Tampa in the 1940s page 5 - Tampa Girl Mary Hatcher

Mary Hatcher, Tampa's "Variety Girl"

Mary Hatcher was a singer and actress whose screen career spanned from 1946 to 1951. During that time she appeared in eight films, mostly in credited roles and several times as leading lady.

Mary F. Hatcher was a daughter of William Franklyn Hatcher and Julia Theodoria Bolding. Frank was born in 1890, in Quitman, Arkansas and was one of at least 9 children of John B. and Margaret A. Hatcher. Julia "Theo" was born in 1900, and was one of at least 10 children of Robert J. Bolding and Hattie A. Baldwin. Frank and Julia married in 1922 in Lake City, Arkansas. Around 1925, their son Coleman C. Hatcher was born in Arkansas. Some time after Coleman's birth, the Hatcher's travelled to Florida where their daughter, Mary F. Hatcher, was born in 1929 in Haines City, Polk Co., FL. By 1930, the Hatchers had moved back to Jonesboro, Arkansas where they appear on the 1930 census at 309 Madison Street; it shows Frank Hatcher was a truck driver for Standard Oil and lists Mary as 10 months old, Coleman at age 4 yrs., 7 mos.

1930 Census, Jonesboro City, Ark.

Around 1935, the Hatchers came to Tampa where Frank took a job at a citrus canning company owned by Ralph Polk, Sr. when the company relocated to Tampa. Mary grew up in Tampa, attending Gorrie Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Junior High, where she often sang at student assemblies (her favorite song being "Alice Blue Gown") and Plant High School.

Her father's employer, Ralph Polk, was impressed with young Mary's singing talent, and provided funds so that she could obtain professional voice training. In 1937 she began music lessons with Frank Grasso, a popular Florida band leader who was also musical director at Tampa's WFLA radio. Before long, she was singing for local radio broadcasts. Her first public performance was a singing engagement at Tampa's Latin-American Fiesta in 1940. During the early months of World War II, Mary sang at a number of events in Tampa to raise money for British War Relief. In 1941 her mother took her to New York City, where she performed at Carnegie Hall. While in New York, continued financial aid from Mr. Polk enabled Mary to obtain vocal instruction from the Juilliard School of Music.

When the Hatcher family went to California, Paramount Pictures signed Mary to a seven-year contract. Paramount "loaned" Hatcher to the Theatre Guild of New York to play the role of Laurie in a road show version of the musical Oklahoma!. In 1946 she made her first film appearance, an uncredited role as a chorus girl in Paramount's Till the Clouds Roll By. Her first credited screen role came later that year when she played Dibs Downing in Our Hearts Were Growing Up. She had another uncredited role in the 1947 film The Trouble With Women.

Later in 1947 Mary's career got a major boost when the studio gave her the title role in Paramount's all-star revue Variety Girl. Her adventures on the Paramount lot provided a frame for short cameo performances by practically every player the studio had under contract, including stars like Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Gary Cooper, Paulette Goddard, and Burt Lancaster.

Variety Girl (1947) is an all-star movie musical produced by Paramount Pictures. Numerous Paramount contract players and directors make cameos or perform songs, with particularly large amounts of screen time featuring Bing Crosby. The story revolves around two young girls who exchange identities, causing confusion at the Variety Club (show-business charity) and the Paramount studio. The elaborate closing song, "Harmony," begins with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope singing and dancing on stage in matching checkered suits and straw hats, eventually moves to a merry-go-round with Gary Cooper in cowboy regalia seated on a plastic horse while talking through a couple of stanzas with Barry Fitzgerald, then gradually incorporates the entire cast, which includes almost everyone under contract to Paramount at the time, in a rousing finale launched by William Holden and Ray Milland chasing a scantily-clad woman across a soundstage.

This video clip from "Variety Girl" features Mary Hatcher singing the part of "Julicat" in the Romeow and Julicat "Puppetoon" scene. She and other cast members are adding the musical vocal track to an animated movie in the studio.

The "Mondogues" and the "Catulets"..Like the Hatfields and McCoys, they were rough and ready boys, and when they met they always fought like dogs and cats!

(If you experience problems viewing, watch the clip at YouTube)

In 1948, Hatcher was featured as Veronica Lake's sister in the musical Isn't It Romantic? Mary's show business career reached its high point in 1949, starring in two movies; The Big Wheel, an auto racing action film with Mickey Rooney and Thomas Mitchell, then opposite Desi Arnaz in the Latin musical frolic Holiday in Havana. Also in 1949, she appeared on Broadway as Dallas Smith, the female lead in Johnny Mercer's musical Texas, L'il Darlin, which opened to a mixed reception and closed after a medium-length run of 293 performances.

