We had the opportunity to see Rosemary Clooney perform shortly before she passed away; and we sat next to the still-beautiful and glamorous Miss Margaret Whiting last year at one of Marilyn Maye's New York appearances. We can't even imagine what fun it must have been to see them together, along with Helen O'Connell and Rose Marie! Their unlikely success as 4 Girls 4, decades after their respective commercial peaks, for an astonishing twelve years in varying line-ups, speaks to the undeniable truth that Talent Always Wins Out. Take that, Miley Cyrus.
If you're ever in Augusta, KY (right!), Rosie's house there has been turned into The Rosemary Clooney Museum. I was at the opening a few years ago and got to see/meet her brother, widower, Rick Dees and a few other celebrated guests, but, alas, not her nephew (who has his own tribute room within the museum.)
ReplyDeleteGeorge used to chauffeur the 4 Girls 4 before he became Mr. Big Shot Movie Star; one time, Martha Raye (who replaced Rose Marie) had him pull over so she could pee -- and instead of getting out and squatting in the woods, she just rolled down the window and lifted her leg! And Rosie yelled from the back of the limo to her nephew: "Don't turn your head, Georgie, or else you'll learn too much about the aging process!"
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