Paula Stewart

Paula Stewart (born April 9, 1929) is a Motion Picture, Television, and Broadway Actress and Singer, as well as a Film Producer from Chicago. She has been flying her own planes since she was 17 years old. Her given name is Dorothy Paula Zürndorfer. Her father was Dr. Walter Zürndorfer. Her mother Esther Morris was in the Ziegfield Follies and Lady Be Good Starring Fred Astaire. She attended Northwestern University. She joined the National Touring Company of Brigadoon, next signed as understudy to Anne Crowley in a production of Seventeen at the Broadway Theatre on Broadway in June 1951. She starred in the George White Review Nice to See You in 1953 at the Versailles Club, a Dinner Theatre. She has performed in over 35 musicals and plays on Broadway and in major Summer Stock productions around the country. She costarred with Donald O’Connor in Little Me, Gordon McRae and Howard Keel in Carousel, and with Jack Carter in Operation Mad Ball, Born Yesterday and Critics Choice from 1956 to 1957. She replaced Jo Sullivan in The Three Penny Opera as a result she was recruited by Frank Loesser to star in the revival of the Most Happy Fella at the New York City center 1959.

In 1960, she was a featured player in The Revue A to Z starring Hermione Gingold. Later that year Paula played with Lucille Ball as her sister in the musical, Wildcat (1960) at the Alvin Theater. In 1961 she co-starred with George Gobel in the musical Let It Ride at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre. In 1965 she assumed the role formerly acted by Bernice Mash in What Makes Sammy Run? directed by Abe Burrows at The 54th street Theatre also starring Steve Lawrence.

Theater

Stewart signed as an understudy to Ann Crowley in a production of Seventeen at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway, in June 1951. In September 1955 she began a month long engagement with Kismet at the Music circus in Lambertville, New Jersey. Stewart is a soprano.

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Paula Stewart and Lucile Ball in the Broadway Production of Wildcat.

She replaced Jo Sullivan in The Three Penny Opera and as a result was recruited by Frank Loesser to play in The Most Happy Fella (1959). Written by Frank Loesser, the light opera was presented at the New York City Center. She next was a feature player in The Revue From A to Z starring Hermione Gingold.

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Paula Stewart and Gordon McCrae in the Musical Carousel.

Stewart played with Lucille Ball as her sister in the musical, Wildcat (1960) at the Alvin Theater. In March 1965 Stewart assumed the role formerly acted by Bernice Massi in What Makes Sammy Run?, staged at the 54th Street Theater.

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Paula Stewart and Donald O'Connor in the Little Me.

Paula Stewart and Jack Carter performed together in theatres and nightclubs around the country and overseas for The USO in Germany. In New York City they performed at the prestigious #1 Fifth Avenue, The Versailles Club, The Empire Room at the Waldorf Astoria, The Starlight Room at The Americana Hotel; in Las Vegas at The El Rancho Vegas and The Flamingo; in Lake Tahoe at the Harrah’s Hotel; and The La Ronde Room at the The Fountainbleu Hotel and The Deauville both in Miami, Florida.

Photo Model

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Paula Stewart on Cashmere Bouquet Ad Campaign

Stewart did a two-page lingerie layout as a Model (person) for Picture Week in May 1956. She also did a number of printed Ads including an Ad for Cashmere Bouquet (seen here) as well as an Ad for Heublein Liquor where she appeared with her then husband Jack Carter.

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Paula Stewart and Jack Carter

Television

She appeared quite often in TV shows in the 1960s. Among these are episodes of Route 66 (1963), The Joey Bishop Show (1964), Hogan's Heroes (1965), Perry Mason (1965), My Favorite Martian (1966), The Big Valley (1966), and Love, American Style (1969). She made a television movie entitled Without Her Consent in 1990.

Films

Her first motion picture credit is for the role of Carlotta Jones in Diary of a Bachelor (1964). The independent film about a wealthy woman who discovers the diary of her bachelor fiance' stars William Traylor and Dagne Crane.

Her other film performances are bit parts in Kemek (1970) and Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970)

Marriages

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Paula Stewart and Jack Carter

Paula married Burt Bacharach in 1953 during her run in Nice to See You at the Versailles Club. He was her accompanist and scored arrangements for her night club act. They divorced amicably in 1958. Miss Stewart married Comedian Jack Carter in Miami Beach Florida in 1961. They divorced in 1970. She and Carter have a son, Michael David Carter who is a Real Estate Agent.

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Paula Stewart and Burt Bacharach

Film Producer

In 1970 Stewart produced the movie Dinah East. The film was directed by Gene Nash and starred Jeremy Stockwell, UltraViolet, and Andy Davis. Maureen Stapleton had inquired about being the leading lady and discovered that the lead belonged to a man. The motion picture was released by Page International and had an early tentative title The Demise of Dinah East.

References

• "California Divorce Without Hollering". Doylestown Daily Intelligencer. March 3, 1970. p. 14.
• "Paula Stewart Files For Divorce". Gettysburg Times. January 8, 1969. p. 9.
• "Kingsley's Drama Ends Engagement". New York Times. June 25, 1951. p. 15.
• "Bacharach-Zurndorfer". New York Times. December 23, 1953. p. 18.
• "Season's Starter Is Catch A Star". New York Times. September 6, 1955. p. 29.
• "Warners In Deal For Tall Story". New York Times. January 16, 1959. p. 35.
• "Actress Signed for Wildcat". New York Times. October 3, 1960. p. 36.
• "Miss Stewart To Join Sammy". New York Times. March 22, 1965. p. 41.
• "Bacharach-No More Promises". New York Times. December 15, 1968. p. D3.
• "Dreamer's Holiday". Picture Week. May 22, 1956. p. 34-35.
• "Earl Wilson Says". Syracuse Herald Journal. July 13, 1970. p. 43.