June Taylor, 86, Emmy-Winning Choreographer
June Taylor, a television choreographer best known for her dance sequences on "The Jackie Gleason Show," died on Sun., May 16 at a hospital in Miami. She was 86 years old.
The June Taylor Dancers, who opened "The Jackie Gleason Show" with a line of high-kicking girls, have been credited with bringing the Broadway chorus line to television. In 1955, Taylor won an Emmy Award for her choreography on the show.
A Chicago native, Taylor launched her career as a nightclub dancer and later, following a bout with tuberculosis, choreographed for and toured with her own company. Before joining forces with Gleason—whom her sister Marilyn married in 1975—Taylor worked on such early television shows as Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town" and "Cavalcade of Stars."
June Carroll, 86, Lyricist and Singer
June Carroll, a lyricist best known for her contributions to the "New Faces" series of revues on Broadway between the 1930s and '60s, died Sun., May 16 in a nursing home in Culver City, Calif. She was 86. The cause of death was complications from Parkinson's disease.
A Detroit native, Carroll, born June Sillman, wrote lyrics for six "New Faces" revues, which were created by her brother, Leonard Sillman. In addition, she contributed to the book of the musical "Fools Rush In" (1934), wrote the book and lyrics to "If the Shoe Fits" (1946), and supplied lyrics for "All in Fun" (1940). She also performed in the 1952 "New Faces" revue, as well as the 1938 show "Who's Who," for which she also contributed lyrics.
In addition to her stage work, Carroll wrote songs for the musical Western "The Man From Oklahoma" (1945), with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans; she also wrote the screenplay and co-wrote the music for "An Angel Comes to Brooklyn" (1945).
Woody Shelp, 77, Theatrical Milliner
Woody Shelp, a theatrical milliner who designed hats for more than 140 Broadway shows and dozens of films and television productions, died on Wed., May 26, at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City. He was 77. The cause of death was lung cancer.
A Bancroft, Mich. native, he first became interested in hats in 1946 while designing window displays for a Detroit retailer. Before moving to New York in 1950, he designed hats for the wives and daughters of Michigan's automobile barons. He launched his Broadway career in 1957, helping to create hats for Ethel Merman and Fernando Lamas, the stars of "Happy Hunting." Five years later, he launched his theatrical hat business, and the Broadway show "Jenny," starring Mary Martin, was the first to offer the credit "Hats by Woody Shelp." He was an important player on the Broadway scene for the next 30 years, designing for shows such as "Follies" and "A Chorus Line." Among his movie credits were "The Great Gatsby" and "101 Dalmatians."
For his work in theatre, Shelp received the Irene Sharaff Artisan Award in 2000. In 1989, his work was honored by the Fashion Institute of Technology in a retrospective of 20th-century millinery.
Donations in the memory of Woody Shelp may be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Charles Kelman, 74, Theatrical Producer
Dr. Charles Kelman, a theatrical producer who was also an internationally known ophthalmologist best known for developing the procedure that made outpatient cataract surgery a reality, died Tues., June 1. He was 74. The cause of death was lung cancer.
The Broadway productions he produced were "The Sound of Music" (1998 revival), "Triumph of Love" (1997), and "Can-Can" (1981 revival). He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio, last month and received the National Medal of Technology from President George H.W. Bush in 1992.
Irene Manning, 91, Singer and Actress
Irene Manning, a veteran singer and actress who made her name in the musical films of the 1940s, died on Fri., May 28, at her home in San Carlos, Calif. She was 91. The cause of death was congestive heart failure.
Among the movie musicals she co-starred in were "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "Shine On, Harvest Moon," and "The Desert Song."
A Cincinnati native, the classically trained singer made her Broadway debut in 1939 in "Susanna, Don't You Cry." Good reviews in that show led to her role in "Yankee Doodle Dandy," where she starred opposite James Cagney and sang the songs "Mary Is a Grand Old Name," and "So Long, Mary." Other film credits include "The Big Shot," starring Humphrey Bogart, and "Make Your Own Bed." In 1945, she returned to Broadway to appear in "The Day Before Spring."
After World War II, she performed on the London stage and had a BBC television show called "An American in England." She returned to America in the '50s, teaching voice and acting through the mid-'90s but only rarely performing.
Archie Smith, 86, Actor and Teacher
Archie Smith, an actor, teacher, and mentor most identified with the Denver Center Theatre Company, died on Wed., June 9, in his Denver home. He was 86.
In the 1940s and '50s, he appeared in the Broadway productions "The Madwoman of Chaillot," "The Show Off," "Inherit the Wind," and "The Andersonville Trial."
His many Denver Center credits include appearances in "The Miser," "Don Quixote," "Much Ado About Nothing," "The Grapes of Wrath," and "Night of the Iguana." Among his TV and film credits were "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead" with Andy Garcia, "Conogher" with Sam Elliot," "Perry Mason," and the TV movie "Asteroid."
Smith had been named artist emeritus by Donovan Marley, artistic director of the Denver Center.