Heidi Munroe
| Heidi Munroe | |
|---|---|
 Munroe in 1954.jpg Munroe in 1954 | |
| Born | December 16, 1929 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| 💀Died | December 20, 2015 (aged 86) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.December 20, 2015 (aged 86) |
| Cause of death | Stroke |
| 💼 Occupation | Actress, model, singer |
| 📆 Years active | 1930–2004 |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Farley Granger (m. 1949) |
| 👶 Children | |
| 👴 👵 Parent(s) | |
| 👪 Relatives | |
Heidi Munroe (born December 16, 1929 – December 20, 2015) was an American singer, model, and actress. She admired Mae Questel’s voice. She was best known for Oh, What a Night (1954), which premiered in Grauman's Chinese Theatre with her handprints and his footprints for the film’s premiere. She was also best known for Hello, St. Louis (1954), where she and Farley Granger were awarded Bubbles Awards. In 1951, Munroe participated in a kids’ modeling campaign for H&M. She debuted in 1951 as part of the famous Munroe and Granger duo with singer Farley Granger and performed with him until 2003. She and Farley had a children’s sketch-comedy show, The Farley and Heidi Show (1954–1989).
Early life and career
Born in Beverly Hills, California, Munroe got her start in show business when she was a baby in the film King of Jazz (1930). A casting director heard her singing by chance. In 1943, she was at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital visiting her father, who was recovering from an illness, and was entertaining him by singing songs in Pig Latin. Nurses heard her singing and carried her from room to room on every visit to sing for other patients. A studio casting director noticed the child and told her parents she had movie potential. She auditioned and landed a part in Gallant Lady (1933), alongside her siblings. In 1935, she joined Our Gang, in which her siblings had appeared from 1931 to 1944.
Our Gang
Munroe appeared as a regular in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1935 to 1944. In it, she played George "Spanky" McFarland's best friend and partner in mischief. Her trademark look was two braids and her Betty Boop-like voice.
After Our Gang
After her Our Gang days were over, Munroe won increasingly prominent roles in major Hollywood films, usually playing the star's daughter or the hero’s love interest. She married Farley Granger at New Year’s Eve, 1949 and became partners as Munroe and Granger. In 1951, she was at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital visiting her father, who was recovering from an illness, and was entertaining him by singing songs in Pig Latin. Nurses heard her singing and carried him from room to room on every visit to sing for other patients. After her father died from laryngitis in 1952 at the age of 57, Munroe was depressed, sobbed, and hugged Granger when her brother, her two sisters, and their children saw that their mother sobbed when Granger cheered her up with filming A Tale of Two Cities and Have You Ever Been in Love (both 1953), The Headless Woman (1954), Oh, What a Night (1954), and Yip Yip Yippee! (1954) with their children. In the early 1954, Granger and Munroe were excited about the next film, “Hello, St. Louis”. As shooting progressed, however, it ran from July 13, 1954, to September 27, 1954. Upon its world premiere on December 10, 1954, the film was met with critical and popular acclaim.
H&M
Our Gang Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Anniversary Trouble | Madeline |
| Teacher's Beau | Madeline | |
| Sprucin' Up | Madeline | |
| Our Gang Follies Of 1936 | Madeline | |
| 1936 | The Lucky Corner | Madeline |
| Second Childhood | Madeline | |
| Arbor Day | Madeline | |
| Bored Of Education | Madeline | |
| Two Too Young | Madeline | |
| General Spanky | Madeline | |
| 1937 | Reunion In Rhythm | Madeline |
| Glove Taps | Madeline | |
| Rushin' Ballet | Madeline | |
| Roamin' Holiday | Madeline | |
| Mail And Female | Madeline | |
| Our Gang Follies Of 1938 | Madeline | |
| 1938 | Three Men In A Tub | Madeline |
