Night of 100 Stars II (1985) - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

'Night of 100 Stars II' was a 1985 TV variety special which featured approx. 300 stars under the one theatre in a range of songs and sequences.

Many of my favourite stars featured in this special including Lucille Ball, Ginger Rogers, Olivia de Havilland, Lana Turner, Juliet Prowse, Van Johnson, Janet Leigh, Bernadette Peters, Raquel Welch, Lynda Carter, Leslie Uggams, Petula Clark, Ann-Margret, Anne Baxter, Marisa Berenson, Yul Brynner, Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Marge Champion, Dyan Cannon, Carol Channing, Joan Collins, Lena Horne, Rock Hudson, James Earl Jones, James Stewart, Danny Kaye, Linda Lavin, Donald O'Connor, Laurence Olivier, Sidney Poitier, Jane Powell, Vincent Price, Esther Williams & the Muppets.

I wasn't able to find footage to the entire 3 hour TV special, but was able to find a lot of it on YouTube. Highlights I was able to find are outlined below, with each of the stars featured, as well as the number assigned to them in parenthesis.

Opening: New York medley
* "This is a Star" - The Rockettes (#2) with a young Drew Barrymore (#3)
* "New York, New York (Instrumental)" - Leonard Bernstein (#4)
* "Arthur's Theme" - Peter Allen (#5)
* "Manhattan" - Ashford & Simpson (#6)
* "Every Street's a Boulevard (In Old New York)" - Placido Domingo (#8) (with Marisa Berenson (#9), Maureen Stapleton (#7), Deborah Raffin (#10))
* "This is my Home Town" - Robert Klein (#11)
* "New York, New York" - Lucie Arnaz (#12)
* "42nd Street" - Jerry Orbach (#13)
* "Take the 'A' Train" - Leslie Uggams (#14)
* "42nd Street (Reprise" - Robert Klein, Lucie Arnaz, Jerry Orbach & Leslie Uggams
* "Uptown" - Melba Moore (#15)
* "Downtown" - Petula Clark (#16)
* "How About You"- Carol Channing (#17) & Big Bird (#18)
* "Autumn in New York" - Dinah Shore (#19)
* "On Broadway" - Patti LaBelle (#20)
* "New York City Rhythm" - Jennifer Holliday (#21)
* "The Jet Song" - Joe Nameth (#22)

* "New York City Rhythm (Reprise)" - Jennifer Holliday, Patti LaBelle, Peter Allen & Joe Nameth

* "Theme from New York, New York" - Kermit the Frog (#24) with The Muppets (#23) (Fozzie Bear, The Count, Grover, Tully Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Bert, Ernie, Janice, Sgt. Floyd Pepper, Dr. Teeth, Scooter, Rowlf, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Swedish Chef, Gonzo, Uncle Travellin' Matt, Statler, Waldorf & Barkley)

* "New York State of Mind" - Ensemble

TV Stars in "TV is a Circus"
TV legend Lucille Ball (#25) delivers an introduction on television, followed by our three celebrity ring masters Hal Linden (#26), Michelle Lee (#27), Nancy Dussault (#28) singing "TV is a Circus", and introducing: Nell Carter (#29), Tony Danza (#30), Harry Anderson (#31), Gary Coleman (#32), Soleil Moon Frye (#33), James Noble (#34), Inga Swenson (#35), Dick Clark (#36), Charlotte Rae (#37), Michael J. Fox (#38), Meredith Baxter Birney (#39), Scott Baio (#40), Tempestt Bledsoe (#41), Lisa Bonet (#42), Keshia Knight Pulliam (#43), Malcolm-Jamal Warner (#44), Gavin MacLeod (#45), Marla Gibbs (#46), Bob Newhart (#47), Emmanuel Lewis (#48), Tyne Daly (#49), Heather Thomas (#50), Doug Barr (#51), Pierce Brosnan (#52), Stephanie Zimbalist (#53), Jameson Parker (#54), David Hasselhoff (#55), Lee Horsley (#56), Kate Jackson (#57), Daniel Hugh-Kelly (#58), William Shatner (#59), Rex Smith (#60), Perry King (#61), Pernell Roberts (#62), William Daniels (#63), Jack Palance (#64), Tony Franciosa (#65), Rene Enriquez (#66), Bruce Weitz (#67), Joe Spano (#68), Betty Thomas (#69), Jennifer O'Neill (#70), Linda Gray (#71), Lorenzo Lamas (#72), John Forsythe, Linda Evans (#73), Joan Collins (#74), Diahann Carroll (#75), Julie Harris (#76), Lisa Hartman (#77), Joan Van Ark (#78), Donna Mills (#79), Anne Baxter (#80),


The Red Shoes
Dick Van Dyke delivers an introduction and sings a song before we get the biggest star studded chorus of line of dancers the world has ever seen...
* Gregory Hines (#88), Hinton Battle (#89), Lee Roy Reams (#90), Victor Griffin (#91) & Gregg Burge (#92)
* Georgia Engel (#93) & Elaine Joyce (#94), Beth Howland (#95), Bonnie Franklin (#96), Marge Champion (#97), Nanette Fabray (#98), Christopher Walken (#99)
* Cynthia Gregory (#100) & Alexander Godunov (#101)
* Sandy Duncan (#102), Don Correia (#103), Jane Powell (#104) &Van Johnson (#105)
* Alfonso Ribeiro (#106)
* Gwen Verdon (#107), Charles 'Honi' Coles (#108), Juliet Prowse (#109), Maurice Hines (#110), Chita Riveira (#111), Donny Osmond (#112), Debbie Allen (#113), Donald O'Connor (#114) &  Ginger Rogers (#115)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g5jqV1w-j0

The Fearless Females of the Silent Screen
Bernadette Peters (#157) introduces the great silent screen legends:
* Billie Dove (#158)
* Laura LaPlante (#159)
* Leatrice Joy (#160)
* Lillian Gish (#161)


Salute to the Great Stars of Film
Bernadette Peters presents the following Great Stars of Film...
* Dustin Hoffman (#162)
* Lana Turner (#163)
* Robert Preston (#164)
* Sidney Poitier (#165)
* Olivia de Havilland (#166)
* Robert de Niro (#167)
* Danny Kaye (#168)
* Laurence Olivier (#169)

Fashion Show
An all-star 1980s fashion show with an introduction by Joan Collins and featuring on the runway... Shari Belafonte-Harper (#170), Gregory Harrison (#171), Ali MacGraw (#172), Tony Roberts (#173), Florence Henderson (#174), Treat Williams (#175), Valerie Bertinelli (#176), Lynn Swann (#177), Alan Flusser (#178), Cathy Lee Crosby (#179), Georg Stanford Brown (#180), Heather Locklear (#181), David Birney (#182), Lee Wright (#183), Brooke Shields (#184), Michael Ives (#185), Morgan Fairchild (#186), Teri Garr (#187), Dyan Cannon (#188), Ellen Burstyn (#189), Cristina Ferrare (#190), Colleen DewHurst (#191), Morgan Brittany (#192), Susan Lucci (#193), Jill St. John (#194), Cynthia Sikes (#195), Mary McFadden (#196), Janet Leigh (#197), Jacqueline Bisset (#198), Jaclyn Smith (#199), Deidre Hall (#200), Jane Seymour (#201), Caroline Herrera (#202), Joan Van Ark, Gloria Loring (#203), Donna Mills, Lisa Hartman, Lynda Carter (#204), Jacqueline de Ribes (#205), Diahann Carroll, Linda Evans, Claudia Cardinale (#206), Priscilla Presley (#207), Linda Grey, Raquel Welch (#208), Angie Dickinson (#209), Laura Branigan (#210), Michaele Vollbracht (#211), Tracy Mills (#212), Fabrice (#213), Geoffrey Beene (#214), Carole Little (#215), Halston (#216), Fernando Sanchez (#217), Bob Mackie (#218), Albert Capraro (#219), Oleg Cassini (#220), The Emanuels (#221), Ann-Margret (#222)

Juliet Prowse at the Tony Awards in the 1980s - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

During the 1980s Juliet Prowse appeared and performed at several Tony Award events.

