McCracken, Joan

Joan McCracken (1922?-1961) was a star of musical comedy, as well as film and television.

Born in Philadelphia on December 31, 1917 (most sources say 1922), Joan McCracken began her stage career as a trained ballerina, the youngest soloist in the Philadelphia Ballet, under the leadership of its founder/star Catherine Littlefield. McCracken joined Radio City Music Hall's corps-de-ballet and was there for a year before making her Broadway debut in the original production of OKLAHOMA! (1943). Other stage roles included BLOOMER GIRL, BILLION DOLLAR BABY, Clifford Odets' play THE BIG KNIFE (1949), Rodgers and Hammerstein's ME AND JULIET (1953), ANGEL IN THE PAWNSHOP and THE SLEEPING PRINCE (1957). McCracken appeared in the films HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN (1944) and GOOD NEWS (1947), and starred in the 1952 TV series CLAUDIA: THE STORY OF A MARRIAGE. She was married to the writer Jack Dunphy, and to choreographer Bob Fosse. Joan McCracken died on November 1, 1961.

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