Late Life Jazz: The Life and Career of Rosemary Clooney (49 page)

October 29
. Appears with Mel Tormé and the Concord All Stars at Jones Hall, Houston, Texas.

November 17
. Featured in a concert called “Swing Greats” with Vic Damone, Kay Starr, and Buddy Greco at the Barbican Hall, London.

January 12–14
. Rosemary performs at the Fontainebleau, Miami Beach.

July
. Appears at the Hollywood Bowl in a tribute to Harry James.

July 20
. Sings with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati.

July 21
. Performs with Tony Bennett at the Capitol Center, Concord, New Hampshire.

July 28
. Gives a free concert at the downtown AmphiTheater, Long Beach.

August 28
. Performs at the New York State Fair at Syracuse, New York.

September 1
. Appears in the Harborlights Music Festival at Baltimore with Joe Williams and the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

September 2
. Appears at the Montreux Detroit Kool Jazz Festival at the Palms / State Theater, Detroit.

September 15–16
. Entertains at Hershey Park, Pennsylvania.

October 16–24
. Appears with Vic Damone and Artie Shaw and his band at the Westbury Music Fair.

December 2
. Stars in her
White Christmas Party
show at the Hershey Theater, Pennsylvania. This is a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the film.

December 23
. Rosemary is the headliner at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, New Jersey.

May 1
. Serves as grand marshal of the Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade in Louisville, Kentucky.

May 7–25
. Appears at Park Ten, Park Avenue, New York.

May 9
. Performs at a benefit in Carnegie Hall, New York, with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops.

June
. Entertains with Tony Bennett at the Lions International convention in the Dallas Reunion Arena before a crowd of 14,500.

August
. In San Francisco, films the part of Sarah, a Bible-toting murderess, in
Sister Margaret and the Saturday Night Ladies
. This is shown on CBS-TV in January 1987.

August 21–22
. Performs with Alan King at Harrah’s, Tahoe, Nevada.

August 25
. Entertains with the Hi-Lo’s at the Concord Jazz Festival held in the Concord Pavilion, California.

August 27–September 1
. Stars with Vic Damone and the Artie Shaw Orchestra at the Valley Forge Music Fair in Pennsylvania. In September they repeat the show at the South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset, Massachusetts.

September 26
. Rosemary is presented with the St. Vincent’s Hospital Award. The award is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of mental health.

October 6
.
Nelson Riddle dies
.

October 10–16
. Appears with Alan King at Harrah’s, Reno, Nevada.

November 25
. Sings at Westbury Music Fair with Tony Bennett and the Artie Shaw Orchestra.

December 3
. Performs with Tony Bennett at Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh. A few days later, they go on to entertain at the Front Row Theater in Highland Heights, Cleveland, Ohio.

January 6
. Appears in
Hardcastle and McCormick
on ABC-TV playing a psychic housekeeper who predicts McCormick’s death.

January 24
. Performs with Tony Bennett at the Ohio Theater, Columbus, Ohio. During the year, Rosemary and Tony also appear at Riverbend, Cincinnati; the Fox Theater in Atlanta; the Coliseum Theater, Latham, New York; Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis; and at the Meadow Brook Music Festival in Toledo, Ohio.

April 7
. Hosts
Singers’ Salute to the Songwriter
, a concert to aid the Betty Clooney Foundation for the Brain Injured at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

April 29–May 17
. Entertains at Michael’s Pub, East 55th Street, New York.

May 30–June 1
. Sings at Trump Casino Hotel, Atlantic City.

June 14–15
. Entertains at Disney’s Epcot Center.

October
. Appears at Harrah’s Reno with Jim Nabors until October 8.

October 10–19
. Entertains at Vine St. Bar, Los Angeles.

November 4
. Opens at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco for a two-week stay.

November 29
. In “A Tribute to Irving Berlin” with the Florida Orchestra, under the direction of Skitch Henderson, at McKay Auditorium, Tampa, Florida. Stars in similar tributes in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, Florida, in the following days.

February 3–15
. Appears at the Fairmont Hotel, Dallas.

March 17–22
. Sings at the Blue Note, West Third Street, New York.

April 6
. Hosts
Singers’ Salute to the Songwriter
, a concert to aid the Betty Clooney Foundation at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

April 14–May 2
. Entertains at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, DC.

May 5–9
. Appears with Michael Feinstein at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago.

June 10–14
. Entertains with Bob Hope at Valley Forge Music Fair, Pennsylvania, and they go on to the Westbury Music Fair, Long Island, the following week.

October 6–11
. Opens for Bob Hope at the Chicago Theater.

November 23
. Rosemary sings at the Royal Variety Performance held at the London Palladium in the presence of Queen Elizabeth.

November 28
.
Rosemary Clooney’s White Christmas Party
is at Centre East, Skokie, Illinois, and at the Riverside, Milwaukee, the next day.

December 6
. Rosemary performs at the Kennedy Center Honors held at the John F. Kennedy Center with President and Nancy Reagan in attendance.

December 31
. Appears at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey.

January 19–24
. Appears at the Blue Note club in New York.

March 3–13
. Entertains at the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco.

March 30
. Hosts
Singers’ Salute to the Songwriter
, a concert to aid the Betty Clooney Foundation at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

April 8–9
. Appears with Bob Hope at the Showboat Hotel Casino, Atlantic City.

April 12
.
The Betty Clooney Center
opens in Long Beach

April 26–May 6
. Appears at the Fairmont Hotel, Dallas.

