This was the end of Jane Powells career in the movies. It's not a very good movie to end a brilliant career with, but it's entertaining, and the history of the cast should be mentioned: First we have Jane Powell who started out in movies as a child performer and made it to big time which is something that most child actors and actress' couldn't do. Very few made it such as Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds both born of April Fools Day, Natalie Wood, just to mention a few. Cliff Robertson was a known actor but never really made it to star-status. Keith Andes was a fine singer and had played the lead role in Kiss Me Kate on Broadway, but never really made it in Hollywood as an actor or the excellent singer that he was. Kaye Ballard was known for her cukoo comedy talents and had appeared as one of the Wicked-Step Sisters in the original Juile Andrews version of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella on T.V., and played in the Mothers-In-Law on T.V. with the other Mother in Law Eve Arden. Una Merkel made herself into a star by playing secondary roles such as Kitty Kelly in The Merry Widow with Land Tuner and the housekeeper in Rich, Young, and Rretty, again, with Jane Powell. Kelly Brown appeared in the movie Oklahoma and Seven Brides for Seven Browthers as one of town-folks line-dancer, but if you were a dancer you knew who he was, and Tommy Noonan made himself into a star by playing secondary roles such as Marily Monores dim-witted husband to be in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but his best role was as the gum-chewing Pianist in A Star is Born with Judy Garland. In fact, Noonan showed that he was a fine actor by stealing the last scene from Judy Garland in A Star Is Born when he tells her how pitiful she's behaving since Norman Maine had committed suicide, but there is one person in the line-dancers that's had a history that no one knows about.
Here's in Cincinnati, Ohio, we have had our share of famous actors and actress' such as Doris Day, Tyrone Power, George Chikarus, Vera Ellen, and a very famous criminal with the initials of C.M. that we don't like to talk about. Harvey Evens is from our area. He had been studying dancing with Harris Rosedale, I know this to be a fact because I was there too, but his name was Harvey Honnacker. I guess he changed his last name to Evans because he couldn't get his last name up in lights. Too long. So, I remember one day he came into the studio and said, "I have nothing here" and went to study with Leo and Rita McNeil. Later he went to New York. Then he went to Hollywood where he did chorus work in The Pajama Game, West Side Story under his original name, and The Girl Most Likely. Later he did the T.V. version of Applause playing the gay hair-dresser and friend of Margo Channing played by Lauren Bacall. Since I knew LeRoy Reams who played the role originally, I asked LeRoy if he had recommended Harvey to play his role, and he said no; that he got it on his own. I'm not sure, but I heard through certain channels that Harvey passed away. What a talent he was. I remember seeing him in a dance recital given by the O'Neils when he was there and he sang a jazzed up version of Indian Love Call and did a dance ending up with his jumping up on the side on stage and back down like James Cagney did in Yankee Doodle Dandy. What a talent he was. It's just a shame he, like many others, were never allowed to show the full power of their talent in the entertainment field!
Here's in Cincinnati, Ohio, we have had our share of famous actors and actress' such as Doris Day, Tyrone Power, George Chikarus, Vera Ellen, and a very famous criminal with the initials of C.M. that we don't like to talk about. Harvey Evens is from our area. He had been studying dancing with Harris Rosedale, I know this to be a fact because I was there too, but his name was Harvey Honnacker. I guess he changed his last name to Evans because he couldn't get his last name up in lights. Too long. So, I remember one day he came into the studio and said, "I have nothing here" and went to study with Leo and Rita McNeil. Later he went to New York. Then he went to Hollywood where he did chorus work in The Pajama Game, West Side Story under his original name, and The Girl Most Likely. Later he did the T.V. version of Applause playing the gay hair-dresser and friend of Margo Channing played by Lauren Bacall. Since I knew LeRoy Reams who played the role originally, I asked LeRoy if he had recommended Harvey to play his role, and he said no; that he got it on his own. I'm not sure, but I heard through certain channels that Harvey passed away. What a talent he was. I remember seeing him in a dance recital given by the O'Neils when he was there and he sang a jazzed up version of Indian Love Call and did a dance ending up with his jumping up on the side on stage and back down like James Cagney did in Yankee Doodle Dandy. What a talent he was. It's just a shame he, like many others, were never allowed to show the full power of their talent in the entertainment field!