Gwen Verdon: A Life on Stage and Screen (33 page)

Verdon appears in three scenes and her performance is theatrical which is appropriate for an actress and a woman who pretends to have desire for a man to get what she wants. Her over-gesticulation also matches the same tendency in some of the other performers who act broadly or just plain bad, like Wiley. Presumably to match the character’s self-confidence she wears two form-fitting silk outfits, with a red blouse and green pants with green waist-scarf recalling the red silk outfits Verdon wears in her
M*A*S*H
episode and the
American Dance Machine
special. She also wears a black fur piece which suggests the wealth that Bonita left Wendell for and that she now lacks. Bonita is seen smoking in her last scene, presumably to add to the character’s duplicity. This scene also has Chambers use what appears to be a body double when she displays a leg. Verdon is given a long reaction shot at the end. She gets a laugh from a moment when she turns her head away from Wendell’s attempt at a kiss, with the excuse of “Fever blister.”

Verdon attended the closing night of
Big Deal
on June 8, 1986. The show had received a mixed review by Frank Rich in the
New York Times
and had not been a hit. From September 1986, Verdon appeared in the supporting role of Vera, the manageress of the Alamo Beauty Shop in Austin, Texas, in the comedy
Nadine
(1987). Set in 1954 and filmed on location in Austin by writer-director Robert Benton, it stars Kim Basinger as Nadine Hightower, a beauty shop manicurist who has had art studies taken by photographer Raymond Escobar (Jerry Stiller). When she goes to retrieve the photos, she finds Escobar dead and in her photo file there is a map of confidential Highway Department plans for a superhighway. The man who has killed Escobar for the plans, Buford Pope (Rip Torn), has Nadine’s art studies, and he will kill to get the map back. Verdon only appears in two scenes.

The film was released on August 7, 1987, with the taglines “The cops want HER. The killers want HIM. THEY want a divorce. Ain’t love grand!” and “They’re a Couple on the Run … from Each Other.” It was praised by the
Times
’ Vincent Canby, who also commented that Verdon could have done more if she’d had the material. It received a mixed reaction from Roger Ebert in the
Chicago Sun-Times
but was lambasted by Pauline Kael in
The New Yorker
. The film was a box office failure.

Verdon made her second guest star appearance on
Magnum, P.I
. on February 11, 1987, in the episode “Forty.” It was directed by Russ Mayberry and had a teleplay by Bruce Cervi. It focused on the fortieth birthday of Magnum (Tom Selleck) and his meeting Chinese television news reporter Linda Lee Ellison (Patrice Martinez). Since she is involved with John Walter Costa (James Luisi), an arms dealer, this helps him investigate Honolulu’s Chinatown “wolf” gangs. Verdon’s appearance amounts to a cameo, with her shown in only one scene and her voice heard in two voicemail messages. She is seen in bed in a purple nightgown answering Magnum’s call, and her three lines are stock.

Nadine Hightower (Kim Basinger, left) is not impressed by the offer of money from Vera (Verdon) as witnessed by Vernon Hightower (Jeff Bridges) in this lobby card for
 
Nadine
 
(1987).

In the fall of 1986, Verdon coached Ann Reinking to replace Debbie Allen in
Sweet Charity
, with Fosse directing. Reinking took over the role in October 1986. Fosse’s alleged harsh treatment of his star was said to be softened by Verdon, as if to protect the increasingly ill director. She knew that Reinking had to be strong to play the part of Charity, one of the most demanding in musical theater. Perhaps in an attempt to differentiate her from Verdon, it was decided to have Reinking wear a bleached-blonde wig as Charity. However, inexplicably, publicists refused to replace the face of Allen with Reinking’s on the Playbill program. Although Reinking stayed with it till March 1987 box office receipts were said to be disappointing. This meant that a national touring company of the show would be required to recoup costs, and would not star Reinking.