June 24
. Takes part in
Command Performance—An All-Star Tribute to the President
. President and Nancy Reagan are in attendance.

July 15
. Appears at the Hollywood Bowl with Michael Feinstein in a “Tribute to Irving Berlin.”

September 13–25
. Performs at the Fairmont Hotel, Chicago.

October 30–November 2
. Entertains at Harrah’s, Reno, with Jim Nabors.

November 27
.
Rosemary Clooney’s White Christmas Party
is at the Riverside, Milwaukee, and is also performed at other locations throughout December.

February 7–25
. Appears at the Rainbow and Stars club, New York.

April 7–8
. Entertains at the Showboat in Atlantic City with Bob Hope

April 25
. Hosts
Singers’ Salute to the Songwriter
, a concert to aid the Betty Clooney Foundation at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles.

May 12–13
. Performs with the New York Pops Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

June 7–11
. Appears at the Valley Forge Music Fair in Pennsylvania with Bob Hope and they go on to Westbury Music Fair on Long Island the following week.

June 27
. Appears at Carnegie Hall in a concert as part of the JVC Jazz Festival New York.

July 28
. Rosemary executes her Last Will and Testament. She states:

I DIRECT that I be buried near my Father in my Mother’s family plot in the St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Washington, Kentucky, and that the tombstone marking my grave be in the same approximate size, style and prominence as my parents’ tombstones, without reference to my career or fame. It is my wish that a funeral service be conducted for me as near to the Cemetery as practicable.

She makes bequests of various personal items to her children and to Dante DiPaolo (he receives her cars), Gail Darley (her half sister), Michael Feinstein, Debby Boone, Jackie Rose and Mark Sendroff. The residue of the estate is to be divided equally among her five children. Allen Sviridoff and Mark Sendroff are named as co-executors.

August 18–19
. Entertains at the Hollywood Bowl, presenting a Gershwin selection of nearly two dozen songs. The audience is counted at 15,933 on Friday and 17,818 on Saturday.

November–December
.
Rosemary Clooney’s White Christmas Party
is presented at various locations from California to Long Island. Debby Boone co-stars.

January 30–February 24
. Appears at Rainbow and Stars, New York.

April 24
. Hosts
Singers’ Salute to the Songwriter
, a concert to aid the Betty Clooney Foundation at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles.

May 5
. Arrives in West Berlin with Bob Hope and others. They go on to give several shows including one at Rhein Main Air Base, Frankfurt, and one for US Embassy staff in Moscow.

June 15
. Sings with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra at the Riverside Music Centre, Cincinnati.

October 6
. Performs with the Virginia Symphony Pops in Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, Virginia.

November 3
. Sings with the Richmond Symphony Pops at the Mosque, Richmond, Virginia.

November 19–24
. Entertains at Blues Alley, Tokyo, Japan.

December
. Is selected one of the six best living singers of American popular song.

It was just one man’s opinion, but Rosemary Clooney’s still very pleased about being selected one of the six best living singers of American popular song by writer Daniel Okrent in this month’s
Life
magazine. Asked if she feels she belongs on the list with Frank Sinatra, Carmen McRae, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Tormé, Clooney laughs loudly and says, “If I don’t belong in there, you think I’m gonna tell.”

(
St. Paul Pioneer Press
(MN)—December 14, 1990)

December 14–16
. Rosemary presents her
White Christmas Party
with Debby Boone at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, and later in the month at Westbury Music Fair, Long Island, and at Valley Forge Music Fair, Pennsylvania.

February 5
. Opens at Rainbow and Stars, New York.

March 22–24
. Rich Little and Rosemary entertain at TropWorld, Atlantic City.

April 29
. Hosts
Singers’ Salute to the Songwriter
, a concert to aid the Betty Clooney Foundation at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles.

June 8
. Appears at Wolf Trap, Virginia, with Michael Feinstein. The show is videotaped by PBS for later transmission.

July 3
. Takes part in a ceremony at Mount Rushmore when the monument is formally dedicated by President Bush. Rosemary sings “America the Beautiful.”

August 27
. In Chicago, Rosemary tapes an appearance on
Michael Feinstein & Friends
for national broadcast on PBS on October 11.

October 12
. Appears at Carnegie Hall in a show called
Rosemary Clooney and the Arrangers
.

October 17–20
. Entertains with Michael Feinstein at Westbury Music Fair, New York, and they go on to perform at Valley Forge Music Fair, Pennsylvania, the following week.

December 7
. Takes her
White Christmas
show to the Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center. Debby Boone appears with her.

December 11
. Opens at the Curran Theater, San Francisco, with Michael Feinstein.

January 26
.
José Ferrer dies at the age of 80
.

February 5–29
. Appears at Rainbow and Stars, New York

March 5
. Sings at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, and is presented with the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal.

April 28
. Hosts
Singers’ Salute to the Songwriter
, a concert to aid the Betty Clooney Foundation at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles.

May 29–31
. Sings with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at the Circle Theater, Indianapolis.

July 2–4
. Appears at the Hollywood Bowl with Michael Feinstein.

September 4–5
. Sings with the Dallas Symphony Pops in Dallas, Texas.

October 20–November 8
. Performs at the Shubert Theater, Chicago, with Michael Feinstein.

December
.
Rosemary Clooney’s White Christmas Party
, with Debby Boone, appears at various locations throughout the month