{{Short description|American costume designer (1914–2000)}} {{About|the Broadway costume designer|the Abbott Laboratories executive|Miles D. White|the American football wide receiver|Myles White}} {{Infobox person | name = Miles White | birth_date = July 27, 1914 | death_date = {{death date and age|2000|02|17|1914|07|27}} | occupation = costume designer | awards = Donaldson Awards <br>Tony Awards }} '''Miles E. White''' (July 27, 1914 – February 17, 2000) was a top costume designer of Broadway musicals for 25 years. He is known in the entertainment industry for his well rendered, prolific, imaginative and witty designs. He won recognition, including four Donaldson Awards and two Tony Awards.
==Career== White designed for five movies, and he received Oscar nominations for three of them. These were ''The Greatest Show on Earth,'' ''There's No Business Like Show Business,'' and Mike Todd's ''Around the World in 80 Days.''<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-feb-21-mn-1079-story.html "Miles White; Costume Designer on Broadway (Obituaries)"] ''Los Angeles Times'', February 21, 2000</ref> White designed costumes for Rodgers and Hammerstein's first two Broadway hits, ''Oklahoma!'' and ''Carousel,'' and dozens of other musicals as well as ballets, ice shows, circuses, and TV productions.<ref name=times>Gussow, Mel. [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/19/arts/miles-white-85-broadway-costume-designer.html "Miles White, 85, Broadway Costume Designer"] ''The New York Times'', February 19, 2000</ref> His costume designs for the Ice Capades of 1965 (along with Billy Livingston and Celine Faur) were noted: "And those beautiful costumes are the efforts of Miles White, Billy Livingston and Celine Faur."<ref>Blakely, Thomas. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19650921&id=-LwbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Qk8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7049,2414838 "Ice Capades Glides Along Without A Fall"] ''The Pittsburgh Press'', September 21, 1965</ref> His last Broadway show was ''Tricks,'' in 1973, for which he received a Tony nomination. As musicals were revived, the productions occasionally used his designs, and also true for ''Fall River Legend'' for the American Ballet Theatre.<ref name=times/> In 1989, he redesigned the "High Button Shoes" number for ''Jerome Robbins' Broadway.''<ref>Jones, Kenneth and Ehren, Christine. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/51461-York-Holds-March-20-Memorial-Service-For-Broadway-Costumer-Miles-White "York Holds March 20 Memorial Service For Broadway Costumer Miles White"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714155404/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/51461-York-Holds-March-20-Memorial-Service-For-Broadway-Costumer-Miles-White |date=2014-07-14 }} playbill.com, March 20, 2000</ref>
Costume designer William Ivey Long referred to Miles White as "his hero," in a recording made of the March 20, 2000, memorial service at the York Theater. In this audio recording, he also cited White's "exquisite drawings," works of art in themselves, in addition to their role as working design sketches.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}
Douglas Colby, expert on theater design, tells the story of accompanying White to a performance of ''Fall River Legend'' several years ago. He said, "The distinguished costume designer Patricia Zipprodt approached the urbane, monocled gentleman I was accompanying, my friend Miles White, and introduced him to her guests as 'God.' One understood what she meant," Colby concluded. This information appears in the Playbill booklet distributed at the March 20, 2000 Memorial Service.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}
As reported in ''The New York Times'', Mary C. Henderson in her book ''Theater in America,'' mentioned that Miles White's designs were inspired by the dance and the circus. "His costumes are constructed to move with the performer's body, not an easy feat," she wrote. After ''Oklahoma!,'' she noted, he dominated musical comedy costuming for more than 25 years."<ref name=times/>
White died on February 17, 2000.<ref name=playbill>Jones, Kenneth.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/50832-Miles-White-Musical-Theatre-Costume-Designer-Dead-at-85 Miles White, Musical Theatre Costume Designer, Dead at 85"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714164106/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/50832-Miles-White-Musical-Theatre-Costume-Designer-Dead-at-85 |date=2014-07-14 }} playbill.com, February 20, 2000</ref>
