Helon Blount (January 15, 1929 – March 7, 2005) was an actress and singer who appeared in the original

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

productions of such musicals as ''

The Most Happy Fella ''The Most Happy Fella'' is a 1956 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The story, about a romance between an older man and younger woman, is based on the 1924 play '' They Knew What They Wanted'' by Sidney Howard. The show i ...

'', ''

Woman of the Year ''Woman of the Year'' is a 1942 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by George Stevens and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The film was written by Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin (with uncredited work on the rewritten ...

'' and ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...

''.

Biography

She was born in Big Spring, Texas and attended the fine arts and music school at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

. She sang in the chorus of the Dallas State Fair Musicals during two summers and, after earning her Master's Degree in Voice Pedagogy, she moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. She appeared in the original production of

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

's ''

'' on Broadway in 1956. She originally understudied the role of "Cleo" and took over the role during the Broadway run."Helon Blount Credits"
broadwayworld.com, retrieved October 13, 2017 Forty years later, Blount played “Granny Briggs” in a revised version of Loesser's ''

Greenwillow ''Greenwillow'' is a musical with a book by Lesser Samuels and Frank Loesser and music and lyrics by Loesser. The musical is set in the magical town of Greenwillow. It ran on Broadway in 1960. Overview Based on the novel by B. J. Chute, the ...

'' in 1997 at the Golden Apple Dinner Theatre in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

. She received a "South Florida Sammie Award" as Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. Other Broadway credits included playing “Dee Dee West” in the original production of Stephen Sondheim's ''

'' (1971) (also understudying the roles of Hattie and Stella), ''

Do I Hear a Waltz? ''Do I Hear a Waltz?'' is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was adapted from Laurents' 1952 play ''The Time of the Cuckoo'', which was the basis for the 1955 film '' Summertime' ...

'' (1965), ''Musical Chairs'' and '' The Fig Leaves Are Falling'' (1969). In

Kander and Ebb Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musicals, which include ''C ...

's ''

'' (1981), which starred Lauren Bacall, Blount played several characters. Blount also appeared in ''Riverwind'' in 1962, an Off-Broadway musical.''Riverwind''
lortel.org, retrieved October 13, 2017

Personal

Blount died on March 7, 2005.Jones, Kenneth
"Helon Blount Kaldenberg, of Broadway's 'Happy Fella' and 'Follies', Dead at 76"
Playbill, March 9, 2005 Blount's husband, Keith Kaldenberg, whom she met as a member of the cast of ''

'', predeceased her. Their daughter Kim survives her parents.

References

External links

Obituary
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blount, Helen 1929 births 2005 deaths Actresses from Texas American musical theatre actresses People from Big Spring, Texas People from Austin, Texas 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women