Some highlights include...


Sweet Charity medley with Chita Rivera (live from 1985 Tony Awards)
* "Hey, Big Spender!" - Juliet Prowse
* "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This" - Chita Rivera
* "If My Friends Could See Me Now" - Juliet Prowse & Chita Rivera

Broadway Melody (live from 1986 Tony Awards)
* "Steam Heat" - Juliet Prowse, Ann Reinking & Sandy Duncan
* "You Gotta Have Heart" - Bea Arthur & Ensemble (including Cleo Laine)
* "I Could Have Danced All Night" - Stephanie Powers (with Hal Linden & Cleo Laine)
* "America" - Juliet Prowse, Ann Reinking & Sandy Duncan
* "Love Look Away" - Leslie Uggams
* "Lagardia" / "Do Re Mi" - Ensemble
* "Some People" - Bernadette Peters
* "Who Am I Anyway?"  - Rex Smith
* "Easy Street" - Dorothy Loudon
* "Ain't Misbehavin'" - Nell Carter
* "Not While I'm Around" - Bea Arthur

* "Age of Aquarius" - Nell Carter (with Leslie Uggams)

L'eggs TV commercial - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

In 1979, Juliet Prowse appeared in a TV commercial to promote L'eggs Pantyhouse.

You can watch the TV commercial here:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4oVLWOEo8s

Musical Comedy Tonight II (1981) - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

'Sylvia Fine's A Musical Comedy Tonight II' is a 1981 musical TV special hosted by Sylvia Fine Kaye, and starring Juliet Prowse, Danny Kaye, Jack Lemmon, Lynn Redgrave, Annette Charles, Burton Lane, Richard Crenna, Nancy Dussault, Sergio Franchi, Bonnie Franklin, Joshua Logan and Larry Storch.

The special recreates musical numbers from "Finian's Rainbow", "South Pacific", "Sweet Charity" and "Lady in the Dark". There is also discussion of the various creative aspects of the plays.

Musical program

• "Overture"
• "This Time of the Year" (from 'Finian's Rainbow') - Sylvia Fine
• "How Are Things In Glocca Mora" (from 'Finian's Rainbow') - Nancy Dussault
• "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love" (from 'Finian's Rainbow') - Jack Lemmon (with Nancy Dussault)
• "The Begat" (from 'Finian's Rainbow) - Burton Lane
• "Some Enchanted Evening" (from 'South Pacific') - Sergio Franchi & Bonnie Franklin
• "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" (from 'South Pacific')
• "A Wonderful Guy" (from 'South Pacific') - Bonnie Franklin
• A conversation with Joshua Logan
• "Honey Bun" (from 'South Pacific') - Bonnie Franklin
• "The Greatest Show on Earth" (from 'Lady in the Dark') - Danny Kaye
• "The Best Years of His Life" (from 'Lady in the Dark') - Danny Kaye
• "Tschaikowsky (and Other Russians)" (from 'Lady in the Dark') - Danny Kaye
• "The Saga of Jenny" (from 'Lady in the Dark') - Lynn Redgrave
• A conversation with Danny Kaye
• "Intermission"
• "Hey, Big Spender" (from 'Sweet Charity') - Annette Charles
• "If They Could See Me Now" (from 'Sweet Charity') - Juliet Prowse
• "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This" (from 'Sweet Charity') - Juliet Prowse & Annette Charles
• "If They Could See Me Now" (Finale) - Entire Company

Watch the entire special here...

Did you know...

• Host Sylvia Fine Kaye was the wife of Hollywood legend Danny Kaye, who appeared in the 'Lady in the Dark' sequence from this special

Mona McCluskey (1965) - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

'Mona McCluskey' was Juliet Prowse's television series, which she starred in 1965. It co-starred Denny Miller and was produced by the great entertainer George Burns.