Mary Hatcher, Tampa's "Variety Girl" Mary Hatcher was a singer and actress whose screen career spanned from 1946 to 1951. During that time she appeared in eight films, mostly in credited roles and several times as leading lady. Mary F. Hatcher was a daughter of William Franklyn Hatcher and Julia Theodoria Bolding. Frank was born in 1890, in Quitman, Arkansas and was one of at least 9 children of John B. and Margaret A. Hatcher. Julia "Theo" was born in 1900, and was one of at least 10 children of Robert J. Bolding and Hattie A. Baldwin. Frank and Julia married in 1922 in Lake City, Arkansas. Around 1925, their son Coleman C. Hatcher was born in Arkansas. Some time after Coleman's birth, the Hatcher's travelled to Florida where their daughter, Mary F. Hatcher, was born in 1929 in Haines City, Polk Co., FL. By 1930, the Hatchers had moved back to Jonesboro, Arkansas where they appear on the 1930 census at 309 Madison Street; it shows Frank Hatcher was a truck driver for Standard Oil and lists Mary as 10 months old, Coleman at age 4 yrs., 7 mos. 1930 Census, Jonesboro City, Ark. Around 1935, the Hatchers came to Tampa where Frank took a job at a citrus canning company owned by Ralph Polk, Sr. when the company relocated to Tampa. Mary grew up in Tampa, attending Gorrie Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Junior High, where she often sang at student assemblies (her favorite song being "Alice Blue Gown") and Plant High School. Her father's employer, Ralph Polk, was impressed with young Mary's singing talent, and provided funds so that she could obtain professional voice training. In 1937 she began music lessons with Frank Grasso, a popular Florida band leader who was also musical director at Tampa's WFLA radio. Before long, she was singing for local radio broadcasts. Her first public performance was a singing engagement at Tampa's Latin-American Fiesta in 1940. During the early months of World War II, Mary sang at a number of events in Tampa to raise money for British War Relief. In 1941 her mother took her to New York City, where she performed at Carnegie Hall. While in New York, continued financial aid from Mr. Polk enabled Mary to obtain vocal instruction from the Juilliard School of Music. When the Hatcher family went to California, Paramount Pictures signed Mary to a seven-year contract. Paramount "loaned" Hatcher to the Theatre Guild of New York to play the role of Laurie in a road show version of the musical *Oklahoma!. In 1946 she made her first film appearance, an uncredited role as a chorus girl in Paramount's Till the Clouds Roll By. Her first credited screen role came later that year when she played Dibs Downing in Our Hearts Were Growing Up. She had another uncredited role in the 1947 film The Trouble With Women. Later in 1947 Mary's career got a major boost when the studio gave her the title role in Paramount's all-star revue Variety Girl.* Her adventures on the Paramount lot provided a frame for short cameo performances by practically every player the studio had under contract, including stars like Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Gary Cooper, Paulette Goddard, and Burt Lancaster. Variety Girl (1947) is an all-star movie musical produced by Paramount Pictures. Numerous Paramount contract players and directors make cameos or perform songs, with particularly large amounts of screen time featuring Bing Crosby. The story revolves around two young girls who exchange identities, causing confusion at the Variety Club (show-business charity) and the Paramount studio. The elaborate closing song, "Harmony," begins with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope singing and dancing on stage in matching checkered suits and straw hats, eventually moves to a merry-go-round with Gary Cooper in cowboy regalia seated on a plastic horse while talking through a couple of stanzas with Barry Fitzgerald, then gradually incorporates the entire cast, which includes almost everyone under contract to Paramount at the time, in a rousing finale launched by William Holden and Ray Milland chasing a scantily-clad woman across a soundstage. This video clip from "Variety Girl" features Mary Hatcher singing the part of "Julicat" in the Romeow and Julicat "Puppetoon" scene. She and other cast members are adding the musical vocal track to an animated movie in the studio. The "Mondogues" and the "Catulets"..Like the Hatfields and McCoys, they were rough and ready boys, and when they met they always fought like dogs and cats! (If you experience problems viewing, watch the clip at YouTube) In 1948, Hatcher was featured as Veronica Lake's sister in the musical Isn't It Romantic? Mary's show business career reached its high point in 1949, starring in two movies; The Big Wheel, an auto racing action film with Mickey Rooney and Thomas Mitchell, then opposite Desi Arnaz in the Latin musical frolic Holiday in Havana. Also in 1949, she appeared on Broadway as Dallas Smith, the female lead in Johnny Mercer's musical Texas, L'il Darlin, which opened to a mixed reception and closed after a medium-length run of 293 performances.



Mary & Richard Webb in Isn't It Romantic?

Mary and Howard Keel in Oklahoma!


The "surrey with the fringe on top" from Oklahoma!	Mary and Alfred Drake in Pursuit of Happiness

Mary and Desi Arnaz in Holiday in Havana
Mary, Frank Grasso and Howard Keel See a video slide show of scenes from Oklahoma! with Mary and Howard Keel, along with an awesome medley of songs sung by Keel in 1947. Howard Keel doing Oklahoma medley in London, 1992 Mary Hatcher Returns to Tampa In September, 1947, Hatcher returned to Tampa for a gala opening of Variety Girl at the Tampa Theatre. Crowds turned out to honor their home-town movie star, and Tampa mayor Curtis Hixon presented Mary with flowers and a golden key to the city. While in Tampa, she visited her sponsor, Ralph Polk, at his home on Davis Islands. Mary stayed with an aunt, Mrs. Charles E. Sommers, and cousin, Patsy Sommers. When Mary appeared at the Tampa Theatre, the length of her dress attracted comments. She was wearing "The New Look," a longer skirt than was current until then. Earlier, a Tribune writer had described her as "a misty-eyed vision in black" when she stepped from a plane at the airport. Mary Hatcher arriving in Tampa at Peter O. Knight Airport, Sept. 1947 1948 Newspaper article "Mary Hatcher Due For Major Film Role After Setback"

Mary Hatcher and fans in front of the Tampa Theatre, theater manager Obediah Gaines Finley, far right, Sept. 1947 In February 1951, Mary was a headliner at the El Rancho Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas on a bill including Herkie Styles and Benny Goodman. In 1951-52, she starred as Maid Marion in Tales of Robin Hood, a film which reportedly was the pilot for a projected but never-realized television series. After a promising start in show business, she seems to vanish from public view around 1952; or at least from the view of readily accessible print and electronic resources. Her first husband Herkie Styles died in San Bernardino, CA in June of 1986.