Harry Rigby

Harry Rigby, the theatrical producer who conceived of and co-produced the long-running show ''Sugar Babies,'' was found dead yesterday in his Manhattan apartment. He was 59 years old. Henry Luhrman, Mr. Rigby's press agent, said a secretary had discovered Mr. Rigby's body after he failed to appear for a lunch appointment at the Russian Tea Room. The cause of death, Mr. Luhrman said, was not known. Mr. Rigby's forte was persuading actors and actresses whose careers had long passed their prime to come out of the twilight and appear in Broadway shows. The shows were invariably hits. He persuaded Ruby Keeler, the star of the movie ''42d Street,'' to appear in a revival of ''No, No, Nanette'' in 1971. He persuaded Debbie Reynolds and then Jane Powell to take on the revival of ''Irene,'' which opened in 1973. And he persuaded Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller to star in ''Sugar Babies'' in 1979. Valentine to Burlesque ''Sugar Babies,'' a valentine to burlesque, is still touring the country with its original stars and is scheduled to open next week in Norfolk, Va. The show's co-producer, Terry Allen Kramer, said yesterday that it will continue to tour for another year as a memorial to Mr. Rigby. ''Producing is a marvelous refuge for the inept,'' Mr. Rigby told an interviewer in 1980. ''It's a last resort. It's the only thing I could do.'' Mr. Rigby, who was born in Pittsburgh on Feb. 21, 1925, began raising money and assembling personnel for shows in 1951, at a relatively tender age for a producer. The shows he co- produced included ''Make a Wish,'' ''John Murray Anderson's Almanac,'' ''Half a Sixpence,'' ''Hallelujah, Baby,'' the revival of ''Good News'' with Alice Faye and John Payne, ''Knock, Knock,'' ''I Love My Wife'' and ''Gorey Stories.'' At least once, he tried his hand at acting. He played a penguin in Robert Downey's film ''Pound'' in 1970. He is survived by his sister, Anne Pierce of Clinton, S.C. Funeral services will be held Monday at 2:30 P.M. at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel at 1076 Madison Avenue, near 81st Street. January 17, 1985

Jane Powell was born on April 1, 1929 in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon United States, and died at age 92 years old on September 16, 2021 at Wilton, CT. in Wilton, CT.