In 1949 Rosemary Clooney was signed to a solo record contract by
Columbia musical director Mitch Miller. Two years later, she scored
her first big hit, Come On-a My House, which she reprised
in her first film, The Stars are Singing (52).
Paramount hoped to turn Clooney into a movie star, but she only
appeared in four other productions: Here Come the
Girls (53), Red Garters (54), White Christmas
(54) for which she is most famous, and Deep In My Heart with
her then husband, Jose Ferrer. She concentrated on
television instead and headlined several network series, and also
starred in her own 39-week syndicated variety show in 1955, which was
distinguished by its offbeat guest-star lineup (including such
non-musical celebs as Buster Keaton and Boris Karloff!) In 1977,
Clooney wrote a grimly revelatory autobiography, This for Remembrance,
which was later adapted into a TV biopic starring Sondra Locke, Rosie:
The Rosemary Clooney Story, and for which Rosemary provided
the soundtrack. Rosemary also appeared in the television movie Sister
Margaret & the Saturday Night Ladies as well as
two episodes of "ER" for which she received
an Emmy nomination. In addition to all those programs, she also made numerous
appearances on the variety shows of
the day, talk shows, and specials. Rosemary
taped her last television appearance
in October of 2001. She sang Count
Your Blessings, on ABC's The
View.