A match made in heaven: today's birthday girl, the splendiferous Jo Anne Worley, and the color red!
I've always been fond of one of Isak Dinesen's mottoes, which seems oddly apropos in this context - "be bold, be bold - be not too bold." Somehow, though, I think it likely a concept entirely alien to Miss Worley, at least when inhabiting her extravagant public persona.
That said, it's a persona that has served her well indeed this past half-a-century or so, taking in Broadway, Laugh In, and a great deal more, as well as proving flexible enough to include notable and well-reviewed stints on the road in Gypsy, Mame, and Hello, Dolly! (which she learned at the knee, as it were, of the master - she was Channing's standby for the original production. Carol Channing being Carol Channing, of course, she never went on), none of which allow one to get by on shtick alone.
Today, when treasurable character ladies are thinner on the ground even than intellectual tenors, it's that much more of a pleasure to salute her as she turns 77. I hope she's got many more chances to sock it to us in the years ahead...
Talk about someone with a BIG personality!! I've always found her fun though.
ReplyDelete