'Mona McCluskey' followed the story of Las Vegas entertainer (played by Juliet Prowse), who marries Mike (played by Denny Miller), an Air Force sergeant, and insists they live on the small salary he makes, rather than the thousands of dollars she earns a week.

Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to watch an episode of "Mona McCluskey". It is not available on DVD and I cannot find anything online.

As it is such an important part of Juliet Prowse's television career, I felt it was important to still represent the series with this mini-blog.

I did however manage to find a video of this opening title sequence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifT7pVG19fI

Burke's Law: Who Killed Harris Crown? (1963) - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

"Who Killed Harris Crown?" is episode #1.04 of television series "Burke's Law" (1963), first airing 11 October 1963.

"Burke's Law" stars Gene Barry as Capt. Amos Burke, Gary Conway as Det. Tim Tilson, Regis Toomey as Det. Les Hart and Leon Lontoc as Harry. The episode was produced by Aaron Spelling.

The episode guest stars Juliet Prowse, Eva Gabor, Joan Blondell, Barbara Eden, Lola Albright, Gene Nelson, Don Rickles, Ruth Roman and Charles Lane.

Capt. Amos Burke from Homicide (played by Gene Barry) informs Angel Crown (played by Juliet Prowse) her husband, Harris Crown has been killed in a car crash. determining whether it was an accident or not.

Among the suspects are Shirley Mills (played by Lola Albright), Rich Mason (played by Gene Nelson), Lily Bentley (played by Eva Gabor), Marnie Lee (played by Barbara Eden), Elinor Albrick (played Ruth Roman), Lou Kronkeit (played by Don Rickles),  and Dr. Lusk (played by Charles Lane).

Good murder mystery keeps you guessing, and we even get an exciting police chase scene when the murderer attempts to flee from the police.

**Note -
Juliet Prowse also guest starred in episode #2.10 of "Burke's Law" called "Who Killed the Tall One in the Middle?" (playing a different character) - I was unable to find this episode online to view and blog

Another Evening with Burt Bacharach (1970) - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

'Another Evening with Burt Bacharach' is a 1970 musical television special starring Burt Bacharach with Juliet Prowse, Dusty Springfield & Mireille Mathieu.

Here are some clips:

Song: "Beatles Medley" - Juliet Prowse, Dusty Springfield & Mireille Mathieu (backed by Burt Bacharach on piano)

• "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - Juliet Prowse, Dusty Springfield & Mireille Mathieu
• "Life Goes On" - Juliet Prowse, Dusty Springfield & Mireille Mathieu
• "Gotta Get You Into My Life" - Juliet Prowse, Dusty Springfield & Mireille Mathieu
• "Eleanor Rigby" - Juliet Prowse, Dusty Springfield & Mireille Mathieu
• "For No One" - Mireille Mathieu
• "Ticket to Ride" - Juliet Prowse, Dusty Springfield & Mireille Mathieu
• "Come Together" - Dusty Springfield
• "Yesterday" (French version) - Mireille Mathieu
• "Let It Be" - Dusty Springfield"
• "Something" - Juliet Prowse, Dusty Springfield & Mireille Mathieu
• "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" - Juliet Prowse, Dusty Springfield & Mireille Mathieu
• "All You Need is Love" - Juliet Prowse, Dusty Springfield & Mireille Mathieu

Song: "A House Is Not A Home" - Burt Bacharach & Dusty Springfield

This is Tom Jones: Juliet Prowse (1969) - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

On 29 May 1969, Juliet Prowse guest starred on the "This is Tom Jones" show.


"You Got A Long Way To Go From St. Louis" - Juliet Prowse & Tom Jones

"I Get A Kick Out of You" - Juliet Prowse & Tom Jones

The Hollywood Palace: Juliet Prowse (1964-1966) - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

Between 1964 and 1966, Juliet Prowse made several appearances on the variety show "The Hollywood Palace".

