Top Models by Samuel Claesson - HTML preview

Larri Thomas

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Lida "Larri" Larrimore Thomas had an impressive career as a dancer, and she was a credible actress too. She was born in New England to a wealthy family. Her mother, Lida Larrimore was a bestselling author who wrote Robin Hill, Mulberry Square, and The Wagon and the Star. She had a father named Thomas and a sister named Nancy. They spend their childhood in Tredyffrin, Pennsylvania where they were a prominent family.

As a child, she studied various forms of dance with the intent to pursue it professionally. She joined The Cannon Ballet as a teenager, performing across the country. In New York, she was discovered by Ed Wynn. He told her that she had a "Ziegfeld face " and should be a Ziegfeld Girl. She did that for several months before -feeling unchallenged- flying to Hollywood to be a dancer. Upon her arrival, she told columnist Hal Humphry "I came to Hollywood two weeks ago because I had the feeling everything was moving out here, and I wanted to get in early."

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Ed Wynn helped her again by hiring her as a dancer on All-Star Revue, where she appeared in several episodes. She secured an agent, rented a car, and found a roommate in actress Ann McCrea. She was ready to begin her rise to stardom. She modeled, but only because it helped her get good exposure. It' s apparent that she didn 't enjoy it. She modeled things like a revolving shelf of jars, towels, bicycles, and a washing machine.

Larri Thomas in Guys and Dolls (1955)

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She did several films, including Eight Iron Men (1952), Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), House of Wax (1953), Here Come the Girls (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and Easy to Love (1953). They were immense successes. While filming Road to Bali (1952), she met Sylvia Lewis. She was another dancer who 'd be a lifelong friend. They 'd later collaborate together on various projects like The Ray Bolger Show. She also became close friends with Barrie Chase.

After these films, Larri vacationed in Switzerland. She returned and appeared in Destry (1954), Lucky Me (1954), There ' s No Business Like Show Business (1954), and Ring of Fear (1954) where she portrayed a circus performer. It was that year that she dated Donald O'Connor and John Bromfield, both whom were prolific actors. She chose the latter, and they went steady for months. He even gave her a Cadillac.

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Larri Thomas and John Bromfield ->

One of Larri's most prolific roles was in Guys and Dolls (1955) as one of the dancers accompanying Vivian Blaine. She eventually did the worldwide tour. The difference between Larri and the other models who did the tour is that Larri is easy to see in the film. She is in several scenes, and the camera is focused on her wonderful dancing.

When Marlon Brando -the film ' s star- was asked about Larri, he said "She' s pretty good, isn't she?" Whether it was a compliment to her dancing or her beauty, it didn 't matter. Larri was smitten with John. When Erskine Johnson asked her about marriage, she said "I' m in favor of it." After Larri returned from the tour, John got her a role in Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956) which he was starring in. They flew to Brazil to film it. On a whim, she and John wed on December 27, 1955 on a nearby cruise.

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Their marriage began well. It wasn 't surprising that it ended though, as John Bromfield had two divorces beforehand. The marriage ended in 1961. Although they divorced, they remained good friends as he 'd typically do with his ex-wives. He married Mary Tillotson, who was known professionally as Kalantan years later. When she asked about Larri, he 'd say to her "She isn 't much of an actress, but she ' s an incredible dancer." This is according to Mary ' s autobiography Behind the Curtain, which was published in 2015.

Larri Thomas in Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956) ->

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As the 1960s approached, she was as swamped with jobs. Michael Kidd cast her in Merry Andrew (1958). She appeared on The Dean Martin Show and An Evening with Fred Astaire. She was a Hermes Pan and Earl Barton dancer. Her television career was on fire. She continued to have immense success onscreen, appearing in several films. She had no desire to study acting, despite advice from her agent that she should if she wanted to further her career. She wasn't interested in it.

She did get the acting opportunity of a lifetime though after getting a starring role in a television series titled His Model Wife. It was sadly not purchased by a network after poor ratings on The Comedy Spot. She didn't complain about this mild setback, as she continued to get glamorous roles throughout the 1960s despite being in her late-30s to early-40s.

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She married the love of her life, Bruce Hoy in 1966. They had two children named Amy and Elizabeth, and things seemed great until her career as a dancer declined after she was diagnosed with a rare condition that blinded her left eye. She left The Dean Martin Show because of it. It was emotionally devastating, and she had difficulties finding parts afterwards. She did land the role of Henrietta Hippo -in the costume, not the voice- on New Zoo Revue, which gave her steady employment throughout the 1970s.

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The remainder of her career was limited to walk-on parts. She appeared in Dynasty, Coach, and Cheers. She enjoyed a quiet retirement while regularly attending dance-related charities, events, and reunions. She regularly received fan mail from around the world. As a teenager, I even sent her photographs that she gladly signed and personalized for me. She was a lovely woman who appreciated her fans.

Unfortunately, Larri had finished shopping in October 2013 when she fell while walking to her car. Apparently this wasn't an abnormal thing to happen to her, so she didn't seek medical attention despite bystanders telling her that she should. She later suffered complications from having hit her head. She died at a hospital on October 20, 2013. She was perhaps the most famous of the models in this book, and certainly the most talented. She will forever be remembered by filmgoers for her films.

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Sylvia Lewis wrote a touching memory of Larri Thomas on her website as follows:

"I met Larri during rehearsals on the Colgate Comedy

Hour. We were introduced to this gorgeous, pulled-

together blonde who walked into the rehearsal hall as

having just arrived from the east coast ready to

dance. I think that some of the dancers were a bit

intimidated by Larri' s presence. After getting to know

her, we found out what a lovely person she was."

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