- Dorothy Collins
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For other people named Dorothy Collins, see Dorothy Collins (disambiguation).
Dorothy Collins 
Dorothy Collins, 1960sBorn Marjorie Chandler
November 18, 1926
Windsor, Ontario, CanadaDied July 21, 1994 (aged 67)
Watervliet, New York, United StatesOccupation Actress, Singer Years active 1942–1980 Spouse Raymond Scott (1952-1965)
Ron Holgate (1966-1977)Dorothy Collins (November 18, 1926 – July 21, 1994) was a Canadian/American singer, actress, and recording artist. She was born Marjorie Chandler in Windsor, Ontario, Canada,[1] and adopted her stage name in her mid-teens.
Contents
Radio and TV
As a youngster, Collins sang on radio stations in Windsor and Detroit. In 1940, at age 14, she and her family were introduced to bandleader/composer Raymond Scott in Chicago. Shortly thereafter, she became Scott's protégée. In early 1942, at age 15, she became a featured vocalist with Scott's orchestra, performing on radio and on tour. Scott groomed her for stardom, which included coaching her vocals (pitch, phrasing, and delivery) and mentoring her performance skills. In the late 1940s, she contributed vocals to the revived Raymond Scott Quintet, a sextet that released records on the bandleader's own Master label and served as house band on the radio program Herb Shriner Time. In 1949, after Scott was hired to conduct the orchestra on the popular CBS Radio program, Lucky Strike's Your Hit Parade, Collins was trained by Scott to lead his sextet on tour in his absence.
In 1950, Your Hit Parade moved to NBC television, with Scott retained as conductor. Shortly thereafter, at Scott's urging, Collins auditioned for a vocalist slot and was hired. She shot to nationwide fame as one of the show's featured vocalists, singing—and acting in costume—in sketches dramatizing popular songs of the day. After her absence from Your Hit Parade during the 1957–58 season (a new cast of singers replaced Collins and her fellow vocalists), Collins returned for the series' final season on CBS Television ending in April 1959.[2]
Collins often appeared as spokeswoman/vocalist in Lucky Strike cigarette commercials during the program and on their other sponsored series (including the Jack Benny radio show) via transcription disc, earning the title, "The Sweetheart of Lucky Strike." Her additional TV credits include The Steve Allen Show, The Bell Telephone Hour, and The Hollywood Palace. On Candid Camera, she was both a participant in the stunts and co-host with Allen Funt from 1961–1963.[1]
Recording and concerts
In 1955, her single "My Boy - Flat Top," reached #16 on the Billboard charts.[3] A follow-up single, "Baciare Baciare (Kissing Kissing)," peaked at #43. In 1956 her single "Seven Days" peaked at #17. She recorded other singles and albums in the 1950s, with little chart success.
Collins sang a collection of educational tunes on an album entitled Experiment Songs, one of six albums in a set called Singing Science Records produced in the 1950s and '60s by Hy Zaret and Lou Singer.
In 1979 she performed in concert at Michael's Pub in New York.[4]
Theatre
In the summer of 1957 she played Dorothy Gale in The Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis production of The Wizard of Oz, alongside Margaret Hamilton reprising her movie role of the Wicked Witch of the West. Collins was lead in The Saint Paul Civic Opera Association's presentation of The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
In 1971, Collins made her Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim's Follies, portraying Sally Durant Plummer,[5]a one-time Ziegfeld-style showgirl trapped in a disappointing marriage. Martin Gottfried wrote of her performance: "Dorothy Collins, 'Hit Parade' jokes notwithstanding, has a voice of impressive versatility and range."[6] Her performance earned a Tony Award nomination as Best Actress in a Musical, but she lost to co-star, fellow Canadian-born actress Alexis Smith.[7] When the production opened in Los Angeles in 1972, Collins reprised the role of Sally.[5]
At the summer stock theatre, Melody Top, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she starred in Good News (1975), and she reprised her role in Follies (1977).[8] In 1980 she appeared as Dolly in Hello Dolly at An Evening Dinner Theatre, Elmsford, New York.[9]
Personal
Collins was married to Raymond Scott from 1952[1] until their divorce in 1965. They had two daughters, Deborah and Elizabeth. She married actor Ron Holgate in December 1966,[10] with whom she had a daughter, Melissa. They separated in 1977, and divorced in 1980 [11].
She died in July 1994 from respiratory distress as a result of chronic pulmonary disease (asthma) at her home in Watervliet, New York. She was survived by her three daughters.[1] Her first husband and musical mentor, Raymond Scott, passed away just five months earlier.
References
- ^ a b c d Sheila Rule, "Dorothy Collins obituary", New York Times (July 23, 1994), p. 27
- ^ Newcomb, Horace."'Your Hit Parade' Listing" Encyclopedia of television, CRC Press, 2004, ISBN 157958411X, pp. 2619–2620
- ^ Whitburn, Joel."Collins" The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition, Random House Digital, Inc., 2010, ISBN 0823085546, p. 146
- ^ Klemesrud, Judy. "Dorothy Collins Sings Sondheim: Where They Are Now", New York Times, October 12, 1979, p. C3
- ^ a b "'Follies' Listing" sondheimguide.com, accessed June 26, 2011
- ^ Gottfried, Martin. "Flipping Over 'Follies' ". The New York Times, April 25, 1971
- ^ "Tony Awards, 1972" broadwayworld.com, accessed June 26, 2011
- ^ "Memories of Melody Top" memoriesofmelodytop.com, accessed June 26, 2011
- ^ Frankel, Haskel. "THEATER: An Uneasy Dolly In a Bright Revival", New York Times, January 20, 1980, p. AD19
- ^ "Dorothy Collins is Rewed", New York Times, December 22, 1966, p. 40
- ^ Remembering Dorothy Collins: The 1970s-1980s
External links
- Remembering Dorothy Collins, official website maintained by her daughters
- Tribute to Dorothy Collins, unofficial website maintained by two of her loyal fans
- Dorothy Collins at the Internet Movie Database
- Dorothy Collins at the Internet Broadway Database
- Dorothy Collins page at RaymondScott.com
- Bell Telephone Hour: Designs in Music, spotlighting Dorothy Collins and Raymond Scott, December 8, 1961
- Dorothy Collins bio at Gala Records (Canadian singers)
- Dorothy Collins performs "Suddenly There's a Valley" on Your Hit Parade,
- Dorothy Collins in a commercial for Lucky Strike cigarettes from Your Hit Parade, 1950s
Categories:- 1926 births
- 1994 deaths
- Actors from Windsor, Ontario
- American television personalities
- Canadian female singers
- Canadian pop singers
- Canadian musical theatre actors
- Canadian television actors
- Deaths from respiratory failure
- Musicians from Windsor, Ontario
- People from Albany County, New York
- People from Windsor, Ontario
- Top Rank Records artists
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