came Carnival!
in 1961, which ran 719 performances and garnered seven Tony nominations, including one for Champion's direction.
In 1964, he directed one of Broadway's biggest blockbusters, Hello, Dolly!
. It ran for 2844 performances — almost seven years. Starring Carol Channing, it's best remembered for the title number, where Dolly is greeted by the staff of a restaurant after having been away for years. The show won ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, as well as two for Champion's direction and choreography.
Champion had his fourth consecutive hit musical with I Do! I Do!
in 1966. It featured a cast of two — veterans Mary Martin
and Robert Preston
— playing a couple seen throughout the years of their marriage. The show ran for 560 performances and got seven Tony nominations, including one for Champion's direction.
His next show, The Happy Time
in 1968, broke his streak. It had a relatively disappointing run of only 286 performances. This would be followed by many more disappointments and worse. In the 1970s, Champion directed minor hits (Sugar
in 1972 and the revival Irene
in 1973), flops (Mack & Mabel
in 1974) and complete disasters (Rockabye Hamlet
— seven performances in 1976 — and A Broadway Musical
, running only one night in 1978, not to mention Prettybelle
, which closed out of town in 1971). On top of all this, he and Marge were divorced in 1973.
After the failures of the previous decade, Champion was able to make a comeback with his longest-running show. In 1980, he choreographed and directed a stage adaptation of the movie classic, 42nd Street
. It won the Tony for Best Musical, and Champion was nominated for his direction and choreography, winning for the latter. The show ran for 3,486 performances, but Champion did not live to see any. After numerous curtain calls on opening night, producer David Merrick
stunned the cast and audience by announcing Champion had died earlier that day.
, a rare form of blood cancer. He began treatment at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles and was advised not to take on work. In August, 1980, he died in New York City at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
.
When Champion died at 1:00 on August 25, 1980, it was six hours before the opening-night curtain of “42nd Street,” the Broadway musical he directed. It would be his greatest success, running nine years. Producer David Merrick kept the news secret, including from the cast. During the enthusiastic curtain calls, he entered the stage and melodramatically made the shocking announcement amidst the applause. “No, no. This is tragic. You don’t understand. Gower Champion died this morning.”
Nominations
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer.
Early years
Champion was born in Geneva, IllinoisGeneva, Illinois
Geneva is the county seat of Kane County, Illinois. It is located on the western fringe of the Chicago suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 26,652. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, along with St. Charles and Batavia...
, the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice Carlisle. He was raised in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, where he graduated from Fairfax High School. He studied dance from an early age and, at the age of fifteen, toured nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s with friend Jeanne Tyler billed as "Gower and Jeanne, America's Youngest Dance Team." In 1939, "Gower and Jeanne" danced to the music of Larry Clinton and his Orchestra in a Warner Brothers & Vitaphone film short-subject, "The Dipsy Doodler" (released in 1940).
Career
During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Champion worked on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
as a solo dancer and choreographer. After serving in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Champion met Marjorie Belcher
Marge Champion
Marge Champion is an American dancer, choreographer, and pedagogue. In addition, she also worked in film and appeared in a number of television variety shows.-Early years:...
, who became his new partner, and the two were married in 1947.
In the early 1950s, Marge and Gower Champion made seven film musicals: Mr. Music (1950, with Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
), the 1951 remake of Show Boat
Show Boat (1951 film)
Show Boat is a 1951 Technicolor film based on the musical by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II and the novel by Edna Ferber....
(with Howard Keel
Howard Keel
Harold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
and Kathryn Grayson
Kathryn Grayson
Kathryn Grayson was an American actress and operatic soprano singer.From the age of twelve, Grayson trained as an opera singer. She was under contract to MGM by the early 1940s, soon establishing a career principally through her work in musicals...
), 1952's Lovely to Look At
Lovely to Look At
Lovely to Look At, an adaptation of the Broadway musical Roberta, is a 1952 MGM musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy.-Plot:Tony Naylor, Al Marsh and Jerry Ralby are looking for backers for their new Broadway show. They have just run out of options when Al gets a letter from his Aunt's attorneys...
(a remake of Roberta
Roberta
Roberta is a musical from 1933 with music by Jerome Kern, and lyrics and book by Otto Harbach. The musical is based on the novel Gowns by Roberta by Alice Duer Miller...
, also with Keel and Grayson), the autobiographical Everything I Have Is Yours (1952), Give a Girl a Break
Give a Girl a Break
Give a Girl a Break is a 1953 musical comedy film directed by Stanley Donen, starring Debbie Reynolds and the dance team of Marge and Gower Champion. A young Bob Fosse has a featured role.-Plot:...
(1953, with Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
and Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
), Jupiter's Darling
Jupiter's Darling (film)
Jupiter's Darling is a musical romance film released by MGM in 1955 and directed by George Sidney. It starred Esther Williams as the Roman woman Amytis, Howard Keel as Hannibal, the Carthaginian military commander and George Sanders as Fabius Maximus, Amytis's fiance...
(1955, with Keel and Esther Williams
Esther Williams
Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
), and Three for the Show
Three for the Show
Three for the Show is a 1955 musical comedy remake of Too Many Husbands. It starred actress Betty Grable in her last musical, opposite Jack Lemmon, Gower Champion and Marge Champion.-Cast:*Betty Grable as Julie Lowndes...
(1955, with Betty Grable
Betty Grable
Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable was an American actress, dancer and singer.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World"...
and Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
). All were made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
except Mr. Music (Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
) and Three for the Show (Columbia
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
). As of January 2011, only Show Boat, Lovely to Look At, and Give a Girl a Break have been released on DVD.
Throughout the 1950s, they performed on a number of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
variety shows, and in 1957 they starred in their own short-lived CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom, The Marge and Gower Champion Show, which was based on their actual career experiences.
In 1948, Champion had begun to direct as well, and he won the first of eight Tony Awards for his staging of Lend an Ear, the show that introduced Carol Channing
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...
to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
theater audiences. During the 1950s, he only worked on two Broadway musicals — choreographing Make a Wish
Make a Wish (musical)
Make a Wish is a musical with a book by Preston Sturges and Abe Burrows, who was not credited, and music and lyrics by Hugh Martin.Based on Sturges' screenplay for the 1935 film The Good Fairy, which in turn is based on the play of the same name by Ferenc Molnár as translated by Jane Hinton, the...
in 1951 and directing, staging and starring in 3 For Tonight in 1955 — preferring to spend most of his time in Hollywood. However, in the 1960s, he directed a number of Broadway hits that put him at the top of his profession.
He had a solid success in 1960 with Bye Bye Birdie, a show about an Elvis-like rock star about to be inducted into the army. The show starred relative unknowns Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
and Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
along with a youthful cast. It ran 607 performances and won four Tony awards, including Best Musical and two for Champion's direction and choreography. Next came Carnival!
Carnival!
Carnival is a 1961 musical with the book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The musical is based on the 1953 film Lili.-Background:...
in 1961, which ran 719 performances and garnered seven Tony nominations, including one for Champion's direction.
In 1964, he directed one of Broadway's biggest blockbusters, Hello, Dolly!
Hello, Dolly! (musical)
Hello, Dolly! is a musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955....
. It ran for 2844 performances — almost seven years. Starring Carol Channing, it's best remembered for the title number, where Dolly is greeted by the staff of a restaurant after having been away for years. The show won ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, as well as two for Champion's direction and choreography.
Champion had his fourth consecutive hit musical with I Do! I Do!
I Do! I Do!
I Do! I Do! is a musical with a book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt which is based on the Jan de Hartog play The Fourposter. The two-character story spans fifty years, from 1895 to 1945, as it focuses on the ups and downs experienced by Agnes and Michael Snow throughout their...
in 1966. It featured a cast of two — veterans Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
and Robert Preston
Robert Preston (actor)
-Early life:Preston was born Robert Preston Meservey in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Ruth L. and Frank Wesley Meservey, a garment worker and billing clerk for American Express. After attending Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California, he studied acting at the Pasadena Community...
— playing a couple seen throughout the years of their marriage. The show ran for 560 performances and got seven Tony nominations, including one for Champion's direction.
