Artist:Yvonne De Carlo
Song:I'm Still Here
Album:Follies: Original Broadway Cast
Yvonne De Carlo had a long and storied film and TV career when she made her Broadway debut in the 1970 musical Follies. Though her appearance was memorable, it was Yvonne's only Broadway appearance. She was born Margaret Yvonne Middleton Sept. 1, 1922 in Vancouver. She didn't remember her father as he didn't stay very long. After he left, Yvonne took her mother's maiden name De Carlo. Her mother made sure she got singing and dancing lessons and by 1940 they made their way to Los Angeles. Eventually she signed with Paramount but she wasn't getting any of Dorothy Lamour's parts. So they either loaned her out to other studios or gave her bit parts. Her big break came when producer Walter Wanger screen tested her for the 1945 film Salome, Where She Danced and Universal signed her to a contract. When that film was a success, that set Yvonne's career in motion. She was still a backup to Maria Montez. But Yvonne made the most of her opportunities especially in the 1947 film Song of Scheherazade. She played a femme fatale in Mark Hellinger's 1949 film Criss Cross starring Burt Lancaster. She wanted more of that but Universal put her back in costume films. After leaving Universal, Yvonne continued to make occasional films. Starting in 1951, she appeared regularly at the Hollywood Bowl in among other things the opera Die Fledermaus conducted by film composer Franz Waxman. Mostly she appeared in B movies with the obvious exception of The Ten Commandments. When her film roles dried up, Yvonne started a nightclub act and recorded a couple of albums. She also started doing TV. And of course that led to her most famous role as Lili Munster in the popular sitcom The Munsters. She then made her Broadway debut as Carlotta Campion in Stephen Sondhem's Broadway musical Follies. I'm Still Here was her big song. It was her only Broadway appearance. Yvonne continued to appear in films, TV and on stage until her death on Jan. 8, 2007 at age 84. Here's Yvonne De Carlo performing I'm Still Here on the 1972 Tony Awards broadcast.
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