When Nanette Fabray died on February 22 at age 97, most baby boomers hadn't a clue who she was. In her time, Fabray was an extraordinarily gifted singer, dancer, actress and comedian. In the 1940s, she shuttled between film parts and stage roles. In the '50s, she became a regular on early TV comedy shows, paving the way for Mary Tyler Moore's character on The Dick Van Dyke Show in the early '60s. Fabray also briefly hosted her own TV shows in the early '60s—The Nanette Fabray Show and Yes, Yes Nanette—before disappearing into game shows and sitcoms as the tenor of comedy and variety shows changed.
Despite all of her many talents, Fabray never held the spotlight the way Lucile Ball did in the '50s or Carol Burnett did in the late '60s and '70s. Instead, she was a frequent guest on Burnett's show as well as on many other leading variety and comedy specials. Had she been able to change her approach in the '60s, starring in Disney films, appearing in teen suburban sitcoms or won a part as a Batman villain, maybe things would have been different. As a footnote, her niece, Shelley Fabares, starred on The Donna Reed Show and with Elvis Presley in three of his movies.
For whatever reason, Fabray never clicked with younger audiences. Maybe she was too fresh-faced or maternal. Or maybe she came across as mechanical and tightly wound. Or perhaps it was her clinging to an overheated, vaudeville-like approach to comedy that was popular in the 1950s but became outdated overnight in the '60s. Or it may have been her close association with Ronald Reagan's campaign for governor in the 1960s during the state's student upheaval.
Nevertheless, Fabray was among only a handful of multitalented female comedy performers at the dawn of television, and her work and drive were inspiration for many female performers who followed in her footsteps. In her time and in her element, Fabray was irrepressibly optimistic, vivacious, quick-witted and an equal in song, dance and comedy to any of her on-screen male counterparts. Here are clips that prove my point:
Here's Fabray stealing the show in 1956 on The Jack Benny Show...
Here she is with Fred Astaire and Jack Buchanan in The Band Wagon in 1953...
Here's Fabray with Astaire, Buchanan and Oscar Levant singing That's Entertainment in The Band Wagon...
Here's Fabray on Sid Caesar's Caesar's Hour in 1955...
And here's part 1 of a six-part interview with Fabray in 2008...