His next show, The Happy Time
The Happy Time
The Happy Time is a 1952 movie directed by the award-winning director Richard Fleischer, based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Robert Fontaine, which Samuel A. Taylor turned it into a hit play. A boy, played by Bobby Driscoll, comes of age in a close-knit French-Canadian family. The film...
in 1968, broke his streak. It had a relatively disappointing run of only 286 performances. This would be followed by many more disappointments and worse. In the 1970s, Champion directed minor hits (Sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
in 1972 and the revival Irene
Irene
Irene is a name derived from the Greek word εἰρήνη meaning "peace". It may also be spelled or transliterated as "Irini", "Eirene", or "Eirini".It may refer to:-Mythical figures:* Eirene , one of the Horae...
in 1973), flops (Mack & Mabel
Mack & Mabel
Mack & Mabel is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. The plot involves the tumultuous romantic relationship between Hollywood director Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand , who became one of his biggest stars...
in 1974) and complete disasters (Rockabye Hamlet
Rockabye Hamlet
Rockabye Hamlet is a rock musical with a book, lyrics, and music by Cliff Jones. It is based on the classic tragedy by William Shakespeare and tells the story of a Danish prince who plots revenge on his uncle for killing his father.- Production history :...
— seven performances in 1976 — and A Broadway Musical
A Broadway Musical
A Broadway Musical is a musical with a book by William F. Brown, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse. The Broadway production closed after 14 previews and only one performance on December 21, 1978....
, running only one night in 1978, not to mention Prettybelle
Prettybelle
Prettybelle is a musical with a book and lyrics by Bob Merrill and music by Jule Styne.Adapted from the Jean Arnold novel of the same name, its central character is a Southern woman who, long abused by her recently deceased law officer husband, turns to alcohol for comfort, becomes a nymphomaniac...
, which closed out of town in 1971). On top of all this, he and Marge were divorced in 1973.
After the failures of the previous decade, Champion was able to make a comeback with his longest-running show. In 1980, he choreographed and directed a stage adaptation of the movie classic, 42nd Street
42nd Street (musical)
42nd Street is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics by Al Dubin, and music by Harry Warren. The 1980 Broadway production, directed by an ailing Gower Champion and orchestrated by Philip J. Lang, won the Tony Award for Best Musical and became a long-running hit...
. It won the Tony for Best Musical, and Champion was nominated for his direction and choreography, winning for the latter. The show ran for 3,486 performances, but Champion did not live to see any. After numerous curtain calls on opening night, producer David Merrick
David Merrick
David Merrick was a prolific Tony Award-winning American theatrical producer.-Life and career:Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick graduated from Washington University, then studied law at the Jesuit-run Saint Louis University School of Law...
stunned the cast and audience by announcing Champion had died earlier that day.
Personal life
Champion was married in 1947 to actress Marjorie Celeste Belcher with whom he had two sons: Blake and actor Gregg Champion. In 1976 he married again to Karla Russell who survived him.Death
In early 1979 Champion received from his doctors at the Scripps Institute a diagnosis of Waldenström macroglobulinemiaWaldenström macroglobulinemia
Waldenström's macroglobulinemia is cancer involving a subtype of white blood cells called lymphocytes. The main attributing antibody is Immunoglobulin M . WM is an "indolent lymphoma,"...
, a rare form of blood cancer. He began treatment at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles and was advised not to take on work. In August, 1980, he died in New York City at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital...
.
When Champion died at 1:00 on August 25, 1980, it was six hours before the opening-night curtain of “42nd Street,” the Broadway musical he directed. It would be his greatest success, running nine years. Producer David Merrick kept the news secret, including from the cast. During the enthusiastic curtain calls, he entered the stage and melodramatically made the shocking announcement amidst the applause. “No, no. This is tragic. You don’t understand. Gower Champion died this morning.”
Broadway credits
- Count Me In (musical), performer (1942)
- Lend an EarLend an EarLend an Ear is a musical revue with a book, music, and lyrics by Charles Gaynor and additional sketches by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman.-Background:Lend an Ear was commissioned by Frederick Burleigh, and...
