To people of a certain age, Georgia Engel is the delightful
Georgette of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
To another generation, she is Amy’s mom on Everybody Loves Raymond. Before both of
those, there was Hello, Dolly!
Already in 1969, one may have not heard the entire score of Dolly, but the title song was popular on
the radio, thanks to Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. That song was part of the
popular consciousness. The first time Georgia heard the entire score, she was
in the show!
She remembers it being happy and joyous music.
When Georgia was in the University of Hawaii in 1969, the
Australian company starring Carole Cook came through. They were auditioning for
Minnie Fay and Georgia happened to get the part. Gary Alexander played Barnaby
Tucker in that company. That’s also had Georgia got her Equity card. She was
only in the show for its duration in Hawaii, just a few weeks. She graduated
from college that year as well at the age of twenty. After that, she moved to
New York. Shortly after arriving in New York, Georgia was doing a show with the
Equity Library Theater. It was a production of Lend an Ear, which, of course, was the show that brought Carol
Channing to Broadway. Carol came to see the show and was nice to everyone. Carol
ended up befriending Georgia. Years later, when Georgia was in My One and Only, as Mickey, the Mechanic, on Broadway, she was on a sixth floor
walk-up at the St. James Theater. One night after the show, she hears that
distinctive voice. Charles Lowe was screaming to Carol not to climb those
stairs. She said, “I’ve got to go up there!”
That walk was so intense that on two show days, Georgia stayed in her
dressing room between shows. Carol made that climb to see Georgia to tell her
that she did a great job. When Georgia was doing Sweet Charity at Kansas City Starlight, Carol was touring the
country in Legends with Mary Martin.
When Carol and Mary came to Kansas City, Georgia went to see the show. She
couldn’t have been sweeter to Georgia. She has always gone out of her way to be
encouraging and sweet to Georgia.
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| Miss Merman's Dolly |
One of Merrick’s casting guys also came to see the show and
Georgia got the opportunity to audition for Hello, Dolly on Broadway which
would be starring Phyllis Diller. This was on the heels of the all
African-American Company starring Pearl Bailey and Cab Callaway. Having done
the role of Minnie Faye in the Hawaiian leg of Carole Cook’s Company, the role
was in Georgia’s bones. Ethel Merman was
already onboard to play Dolly, but in the interim, Phyllis Diller did it for
three months. Georgia had been told that they were considering bringing Sondra
Lee, the original Minnie Fay, in for these two actresses, but Sondra was not
interested in repeating a role she had already played on Broadway. Physically,
Georgia and Sondra are very different, so new costumes had to be created.
Georgia was one of the tallest actresses to play Minnie. She’s not huge, but
she is physically larger than the others. Georgia definitely had the right
quality. Having played the role prior, it gave Georgia a sense of dominion.
When it comes to the title song, Georgia says it is a magical
number.
Georgia loved working with Phyllis Diller. Phyllis did the
sweetest thing for the entire company. While she was doing Dolly, she was also
doing her club act late nights at the Upstairs at the Downstairs. Each night,
she would pick out a few members of cast and crew and treat them to the show!
They were taken there by limousine. It was Georgia’s first time in a limo.
After the show, the limo would drop them off at their respective apartments.
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At
the time, Georgia was living at One hundred and Seventh Street and Riverside
Drive, so that was very special. Georgia has never forgotten that. That was so
much better than an opening night present. Phyllis did that for EVERY member of
the company. Georgia and Phyllis would work together a few more times over the
years. They did Cinderella together.
Phyllis played the stepmother and Georgia played the Fairy Godmother. They
loved getting in touch with each other again. Phyllis gave Georgia beautiful
red necklace which she has as a remembrance. Phyllis lived such a full and
beautiful life. Many people don’t realize what a brilliant artist she was. She
would be painting while they were on tour. The company would stay in hotels.
With Phyllis, they would find homes for her to stay in with artist’s studios. She
was also a fine musician. Georgia loved these other aspects of Phyllis’.
Prior to auditioning for Dolly
in Hawaii, Georgia had no previous thoughts on the show. When Dolly opened on
Broadway, Georgia was in junior high school.
‘You come down the pike when you come down the pike.” When it comes to
playing a role, Georgia never puts a “spin” on the character. As a matter of
fact, she abhors that term. She tries to find the heart of the character.
Everybody has to feel their way into a part. She found her way into Minnie
Fay’s heart and became Minnie Faye.
