tjw Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Sorry to report that dancer Larri Thomas has passed away... She was featured in many of the Lucy shows over the years, including "Lucy Wants a Career" (1959) and "Lucy Helps Danny Thomas" (1964)... She danced in countless motion pictures and television programs, but later lost the vision in one eye. She shifted careers and became a "stand in" (for lighting and camera blocking), and served as Lucy's stand-in on Life With Lucy which is where I first met her... For a while she lived near my home in the San Fernando Valley, and it was not unusual to run into her on a Sunday morning in one of the local super markets... A really NICE lady! She later moved to Las Vegas, where she died this past Sunday... Am sure there will be official obits in the press... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Sorry to report that dancer Larri Thomas has passed away... She was featured in many of the Lucy shows over the years, including "Lucy Wants a Career" (1959) and "Lucy Helps Danny Thomas" (1964)... She danced in countless motion pictures and television programs, but later lost the vision in one eye. She shifted careers and became a "stand in" (for lighting and camera blocking), and served as Lucy's stand-in on Life With Lucy which is where I first met her... For a while she lived near my home in the San Fernando Valley, and it was not unusual to run into her on a Sunday morning in one of the local super markets... A really NICE lady! She later moved to Las Vegas, where she died this past Sunday... Am sure there will be official obits in the press... How old was she and what did she pass away from? I'll go check out the shows you mentioned to see who we're talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Thanks for letting us know, Tom. I've always loved her delivery of "I like wolves." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Here is an obit from The Hollywood Reporter. Larri Thomas, an actress and dancer who did a striptease during the steamy opening title sequence of The Silencers, the first movie to star Dean Martin as counter-agent Matt Helm, has died. She was 81. Thomas, who also adorned the big screen as a featured Goldwyn Girls dancer in the classic musical Guys and Dolls (1955), died Sunday at her home in Van Nuys shortly after suffering a fall, a family friend said. A leggy blonde, Thomas also appeared in such films as Road to Bali (1952), Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), House of Wax (1953), Artists and Models (1955), Love Me or Leave Me (1955), The Best Things in Life Are Free (1956), The Pajama Game (1957), South Pacific (1958), Ask Any Girl (1959), The Music Man (1962), Papa’s Delicate Condition (1963), Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), Frankie and Johnny (1966) and Earth Girls Are Easy (1988). She also served as a stand-in for Julie Andrews for physical scenes on Mary Poppins (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965) and had bit parts in those films as well. In the erotic start to The Silencers (1966), Thomas follows a striptease by Mary Jane Mangler with one of her own, using a white feather boa rather effectively. Up next is Cyd Charisse, who preens as she lip-synchs the title song performed by Vikki Carr. In addition to The Silencers, Artists and Models and Robin and the 7 Hoods, Thomas worked alongside Martin on his popular NBC variety show in the 1960s. She danced on three Fred Astaire live TV specials beginning in the late 1940s and had roles on such series as Bachelor Father, Peter Gunn, Route 66, The Lucy Show, Coach and as Henrietta the Hippo on New Zoo Revue. Born Lida Thomas in Wayne, Pa., Thomas got her start doing TV commercials. She was married to actor John Bromfield, whom she met on the set of Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956), and dancer Bruce Hoy. In addition to Hoy, survivors include daughters Amy and Elizabeth. Check out Thomas' performance in the opening to The Silencers here [4]. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/larri-thomas-dancer-actress-silencers-dies-650121 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Thanks for letting us know, Tom. I've always loved her delivery of "I like wolves." Oh THAT was HER? She was great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickee Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Sorry to report that dancer Larri Thomas has passed away... She was featured in many of the Lucy shows over the years, including "Lucy Wants a Career" (1959) and "Lucy Helps Danny Thomas" (1964)... She danced in countless motion pictures and television programs, but later lost the vision in one eye. She shifted careers and became a "stand in" (for lighting and camera blocking), and served as Lucy's stand-in on Life With Lucy which is where I first met her... For a while she lived near my home in the San Fernando Valley, and it was not unusual to run into her on a Sunday morning in one of the local super markets... A really NICE lady! She later moved to Las