Nita Bieber
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Nita Bieber is an American film and stage actress and dancer, born in 1926.
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[edit] Early life
Dancer and Actress Nita Bieber was born in 1926; her father was an accomplished piano player, and her mother Callie was a great[citation needed] dancer. Her younger brother Rodney and her 3 younger sisters all became accomplished dancers; too, with Linda doing ballet, Wanda playing the harp and Wilda continues to act and is a comedian even today. Nita started performing in public at age 5, when she did a decorous fan dance in a long, pink dress. After her graduation from Hollywood high school, Nita traveled as a dancer with a USO troupe, and then joined the Jack Cole Dancers for a 9-month tour of the U.S., during which she became very prolific in both dancing and cooking.
[edit] Professional career
In 1946, Nita appeared in a couple of films for Columbia Pictures, most notably Rhythm and Weep with the Three Stooges. In 1947, Nita appeared in three more films for Columbia, and also went to Monogram for a couple of flicks, most notably as Mame in the Bowery Boys movie News Hounds. Nita was featured with a full-page photo on the cover of Life magazine, November 28, 1949. The article talked about her 7-year contract with MGM, and Nita's big dance number in the new movie musical in production, Nancy Goes to Rio; but her dance was not in the end, included in the final release (it does however appear in the home video DVD version). Nita appeared in movies for MGM and Universal until 1955: she appeared in Summer Stock as the character Sarah Higgins, starring with Judy Garland and Kismet was her last movie for MGM under her 7-year contract.
Off the movie set, Nita was the creator of her own dance group, The Nita Bieber Dancers, which gave short performances produced in 1951-1952 for local television stations needing "filler" programming. Collaborations included: Jerry Gray and the Band of Today (1950), Don Cornell Sings (1952), and The Colgate Comedy Hour (1954) with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Their repertoire included: "Swing Low, Sweet Clarinet" and "Dance of the Peacock" and "Mondongo." They also obtained headlines in Las Vegas (El Rancho Vegas, 1951, with Benny Goodman); and in 1952, were showcased at the Frontier. Other acts in the Frontier at that time were the Marx Brothers, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Josephine Baker and April Stevens.
Nita Bieber worked with stars as Tony Curtis (The Prince Who Was a Thief), Hedy Lamar (A Lady Without a Passport), Judy Garland (Summer Stock), Billy Benedict (News Hounds), and Larry Fine (Rhythm and weep). Her final movie before retiring was Kismet (1955) with Howard Keel and Vic Damone.
[edit] Personal life
At age 24, Nita was diagnosed with polio. Despite medical opinion, help from her mother enabled her to return to the stage within the year.
Nita Bieber married Dr. Jack Wall, a dentist and an active member of the U.S.C. University of Southern California, whom she met on a steamer in 1949. They had two children — Miles "Rocky" Wall, and Ivy Faulkner. She now lives in the Island of Avalon, California.
On February 17, 2007, there was a reunion of the women that appeared with the Three Stooges at the Hollywood Collectors Show in Burbank, California, and also included Gloria Patrice, a close friend whom Nita had not seen since 1946. That day, Nita also did an interview for the Three Stooges Compilation DVD produce by Sony Pictures.
[edit] Personal quotes
Nita (striking a cute pose): "I have to watch my figure." Leo Gorcey: "All of us are watching it!"
[edit] Films
| Year | Tittle | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Talk About A Lady | Herself Dancer |
| 1946 | Rhythm and Weep | Hilda |
| 1947 | The Lone Wolf in Mexico | Cute Hotel Maid |
| 1947 | Little Miss Broadway | Herself Dancer |
| 1947 | News Hounds | Mame |
| 1950 | A Lady without a Passport | Cuban Dancer |
| 1950 | Summer Stock | Sarah Higgins |
| 1950 | Jerry Gray and the Band of Today | The Nita Bieber Dancers |
| 1951 | The Prince Who Was a Thief | Cahena |
| 1952 | Don Cornell Sings | Herself Dancer |
| 1955 | Kismet | Herself Dancer |
[edit] TV
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | The Colgate Comedy Hour (episode #44) | The Nita Bieber Dancers |
| 1954 | The Colgate Comedy Hour (episode #45) | The Nita Bieber Dancers |
[edit] Magazines
| Year | Magazine | Cover/Article |
|---|---|---|
| May 1944 | American Photography Magazine | Nita Bieber |
| May 1949 | Monee Magazine | Nita Bieber |
| November 1949 | Life Magazine Movie | Nita Bieber in the Cover |
| March 1950 | Studio Spotlight | Nita Bieber |
| May 1950 | Pageant Magazine | Inside Article " What is Love" |
| June 1950 | Pace Magazine | Nita Bieber MGM Discovery |
| April 1957 | Los Angeles Examiner | The Sun Bright Herself[citation needed] |