Georgia played Minnie Fay on Broadway for fifty-two weeks, a
full year, three months with Phyllis Diller and Richard Deacon and the rest of
the year with Miss Merman and Jack Goode. It wasn’t until several years later
that Georgia found out that he, too, had worked with Mary Tyler Moore. When you
are young and coming down the pike, you are not always aware of what wonderful
things those that you are working with have done. She never got to know him.
Miss Merman and Georgia were the only ones in that company
who never missed a performance. Georgia loved Miss Merman very much.
Of course, Miss Merman had a formidable
reputation. She didn’t suffer fools lightly. It was a thrill to work with her.
The highest compliment came when they first started working together. There is
a moment towards the end of the first act in the Dancing number in which Minnie
Fay dances around Dolly at the end of the number.
That moment was inspired by
Sondra Lee when she suggested the movement to Gower in order to have a moment
between Dolly and Minnie Fay emotionally. At that moment, Dolly and Minnie are
the last two people left on the stage. When they started working together, Miss
Merman would always look Georgia in the forehead. She was one of those old time
performers who could do a really great show without looking anybody in the
eyes. The magic was between them and the audience. They didn’t feel a need,
perhaps it was shyness. A few months into the run, Miss Merman began to look
Georgia in the eyes during that moment and continued to do so. Dolly had
originally been written for Miss Merman. In her finally agreeing to do the
show,
Love, Look in my Window and
World, Take Me Back, both written for
Miss Merman, were reinstated.
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Georgia has had many opening and closing nights in the
theater, but nothing to rival those of Miss Merman’s! It is unheard of to have
someone walk out on stage and get a ten minute ovation.
As a young person,
Georgia was aware that this was something extraordinary.
People loved her so
much. She was a legend. When Georgia saw her later in her career on shows like The Love Boat, she was saddened. Her
gift was what she was able to create on the Broadway stage. TV was too small
and too puny for her. She seemed too big for it. She was then out of place with
the times. TV didn’t show how magnificent
she was.
Georgia’s father was an Admiral in the Coast Guard and was
transferred to Governor’s Island. When
Georgia’s parents moved to Governor’s Island, they insisted that she move out
of her cockroach infested apartment in Manhattan and move in with them.
Although Georgia was ready to be on her own, she made the difficult decision to
take them up on their offer. It was Christmas time and Georgia’s mother said,
“Why don’t you invite Miss Merman over for Christmas Eve?” Georgia told her mom
that there was no way that Miss Merman would accept. Georgia’s mom pestered her
so much that she finally told her mom that she would invite her but that she
wouldn’t accept. Georgia invited her and she accepted! She brought along two friends and they had a
wonderful Christmas eve celebration.
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| Carole Cook, Georgia, and Company in Hawaii (Courtesy Georgia) |
However, there was one embarrassing
moment. Georgia’s grandmother, whom they called Nanny, didn’t follow protocol
and called Miss Merman Ethel. Of course, Nanny didn’t mean disrespect. She
said, “Ethel, why not sing us a song!?!” Miss Merman got a little bit of her
rancor up and said, “I only sing when I’m getting paid.” Nanny was wrong, but
she didn’t know any better. Miss Merman didn’t want to be put on the spot. She
was invited as a guest. When everyone
sang together later, she joined in. Miss Merman threw the closing night party for the company at
her hotel at The Waldorf. Miss Merman invited Georgia to stay overnight so she
wouldn’t have to commute to Governor’s Island. Georgia didn’t accept. She knew
she had to take the subway to South Ferry. If she didn’t get the ferry by two
AM, she would be stuck. Her dad would probably worry. She used to have to have
dinner at home every night at six pm and she was always rushing right into the
theater right at the moment at half hour. She was afraid of the stage manager
because he had a little black book and if you were not there by half hour, your
name would go in this book. As she has matured as an actress, she is always at
the theater way early. Looking back, she feels she should have taken Miss
Merman’s invitation. She didn’t accept the invitation, but Miss Merman gave a
wonderful closing night party.
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| Danny Lockin |
Georgia also loved Danny Lockin.
They once took an
acrobatics class together. This was a class that she took every day. He wanted
to take this class with her, without even warming up! He did everything the
instructor asked him to do and the instructor was very impressed. As we can
still see, thanks to the film of Hello,
Dolly, he was very acrobatic. When Hello, Dolly, the film, premiered in New
York at the Rivoli Theater on December 16th, 1969, Danny and Georgia
were appearing opposite each other on Broadway in Phyllis Diller’s
Company. Danny’s date for the premier
was Georgia.
