Gibson started her career in musicals in her hometown of St. Louis. In 1937, she was one of 35 girls chosen for the St. Louis Opera Company's ballet productions. She danced in the chorus of a production of
The Student Prince there in 1940, and in 1943 she was part of the dancing chorus of the summer season of the
Muny Opera. In the fall of 1943, she was one of three dancers from that group to sign contracts to perform in
Roll Up Your Sleeves on Broadway. She used her birth name on Broadway through 1949. In 1947, she returned to perform at the Muny Opera as the star of
No, No, Nanette. Gibson was signed by
Warner Bros. in 1950 and made her film debut in
Tea for Two (1950). Billed as a starlet, she was a member of a group of Hollywood actors who traveled across the country in 1951-1952 promoting the 50th anniversary of movie theaters. With Roscoe Ates and Charles Starrett, she toured eastern
Oklahoma greeting the public. In Hollywood, she played supporting or leading roles in a number of Warner Bros. musicals. Her most famous film role was Liza in
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
. Warner Bros. elected to not renew her contract option. Gibson later said: "There are just so many musicals, and they had
Doris Day. And who can shine in comparison to her vivacity?" She also starred in
So This Is Hollywood (1955). She was a regular performer on
The Johnny Carson Show (1955–56). In 1956, she returned to Broadway to play Ethel Merman's daughter in the musical
Happy Hunting. She then became one of the stars of
Your Hit Parade, one of the most popular TV shows of the 1950s, for one season. She had a three-month stint as a jazz singer on the TV version of
Young Doctor Malone. From 1962 to 1971, she cohosted (with
Frank Buxton and later
Bill Owen) the
ABC-TV children's documentary program
Discovery. When her performing career ended, Gibson taught at the
HB Studio in New York. == Personal life ==