The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir

Summary of The Third Gilmore Girl

1. 1

   From Ballet to Broadway: Finding Salvation in Dance

   

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   Kelly Bishop's journey begins in Colorado Springs, where ballet became her salvation from a difficult childhood with an alcoholic father and the uncertainty of her parents' divorce. "Ballet saved me from a purposeless life with no self-confidence," she reflects. When her teacher Dimitri Romanoff moved to California, Kelly and her determined mother followed, keeping her dream alive despite financial struggles. At eighteen, she headed to New York with singular focus: joining American Ballet Theatre. Life had other plans. Despite dancing flawlessly in auditions, she wasn't selected. Needing income, Kelly joined Radio City Music Hall's corps de ballet-less prestigious than the Rockettes but a professional dancing job nonetheless. This became her foundation, leading to performances at the 1964 World's Fair alongside a young Morgan Freeman and eventually to Las Vegas revues where she discovered both opportunity and exhaustion. The Vegas schedule-three shows nightly plus daytime rehearsals-nearly broke her, introducing her to the industry's darker side of "pep pills" and physical burnout behind the glamorous facade. What could have been defeat became the first of many reinventions. Each setback pushed Kelly to adapt, evolve, and find new paths forward-a pattern that would define her remarkable career and life.

2. 2

   Broadway Breakthrough and Personal Turmoil

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   After returning to New York in 1967, Kelly landed her breakthrough role in "Golden Rainbow," marking her Broadway debut-though she was required to dye her dark hair red for "visual balance." While her career flourished, her personal life suffered through an affair with a married publicity agent and a destructive marriage to Peter Miller, a stagehand with a gambling addiction. The marriage deteriorated as Peter depleted her finances to cover gambling debts. He convinced her to take out a loan against her Manhattan apartment, then defaulted, leaving her facing foreclosure while touring with "West Side Story." At her lowest point, friend Tony Stevens invited her to a workshop that would become "A Chorus Line." This opportunity transformed her personal struggles into art and revitalized her career, turning her darkest period into her greatest professional breakthrough.

3. 3

   A Chorus Line: The Workshop That Changed Everything

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   On January 26, 1974, thirty dancers gathered at Manhattan's Nickolaus Exercise Center for what would become a transformative session. Michael Bennett, a brilliant but manipulative choreographer, invited them to share their stories, with Kelly immediately setting the tone for raw honesty when she challenged his suggestion about withholding ages. The session lasted twelve hours, with dancers sharing deeply personal stories. Nicholas Dante's emotional account of his parents discovering his drag performance particularly moved the group. Bennett recorded these confessions, which would form the show's foundation. With Joseph Papp's backing, Bennett secured a five-week workshop at the Public Theater. Cast as Sheila Bryant, Kelly tackled her first major acting role. When composers Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban transformed her spoken monologue into "At the Ballet," she discovered they had elevated her simple stories about finding refuge in dance into universal poetry about salvation through art.

4. Chapter 4

   Reinvention: From Carole to Kelly Bishop

   "A Chorus Line" premiered at the Public Theater in April 1975, moving to Broadway's Shubert Theatre three months later to overwhelming success and advance sellouts. The show became known as "the show that saved Broadway." During this time, Kelly needed to change her professional name when registering with the Screen Actors Guild, as another Carole Bishop was already listed. She chose "Kelly," a nickname from her "On the Town" days that had stuck through "A Chorus Line." Thus, Carole Bishop officially became Kelly Bishop. At the 1976 Tony Awards, she won under her new name, though she had been nominated as Carole. In her acceptance speech at the Shubert Theatre, she simply said, "Welcome to my theater," adding that while the award was for everyone involved, "I'll keep it at my house." After eighteen months, Kelly left the show when Michael Bennett denied her request for a raise. Though the departure was bittersweet, she felt liberated, seeing it as a transformation from chorus dancer to actor with new possibilities ahead.

   Chapter 5

   Hollywood Transitions and Finding True Partnership

   Kelly's Hollywood journey began smoothly, landing a "Hawaii Five-0" role within weeks of arrival and a part in "An Unmarried Woman" shortly after. The film taught her crucial lessons about screen acting, with her dance background proving particularly useful for maintaining consistency between takes. After discovering her agent had been declining auditions without her knowledge, Kelly changed representation. Work opportunities surged, leading to roles in theater, daytime TV, and films, including what would become the unexpected hit "Dirty Dancing." During this period, Kelly met host Lee Leonard during a "Midday Live" interview. Unlike her previous relationships, she took time to develop their connection. They married at the Bronx courthouse after nine months, building a partnership that would weather decades of career changes, moves, and health challenges. When Lee faced multiple cancer battles, their bond grew stronger, with him remaining her steadfast supporter throughout his treatment.

   Chapter 6

   Becoming Emily Gilmore: Finding Her Defining Role

   In late 1999, Kelly auditioned for "The Gilmore Girls." Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino knew instantly she had found her Emily Gilmore, declaring "Three words in, I knew-this was Emily. There were no second choices." Kelly saw Emily as complex-a woman who loved her daughter and granddaughter but struggled to connect with Lorelai. Emily's disapproval stemmed from unresolved feelings about Lorelai's teenage pregnancy, creating a cycle where Emily's difficult behavior pushed Lorelai away, fueling more resentment. The show premiered in October 2000 to critical acclaim, with Kelly's Emily Gilmore becoming one of television's most memorable characters. After its 2007 cancellation, the series found new life on Netflix, attracting both original and new viewers. This led to a reunion and revival with "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life." In the revival, Emily faced widowhood following Edward Herrmann's death. Kelly drew from her experience of losing her mother, portraying Emily's grief as "manic and aggressive." The character transformed dramatically-leaving the DAR, selling her Hartford home, moving to Nantucket, and working to reconcile with Lorelai.

   Chapter 7

   Resilience Through Loss and Finding New Purpose

   Kelly faced profound losses throughout her career, from friends during the HIV/AIDS epidemic to Michael Bennett in 1987 and her mother in 1994. The most devastating was her husband Lee's death in 2018 after his sixth cancer battle, an experience she said no one could truly prepare for. She found solace in work, appearing in "Halston" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," while her rescue dog Dolly provided comfort. At "A Chorus Line's" 40th anniversary during a Hamilton performance, Kelly shifted from mourning her dancing past to celebrating it. The moniker "The Third Gilmore Girl" came from a young fan who chose Emily as his favorite character. Her nuanced portrayal of Emily Gilmore created an unforgettable matriarch, establishing a legacy that spans both her performances and her influence as a mentor in the industry.

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