I was just past puberty when I first saw Mona McCluskey, and I was immediately smitten with its incredibly lovely star, Juliet Prowse. Even though the show was in black and white, and I was watching it on our small, fuzzy TV screen, she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.
But even at that young age I was a keen student of comedy, and I knew that Mona McClusky just wasn't that funny. It wasn't until I saw her singing and dancing on variety shows like Dean Martin that I realized Mona McClusky just wasn't the right venue for her.
Her talents were uniquely suited to the Broadway musical. In fact, that's where she found her greatest successes, starring in Sweet Charity and other musical extravaganzas. Her smile and, frankly, the delivery of her lines, was best suited to the stage, not the small screen.
I think it's too bad they didn't cast her as the hostess of a television variety show. While the big budget movie musical had largely passed by the time Juliet came along, the mid-60s were the heyday of the TV variety show. She sang very well, and danced like a dream. Though she was somewhat stiff when it came to acting, she held her own in bits on other peoples' variety shows, and I think with the right writers and guests she could have been a real contender.
Juliet, I'm a lifelong fan. It's too bad you got more notoriety than fame. I'm sorry you never got the recognition your considerable talent deserved. Even though you're gone, there are still some of us out here in the dark who hold your memory fondly in our hearts. Keep on dancing.
