Carol Haney (born Carolyn Haney; December 24, 1924 – May 10, 1964) was an American dancer and actress. After assisting Gene Kelly in choreographing films, Haney won a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for her role in Broadway's ''

The Pajama Game ''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel '' 7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his ...

'', while later work as a stage choreographer earned her three Tony nominations.

Life and career

Haney was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to Norman Vincent Haney (1899-1990), a bank teller, and his

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

-born wife, Ellen ( Christensen) Haney (1900-1952).1930 United States Federal Census She had an older sister, Mrs. Miriam Woodcock (1922-1961). She began to dance at age five and opened a dancing school in her teens. After high school, Haney left her home town for Hollywood and landed bit parts in movies until she was spotted by dancer/choreographer Jack Cole, becoming his dance partner and assistant from 1946 to 1948. In 1949, Haney was hired by Gene Kelly to be his assistant choreographer on several

M-G-M Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

musical films, and she aided Kelly in some of his best work, including '' On the Town'' (1949), ''

Summer Stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock th ...

'' (1950), ''

An American in Paris ''An American in Paris'' is a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by American composer George Gershwin first performed in 1928. It was inspired by the time that Gershwin had spent in Paris and evokes the sights and energy of the French capital ...

'' (1951), '' Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), as well as Kelly's dream project, '' Invitation to the Dance'' (1956). As Kelly's Dance Captain, Haney routinely worked with his partners and upon learning their strong points, choreographed numbers around them. Kelly attempted to elevate Haney's film presence, most notably by wanting her for the "Gotta Dance" sequence in ''Singin' in the Rain''. He was continually overruled by the studio who felt Haney lacked sufficient physical appeal. Known as the most lithe dancer in films, Haney danced with

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

in the 1953 film version of ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-stag ...

.'' When Fosse landed his first Broadway choreographing assignment, ''

'' (1954), he recommended that Haney be cast in a small dancing part. She impressed director

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. Early years Abbott was born in Forestville, New Yo ...

so much that Abbott combined her role with a larger part, resulting in the character of Gladys Hotchkiss, showcasing her in two specialty dance numbers "Steam Heat" and "Hernando's Hideaway". The role shot Haney to Broadway fame and won her a

and two Donaldson awards. The role of Gladys was lucky for Haney's understudy, Shirley MacLaine. A month into the run of ''The Pajama Game'', in May 1954, Haney injured her ankle during a Wednesday matinee, and MacLaine played the role. MacLaine was spotted by Hollywood producer

Hal Wallis Harold Brent Wallis (born Aaron Blum Wolowicz; October 19, 1898 – October 5, 1986) was an American film producer. He is best known for producing ''Casablanca'' (1942), ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938), and '' True Grit'' (1969), along wi ...

, who had come to the show to see Haney, and MacLaine got a contract that launched her film career. After this, Haney appeared in a few shows, including the touring production ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1956'', but developed paralyzing stage fright. She was seen on television, and she recreated her performance as Gladys in the film version of ''

'' (1957). She then focused her career on choreography for Broadway shows: ''

Flower Drum Song ''Flower Drum Song'' was the eighth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on the 1957 novel, '' The Flower Drum Song'', by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. It premiered on Broadway in 1958 and was then performed in the ...

'' (1958, directed by Gene Kelly), ''

Bravo Giovanni ''Bravo Giovanni'' is a musical with a book by A. J. Russell, lyrics by Ronny Graham, and music by Milton Schafer. It is based upon Howard Shaw's 1959 novel, ''The Crime of Giovanni Venturi''. The musical was conceived as a vehicle for opera sta ...

'' (1962), ''

She Loves Me ''She Loves Me'' is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. The musical is the third adaptation of the 1937 play '' Parfumerie'' by Hungarian playwright Miklós László, following the 194 ...

'' (1963) and '' Funny Girl'' (1964). ''The American Dance Machine'' (1978) featured her choreography from television. Haney earned three

Tony Awards for Best Choreography Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

nominations: for ''Flower Drum Song'', ''Bravo Giovanni'', and ''Funny Girl'' (posthumous). In May 1958, she appeared with Dick Van Dyke as a guest star on

Polly Bergen Polly Bergen (born Nellie Paulina Burgin; July 14, 1930 – September 20, 2014) was an American actress, singer, television host, writer and entrepreneur. She won an Emmy Award in 1958 for her performance as Helen Morgan in '' The Helen ...

's short-lived

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp ...

, ''The Polly Bergen Show'', as well as popular game shows such as ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'' She demonstrated her talent as a dramatic actress in occasional stage productions such as the role of "Lila" in

William Inge William Motter Inge (; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s he had a string of memorable Broad ...

's ''A Loss of Roses'', opposite newcomer

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

, who, ironically, was Shirley MacLaine's real-life brother. However, for the

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

she was again passed over for a part she had originated on stage.

Family

Haney was married to Eugene Dorian Johnson from 1945 to 1953 and then Broadway actor and TV host

Larry Blyden Ivan Lawrence Blieden (June 23, 1925 – June 6, 1975), known as Larry Blyden, was an American actor, stage producer and director, and game show host. He made his Broadway stage debut in 1948 and went on to appear in numerous productions on ...

from 1955 to 1962, whom she choreographed in ''Flower Drum Song''. She and Blyden had two children, Joshua (1957–2000) and Ellen (b. 1960).

Death

Haney died in

Saddle River, New Jersey Saddle River is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located just over northwest of Manhattan. The town is known for its natural fields, farmland, forests, and rivers, and has a bucolic atmos ...

in 1964, at age 39, six weeks after the opening of '' Funny Girl'', which she choreographed (and ten years to the month after she injured her ankle and was replaced by Shirley MacLaine in ''The Pajama Game''). The cause was

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

, complicated by

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

and

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

. Blyden and Haney resided in the historic

Achenbach House The Achenbach House remains are located in Saddle River, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The house was built in 1757 by Johan George Achenbach and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 1979. The house was ...

, which they believed to be haunted by the spirit of its builder. The house was later sold to tour operator

Mario Perillo Mario Perillo (August 15, 1926 – February 28, 2003) was an American businessman and Chairman of Perillo Tours, Inc. He expanded his father's business into the largest US operator of tours to Italy. He was perhaps best known to the public for ...

and was destroyed by fire in 2004.Fisher, Janon
"Bergen County House on Historic Register Is Fire Victim"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', March 20, 2004. Accessed February 4, 2012. "In the 1960s, the private house, known as the Achenbach House, was the home of the actor and producer Larry Blyden and his wife, the actress and dancer Carol Haney, who believed the house was haunted. Later it was owned by Mario Perillo of Perillo Tours, well known for his television commercials selling package tours to Italy; after his death, the house passed to Mr. Perillo's son Stephen, the current owner."

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haney, Carol 1924 births 1964 deaths American female dancers Dancers from Massachusetts American musical theatre actresses American choreographers Deaths from diabetes Deaths from pneumonia in New Jersey Donaldson Award winners People from New Bedford, Massachusetts People from Saddle River, New Jersey Tony Award winners 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Massachusetts Singers from Massachusetts 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American dancers