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Born in New York City in 1912, Carly Bergman studied ballet and dance, and tried out and became a Ziegfeld Girl at age of 17. With the Follies, she was dubbed the girl with "The Most Beautiful Eyes In America." Bergman appeared in George and Ira Gershwin's "Rosalie", playing a prima ballerina, at the New Amsterdam Theatre and in the 1928 Ziegfeld production of "Show Girl." In late 1929 in a Hammerstein/Kern production called "Sweet Adeline" at Hammerstein's Theatre (now called the Ed Sullivan Theater, currently where Colbert's show was being taped); the show ran 234 performances.

Bergman also, like many Ziegfeld Girls, had her photos taken by the great Alfred Cheney Johnston, posted below and colorized. Then in the 1930's Bergman travels Europe and the U.S., appearing in nightclubs as a singer. Sometime in the early 1940's she meets industrialist Herman Muehlstein, a man 33 years her senior, whom she marries in 1945. They are together until his death in 1965. Bergman-Muehlstein continued to operate on the Board of the Herman Muehlstein Foundation (which existed from 1947 - 2005, awarding educational grants to needy students). Caryl Bergman passed away at age 89 in 2001. Edit: Wikipedia. Photo AIAnimated.

Her Broadway resume included:

* “No Foolin’” (1926); 108 performances at The Globe Theatre (now the Lunt-Fontanne).

* "Rio Rita" (1927/28); 494 performances at three different venues: Ziegfeld Theatre (demolished 1966); Lyric Theatre (renovated 1996); The Majestic (still open).

* "Rosalie" (1928); 335 performances at the New Amsterdam Theatre (still open).

* "Three Musketeers” (1928); 315 performances at the Lyric Theatre.

* "Whoopee" (1928/29); 407 performances at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

Darby appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1927.

She also modeled, and appeared with fellow Ziegfeld Girls Muriel Finlay, Blanche Satchel and Jean Ackerman in magazine ads for Lucky Strike cigarettes.

She was considered one of the sweetest and nicest young women in the business (she would bring homemade cookies to the theatre for the staff and crew), and her future looked bright. However, Darby was diagnosed with heart problems, and after swimming one day, it’s believed that she suffered a sunstroke-induced heart infection.

Sadly, Myrna Darby died on Sept. 28th in NY City in 1929. She was only 21 (Photo of Myrna Darby by Alfred Cheney Johnston, 1927).

#CorrinePaynter #AlfredCheneyJohnston #Colorized #FricPic