Verdon attended the rehearsal of the show on October 19, 1986, after it was learned that the musical director, Stanley Lobowski, had died from a heart attack. Knowing this would have upset Fosse, she came with copies of Uta Hagen’s book
Respect for Acting
and passed them among the company. Verdon was aware that he had little respect for the book, so when he arrived and saw everyone reading it, he laughed. Her relationship with Fosse had gotten closer with their reunion in the show. She would even come to the rehearsal studio before him to pick up the garbage. They began dressing in the same button-down shirts and slacks, with Verdon in blue and Fosse in black. It was even said that they could feel each other’s presence in the room. Once she stopped in the middle of working onstage with the company and told a dancer that he had arrived. When they looked around they saw that Fosse was standing at the back of the house. On May 4, 1987, Verdon presented one of the 36th annual Capezio Dance Awards and $5,000 to Fosse at a ceremony at the Juilliard Theatre. She called her husband’s contributions to the dance world ‘‘unique,’’ ‘‘risky’’ and ‘‘provocative.”

Verdon made a guest appearance on the ABC drama
Hotel
in an episode entitled “Second Thoughts” which was broadcast on May 20, 1987. The show was set at the elegant St. Gregory Hotel in San Francisco, managed by Peter McDermott (James Brolin). It is often visited by famous guest stars who have a romantic encounter. Filmed in Hollywood, the episode was written by Sandra Kay Siegel and directed by Vincent McEveety. Verdon played Iris Lloyd.

She was a presenter at the 1987 Tony Awards which were held at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on June 7, 1987, and broadcast live on CBS. Verdon wore a black sequined dress with net lace long sleeves and net chest trim and a black choker. She was joined by Fosse for the Best Choreography Award. He commented that it has been said that the art of choreography is only about 50 percent conception, and that the real test of your talent is getting a number of people in a room who are just a little crazier than you and who can try and live out that thing in your head; “And sometimes, if you’re very lucky, you can find someone who dances it better than you ever dreamed it.” Fosse said that Verdon hated for him to say anything nice about her but for him that “someone” was her. She smiled and thanked Fosse as the audience applauded her. He let her read the nominees and read the winner: Gillian Gregory for
Me and My Girl.
Verdon also stayed on stage as Fosse read the nominees and announced the winner for Best Director of a Musical; Trevor Nunn and John Caird for
Les Miserables
. Nunn said in his acceptance speech that just to be on the same stage as his two presenters overwhelmed him. One surprise that evening: Neither Verdon nor Fosse appear to join the show’s cast onstage to applaud the award given to George Abbott.

On June 22, 1987, Verdon was one of the many Broadway and Hollywood stars who celebrated the one hundredth birthday of Abbott (his real birthday was June 25). The event held at the Palace Theatre in New York was alternatively titled
Happy Birthday, Mr. Abbott!
and
The Night of 100 Years
and benefited the Actors Fund of America. In the archival record of the evening viewed, Verdon is only fleetingly seen amongst the collection of female stars introduced to the song “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” sung by Arthur Rubin. She wears a black long dress and speckled black and white jacket and matching scarf, and holds a rose like all the other ladies. She cannot be seen at the end when the cast all sing “Heart” from
Damn Yankees
. An article about the evening in the
New York Times
by Andrew L. Yarrow does not even mention Verdon, which perhaps suggests that her appearance was limited to the opening introduction of Abbott’s 18 leading ladies.

On June 23, 1987, Fosse turned 60 and he threw a party at his Quogue home, which Verdon attended. Then the couple reunited again to start rehearsals at the Minskoff Theatre for the national touring company of
Sweet Charity
, in which Donna McKechnie had been cast. As Fosse worked alone in a neighboring studio, Verdon and Mimi Quillon prepared McKechnie. McKechnie says that when it came time to learn the closet scene, she was asked if she wanted to do Chita’s version, Ann’s version, Debbie’s version, or Verdon’s version. McKechnie found this a no-brainer and told Verdon that she wanted to do Verdon’s version and that was the version they did. When she expressed her concern about playing the role, Verdon told her that if she could get through the first act, then she would be fine. After McKechnie finished a run of the first act, she looked over to her teacher and saw Verdon’s face full of emotion. Verdon made her feel that something important had happened and that’s why McKechnie says that Verdon was the most generous person she met in her entire life. She felt that Verdon gave her part of her soul, and although she taught a lot of people, it was that experience being alone with her that she valued. McKechnie says that when Fosse came in to look at what she and Verdon had done, he watched and then asked her, “Are you going to do her version or my version?” McKechnie was torn between Fosse as the director and Verdon whom she considered a goddess. She looked at Verdon who was miming “my version.” However she told Fosse she would do his version.