Here are some highlights:

"Stop, Stop, Stop" - Juliet Prowse, Ed Kerrigan & Don Rehg:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLc5rd8CJ48



"Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" - Juliet Prowse, Howard Parker, Currie Pederson & the Tom Hansen Dancers (introduction by Kate Smith):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bZAtr6Iz7Y

"The Andy Williams Show: Juliet Prowse & Vic Damone" (1966) - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

On 18 September 1966, Juliet Prowse guest starred on "The Andy Williams Show".

Although I was unable to access the full episode, here is a clip of Juliet singing "It's Today!" with Andy Williams and Vic Damone.

What I particularly like about this clip is that it highlights Juliet's singing voice, which we didn't often hear on screen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpKiB5BMjg4

The Frank Sinatra Show: Juliet Prowse (1957-1958) - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

Juliet Prowse made several appearances on "The Frank Sinatra Show" from 1957 to 1959.

Although I wasn't able to find complete episodes online, here is a clip you may enjoy...

Includes:

• Frank Sinatra sings "It's All Right With Me" to Juliet Prowse
• Frank Sinatra introduces Juliet Prowse & wishes Cole Porter a recovery
• Juliet Prowse dances to an instrumental medley of Cole Porter songs (including "Love of My Life", "Anything Goes", "Too Darn Hot", among others)

G.I. Blues (1960) - Star of the month... Juliet Prowse

"Gi Blues" is a 1960 musical comedy directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley, Juliet Prowse and Robert Ivers with Letícia Román, James Douglas, Edson Stroll and Jeremy Slate.

Tulsa McLean (played by Elvis Presley) is an American singing G.I., based in Germany. Tulsa aspires to open his own nightclub in America, but to do this he must raise $600. In an attempt to raise the money, he makes a bet he can spend the night alone with local nightclub dancer Lily (played by Juliet Prowse), in her apartment. Lily has a reputation for playing hard to get, and is even referred to by one G.I. as a "steamboat on the outside, but an iceberg inside".

Musical program

The original soundtrack album for "G.I. Blues"

• "What's She Really Like" - performed by Elvis Presley
• "G.I. Blues" - performed by Elvis Presley
• "Doin' the Best I Can" - performed by Elvis Presley
• "Blue Suede Shoes" - performed by Elvis Presley
• "Frankfort Special" - performed by Elvis Presley
• "Shoppin' Around" - performed by Elvis Presley
• "Tonight Is So Right For Love" - performed by Elvis Presley
• "Wooden Heart" - performed by Elvis Presley
• "Pocketful of Rainbows" - performed by Elvis Presley & Juliet Prowse (her singing is dubbed by an unknown vocalist)
• "Big Boots" - performed by Elvis Presley
• "Didja Ever" - performed by Elvis Presley

Blink and you'll miss...

• A young Britt Ekland in a very small cameo as the red-head Britta (approx. 10 mins into the film)
• While Tulsa is singing "Doin' the Best I Can", another solider puts a coin into a juke box and plays a song called "Blue Suede Shoes" recorded by a singer called Elvis Presley
• The G.I.s are all wearing underwear in the shower
• The number of the sky lift at Rüdesheim which Tulsa & Lili ride is 76

Did you know...

