We're Friends of Dorothy's

Dorothy Loudon (September 17, 1933 - November 15, 2003), that is.



This blowsy, ballsy Broadway Baby got her start singing at the chic Blue Angel nightclub in New York, where she perfected her worldly, whiskey-soaked style. Loudon gained her first taste of nationwide fame on television's The Garry Moore Show in 1963, replacing series regular Carol Burnett; ironically, Burnett would later appropriate Loudon's best-known Broadway roles for the movie versions.


DOROTHY LOUDON & GARRY MOORE ON THE COVER OF TV GUIDE, 1963


LOUDON'S DEBUT ALBUM; CORAL, 1960

Loudon also gained a reputation during the 1960's as an excellent stage performer who had the misfortune of appearing in spectacular flops. Her Broadway debut, in the prophetically-titled Nowhere to Go But Up, ran for only a week in 1962, but netted Loudon rave reviews and a Theatre World award. Similarly, her 1969 turn in The Fig Leaves Are Falling earned Loudon a Tony nomination, despite running a mere four performances. It wasn't until 1977, when Loudon won the role of the theatrically evil Miss Hannigan in Annie, that she finally found a role and show equal to her over-the-top talents.


DOROTHY LOUDON ONSTAGE IN ANNIE (1977)

The role of Miss Hannigan easily won Loudon a Best Actress Tony; but she was passed over for the lavish 1982 film adaptation in favor of Carol Burnett. Similarly, Burnett usurped Loudon's role in the film version of the non-musical comedy, Noises Off, which had earned Loudon critical roses on Broadway in 1983. Following the success of Annie proved difficult, although the 1979 musical drama Ballroom developed a cult following, and Loudon's rendition of the mature torch song, "Fifty Percent," is considered a classic. Loudon also became a welcome fixture on the Tony Awards telecast, performing production numbers with her inimitable combination of high-style glamour and barroom bawdiness.

Miss Dorothy Loudon passed away from cancer at the age of 70. Enjoy this clip of Dorothy at her best, from the 1993 Tony Awards, singing about one of our favorite things.