The Girl Who Fell Down: A Biography of Joan McCracken

From Publishers Weekly
While biographies of great cultural icons abound, the greatest stories are often those of the tragic also-rans, the unheralded power behind the throne. Simultaneously the tale of a genuine innovator and an all-but-forgotten minor celebrity, dance historian and choreographer, Sagolla's biography of the dancer and actor Joan McCracken is a kind of literary rescue mission, an attempt to save her from the dreaded fate of cultural anonymity. An accomplished ballet dancer and the originator of the "Girl who Falls Down" role in the premiere run of Oklahoma! on Broadway, McCracken helped to define a new type of stage icon: the dancer-comedienne. From there she proceeded to develop a successful stage career, sign a film contract with MGM, marry the famed choreographer Bob Fosse and become an early television personality, an inaugural member of the Actors Studio and one of Truman Capote's inspirations for the protagonist of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Yet while McCracken's star shone brightly albeit briefly (she died at 44 after a lifetime battle with diabetes) on the Broadway stage, her career as a whole was a bizarre parade of missed opportunities, personal tragedy and failing health. Sagolla's skills as a researcher and scholar are formidable. Sadly, the same cannot be said for her instincts as a biographer. Such pains are taken to establish her subject's "historical significance" that the book takes on an air of dreary piety. McCracken is endlessly described as "trailblazing" and "pioneering," and the text is so liberally peppered with quotations from her critical accolades as to border on the ridiculous. Amidst this storm of interviews and source material, McCracken's personality shines through only occasionally, leaving the reader with a strong sense of her place in history, but little idea of who she was. Illustrations not seen by PW. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
Dancer and actress Joan McCracken (1917–1961) commanded a pioneering career that influenced some of the greatest artists on Broadway and in Hollywood. An overnight sensation for her 1943 comedic role as "The Girl Who Falls Down" in the groundbreaking musical Oklahoma!, McCracken established the prototype dancer-comedienne, headlining in ballet, stage, film, and television productions before her life was tragically cut short by complications from diabetes. Derived from extensive interviews with McCracken's friends, family, and colleagues, this is the first biography of the charismatic dancer. Lisa Jo Sagolla paints a complex portrait of the petite, blue-eyed, and sprightly entertainer as a woman exploiting her mesmerizing beauty and magnetism to succeed in the man’s world of entertainment, yet always retaining the persona of childlike pixie she portrayed on stage. McCracken’s comic exuberance and athleticism also epitomized a new ballet form that married the European ideas of aristocratic grace and movement with a uniquely American spirit and style. From her beginnings in Philadelphia and New York, to her meteoric rise to fame, to her life long struggle with the little understood and devastating effects of diabetes, The Girl Who Fell Down chronicles McCracken’s spirited yet poignant life, including her training at Balanchine’s seminal School of American Ballet, her blossoming as a "ravishing talent" with a "crackerjack dance technique" under Agnes de Mille, her supremacy as a performer, her marriages to acclaimed choreographer Bob Fosse and novelist Jack Dunphy, and her ultimate diagnosis with heart disease. Touching yet inspiring, Sagolla's account describes McCracken’s lasting influence through her nurturing of husband Fosse’s provocative career, her dramatic coaching of actress Shirley MacLaine, and her inspiration for the many dancer-comediennes that followed—Gwen Verdon, Carol Haney, and Sandy Duncan, to name a few. Rich with the social and cultural history of a golden age in show business and teeming with colorful choreographers, dancers, and entertainers, this comprehensive and carefully researched biography will introduce Joan McCracken to a new audience of dance enthusiasts.

About the Author
Lisa Jo Sagolla is a dance historian, critic, choreographer, and Lecturer in Dance Education at Columbia University. She holds an Ed.D. in art education from Columbia and writes for Back Stage and Dance Teacher. She lives in New York City.


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In 1943, Joan McCracken (1917-61) became an overnight sensation on Broadway when she performed her carefully choreographed comic fall during the "Many a New Day" dance in Oklahoma! Trained as a classical ballet dancer, she went on to star in other Broadway shows (e.g., Bloomer Girl and Billion Dollar Baby) and even several Hollywood musicals (e.g., Good News and Hollywood Canteen). For this first biography of the "girl who fell down," Sagolla (dance education, Columbia Univ.) interviewed many of the people who knew and worked with McCracken. While recounting milestones in her subject's life-including stormy marriages to dancer and novelist Jack Dunphy and dancer-choreographer Bob Fosse-Sagolla captures McCracken's vivacity, wit, and talent. Unfortunately, her life and career were cut short by heart disease (a complication of her lifelong battle with diabetes). This entertaining and informative biography is recommended for public and academic libraries, particularly where there is an interest in dance and theater arts.-Howard Miller, St. Louis Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.


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