Juanita Hall

Did you know?!

1. 

   Behind the award

   Hall's portrayal of Bloody Mary in South Pacific earned her a Donaldson Award, and in 1950 she made history as the first African American to take home the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress.

2. 

   Big break

   Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II personally chose Hall, a leading black Broadway performer of her day, for the roles she took in South Pacific and Flower Drum Song, playing a Tonkinese woman and a Chinese-American.

3. 

   A role that slipped away

   In the 1958 film version of South Pacific, Hall's singing was dubbed by Muriel Smith after Rodgers decided her vibrato was frayed, though the music director and director thought dubbing was unnecessary.

4. A change of course

   Before she began acting, Hall formed her own group, The Juanita Hall Choir, and stayed busy performing on records, in films, on the air, and in concert.

5. Beyond film

   Backed by jazz players such as Claude Hopkins, Coleman Hawkins, Buster Bailey, Doc Cheatham, and George Duvivier, Hall cut Juanita Hall Sings the Blues in 1958 at Beltone Studios in New York City.

6. Beyond film

   Hall also appeared in the 1954 Broadway musical House of Flowers, performing Harold Arlen's Slide Boy Slide with both singing and dancing.