Joan McCracken
Encyclopedia
Joan McCracken was an American dancer, actress, and comedian who became famous for her role as Silvie ("The Girl Who Falls Down") in the original 1943 production of Oklahoma!
. By age 11, she was studying dance with Catherine Littlefield
. She dropped out of high school to join Littlefield's ballet company. She was a student of George Balanchine
in the first year of the School of American Ballet
(SAB).
McCracken toured Europe and danced at Radio City Music Hall
before creating the role of Sylvie.
She made a strong impression on the 1947 version of the movie Good News
in the role of vivacious Babe Doolittle. Her number "Pass That Peace Pipe" was a standout, but her movie career never took off. According to her biographer, she told Truman Capote
about her reactions to her brother's death, and he "used her violent tantrum in the Bloomer Girl
dressing room as the model for a scene in his popular novella Breakfast at Tiffany's
.
, whom she divorced on March 6, 1951, and then to dancer and choreographer Bob Fosse
from December 1952 to 1959.
McCracken was diagnosed in her teens with Type-1 diabetes. Reliable treatment for the disease was not yet then available, and her career was severely hampered as a result, despite her conscientiousness with regard to her condition. Through luck and determination, she persevered better than most; but long-term complications inevitably set in, and inherited heart problems (both of her parents died of heart attacks in their early 40s) damaged her health further, forcing her to turn down numerous offers of work in the mid- and late 50s. She died in her sleep, of a heart attack, in 1961 on Fire Island, New York
, aged 43.
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
. By age 11, she was studying dance with Catherine Littlefield
Catherine Littlefield
Catherine Littlefield was an American ballerina and choreographer, one of the first inductees into the Hall of Fame of the National Museum of Dance.She founded the Philadelphia Ballet Company in 1935....
. She dropped out of high school to join Littlefield's ballet company. She was a student of George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
in the first year of the School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
(SAB).
McCracken toured Europe and danced at Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
before creating the role of Sylvie.
She made a strong impression on the 1947 version of the movie Good News
Good News (films)
Good News is the title of two American MGM musical films based on the 1927 stage production of the same name.The first, released in 1930, was directed by Nick Grinde. The cast included Bessie Love, Cliff Edwards and Penny Singleton. The film was shot in black-and-white, although the finale was in...
in the role of vivacious Babe Doolittle. Her number "Pass That Peace Pipe" was a standout, but her movie career never took off. According to her biographer, she told Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
about her reactions to her brother's death, and he "used her violent tantrum in the Bloomer Girl
Bloomer Girl
Bloomer Girl was a Broadway musical that premiered on October 4, 1944. Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy wrote the book, Harold Arlen the music, and E.Y. Harburg the lyrics. Agnes de Mille was the choreographer...
dressing room as the model for a scene in his popular novella Breakfast at Tiffany's
Breakfast at Tiffany's (novella)
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a novella by Truman Capote published in 1958. The main character, Holly Golightly, is one of Capote's best-known creations and an American cultural icon.-Plot:...
.
Personal life
She was married to Jack DunphyJack Dunphy
Jack Dunphy was an American novelist and playwright, perhaps best known today for his long-term relationship with American author Truman Capote.-Early life and dance career:...
, whom she divorced on March 6, 1951, and then to dancer and choreographer 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...
from December 1952 to 1959.
McCracken was diagnosed in her teens with Type-1 diabetes. Reliable treatment for the disease was not yet then available, and her career was severely hampered as a result, despite her conscientiousness with regard to her condition. Through luck and determination, she persevered better than most; but long-term complications inevitably set in, and inherited heart problems (both of her parents died of heart attacks in their early 40s) damaged her health further, forcing her to turn down numerous offers of work in the mid- and late 50s. She died in her sleep, of a heart attack, in 1961 on Fire Island, New York
Fire Island, New York
Fire Island is one of the outer barrier islands adjacent to the south shore of Long Island, New York. It is approximately long and varies between broad. Fire Island is part of Suffolk County. It comprises a number of hamlets, census-designated places , and villages, all of which lie within the...
, aged 43.
Broadway
- Oklahoma!Oklahoma!Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
, 1943–44 - Bloomer GirlBloomer GirlBloomer Girl was a Broadway musical that premiered on October 4, 1944. Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy wrote the book, Harold Arlen the music, and E.Y. Harburg the lyrics. Agnes de Mille was the choreographer...
, 1944–45 - Billion Dollar BabyBillion Dollar BabyBillion Dollar Baby is a musical set on Staten Island and in Atlantic City during the late 1920s. It follows the adventures of an ambitious young woman, Maribelle Jones, in her quest for wealth during the Prohibition era. Betty Comden and Adolph Green, fresh from their success with On the Town,...
, 1945–46 - The Big Knife, 1949
- Dance Me a Song, 1950
- Angel in the Pawnshop, 1951
- Me and JulietMe and JulietMe and Juliet is a musical comedy by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and their sixth stage collaboration. The work tells a story of romance backstage at a long-running musical: assistant stage manager Larry woos chorus girl Jeanie behind the back of her electrician boyfriend, Bob...
, 1953–54
Television
- Actor's Studio ("Night Club", 1948)
- Great Catherine (1948)
- Claudia: The Story of a Marriage (1952)
- The Revlon Mirror Theater ("White Night"; 1953)
- Toast of the Town, Episode #6.46 (1953)