Ginger Rogers: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in the Performing Arts)

313 Pages·1994·11.06 MB·English

by  Jocelyn Faris

GINGER ROGERS
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GINGER ROGERS
A Bio-Bibliography
JOCELYN FARIS
Bio-Bibliographies in the Performing Arts, Number 49
James Robert Parish, Series Adviser
GREENWOOD PRESS
Westport, Connecticut • London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Faris, Jocelyn.
Ginger Rogers : a bio-bibliography / Jocelyn Faris.
p. cm. —(Bio-bibliographies in the performing arts, ISSN
0892-5550 ; no. 49)
Filmograpriy: p.
Discography: p.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-313-29177-2 (alk. paper)
1. Rogers, Ginger, 1911- . 2. Rogers, Ginger, 1911- -
Bibliography. 3. Motion picture actors and actresses—United
States—Biography. I. Title. II. Series.
PN2287.R72F37 1994
791.43'028'092-dc20 93-41435
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 1994 by Jocelyn Faris
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 93-41435
ISBN: 0-313-29177-2
ISSN: 0892-5550
First published in 1994
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
Contents
Preface vii
Biography 1
Chronology 15
Plays and Personal Appearances 19
Filmography 3 5
Radio 159
Television 171
Discography 183
Awards and Honors 193
Song Sheets 199
Annotated Bibliography 209
Appendix A: Magazine Covers 253
Index 257
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Preface
"Ginger Rogers has glamour, acting
ability and a pair of lyric legs. But her
outstanding quality as a movie star is a
frank and homegrown air which both U. S.
and foreign audiences recognize as
essentially American. In spite of her two
marriages (moderate for Hollywood) she
represents the American girl, 1939 model
-- alert, friendly, energetic, elusive.
Less eccentric than Carole Lombard, less
worldly-wise than Myrna Loy, less impudent
than Joan Blondell, she has a careless
self-sufficiency which they lack . . . She
now has no screen rivals." (B-59)
Ginger Rogers -- dancer, singer, comedienne, and
Academy Award winning dramatic actress. Few actresses
have shown Miss Rogers' versatility on the screen nor
have they had Miss Rogers' abilities and long track
record in the fields of stage performances, television,
and radio.
Ginger Rogers began as a vaudeville dancer in 1925.
Through talent, hard work, and the astute management of
Lela Rogers, her gifted mother, Ginger Rogers became one
of the most famous actresses in the United States. In
1942 she was also the highest paid Hollywood star. With
the demise of the Hollywood studio system in the 1950s,
the versatile Miss Rogers successfully branched her
career into television and revived her stage career
which gave her a performing career that actively spanned
over sixty years.
It is unfortunate for Miss Rogers' historical image
that she is so firmly entrenched in the minds of America
as Fred Astaire's dancing partner. Miss Rogers was so
much more. Not only could she sing and dance in the
viii Preface
Rogers/Astaire musicals, she also was a thriving
comedienne with enough dramatic ability to win the
Academy Award for Best Actress of 1940.
This book is an overview of Miss Rogers' life and
career. It is divided into ten sections:
(1) a biography.
(2) a chronology listing the significant dates in
Ginger Rogers' life and career.
(3) a listing of Miss Rogers' plays and personal
appearances. Cities played, performance dates,
production and cast credits, a short synopsis, and
reviews are included.
(4) a filmography of the movies in which Ginger Rogers
appears. Entries are arranged chronologically by
date of release. Entries include studio, year of
release, production and cast credits, a short
synopsis, reviews, and other information of
interest.
(5) a listing of Miss Rogers' radio appearances.
Entries include episode title, air date, cast, a
brief synopsis, and selected reviews.
(6) a listing of Miss Rogers' television appearances
including the name of the show, episode title, air
date, cast, brief synopsis, and selected reviews.
(7) a discography of recordings made by Miss Rogers or
records which have a connection to her such as
movie soundtrack recordings.
(8) a listing of awards and honors
(9) a list on song sheets from Miss Rogers' films.
(10) an annotated bibliography of writings by and about
Ginger Rogers.
In addition, this book contains an appendix of
magazine covers featuring Miss Rogers.
Miss Rogers is much loved by her fans in the movie
collecting community; she is one of the seventy most
collected stars -- ironically, perhaps, Fred Astaire
does not place in this group. Miss Rogers has also been
the recipient of many awards and honors during the past
ten years as the breath and longevity of her career has
been rediscovered by movie historians.
Biography
"Ginger has become an American favorite
--as American as apple pie -- because
Americans can identify themselves with
her. She could easily be the girl who
lives across the street. She is not
uncomfortably beautiful. She is just
beautiful enough. She is not an affront
to other women. She gives them hope that
they can be like her. She can wisecrack
from the side of her mouth, but she is
clearly an idealist. Her green eyes shine
with self-reliance. She believes in God
and love and a hard day's work. She is a
living affirmation of the holiest American
legend: the success story." (B-287)
On July 16, 1911, Virginia Katherine McMath was born
in Independence, Missouri, to William Eddins and Lela
Emogen (Owens) McMath. Virginia had her first name
changed to Ginger by a young cousin who could not
pronounce Virginia.
Lela McMath, a very independent and resourceful woman,
left her husband and supported Virginia first as a
secretary in Independence and then as a writer in
Hollywood and New York where she wrote for Theda Bara,
Gladys Brockwell, and Baby Marie Osborne. Lela was one
of the first women to join the Marines in 1918. During
Lela's careers in Hollywood, New York, and Washington,
D.C., Ginger lived with Walter and Saphrona Owens, her
maternal grandparents, in Kansas City, Missouri.
In May 1920 Lela, now a widow, married John Logan
Rogers, an ex-Marine, at Liberty, Missouri. The family
moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas where Mr.
Rogers worked for an insurance company. Lela Rogers