| I believe I read somewhere that Bette Davis, queen of the Warner Brothers lot, where Alexis Smith was also a contract player, said that she was very impressed by Smith in "Follies". Davis said something along the lines that she had never seen the kind of acting and fire and star quality from Smith on film like she was seeing in her performance in the musical. I think Smith had been known for her beauty in films, not really being a standout acting-wise, though always professional and a welcome presence. Mrs. Cole Porter requested Smith to play her in the biography "Night and Day" opposite Cary Grant mostly because of her looks and her elegance. Again, I'm paraphrasing, but that's about what I understood. Smith is giving it all she's got in clips I've seen of her in "Follies". and she really is electric, with Michael Bennett's choreography helping immensely. Given that she had been relegated to playing mainly pretty patrician ladies in the past, her performance must have been quite a revelation to many. Side note: I'm wondering if Dina Merrill ever played Phyllis? She had some similar qualities to Smith, though maybe not as much as a social climber, as she always seems to have come from good background. But she sang in the famous 1983 revival of "On Your Toes" and might have been good in the role. |
