When I returned to the Imperial for the evening show, the call had just come through from Kennedy airport: Irene was on a plane to Los Angeles. Bob said he'd take a look at her in the next day or two. I told Bob that I thought perhaps Irene needed a vacation, even though contractually she didn't have one coming for some months it might do her good to go to California for a while, and then finish up her contract when the weather was warmer. I was having dinner with Fosse at my house between shows so I went to Ben Vereen and asked him to contact Stuart Ostrow (the producer) and have him come to the evening show, and I would ask Bob to do the same. One Saturday matinee, she looked particularly drained, and I got worried that she might be sick. I sat and watched her big number on stage every night, and I saw that she began to cut down on her moves, and to generally diminish the amazing energy that she would normally put out every time (on opening night, she stopped the show cold, and I had to stand there for about eight minutes waiting for the applause to die down before I could go on!). However, I started to notice that she was beginning to look weak, or listless. But, trouper that she was, she never missed a performance. She missed her life and her friends in LA where she had lived for many years, and the cold winter and the eight-show schedule undermined her spirit somewhat.

I found this on, credited to John Rubinstein, who was starring in PIPPIN along with ben Vereen, Jill Clayburgh, and Irene Ryan:ĭear Irene Ryan did NOT die during a performance. So did Irene Ryan really drop dead right after singing that song about 'It's Time To Start Living?' It was a conservative district and she lost by a wide margin.

But Kulp almost certainly would have lost the election anyway. That's why he recorded an ad for the Republican. He felt that her celebrity might give her an unfair advantage over her opponent in the Congressional race. Incidentally, Buddy Ebsen didn't hate Nancy Kulp, he simply disagreed with her politics.

Bolger lucked out when the original Tin Man makeup nearly killed Ebsen. Ebsen didn't care which part he played, and it was agreed that they would switch roles. Bolger was cast as the Tin Man, but he passionately wanted to play the Scarecrow. Ray Bolger, however, became a dancer because he was inspired by Fred Stone, who was the Scarecrow in the original Broadway operetta of 1904. He usually played hayseeds in the movies, so it was only natural to cast him as the Scarecrow. Ebsen was a country boy and he looked it. Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.

Pam Plays Doubles by Jean MacGibbon