• This was Elvis' first film after servicing two years with the army - the film prior to this was "King Creole" (1958)
• Juliet Prowse's singing was dubbed by an unknown vocalist
• Elke Sommer, Ursula Andress and May Britt were all considered for the role of Lili
• Anna-Maria Alberghetti was considered to play the role of Tina
• Russ Tamblyn, Frank Gorshin, Carleton Carpenter & Johnny Carson were considered for the role of Cookie - Carpenter was eventually cast but later replaced by Robert Ivers
• The film was primarily shot at Paramount Studios, Hollywood, with some pre-prodution scenery shot on location in Germany (prior to Elvis' release from the army) - Elvis was not involved in any location filming, with all his filming completed in Hollywood
• Tulsa's regiment is the 32nd armored, which was also Elvis' real life regiment with he was in the army
• The army tanks and vehicles were supplied by the U.S. Army, who appointed public information officer John J. Mawn as technical advisor
• Although panned by critics, the film was the 14th biggest box office grossing film of the year, grossing $4.3million
• A riot following a screening of "G.I. Blues" in Mexico City, resulted in the Mexican government banning Elvis movies
• The original title for the film was "Cafe Europa" - which is what the film is still called in some European countries (i.e.: Italy, Germany, etc.)
• The boat in the film ("Bonn"), is now located in Karlshamn, Sweden, and is used as a disco
• Michael Curtiz was originally intended to direct this film - Curtiz had directed Elvis' previous film, "King Creole" (1958)
• While filming the sky lift scene at Rüdesheim, director of photography Loyal Griggs fell out of his cart, plunging 30 feet - fortunately he was not seriously injured

Award nominations...

• Grammy Award nomination for Best Soundtrack Album
• Grammy Award nomination for Best Vocal Performance Album, Male (Elvis Presley)
• Writers Guild of America nomination for Best Written American Musical
• Golden Laurel Award 2nd Place (runner up) for Top Musical of 1960
• Ranked at #2 on the Variety Weekly national box office chart in 1960

Closing remarks

Although "G.I. Blues" is yet another awful entry in Elvis' filmography, there is something very exciting about this particular film... the presence of Juliet Prowse.

Juliet Prowse was an extraordinary dancer and a wonderful talent, who is unfortunately often forgotten today. Although she didn't make many films, she is still one of my favourite dancing actresses along with Ann Miller, Ginger Rogers, Cyd Charisse and Leslie Caron.

As usual, we get the standard-stock shallow plot, which follows the basic formula for almost of all Elvis' films... Elvis meets girl; girl plays hard to get; Elvis eventually gets girl. Along the way, Elvis sings all the songs from his latest album. 

Speaking of which, despite the myriad of Elvis songs in this film, the musical highlight for me is Juliet Prowse's solo dance number. I really like the way the camera focuses solely on Prowse for the entire sequence, and treats us with the opportunity to appreciate and enjoy her dancing talent. We are fortunate to also experience something similar with another of Elvis' leading ladies, Ann-Margret in Elvis' later film "Viva Las Vegas" (1964). 

Overall a weak and rather slow film - it takes approx. 30 mins for the storyline to kick off. That said, this film is one of a handful of Elvis' films I would recommend watching, solely to see Juliet Prowse's most memorable screen appearance. 

Star of the month April 2013... Juliet Prowse

fliXposed is delighted to announce our Star of the Month for April 2013 is the beautiful and talented dancing actress, Juliet Prowse.


Juliet Prowse was born in Bombay, India on 25 September 1936. Shortly after her birth, her family immigrated to South Africa, where she was raised. After commencing dancing lessons at age 4, she pursued a dancing career in Paris, France. 

Whilst dancing at a Parisian night club, she was discovered by a talent agent and cast in the role of Claudine in the film "Can-Can" (1960), opposite Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine.  In the same year, she appeared opposite Elvis Presley in his film, "G.I. Blues" (1960). In 1965, she starred in her own TV show, "Mona McCluskey", and in 1976, she became the first celebrity to guest star on "The Muppet Show", appearing in the first episode.

Juliet Prowse would later become a Las Vegas headliner in shows such as "Sweet Charity" and "Mame", where she continued to sing, dance and act until her death from pancreatic cancer on 14 September, 1996.

Juliet Prowse with Zoot on
"The Muppet Show" (1976)

Despite her successful four decade career, Juliet Prowse is sadly often forgotten today. fliXposed is excited to pay tribute to Juliet Prowse throughout April 2013. 

Please note, as many of Juliet Prowse's films are unavailable for viewing by fliXposed, there may be a limited number of blog posts.