Vegas, where she died this past Sunday... Am sure there will be official obits in the press... So sad, Tom. You are right...always a class act and very nice. In her younger days she was such a hottie and boy could she move! Forgot that she stood in for Julie Andrews in "Sound of Music" too...a shot further below. RIP, dear lady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Very sad news! Thanks for your post, Tom. I've always wondered the reason behind the career shift. A very interesting lady who carved out a unique spot in film and television history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Very sad news! Thanks for your post, Tom. I've always wondered the reason behind the career shift. A very interesting lady who carved out a unique spot in film and television history. Was she a BOND girl in that last photo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickee Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 Was she a BOND girl in that last photo? No...opening sequence of The Silencers, featured dancer. Check it out at 1:54 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe2pdw_intro-striptease-s-from-the-silence_redband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 No...opening sequence of The Silencers, featured dancer. Check it out at 1:54 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe2pdw_intro-striptease-s-from-the-silence_redband Oh, so a spoof of Bond then. I have that movie, loved Dino in it, as a matter of fact I bought all the Matt Helm movies. Will check it out, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leenorman Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 How old was she and what did she pass away from? I'll go check out the shows you mentioned to see who we're talking about. Here's what I have, Claude: Born 1/23/32 Died 10/20/13 tomorrow on the career; can't get into my Open Office.... Sorry... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucyilove Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 I keep meaning to post on this thread and I'm finally getting around to it. First, thanks much to TLL for giving Larri a nice banner, very thoughtful and a nice gesture. Ok this is going to make me sound mentally slow but I rather enjoyed watching THE NEW ZOO REVUE on occasion in the 1970s even though I was starting to enter double digits and I think the show was meant for like second graders or younger but I would sometimes watch mainly because of Henrietta Hippo, a rather hilarious character and very much a forerunner of The Muppets' Miss Piggy. She was never a bitch like Miss Piggy but was just as endearingly conceited as the "delicate and feminine" hippo. It's not like I watched it daily but I would tune in at times during summer vacation, what else was there to watch in that three-channels era other than little kid shows and soaps at 11am? Larri was the one wearing that Henrietta Hippo costume and that must have weighed a ton to get around in and I think she even danced a bit as the character, talk about a trouper! Another woman did the voice (I think her name is Hazel Shermut and I believe she's still living) . She really sounds like a cool lady with a very unique career and I'm happy to see she is being remembered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted November 8, 2013 Report Share Posted November 8, 2013 I keep meaning to post on this thread and I'm finally getting around to it. First, thanks much to TLL for giving Larri a nice banner, very thoughtful and a nice gesture. Ok this is going to make me sound mentally slow but I rather enjoyed watching THE NEW ZOO REVUE on occasion in the 1970s even though I was starting to enter double digits and I think the show was meant for like second graders or younger but I would sometimes watch mainly because of Henrietta Hippo, a rather hilarious character and very much a forerunner of The Muppets' Miss Piggy. She was never a bitch like Miss Piggy but was just as endearingly conceited as the "delicate and feminine" hippo. It's not like I watched it daily but I would tune in at times during summer vacation, what else was there to watch in that three-channels era other than little kid shows and soaps at 11am? Larri was the one wearing that Henrietta Hippo costume and that must have weighed a ton to get around in and I think she even danced a bit as the character, talk about a trouper! Another woman did the voice (I think her name is Hazel Shermut and I believe she's still living) . She really sounds like a cool lady with a very unique career and I'm happy to see she is being remembered. And she's being remembered HERE just for three words she uttered on one show, I LIKE WOLVES! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mot Morenzi Posted November 21, 2013 Report Share Posted November 21, 2013 That memorable scene in Mary Poppins where Mary lands in front of the house, that was Larri. Julie Andrews gave her credit on the DVD commentary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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