She feels that EJ Peaker was perfectly lovely in the film.
Georgia feels the film was a different animal from the
Broadway show. Georgia, however, enjoyed it and loved Barbra Streisand.
 |
| Georgia and Carole Cook Company (Courtesy: Georgia) |
Hello, Dolly launched Georgia’s career. She has a great love for it. She had a great
time and learned the discipline of doing a long run. It is hard to do it for a
year. You get tired of it. You have to find ways of keeping it fresh. It is a wonderful discipline for someone
starting out. When Georgia was appearing in Dolly on Broadway, she got a movie.
It became a crazy schedule. She was shooting during the day and did the show at
night. It was one of Milos Forman’s first films, Taking Off for which she was nominated for a British Academy Award
for best supporting actress.
John Guare was one of the writers on the film.
After Dolly closed, Georgia started collecting unemployment. At that time, you
had to go way down town to pick up your checks. On her way down one day, she
ran into John Guare. He asked what she was doing. She replied that since Dolly
had closed, she was now collecting unemployment.
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| Georgia with Phyllis Diller Company (Courtesy PhotoFest) |
He told her to go to the Truck and Warehouse
Theater, that they could really use her as one of the leads in The House of Blue Leaves. She went down and got it. Although she was
now making less money than unemployment, she knew it was more important as far
as her resume was concerned.
Even as a young person, she knew it was important
to work with quality people. She very quickly started out understudying two
parts. The actress who was playing Corinna Stoller left for a better paying
job. Georgia then went into that wonderful role. Several months later, the
theater burned down. Instead of waiting for the theater to be built back up,
they took the show to Hollywood. All of the people who later became Georgia’s
friends on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
came to see the show.
Georgia was taking a ballet class on Hollywood Boulevard.
Mary Tyler Moore was in the same ballet class, but Georgia didn’t recognize
her. She was there with no make-up on. One day at the ballet bar, Moore told
her that she and her husband, Grant Tinker had seen the show with a couple of
friends and that they really loved it. Georgia found out later that it was
Allan Ludden and Betty White.
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| Georgia/Phyllis Diller Company (Photofest) |
Georgia finished her run in House of Blue Leaves and six months later, she got a call to play a
tiny part, at that time, on The Mary
Tyler Moore Show. Georgia’s manager
didn’t think she should do it because she would have to fly herself out to LA
on her own expense. Georgia said sometimes you have to pay for the privilege of
working with the best.
Georgia flew out to play this tiny part that didn’t even
start out at the beginning of the week with the rest of the cast. It was a
Wednesday through Friday part as opposed to a Monday through Friday. By the
time those three days were over, they had written Georgia into the cast.
Georgia was teaching Sunday school and had to get back to New
York after her three days of taping. She flew back to New York after the taping
on Friday night.
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| Georgia and Ted Knight, Mary Tyler Moore Show |
On Monday morning, she received a big potted plant delivered
to her front door. That’s unheard of in a New York apartment building with a
doorman. Usually, he will call up to say there’s a delivery. The doorbell rang and Georgia peeked through
the peephole to see this huge potted plant outside her door. She brought it in
and the card said, “Welcome to the MTM family.”
They had not even negotiated or anything with her. It wasn’t like she
was hard to get. They knew she had been on Broadway. They had seen her in House of Blue Leaves.
It was a funny fit putting her with Ted
Knight. All of this was a natural trajectory from Hello, Dolly.
Georgia feels that Tyne Daly would make a great Dolly if she
had any interest. She was so wonderful in Gypsy
when she did it.Georgia is wary of the word “tweak” when it comes to her
performance. As time goes on, you have more resonance. You find tiny little
things that make it
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| Georgia/Phyllis Diller Company (Photofest) |
richer for you. Very often, directors come back and try and
take out what actors have added to their performances. It’s important to stay
true to what you are given. There is always room to bring more richness to a
part. She remembers one time in Hawaii. Georgia and Gary Alexander became good
friends. Garrett Lewis was also in that production as Cornelius Hackl.
Georgia
had a crush on Garrett Lewis. During the docket scene, when Minnie and Mrs.
Molloy were looking at Barnaby and Cornelius, Minnie found herself looking at
the wrong guy.
