Sheree North


Sheree North was an American actress, dancer and singer, known for being one of 20th Century-Fox's intended successors to Marilyn Monroe.

Early life

North was born Dawn Shirley Crang in Los Angeles, California, on January 17, 1932, the daughter of June Shoard and Richard Crang. Following her mother's remarriage to Edward Bethel, she was known as Dawn Shirley Bethel.
She began dancing in USO shows during World War II at age ten. In 1948 she married Fred Bessire. She bore her first child at age 17 in 1949, and continued dancing in clubs under the stage name Shirley Mae Bessire.

Career

Beginnings

North made her film début as an uncredited extra in Excuse My Dust. She was then spotted by a choreographer performing at the Macayo Club in Santa Monica, and was cast as a chorus girl in the film Here Come the Girls, starring Bob Hope. Around that time, she adopted the stage name Sheree North. She made her Broadway début in the musical Hazel Flagg, for which she won a Theatre World Award. She reprised her role in the film version, Living It Up, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. In early 1954, at age 22, she appeared in a live TV version of Cole Porter's Anything Goes on The Colgate Comedy Hour, with Ethel Merman, Frank Sinatra and Bert Lahr.

20th Century-Fox

In 1954, North signed a four-year contract with 20th Century-Fox. The studio had big plans for her, hoping to groom her as a replacement for the studio's leading—and increasingly uncontrollable—female star Marilyn Monroe. Fox tested North for leading roles in two of their upcoming productions, The Girl in Pink Tights and There's No Business Like Show Business—two films that had been offered to Monroe—while North was wearing Monroe's own studio wardrobe. However, after her screen tests, North was not cast in either film. In March 1954, North had a brush with scandal when it was revealed that she had once danced in a bikini in an 8 mm erotic film. Fox capitalized on the publicity, as the studio previously had with Monroe's nude calendar posing in 1952.
In 1955 she was assigned the lead role opposite Betty Grable in How to Be Very, Very Popular, a role that Marilyn Monroe had refused to accept. Media attention surrounding Monroe's suspension and North's hiring resulted in North appearing on the cover of Life magazine with the cover line "Sheree North Takes Over from Marilyn Monroe." How to Be Very, Very Popular would eventually not live up to the hype Fox had generated, even though North had appeared on What's My Line? to publicize the film and had been asked point-blank by one of the panelists if she has been associated with Monroe. The movie received mixed reviews from critics and was a moderate box office success. Despite this, film historians, then and now, cite North's electrically-charged dancing to "Shake, Rattle and Roll" as the film's most memorable scene.
In an attempt to promote North, Fox studio executives lobbied to cast her in films surrounded with popular stars. The studio had campaigned to cast her in a film with comedian Tom Ewell, hoping to repeat the success he'd had with Monroe in The Seven Year Itch. Soon thereafter, the studio assigned North and Ewell to appear together in the romantic comedy The Lieutenant Wore Skirts, plotting the story of an army lieutenant whose husband tries to get her discharged. To promote the film, North posed for several publicity shots showing her legs. When the majority of the shots were released, only her legs appeared, with the tagline "Believe it or not, these legs belong to an army lieutenant." The film premiered with much fanfare in January 1956, and became a box-office success, grossing over $4 million in the United States.
North's follow-up was The Best Things in Life Are Free, a lavish musical in which her singing voice was dubbed by Eileen Wilson. She received fourth billing under Gordon MacRae, Dan Dailey, and Ernest Borgnine. It was an attempt by the studio to broaden North's audience appeal, and while it earned favorable reviews from critics, it did not become the success Fox had hoped for. In 1956 Fox signed another blonde bombshell in the person of Broadway actress Jayne Mansfield to a contract, and began promoting her instead of North. Although Fox gradually lost interest in North, the studio continued to offer her a string of films. She was offered the lead role in a film called The Girl Upstairs, in which she would have parodied Monroe's on-screen persona.
When North's agent suggested she decline the film, Fox put her on suspension for two months. When her suspension was lifted one month later, North agreed to appear in The Way to the Gold, but only on the assurance that Elvis Presley would be her co-star. When Presley withdrew due to salary disagreements, he was replaced with Jeffrey Hunter, with whom North often quarreled. In the film, North attempted to progress from her blonde bombshell image, playing a sarcastic waitress, and while the film drew mixed reviews, it was a box office success.
She next starred in No Down Payment, a melodrama about the lives of multiple families living in a California subdivision. Tony Randall played her alcoholic husband in the film. Although critically acclaimed, it was not a box office success. The following year, she appeared in her final two films for Fox. In Love and War was a war drama film pairing her again with Jeffrey Hunter, and also with Robert Wagner, Dana Wynter, and Hope Lange. It was not a critical or financial success. Although the musical film genre had declined in profitability, she next co-starred in Mardi Gras with Pat Boone and Tommy Sands. It was her final film under her contract.

