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Born
Eileen Patricia Augusta Fraser Morison on
March 19 1915 in New York City, New York,
USA
Deceased
on May 20th in Los Angeles, CA USA of natural
causes
"...a
lot of people think of the audience as one
mass, but it's not — it's all individual
people. And that's why I love the
theater ... And I always feel that if in
some way you can touch somebody, either
touch them emotionally, or if it's a young
person who wants to be an actor, ... it's
so worthwhile. I've enjoyed everything I've
done in life. - Patricia Morison
Stage
and screen star, Patricia Morison died today
at the age of 103 at home in Los Angeles
of natural causes. A stage icon and legend
best known for her starring roles in Cole
Porter's Kiss Me Kate and The King &
I opposite Yul Brynner, she established
an indelible mark in films with a reputation
as a the villainous femme fatale with large
blue eyes and extremely long, dark hair
that made her a favorite of studios and
fans alike.
She
was the daughter of playwright and actor,
William Morison (aka Norman Rainey) and
Selena Fraser, a British Intelligence agent
during World War I. After graduating
from High School in New York, Morison declined
a scholarship to study painting in Paris
and later studied at the Arts Students League
while taking acting classes at the Neighborhood
Playhouse and studied dance under the world
famous Martha Graham. She made her
stage debut at the Provincetown Playhouse
in the musical revue Don't Mind the Rain,
followed by her Broadway debut in November
1933 in Growing Pains. She often shared
the story about how she was fired during
the rehearsals of the show, but “I cried
so much, they gave me a walk on.” Although
she never appeared on stage in the production,
Patricia said she learned a lot as the stand-by
for the legendary Helen Hayes in the lead
role of Victoria Regina.
While
appearing in The Two Bouquets in 1938, opposite
Alfred Drake (who would later star opposite
Morison in the Broadway hit Kiss Me, Kate.),
Morison was noticed by talent scouts from
Paramount Pictures, who were looking to
recreate their success in Dorothy Lamour.
Despite advise from her co-star, Alfred
Drake, who warned her not to go to Californian,
stating “They won’t know what to do with
you,” Morison signed to a contract and made
her feature film debut in the film Persons
in Hiding (1939). The following year she
appeared opposite Ray Milland in the Technicolor
romance Untamed. After that success,
she was cast in pictures such as Rangers
of Fortune (1940) and One Night in Lisbon
(1941), both with Fred MacMurray, and The
Round Up (1941) with Richard Dix and Preston
Foster. On a loan-out to 20th Century-Fox
she made what would be her first in many
villainous roles in Romance of the Rio Grande
(1941), opposite Cesar Romero as the Cisco
Kid. She continued her Paramount contract
in films such as Night in New Orleans, Beyond
the Blue Horizon, and Are Husbands Necessary?
(all in 1942).
By
1942, the United States had become involved
in World War II and, as a result, Morison
became one of many celebrities who entertained
American troops and their allies. In November
of that year she joined Al Jolson, Merle
Oberon, Allen Jenkins, and Frank McHugh
on a USO Tour in Great Britain, returning
to cinema as a freelance performer. One
of her most celebrated roles was that of
Empress Eugénie in The Song of Bernadette
starring Jennifer Jones, the same year that
she appeared in Hitler's Madman and The
Fallen Sparrow (1943) with John Garfield
and Maureen O'Hara, followed by cult favorite,
Calling Dr. Death, and one of the "Inner
Sanctum" films, starring Lon Chaney
Jr. Morison continued to be cast in
supporting roles, including the Spencer
Tracy-Katharine Hepburn's Without Love,
and Lady on a Train (1945) with Deanna Durbin.
Cementing
her fame as formidable and villainous roles
in Universal's Sherlock Holmes and MGM's
The Thin Man series — respectively, before
creating her defining roles in Dressed to
Kill (1946) and Song of the Thin Man (1947).
She continued to portray the female antagonist
opposite Johnny Weissmuller as Edgar Rice
Burroughs' title character in Tarzan and
the Huntress (1947).
That
same year. she made a few noted film appearances
as Maid Marian opposite Jon Hall's Robin
Hood in the celebrated Cine color production
The Prince of Thieves , in the action film
Queen of the Amazons (1947) and played the
role of Victor Mature's despairing, suicide-driven
wife in Kiss of Death (1947), a controversial
role that was cut from the final print,
over censorship concerns and the producers'
reputed belief that audiences at that time
were not ready for a scene depicting suicide.
