Juliet Prowse

Juliet Anne Prowse was a dancer whose fourdecade career included stage television and film She was raised in South Africa where her family emigrated after World War II Known for her attractive legs she was described after her death as having arguably the best legs since Betty Grable In her early twenties she was dancing at a club in Paris when she was spotted by a talent agent and eventually signed to play the role of Claudine in the Walter Lang film CanCan It was during the filming of CanCan in 1959 that she captured the international spotlight Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visited the set of the film and after Prowse performed a rather saucy cancan for the Russian leader he proclaimed her dance immoral The publicity brought Prowse considerable attention in the United States Prowse met Frank Sinatra on the set of CanCan Time magazine did not rate the movie highly but declared Prowse the best thing in it In fact the only thing really worth seeing is Juliet Prowse a young South African hoofer who puts some twinkle in the stubtoed choreography And the only thing really worth hearing is the crack that Frank flips back at Juliet when she whips a redoubtable hip in his direction Dont point he gasps Its rude She would go on to appear with Sinatra and other notable guests such as Ella Fitzgerald Peter Lawford Hermione Gingold the HiLos Red Norvo Nelson Riddle and his orchestra on the 1959 Frank Sinatra Show She at times would sing in the chorus with other guests or Sinatra would sing to her Sinatra invited Prowse to join him in Las Vegas even though she was living with the actor Nico Minardos at the time Sinatra and Prowse announced their engagement in 1962 Soon afterwards they broke up reportedly because Prowse wanted to concentrate on her career Prowse later admitted I was as much flattered as I was in love He Sinatra was a complex person and after a few drinks he could be very difficult Prowse costarred alongside Elvis Presley in GI Blues During shooting of the film they had a short and intense fling Elvis and I had an affair We had a sexual attraction like two healthy young people but he was already a victim of his fans We always met in his room and never went out Prowse also made a brief cameo appearance in the MetroGoldwynMayer documentary film Elvis Thats the Way She starred with Denny Scott Miller on her own NBC sitcom in the 19651966 season Mona McCluskey which was produced by George Burns The series was based on the idea that the couple Mike and Mona McCluskey would live on his military salary rather than her lucrative earnings as an actress In the late 1980s she was mauled by an 80pound leopard twice Once while filming a scene for Circus of the Stars in 1987 and later that same year rehearsing a promotional stunt on The Tonight Show when the same leopard attacked her The later attack was more serious requiring upwards of twenty stitches to reattach her ear