Later years

After North's contract with Fox ended in 1958, her career stalled, although she continued to act in films, television, and on the stage throughout the rest of her life. She guest-starred on episodes of The Untouchables and Gunsmoke. North joined the cast of I Can Get It for You Wholesale in 1962, which featured Elliott Gould and introduced Barbra Streisand. She later guest-starred on a series of popular television series, including Ben Casey, Burke's Law, The Virginian, The Big Valley, The Iron Horse, and The Fugitive.
After an eight-year absence from film acting, North accepted a lead role in the B-movie science fiction film Destination Inner Space. The film opened to only a minor release in 1966 and has rarely been seen since. North co-starred with Elvis Presley in one of his final films, The Trouble with Girls. While not working in film, she worked in musical theater and many theatrical productions during her 40-year career. In 1965 she took over for Shirley Knight in a Los Angeles production of "Dutchman," which coincided with the 1965 Watts riots. The production was controversial and was blamed by conservatives for inciting unrest. It was picketed, ads were blocked from the newspapers, and North's car was set on fire. Despite that, the production ran for a year. She had appeared on Broadway doing a lively routine in the musical Hazel Flagg, consequently winning a Theatre World Award. This led directly to her being cast for the film, Living It Up. In 1962, North appeared on Broadway as "Martha Mills" in I Can Get It for You Wholesale, with Jack Kruschen, Elliot Gould, and a young Barbara Streisand in her Broadway debut. North also appeared in productions of Irma La Douce, Bye Bye Birdie, and Can Can.
From the 1960s onward, North focused mainly on becoming a solid and versatile character actress, appearing on almost every television western, cop show, and medical drama produced from the 1960s through the 1990s. She displayed a fine talent for comic timing on many of the situation comedies of the era. She was a favorite in several made-for-television movies. She also earned Emmy nominations for appearances on "Marcus Welby, M.D." and "Archie Bunker's Place". .
A favorite of film producer/director Don Siegel, she appeared in four of his films: Madigan opposite Richard Widmark; in Charley Varrick with Walter Matthau, as John Wayne's long-lost love in the actor's final film; in The Shootist ; and in Telefon. She had supporting roles in two [Charles Bronson movies, Breakout with Robert Duvall, and the aforementioned Telefon. Other notable Sheree North performances are 1969's The Gypsy Moths with Burt Lancaster and Gene Hackman; as Burt Lancaster's ex-lover in director Michael Winner's 1971 western, Lawman with Robert Ryan, Lee J. Cobb, Robert Duvall, and Albert Salmi. She appeared in the 1971 crime drama The Organization with Sidney Poitier, and appeared in 1973's The Outfit with Duvall, Joe Don Baker, and Karen Black.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, North appeared in guest spots on Hawaii Five-O, The Streets of San Francisco, McMillan & Wife, Matlock, Family, and Magnum, P.I.. She played Lou Grant's girlfriend on several episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She co-starred with Sheldon Leonard in the short-lived CBS sitcom Big Eddie in 1975. During the 1980–81 season, North starred in I'm a Big Girl Now with Diana Canova, Danny Thomas, and Martin Short. The series aired 19 episodes. In 1980, she played Marilyn Monroe's mother in the made-for-television film . In 1983, she appeared in the ensemble cast of the Steven Bochco series Bay City Blues. The hour-long drama series aired eight episodes. North later appeared in two episodes of The Golden Girls as Blanche Devereaux's sister Virginia. In the 1990s, she appeared as Cosmo Kramer's mother Babs Kramer in two episodes of the sitcom Seinfeld. North's last onscreen role came in John Landis' black comedy Susan's Plan''.

Personal life

North was married four times and had two children. In 1948, at age 16, she married Fred Bessire, a draftsman, with whom she had a daughter, Dawn. The marriage ended in 1953. In 1955, she married television writer Bud Freeman, and the marriage ended a year later. Her third marriage was to psychologist Gerhardt Sommer, with whom she had another daughter, Erica Eve. The marriage ended in divorce in 1963. At the time of her death, North was married to her fourth husband, Emmy Award-winning Title Designer, Phillip "Phill" Norman.
On November 4, 2005, North died during cancer surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She was 73 years old.

Theatre

Emmy Award