30 Gorgeous Photos of Actress and Singer Vivian Blaine in the 1940s

Born 1921 in Newark, New Jersey, American actress and singer Vivian Blaine was a touring singer with dance bands starting in 1937. At one point in the 1940s, she was the top-billed act at New York’s Copacabana nightclub.

Blaine was best known for originating the role of Miss Adelaide in the musical theater production of Guys and Dolls in 1950, as well as appearing in the subsequent film version, in which she co-starred with Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Frank Sinatra.

Blaine’s first marriage, to Manny Franks, lasted from 1945 to 1956. She then married Milton Rackmil, president of Universal Studios and Decca Records, in 1959, and recorded several albums prior to their 1961 divorce. In 1973, she married Stuart Clark.

In 1983, Blaine became the first celebrity to make public service announcements for AIDS-related causes. She made numerous appearances in support of the then-fledgling AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) and in 1983 recorded her cabaret act for AEI Records, which donated its royalties to the new group; this included the last recordings of her songs from Guys and Dolls. Her prior albums for Mercury Records have all subsequently been reissued on CD.

According to Blaine, she was a registered Democrat and a lifelong practicing Roman Catholic. She died of congestive heart failure in 1995, aged 74.

Take a look at these gorgeous photos to see the beauty of young Vivian Blaine in the 1940s.