Part of the preparation of coming in for the Phyllis Diller
Company was for the cast to go see the Pearl Bailey company. Georgia got to see
it a few times and loved it. Some of the cast of the Diller Company had done
previous productions of
Dolly.
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| Georgia and Merman Cast (Photofest) |
Georgia was and has become even more aware of the fact that there was a
community of people who had long years connected with the production.
The discipline that Georgia learned from
Dolly is a discipline that she does not
see in the young people coming up in the theater
today. Miss
Merman would go on even if she had a cold or whatever. It was NEVER in her
thoughts that she wouldn’t go on. Georgia learned that discipline from Mary
Tyler Moore as well. Nothing would stop them.
When Georgia was doing Dolly on Broadway, there were no
vacation weeks.
Equity has since given so many wonderful perks to actors to
help them to make them happier and healthier in long-term Broadway jobs.
Georgia considers herself now one of the seniors of the “old school.” When you
are young, you are very impressionable. Georgia learned so much from observing
Miss Merman’s work habits. She would never think of disappointing the people
who came to see her.
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| Georgis/Merman Cast (Photofest) |
Hello, Dolly got
people really loving those masters, Michael Stewart, Jerry Herman, and Gower
Champion. Georgia didn’t get to work with Gower Champion. Lucia Victor was the
one who put Georgia in Dolly.
Hello, Dolly got people to appreciate
the highest caliber of showmanship. Georgia thought Lucia was wonderful. She
was wonderful to Georgia. She was no-nonsense, and Georgia didn’t get to know
her on any personal level whatsoever.
The worst experience for Georgia may not be the worst by
someone else’s standards. She went one day to a friend’s home for an early
dinner between shows. She had a little bit too much to eat. She had a part in
the show where she had to jump up in the air with her back arched into the arms
of dancer Sean Nolan.
It was difficult with what she had eaten to do this with
any kind of grace or dignity. He laughed later about that. Sean was big strong
masculine Irish guy. He later said to Georgia that he knew something was amiss.
She came towards her like a Mack truck. She was just grateful they didn’t end
up in a heap. At that moment, it felt, to Georgia, like the end of the world.
Sean died shortly after Dolly closed. There were many deaths
from that company so soon after it closed. It was quite unusual, June Helmers
(Irene Molloy), Danny Lockin (Barnaby Tucker), Jack Goode (Horace
Vandergelder). It was spooky to Georgia as a young person.
Other than seeing
Pearl Bailey on Broadway, Georgia has only seen three other Dollys, Ruta Lee at
Casa Manana in Texas , E. Faye Butler at the Drury Lane Dinner Theater in
Chicago in 1991, and Carol Channing’s revival in 1977.Ruta is very beloved in
Texas and has done a lot of musicals there. Georgia enjoyed Ruta’s Dolly very
much. E. Faye and Georgia appeared in Nunsense
together. E. Faye is much beloved in Chicago. She was a magnificent Dolly, with
a magnificent voice and comic ability. Sid Smith in The Chicago Tribute wrote:
 |
| E. Faye Butler |
Drury Lane Theatre`s
keen, generally appealing revival now in Evergreen Park manages by going after
both entertainment levels. E. Faye Butler stars as the fast-talking, slippery
Dolly Levi, and hers is a matchmaker who`s funny one moment, beautifully voiced
the next. Moreover, she has the force of personality, the mystical onstage
authority, to carry off Dolly`s high-handed antics-Channing isn`t the only one
who can carry the role, but whoever does needs to be broad, larger than life,
demonstrably memorable on stage.
Therein Butler fills
the bill, an astute area comedian waiting for the right lead to come along for
some time now. She`s at home with the zingers, broad takes and sass for such
scenes as the Harmonia Gardens dinner, during which she dumps mountains of
steaming beets and mashed potatoes, first onto Horace Vandergelder`s plate and
then into her own mouth.
But Butler also uses a
silky, girlishly restrained air for some scenes, tossing lines away and giving
Dolly a soft, vulnerable, lovable side. (She even does ``Love, Look in My
Window,`` a song written especially for Ethel Merman and lost to the show ever
since.) Together, she and John Beasley, as a muscular, virile Horace, turn in a
slightly sexy romance, sweetly sentimental, as well as funny.
Although Georgia has not seen many productions of Dolly, she
is very aware that those who are not “famous” can do a magnificent job with
this role. When a musical is well written, anyone who has the singing,
movement, acting chops to do it, that larger than life quality that Dolly
requires, can be wonderful in it.
