She made her Broadway debut at 13; enjoyed regular houseguests like George Gershwin and Charles Lindbergh; owned 18 Arthur Murray dance studios and graduated from the University of Oklahoma at the age of 88. Unless you’re familiar with past Broadway performers, Doris Eaton Travis is probably the most interesting woman you’ve never heard of!
In her 106 years of life, Mrs. Travis’ unique experiences and longevity was credited by her ongoing love of dance. Even before the von Trapps, Doris was one of seven kids who began taking dance lessons with her siblings at the age of four. Ten years later she became the youngest “Ziegfeld Girl” ever to be cast in the famous Ziegfeld Follies, a lavish musical revue inspired by the Folies Bergeres in Paris. Ironically, Doris also became the oldest and last surviving Ziegfeld Girl! (Another fun tidbit I discovered about Doris is she sang “Singin’ In The Rain” decades before Gene Kelly made it famous! The song was written for her while she appeared in a show called The Hollywood Music Box Revue of 1927. I don’t think I’ll ever hear that song and not think of Doris now!)
Even after retiring in 1968, Doris never stopped dancing. When she moved to Oklahoma (the state, not the musical) and ran a quarter horse ranch with her husband Paul, Doris requested the house have a foyer large enough for her to dance. I wonder if she danced for guests as they arrived. Many years after her last appearance on Broadway, the Great White Way beckoned her return; this time for many special appearances in the BC/EFA Easter Bonnet Competition. She inspired audiences with her fancy footwork at the impressive age of 94 and became a welcoming addition to the annual event for twelve years. “She was truly our good luck charm,” Tom Viola the Executive Director of BC/EFA told Playbill. “We brought her back every year, and she would dance in the opening number. She taught Sutton Foster how to dance ‘The Black Bottom,’ she danced with the ‘Cagelles’ from the previous revival of La Cage aux Folles, we celebrated her 100th birthday on stage, she appeared with the cast of Billy Elliot.”
On May 11, 2010, at the age of 106, Mrs. Travis quietly passed away from an aneurysm. As customary when a theatre legend dies, the lights on Broadway dimmed to honor her legacy, but more importantly, I feel she left behind a yearning spirit many performers can truly relate to…that you GOTTA DANCE!
Have any of you heard of Doris Eaton Travis before? Are you interested in learning more about her? Do you fill inspired to live life to its fullest?
Keep on dancin’,
Thea