Gower Champion served in the Coast Guard in World War II. In the late 1940's Champion had begun to direct as well as dance, and he won the first of eight Tony Awards for his staging of Lend an Ear, the show that introduced Carol Channing to New York City theater audiences. During the 1950s, he worked on only two Broadway musicals -- choreographing Make a Wish in 1951 and directing, staging, and starring in 3 For Tonight in 1955 -- preferring to spend most of his time in Hollywood. However, in the 1960s, he directed a number of Broadway hits that put him at the top of his profession.