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| Ad for Original Cast Album |
Think of all the joy it has brought to many
high schools. She did see the 1977 Broadway revival with Carol Channing and Lee Roy Reams as Cornelius. It was a
production of pure love. Because Georgia was young and not living in New York,
she did not see Carol do it originally. It was great to finally see her magic
in doing this. Carol Channing owned it. It was hers, she made it hers.
Jerry Herman is a lovely, lovely man. She got to later work
with him closely at Goodspeed in Dear
World in 2000. She enjoyed his kindness so much.
All that Georgia can remember about closing night on
Broadway is the excitement of it. She remembers the ten minute ovation on Miss
Merman’s entrance and the massive non ending applause at the end of each
number. Everything else is a blur. As mentioned, Miss Merman threw the closing
night party!
 |
| with friend and frequent co-star, Betty White |
Georgia has no desire to play Dolly herself. She thinks she
is past the age now to do it. Georgia was very blessed and satisfied just being
Minnie Fay. Georgia has been one of the greatest supporting actresses of all
time and she loves that with all her heart. Supporting actors and actresses can
have wonderful careers.
For Georgia, the similarities between doing comedy on stage
and in television are what she loves. There are some sitcoms that are taped
without an audience. They are not as much fun for Georgia. She just did three
episodes of The Office. She loved the cast and crew. They give three hundred
percent too much. Two hundred percent of what you do gets edited out.
They do
it like a Christopher Guest movie. They do more than they need and it becomes
an editor’s art. With The Mary Tyler
Moore Show and Everybody Loves
Raymond, they are both done with great precision. Since they are both
filmed in front of an audience, just as on Broadway, the audience tells you
where the humor should be. Even when you do a role on Broadway for a year, the
audience doesn’t always laugh at the same place. Sometimes an audience will
laugh thirty seconds after where they normally do. It’s the same in television.
Once on The Mary Tyler Moore Show,
something that the cast laughed at so hard during the week, the audience didn’t
laugh at where the cast expected the laugh to land. It came a few minutes
later. Georgia remembers thinking how smart it is to be on your toes and let
the audience tell you where the laughter is. As of this interview, Georgia has
done a few episodes of Hot in Cleveland,
which stars another Dolly, Betty White.
 |
| Georgia in The Drowsey Chaperone |
Betty is one of the hardest working
people Georgia knows. She works “four hundred and sixty five days a year.” Her
heart is as big as all out doors.
Hello, Dolly was
pure, joyous, wholesome fun for Georgia Engel.
T
hank
you Georgia Engel for the gifts you have given to the world and continue
to give!
With grateful XOXOXs ,
Check out my site celebrating my forthcoming book on Hello, Dolly!
I want this to be a definitive account of Hello, Dolly!
If any of you reading this have appeared in any production of Dolly, I'm interested in speaking with you!
Do you
have any
pics to share?
If you have anything to add or share, please contact me at Richard@RichardSkipper.com.
NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!
Please do what YOU can to be more aware that words and actions DO HURT...but they can also heal and help!
My next blog will be...My exclusive interview with Alene Robertson on Hello, Dolly!
Thank you, to all the mentioned in this blog!
Here's to an INCREDIBLE tomorrow for ALL...with NO challenges!
Come here me sing Saturday night for a great cause!
Rich Flanders
Joanna Morton Gary
Steve Herbst
Sue Matsuki
Sarah Rice (SWEENEY TODD)
*Richard Skipper
JoAnn Yeoman
OTHER
PERFORMERS TBA!
JoAnn
Yeoman, director
Kathleen
Conry, Stage Manager
Juliana
Meehan, Asst. Dir.
Mark
Janas, Piano
Steve
Saari, Piano
Matthew
Martin Ward, Piano
Eve
Weiss, Classical Guitar
Amy
Ralske, Cello
Jonathan
Russell, Jazz Violin
Jim
Russell, Recorder
*Artists subject to change without notice.
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This
evening's cabaret extravaganza by some of Broadway and Cabaret's finest
performers will be a party mix of enchanting music, guaranteed to
touch the heart and delight the spirit to help this wonderful animal
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This
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A great way to feel good about the upcoming holidays! Help the
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Immerse
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voices at that hot spot, The Laurie Beechman Theater at the West Bank Cafe, one
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Don't be left out.
TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED DAY
This
Blog is dedicated to ALL THE DOLLYS and ANYONE who has EVER had a connection with ANY of them on ANY Level!
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