, musical staging (1948) - Small Wonder (musical), choreographer (1948)
- Make a Wish, choreographer (1951)
- 3 for Tonight, director and performer (1955)
- Bye Bye Birdie, director and choreographer (1960)
- Carnival!Carnival!Carnival is a 1961 musical with the book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The musical is based on the 1953 film Lili.-Background:...
, director and choreographer (1961) - Hello, Dolly!Hello, Dolly! (musical)Hello, Dolly! is a musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955....
, director and choreographer (1964) - I Do! I Do!I Do! I Do!I Do! I Do! is a musical with a book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt which is based on the Jan de Hartog play The Fourposter. The two-character story spans fifty years, from 1895 to 1945, as it focuses on the ups and downs experienced by Agnes and Michael Snow throughout their...
, director (1966) - 3 Bags Full, director (1966)
- The Happy TimeThe Happy Time (musical)The Happy Time is a musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by N. Richard Nash loosely based on a 1950 hit Broadway play, The Happy Time by Samuel A. Taylor, which was in turn based on stories by Robert Fontaine...
, director and choreographer (1968) - A Flea in Her EarA Flea in Her EarA Flea in Her Ear is a play by Georges Feydeau written in 1907, at the height of the Belle Époque.-Plot:...
, director (1969) - PrettybellePrettybellePrettybelle is a musical with a book and lyrics by Bob Merrill and music by Jule Styne.Adapted from the Jean Arnold novel of the same name, its central character is a Southern woman who, long abused by her recently deceased law officer husband, turns to alcohol for comfort, becomes a nymphomaniac...
, director and choreographer (1971) - SugarSugar (musical)Sugar is a musical with a book by Peter Stone, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Bob Merrill. It is based on the film Some Like It Hot, which was adapted by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond from a story by Robert Thoeren and Michael Logan...
, director and choreographer (1972) - IreneIrene (musical)Irene is a musical with a book by James Montgomery, lyrics by Joseph McCarthy, and music by Harry Tierney.Based on Montgomery's play Irene O'Dare, it is set in New York City's Upper West Side and focuses on immigrant shop assistant Irene O'Dare, who is introduced to Long Island's high society when...
, director (1973) - Mack & MabelMack & MabelMack & Mabel is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. The plot involves the tumultuous romantic relationship between Hollywood director Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand , who became one of his biggest stars...
, director and choreographer (1974) - Rockabye HamletRockabye HamletRockabye Hamlet is a rock musical with a book, lyrics, and music by Cliff Jones. It is based on the classic tragedy by William Shakespeare and tells the story of a Danish prince who plots revenge on his uncle for killing his father.- Production history :...
, director and choreographer (1976) - A Broadway MusicalA Broadway MusicalA Broadway Musical is a musical with a book by William F. Brown, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse. The Broadway production closed after 14 previews and only one performance on December 21, 1978....
, production supervisor (1978) - 42nd Street42nd Street (musical)42nd Street is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics by Al Dubin, and music by Harry Warren. The 1980 Broadway production, directed by an ailing Gower Champion and orchestrated by Philip J. Lang, won the Tony Award for Best Musical and became a long-running hit...
, director and choreographer (1980)
Awards and nominations
Awards- 1949 Tony Award for Best Choreography – Lend an Ear
- 1961 Tony Award for Best Choreography – Bye Bye Birdie
- 1961 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – Bye Bye Birdie
- 1964 Tony Award for Best Choreography – Hello, Dolly!
- 1964 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – Hello, Dolly!
- 1968 Tony Award for Best Choreography – The Happy Time
- 1968 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – The Happy Time
- 1981 Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Outstanding Choreography – 42nd Street - 1981 Tony Award for Best Choreography – 42nd Street
Nominations
- 1962 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – Carnival!
- 1967 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – I Do! I Do!
- 1973 Tony Award for Best Choreography – Sugar
- 1973 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – Sugar
- 1975 Tony Award for Best Choreography – Mack & Mabel
- 1975 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – Mack & Mabel
- 1981 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – 42nd Street
Further reading
- Gilvey, John Anthony. Before the Parade Passes by: Gower Champion and the Glorious American Musical (2005), St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0312337760