Joan McCracken
| Joan McCracken | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Joan Hume McCracken December 31, 1917 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 1961 (aged 43) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack (diabetes complication) |
| Education | West Philadelphia High School |
| Occupation | Dancer, actress, singer |
| Years active | 1935–1958 |
| Spouse(s) |
Jack Dunphy (m. 1939–51) Bob Fosse (m. 1952–59) |
Joan Hume McCracken (December 31, 1917 – November 1, 1961) was an American dancer, actress, and comedian who became famous for her role as Sylvie ("The Girl Who Falls Down") in the original 1943 production of Oklahoma! She also was noted for her performances in the Broadway shows Bloomer Girl (1944), Billion Dollar Baby (1945) and Dance Me a Song (1950), and the films Hollywood Canteen (1945) and Good News (1947).
Though not widely remembered today, McCracken was a trend-setter in musical comedy dance. In her Oklahoma! role, McCracken became an instant sensation for a carefully choreographed pratfall during the "Many a New Day" dance number. She was considered an innovator in combining dance with comedy, and branched into dramatic roles on Broadway and early television, but her career was ultimately cut short, ending several years before her death at age 43, as she suffered complications from diabetes.
McCracken was generous in promoting the careers of other dancers, including Shirley MacLaine, and was a strong influence on her second husband, Bob Fosse, encouraging him to become a choreographer. She was noted for unconventional behavior and was one of the real-life person counterparts of Holly Golightly in Truman Capote's novella Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Joan Hume McCracken was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 31, 1917, the daughter of Mary Humes and Franklin T. McCracken, a prominent sportswriter at the Philadelphia Public Ledger who was an authority on golf and boxing.
By age 11, she was awarded a scholarship for acrobatic work at a Philadelphia gymnasium, and later studied dance with Catherine Littlefield. She dropped out of West Philadelphia High School in the tenth grade to study dance in New York with choreographer George Balanchine at the opening of the School of American Ballet in 1934.
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