Mimi Hines (1965)

Who could possibly succeed Barbra Streisand in the Broadway production of Funny Girl? VERY few, but Mimi Hines was a hit! She would play the role for 18-months.

Biography for Mimi and Phil from the 1968 Program for An Evening of Laughter and Music at the Elitch Theatre:

Mimi is already a veteran of 28 years of vaudeville, night clubs and TV scenes.

But, on the night of August 28, 1958, Phil Ford and Mimi Hines suddenly got a toehold on national fame. Their guest appearance on NBC-TV’s Jack Paar Show “tore down the house,” caused Parr to break into tears of joy and induced him to invite them back for two more guest appearances later that same week.

Before the night was over, they had received 112 telegrams, NBC-TV had to rush extra operators to handle the many congratulatory phone calls, and thousands of people had taken pen in hand to write fan letters, which poured in for days afterwards.

The following day seven record companies called with offers of contracts, three top-rated TV shows offered them contracts for guest appearances, and night clubs throughout the country phoned and wired their manager with queries about their availability for dates. Throughout the day Phil and Mimi were stopped on the street by autograph seekers and by people who merely wanted to offer their congratulations.

After years of “knocking on the door,” Phil Ford and Mimi Hines had taken a giant step towards the top.

Phil Ford and Mimi Hines have been comic partners for 12 years and Mr. and Mrs. in real life for ten.

They met in Anchorage, Alaska, at a club called “The Last Chance.” At that time Mimi was a singer, and Phil was a comedian.

Mimi had been fascinated by comedians from the time she was in pigtails. She was, in fact, a “restaurant comic” — an off-the-stage joke-teller for the amusement of her friends. Phil, aware of her flair for comedy, one night suggested that she join him in several gags during their act.

That night her comedy antics went over so well with the audience (which was composed of soldiers stationed in Alaska) that the night club owner told Phil to cut out the first part of the act and start right out with their comedy bits.

During the next several years they developed and polished their act during engagements in small night clubs throughout the nation. Each was versatile, and gradually they joined their individual talents to blend them into a polished act.

Mimi Hines, born in Vancouver, Canada, of French-English-Irish forebears, comes from a long line of theatrical folk. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Hines, sang in the London Palladium and her uncle, Bob Underwood Hines, sang with La Scala in Milan. Her mother, Billie Hines, was a professional adagio dancer and singer.

When Mimi was two, she was one day shoved onstage at the Edison Theater in New Westminister, British Colombia, to sing “Chattanooga Choo Choo.” When she was nine, she won her first amateur contest. When she was 12, she made her night club debut.

As a youngster she was determined to have a career in opera—and learned how to sing tenor arias from her uncle. She might have, indeed, continued to study opera had she not teamed up with Phil Ford.

Thus, since they became a team, Phil and Mimi have continued to add “bits” to their comedy act, taking advantage of Phil’s ability to write, his ability to play instruments, as well as Mimi’s ability to sing. In addition, both are expert ad-libbers.

On the personal side, Phil Ford is five feet eight inches tall, weighs 165 Ibs., and has brown hair and hazel eyes. Mimi, five feet two and one-half inches tall, weighs 106 lbs., and has dimensions of 36″, 23″, 34”. She has brown hair and hazel eyes. Her slightly protruding teeth—a tremendous asset to her professionally—have resulted in her being nicknamed “Bucky” and “Beaver.”

Since last appearing at Elitch’s they have starred in “Funny Girl” for a year on Broadway, after which they took the hit musical on the road for a triumphant tour.

[1968 Program for An Evening of Laughter and Music]