== Personal life == White was the uncle of New York jazz singer Carla White.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 20, 2000 |title=Paid Death Notice: WHITE, MILES |work=New York Times |location=New York |pages=49}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=September 16, 1984 |title=Dwain Houston White Obituary |work=New York Times |location=New York |page=44}}</ref>
==Work== Source for Broadway productions:Playbill Vault<ref name=vault>[http://www.playbillvault.com/Person/Detail/22837/Miles-White "Miles White Broadway Credits and Awards"] playbillvault.com, accessed July 4, 2014</ref> {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} * 1938: Paradise Clue * 1938: ''Right This Way'' (Broadway Debut) * 1938: You Never Know * 1939: Copacabana * 1939: Walton Roof (Philadelphia) * 1939: Versailles Supper Club * 1940: It Happened On Ice * 1941: ''Best Foot Forward'' * 1941: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1942: The Pirate * 1942: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1943: Ziegfeld Follies * 1943: ''Early to Bed'' * 1943: Get Away Old Man * 1943: ''Oklahoma!'' * 1944: Up In Arms (film) * 1944: Dream with Music * 1944: Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe * 1944: Bloomer Girl * 1945: ''Carousel'' * 1945: The Day Before Spring * 1946: Gypsy Lady * 1946: ''The Duchess of Malfi'' * 1946: ''The Kid From Brooklyn'' (film) * 1947: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1947: ''High Button Shoes'' (original designs) * 1947: Bloomer Girl (original designs) * 1948: Fall River Legend * 1948: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1949: ''Carousel'' (original designs) * 1949: ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' * 1949: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1950: ''Bless You All'' (Tony Award) * 1951: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1951: ''Oklahoma! ''(original designs) * 1951: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1952: The Greatest Show on Earth (film) * 1952: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1952: ''Pal Joey'' {{col-break}} * 1952: ''Three Wishes For Jamie'' * 1952: ''Two's Company'' * 1953: ''Oklahoma!'' (original designs) * 1953: ''Hazel Flagg'' (Tony Award) * 1953: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1954: ''The Girl in Pink Tights'' * 1954: There's No Business Like Show Business (film) * 1954: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1955: ''Ankles Aweigh'' * 1955: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1955: Strip For Action (Closed prior to NY) * 1956: ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' * 1957: Eugenia * 1957: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus * 1957: Time Remembered * 1957: ''Jamaica'' * 1957: The Carefree Heart * 1958: Tristan * 1958: ''Oh, Captain!'' * 1959: Cheri * 1959: ''Take Me Along'' * 1959: Show Business (Carol Channing on tour) * 1960: ''Bye Bye Birdie'' * 1960: ''The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' * 1961: Show Girl * 1961: ''Milk And Honey'' * 1962: ''Song of Norway'' (on tour) * 1963: ''Zenda'' * 1966: Ice Capades * 1969: 1491 * 1969: ''Oklahoma!'' (original designs) * 1970: ''Candida'' * 1971: ''A Day In The Life Of Just About Everyone''<ref>[http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=3381 " ''A Day In The Life Of Just About Everyone'' Listing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714143022/http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=3381 |date=2014-07-14 }} Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed July 4, 2014</ref> * 1972: ''A Quarter For The Ladies Room''<ref>[http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=3250 " ''A Quarter For The Ladies Room'' Listing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070923085527/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=3250 |date=2007-09-23 }} Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed July 4, 2014</ref> * 1973: ''Tricks'' * 1976: ''Best Friend'' * 1977: ''The Ice Show'' * 1980: ''Changes'' <ref>[http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=644 " ''Changes'' Listing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714161905/http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=644 |date=2014-07-14 }} Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed July 4, 2014</ref> * 1989: ''Jerome Robbins' Broadway'' ("High Button Shoes" segment) {{col end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Archival records|title=Miles White costume designs, 1942-1977|location= Library of Congress|description_URL=https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu018006}} * {{IBDB name}} * {{IMDb name|0925240}}
{{TonyAward CostumeDesign 1947-1975}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Miles}} Category:1914 births Category:2000 deaths Category:American costume designers Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:Tony Award winners