The show’s pre-sales were disappointing so Fosse and Verdon decided to take the jobs that would have normally been done by stage managers and dance captains. They travelled with the show, beginning in Toronto in July 1987 where it opened at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, and then on to Philadelphia. On September 23, 1987, Verdon was in Washington with Fosse for the opening night at the National Theatre of
Sweet Charity
. Perhaps aware of his growing dependence on his wife, Fosse’s girlfriend Phoebe Ungerer did not come to Washington. The show was still doing badly at the box office which he could not understand since he felt it was in wonderful shape.

During the day the couple attended a production meeting with the various departments. Fosse supposedly coughed throughout. They were told that the morale of the company was low because they were concerned with being underpaid and that the tour was being rushed. After the meeting, the company split into groups to rehearse individual pieces. At five-thirty he dismissed the company for their six-thirty half-hour call. He then spent the next hour with the orchestra, Verdon by his side. She reportedly spoke to the drummer about a couple of things he had to catch in “If My Friends Could See Me Now.” After six they left the theater to change for the opening night.

They headed toward the Willard hotel, where they had separate rooms. One source claims that Verdon accompanied Fosse because, when she saw him leaving the theater, she sensed that something was wrong. Another says that when Verdon saw him talking with the stage manager on stage she hadn’t recognized the man who looked so ashen and gray. When she did and saw him leaving, she ran after him. At the hotel he changed into a tuxedo and the couple left to return to the National. Fosse reportedly fell to the ground on the far side of the crosswalk, a few steps from the curb, on the intersection between Pennsylvania and Fourteenth Street. Another source claims that he fell even before Fosse and Verdon made it to the hotel. In his DVD audio commentary on
All That Jazz
, Roy Scheider claims that Fosse laid down on a bench. In the 1999
E! True Hollywood Story
re-enactment, Fosse falls in a park near a bench. In the same special, Ben Vereen says that he understood that the couple were walking across a park. Verdon later told the press how Fosse’s attack had occurred in his hotel room and not in the street, presumably in an effort to cover up the truth.

Fosse’s eyes were said to be half shut and his complexion was green. A crowd gathered around the scene and traffic clogged the intersection. Verdon thought that he had had another seizure but it was his final heart attack. Some claim that she asked for someone to call an ambulance. Verdon dropped to her knees and held Fosse’s head in her lap. Others say that she ran around pushing people out of the way to disperse the crowd, knowing how embarrassed he would be about such a public commotion. Others say that this running around pushing people out of the way occurred to allow paramedics to get to Fosse. One source claims that a doctor appeared from the crowd, listened for a heartbeat, and then began to pound on Fosse’s chest. Fosse told him to stop because he was hurting him and said that he was all right. Fire trucks were said to have arrived before the ambulance, which appeared after 20 minutes. With Fosse inside, the ambulance proceeded to George Washington University Hospital, a mile and half from where Fosse had collapsed. It arrived at the emergency room at 6:48 p.m. and at 7:23 p.m. he was pronounced dead. Another source claims that Fosse was worked on for 90 minutes before the pronouncement.

Back at the theater, the absence of the couple was felt to be a sign that the show was going to close. But Peter Kulak, the general manager, had heard the news of Fosse’s death and informed the company after the curtain calls. The opening night party was still held at the Old Ebbitt Grill since the producers felt that getting drunk would ease their sorrow. The tour would only last for three months and it reportedly did not recoup the investment.