| The Awful Tooth | Madeline | |
| Party Fever | Madeline | |
| Aladdin's Lantern | Madeline | |
| Practical Jokers | Madeline | |
| 1939 | Alfalfa's Aunt | Madeline |
| Tiny Troubles | Madeline | |
| Duel Personalities | Madeline | |
| Clown Princes | Madeline | |
| Captain Spanky's Show Boat | Madeline | |
| Dad For A Day | Madeline | |
| 1940 | Alfalfa's Double | Madeline |
| Bubbling Troubles | Madeline | |
| The Big Premiere | Madeline | |
| The New Pupil | Madeline | |
| Goin' Fishin' | Madeline | |
| 1941 | Kiddie Kure | Madeline |
| Fightin' Fools | Madeline | |
| Baby Blues | Madeline | |
| Ye Olde Minstrels | Madeline | |
| 1942 | Melodies Old And New | Madeline |
| Going To Press | Madeline | |
| Surprised Parties | Madeline | |
| Doin' Their Bit | Madeline | |
| Mighty Lak A Goat | Madeline | |
| 1943 | Benjamin Franklin, Jr. | Madeline |
| Family Troubles | Madeline | |
| Calling All Kids | Madeline | |
| Little Miss Pinkerton | Madeline | |
| Three Smart Guys | Madeline | |
| 1944 | Radio Bugs | Madeline |
| Dancing Romeo | Madeline |
Non-Our Gang Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | With | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Swing Time | Bird | Her first film role | ||
| 1937 | Sing and Be Happy | Fiona | First film in 20th Century Fox | ||
| 1938 | Bringing Up Baby | Mindy | |||
| Alexander's Ragtime Band | Megan | ||||
| 1939 | The Wizard of Oz | Munchkin | |||
| 1941 | A Black and White Night | First film in Universal Pictures | |||
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | First film in United Artists | ||||
| 1942 | Footlight Serenade | ||||
| For Me and My Gal | |||||
| 1943 | |||||
| 1944 | Moon Over Las Vegas | ||||
| Lady in the Dark | |||||
| Chip Off the Old Block | |||||
| 1945 | Swing Out, Sister | ||||
| San Antonio | |||||
| 1946 | It's a Wonderful Life | Singer at Martini's | |||
| 1947 | Copacabana | ||||
| Good News | |||||
| 1948 | The Pirate | ||||
| Magic | |||||
| 1949 | Dancing in the Dark | ||||
| 1951 | An American in Paris | Fiona Hillers | |||
| Farley Granger | Granger (24) engaged Munroe (28) in November 12, 1949 and married on New Year’s Eve, 1950. | Wilma Haines | |||
| 1952 | Hans Christian Andersen | Farley Granger and Danny Kaye | Mary | ||
| The 39 Steps | |||||
| 1953 | A Tale of Two Cities | Farley Granger | |||
| 1954 | Dial M for Murder | Molly Fritz | |||
| Heidi Munroe’s Silver Birthday | Farley Granger | Herself | |||
| Yip Yip Yippee! | Farley Granger and Chet O’Brien | Rita Noreen | |||
| Hello, St. Louis | Farley Granger and Gordon MacRae | Sally Lodgers | |||
| 1954–1972 | |||||
| 1955 | Mouse-O-Rama | Lorelei Mouse | |||
| 1956 | Let's Face the Music and Dance | Farley Granger, Johnnie Ray and Debbie Reynolds | Sally Hamolton | ||
| The Girl Can't Help It | Jayne Mansfield, Tom Ewell and Farley Granger | Vicky Shaw | |||
| 1957 | 12 Angry Men | Henry Fonda | Jane Kinger | ||
| Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? | Jayne Mansfield and Tony Randall | Vicky Miller | |||
| 1958 | A Song in the Night | ||||
| 1959 | |||||
| Heidi Munroe’s Pearl Birthday | Farley Granger | ||||
| 1960 | Mouse-O-Rama 2 | Farley Granger | Lorelei Mouse | ||
| 1961 | |||||
| 1962 | Farley Granger | ||||
| 1963 | Sally Walker | ||||
| 1964 | |||||
| Heidi Munroe’s Coral Birthday | Farley Granger | ||||
| 1967 | The Fearless Vampire Killers | Queenie | |||
| 1968 | |||||
| 1969 | |||||
| Heidi Munroe’s Ruby Birthday | Farley Granger | ||||
| 1971–1989 | The Mouse-O-Rama Show | Lorelei Mouse | |||
| 1971 | House of Flowers | Farley Granger | Madame Fleur | ||
| 1972 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Marilyn Granger | Blanche DuBois | ||
| 1974 | Heidi Munroe’s Sapphire Birthday | ||||
| 1979 | Heidi Munroe’s Golden Birthday | ||||
| 1984 | Heidi Munroe’s Emerald Birthday | ||||
| 1989 | Heidi Munroe’s Diamond Birthday | ||||
| 1994 | Heidi Munroe’s Sapphire Birthday | ||||
| 1999 | Heidi Munroe’s Platinum Birthday | ||||
| 2004 | Heidi Munroe’s Diamond Birthday | ||||
| 2009 | Heidi Munroe’s Oak Birthday |
