Mary Martin, seen here in various versions, was created by Madame Alexander from 1949 to 1950. Broadway, film, and radio artist Mary Martin became the top female Broadway musical star when she created the role of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific. The Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein musical based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize winning book would also win a Pulitzer Prize in drama for 1950. The progressive story unapologetically examined attitudes towards racism, a theme which film and theatre would explore throughout the 1950s. Mary Martin, ever popular since introducing Cole Porter's hit song My Heart Belongs to Daddy in 1938, would rein on Broadway for the next decade and be as well known for her role of Peter Pan and as the original Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music. South Pacific would have 1,925 performances. Martin actually came up with the idea for a song in which she would wash her hair resulting in I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa' My Hair. Washing it on stage for each performance her close-cropped style became a trend and Madame Alexander created the caracul wig specifically for her version of Mary Martin. The doll came dressed in her sailor suit (with her name embroidered on the top), a bathing ensemble and formal gown. South Pacific was the hottest ticket on Broadway during the 1949-1950 season. DOLL NEWS * UFDC.ORG 35http://www.UFDC.ORG