Finally,
having become frustrated with the roles
the studios were offering her and just before
returning to her origins on the Great White
Way, she appeared with Richard Arlen in
the western The Return of Wildfire and starred
in the espionage story, Sofia (both in 1948),
returning to the screen in the 1960 Franz
Liszt biopic, Song Without End.
In
1948, Morison returned to the stage, and
achieved her greatest success when Cole
Porter, having heard her sing while in Hollywood,
decided that she had the vocal expertise
and fierce presence to play the female lead
in his new show, Kiss Me, Kate. Now, a bonafide
Broadway star, in the role she created as
the imperious diva, Lilli Vanessi. In Kiss
Me, Kate Morison immortalized such songs
as "I Hate Men," "Wunderbar",
and "So in Love", while reuniting
with her former Broadway co-star Alfred
Drake. The play ran on Broadway for a record
breaking total of 1,077 performances, before
Morison took it to London for another 400
performances. Lightning struck twice
when Morison took over the role of Anna
Leonowens in the Rodgers and Hammerstein
production of The King and I, co-starring
Yul Brynner in his star-making role as the
King of Siam. Morison appeared in
The King and I until its Broadway closing
on March 20, 1954, and then continued with
the production on the national tour through
1959.
During
the 1950s and 1960s, Morison made several
appearances on television, including several
variety shows. Among these were a
production of Rio Rita on Robert Montgomery
Presents (1950) and a segment from The King
and I on a 1955 broadcast of The Toast of
the Town starring Ed Sullivan. In
addition, Morison appeared in the ground-breaking
General Foods 25th Anniversary Show: A Salute
to Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1954 which
had an unprecedented run on all four American
TV networks of the time.
Morison
and Alfred Drake recreated their Kiss Me,
Kate roles in a Hallmark Hall of Fame production
of the play broadcast in the the landmark
"color" production on November
20, 1958. Later, she would appear
opposite Howard Keel in a production of
Kate on British television in 1964. In
1971, she and Yul Brynner performed "Shall
We Dance" from The King and I together
on a special anniversary broadcast of the
Tony Awards.
Among
her non-musical television performances
were a recurring role on the detective series
The Cases of Eddie Drake (1952) and a guest
appearance with Vincent Price on Have Gun
— Will Travel (1958) starring Richard Boone.
Throughout
the 1960s and 1970s, Morison had an unparalleled
career on stage in numerous productions,
both musical and dramatic plays, including
Milk and Honey, Kismet, The Merry Widow,
Song of Norway, Do I Hear a Waltz?, Bell,
Book and Candle, The Fourposter, Separate
Tables, Private Lives and Pal Joey (with
Dean Jones and directed by John Bowab),
as well as additional productions of Kiss,
Me Kate from the Seattle Opera House to
the New York City Center and at the Birmingham
Repertory Theatre in England. In August
1972, she appeared in a production of The
Sound of Music at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
in Los Angeles. Noted cameo appearances
were made in Song Without End (1960), the
comedy film Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved
Hollywood (1976), and as herself in the
documentary Broadway — The Golden Years
(2003). Years later she appeared in the
made-for-TV movie Mirrors (1985) and a guest
appearance in 1989 on the popular sitcom
Cheers. She was featured in the documentary
If You’re Not In the Obit, Eat Breakfast,
a television film by Carl Reiner which premiered
in 2017.
Among
the many personal and cabaret performances
included multiple appearances at The Hollywood
Bowl and Coconut Grove. In December 2012,
at age 97, she appeared on stage in an evening
entitled Ladies of an Indeterminate Age
at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles,
with friends and co-stars Charlotte Rae
and Anne Jeffreys. In 2014, at age
99, she appeared on stage for Broadway Backwards,
a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights
AIDS at the in the Al Hirschfeld Theater
where she performed Brush Up Your Shakespeare,
receiving a 6 minute standing ovation. In
conjunction with her 100th birthday, the
Pasadena Playhouse sponsored an evening
with Patricia Morison which included an
audience Q&A session conducted by friend,
colleague and director, John Bowab, with
selections from Kiss Me, Kate performed
by the guest of honor.
In
recent years, Morison devoted herself to
painting — one of her early passions — and
has had several showings in and around Los
Angeles, New York and Japan. Never married,
she lived in Los Angeles the remainder of
her life continuing to support theater and
organizations such as The Actors Fund, The
LGBT Community Center, The Thaiians, and
The Hollywood Museum. Private and
public services to be announced. In
lue of flowers, donations can be made to
The Actors Fund or Broadway Cares/Equity
Fights AIDS.
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High
resolution career images available upon
request by contacting B. Harlan Boll at
626-296-3757 or harlan@bhbpr.com
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