Sad news to report in Sombreroland:
Michael Musto in The Village Voice reports that June Havoc, the real-life inspiration for "Baby June" in GYPSY passed away this morning at age 96. Here is June Havoc singing (with herself) "The Man with the Big Sombrero", music by Phil Boutelje, lyrics by Foster Carling from 1943.Miss Havoc, began her career at the age of two as "Dainty June, The Darling of Vaudeville." At age 14, she danced in the first of her seven marathons. She also starred in twenty-two Broadway plays and penned two autobiographies, "More Havoc" and "Early Havoc," upon which her play MARATHON '33 is based.
Miss Havoc was a member of the Theatre Hall of Fame and a double-honoree on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Miss Havoc, along with her sister, the infamous Gypsy Rose Lee, and mother, Rose, were immortalized in the musical GYPSY.
I've never heard the following song before today. I love that the clip only shows a sombrero once (around 20 seconds in, and only in the background).
What a great song. I think this just became the Official Theme Song of The Salad: