Jeanette MacDonald
Jeanette MacDonald | |
---|---|
Born | Jeannette Anna McDonald[1] June 18, 1903 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | January 14, 1965 | (aged 61)
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California |
Other names | Jeanette MacDonald |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1909–1959 |
Spouse | |
Partner | |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) | Vocals (soprano) |
Labels |
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Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with
Early years
MacDonald was born Jeannette Anna McDonald[4] on June 18, 1903, at her family's Philadelphia home at 5123 Arch Street.[5] She was the youngest of the three daughters of Anna May (née Wright) and Daniel McDonald, a factory foreman[6] and a salesman for a contracting household building company,[7] respectively, and the younger sister of character actress Blossom Rock (born Edith McDonald), who was most famous as "Grandmama" on the 1960s TV series The Addams Family. She was of Scottish, English, and Dutch descent.[8] The extra N in her given name was later dropped for simplicity's sake,[4] and A added to her surname to emphasize her Scottish heritage.[4] She began dancing lessons with local dance instructor Caroline Littlefield, mother of American ballerina/choreographer Catherine Littlefield, when very young, performing in juvenile operas, recitals, and shows staged by Littlefield around the city, including at the Academy of Music.[9] She later took lessons with Al White and began touring in his kiddie shows, heading his "Six Little Song Birds" in Philadelphia at the age of nine.[10]
Acting career
Broadway
In November 1919, MacDonald joined her older sister Blossom in New York. She took singing lessons with Wassili Leps[11] and landed a job in the chorus of Ned Wayburn's The Demi-Tasse Revue, a musical entertainment presented between films at the Capitol Theatre on Broadway. In 1920, she appeared in two musicals: Jerome Kern's Night Boat as a chorus replacement, and Irene on the road as the second female lead; future film star Irene Dunne played the title role during part of the tour,[12] and Helen Shipman played the title role during the other part of the tour. In 1921, MacDonald played in Tangerine as one of the "Six Wives."[13] In 1922, she was a featured singer in the Greenwich Village revue Fantastic Fricassee,[14] for which good press notices brought her a role in The Magic Ring the next year.[15] MacDonald played the second female lead in this long-running musical which starred Mitzi Hajos.[15] In 1925, MacDonald again had the second female lead opposite Queenie Smith in Tip Toes, a George Gershwin hit show.[16]
The following year, 1926, found MacDonald still in a second female lead in Bubblin' Over, a musical version of Brewster's Millions.[17] She finally landed a starring role in Yes, Yes, Yvette in 1927.[18] Planned as a sequel to producer H.H. Frazee's No, No, Nanette, the show toured extensively, but failed to please the critics when it arrived on Broadway. MacDonald also played the lead in her next two plays: Sunny Days[19] in 1928 in her first show for the producers Lee and J.J. Shubert, for which she received rave reviews; and Angela (1928),[20] which the critics panned. Her last play was Boom Boom in 1929, with her name above the title; the cast included young Archie Leach, who would later become Cary Grant.[21]
While MacDonald was appearing in Angela,
Film career
Paramount, controversial move to Fox Film Corporation
In the first rush of sound films during 1929 and 1930, MacDonald starred in six films—the first four for Paramount Studios. Her first, The Love Parade (1929), directed by Ernst Lubitsch and co-starring Maurice Chevalier, was a landmark of early sound films, and received a Best Picture nomination.[24] MacDonald's first recordings for RCA Victor were two hits from the score: "Dream Lover" and "March of the Grenadiers."[25] The Vagabond King (1930) was a lavish two-strip Technicolor film version of Rudolf Friml's hit 1925 operetta.[26] Broadway star Dennis King reprised his role as 15th-century French poet François Villon, and MacDonald was Princess Katherine.[27] She sang "Some Day" and "Only a Rose." The UCLA Film and Television Archive owns the only known color print of this production.[26]
1930 was an extremely busy year for Paramount and MacDonald.
In hopes of producing her own films, MacDonald went to
MacDonald took a break from Hollywood in 1931 to embark on a European concert tour, performing at the Empire Theater in Paris[36] (Mistinguett and Morris Gest were said to have been in the crowd)[36] and at London's Dominion Theatre,[37] and was invited to dinner parties with British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald and French newspaper critics. She returned to Paramount the following year for two films with Chevalier. One Hour with You in 1932 was directed by both George Cukor and Ernst Lubitsch, and simultaneously filmed in French with the same stars, but a French supporting cast.[38] Currently, no surviving print of Une Heure près de toi (One Hour With You) is known. Rouben Mamoulian directed Love Me Tonight (1932), considered by many film critics and writers to be the perfect film musical.[39] Starring Chevalier as a humble tailor in love with a princess played by MacDonald, much of the story is told in sung dialogue. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart[40] wrote the original score, which included the standards "Mimi," "Lover," and "Isn't It Romantic?"[40]
MGM, Nelson Eddy partnership
In 1933, MacDonald left again for Europe, and while there signed with
Naughty Marietta (1935), directed by
In the summer of 1936, filming began on Maytime, co-starring Nelson Eddy, Frank Morgan, and Paul Lukas, produced by Irving Thalberg. After Thalberg's untimely death in September, production was shut down and the half-finished film scrapped.[48] A new script was filmed with a different storyline and supporting actors (including John Barrymore,[49] whose relationship with MacDonald was strained due to his alcoholism). The 'second' Maytime (1937), was the top-grossing film worldwide of the year, and is regarded as one of the best film musicals of the 1930s.[50] "Will You Remember" by Sigmund Romberg brought MacDonald another gold record.[2]
Mayer had promised MacDonald the studio's first Technicolor feature, and he delivered with
Following Broadway Serenade, and not coincidentally right after Nelson Eddy's surprise elopement with Ann Franklin, MacDonald left Hollywood on a concert tour and refused to renew her MGM contract. Months later she summoned her manager Bob Ritchie from London to help her renegotiate. After initially insisting that she wanted to film Smilin' Through with James Stewart[62] and Robert Taylor,[63] MacDonald finally relented and agreed to film New Moon (1940) with Eddy, which proved to be one of MacDonald's more popular films.[64] Composer Sigmund Romberg's 1927 Broadway hit provided the plot and the songs: "Lover, Come Back to Me," "One Kiss," and "Wanting You," plus Eddy's version of "Stout Hearted Men." This was followed by Bitter Sweet (1940), a Technicolor film version of Noël Coward's 1929 stage operetta, which Coward loathed, writing in his diary about how "vulgar" he found it.[65] Smilin' Through (1941) was MacDonald's next Technicolor project, the third adaptation filmed in Hollywood,[62] with Brian Aherne and Gene Raymond. Its theme of reunion with deceased loved ones was enormously popular after the devastation of World War I, and MGM reasoned that it should resonate with audiences during World War II, but it failed to make a profit.[66] MacDonald played a dual role—Moonyean, a Victorian girl accidentally murdered by a jealous lover, and Kathleen, her niece, who falls in love with the son of the murderer.[67]
Final roles
After opening the
She frequently attempted a comeback movie, even financing and paying a screenwriter. One of the possible film reunions with Nelson Eddy was to be made in England, but Eddy pulled out when he learned MacDonald was investing her own funds. Eddy preferred to publicly blame the proposed project as mediocre, when in fact MacDonald was uninsurable due to her heart condition. A reunion with Maurice Chevalier was also considered.[74] Other thwarted projects with Eddy were The Rosary,[75] The Desert Song, and a remake of The Vagabond King, plus two movie treatments written by Eddy for them, Timothy Waits for Love and All Stars Don't Spangle. Offers continued to come in, and in 1962, producer Ross Hunter proposed MacDonald in his 1963 comedy The Thrill of It All, but she declined.[76] 20th Century Fox also toyed with the idea of MacDonald (Irene Dunne was briefly considered) for the part of Mother Abbess in the film version of The Sound of Music.[76] It never moved beyond the discussion stages partly because of MacDonald's failing health.
An annual poll of film exhibitors listed MacDonald as one of the top-10 box-office draws of 1936,
Musical theatre
In the mid-1950s, MacDonald toured in summer-stock productions of
MacDonald and her husband Gene Raymond toured in Ferenc Molnár's The Guardsman. The production opened at the Erlanger Theater in Buffalo, New York, on January 25, 1951, and played in 23 Northeastern and Midwestern cities until June 2, 1951.[83] Despite less-than-enthusiastic comments from critics, the show played to full houses for virtually every performance. The leading role of "The Actress" was changed to "The Singer" to allow MacDonald to add some songs. While this pleased her fans, the show closed before reaching Broadway.
In the 1950s, talks with respect to a Broadway return occurred. In the 1960s, MacDonald was approached about starring on Broadway in a musical version of Sunset Boulevard.[76] Harold Prince recounts in his autobiography visiting MacDonald at her home in Bel Air to discuss the proposed project.[76] Composer Hugh Martin also wrote a song for the musical, entitled "Wasn't It Romantic?"[76]
MacDonald also made a few nightclub appearances.
Music career
Concert tours, World War II charity work
Starting in 1931 and continuing through the 1950s, MacDonald engaged in regular concert tours between films. Her first European tour was in 1931, where she sang in both France and England.
Opera
Unlike Nelson Eddy, who came from opera to film, MacDonald in the 1940s yearned to reinvent herself in opera. She began training for this goal with Lotte Lehmann, one of the leading opera stars of the early 20th century. "When Jeanette MacDonald approached me for coaching lessons," wrote Lehmann, "I was really curious how a glamorous movie star, certainly spoiled by the adoration of a limitless world, would be able to devote herself to another, a higher level of art. I had the surprise of my life. There couldn't have been a more diligent, a more serious, a more pliable person than Jeanette. The lessons which I had started with a kind of suspicious curiosity turned out to be sheer delight for me. She studied Marguerite with me—and lieder. These were the ones which astounded me most. I am quite sure that Jeanette would have developed into a serious and successful lieder singer if time would have allowed it."[94]
MacDonald made her opera debut singing Juliette in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette in Montreal at His Majesty's Theatre (May 8, 1943).[95] She quickly repeated the role in Quebec City (May 12),[96] Ottawa (May 15 and 17),[96] Toronto (May 20 and 22),[96] and Windsor (May 24).[96] Her U.S. debut with the Chicago Opera Company (November 4, 11 and 15, 1944) was in the same role.[97] She also sang Marguerite in Gounod's Faust with the Chicago Opera. In the summer of 1945, she appeared with the Cincinnati Opera as Juliette in two performances of Roméo et Juliette (July 10 and 25) and one as Marguerite in Faust (July 15). That November, she did two more performances of Roméo et Juliette and one of Faust in Chicago.[83] On December 12, 1951, she did one performance of Faust with the Philadelphia Civic Grand Opera Company at the Academy of Music.
Claudia Cassidy, the music critic of the Chicago Tribune wrote, "Her Juliet is breathtakingly beautiful to the eye and dulcet to the ear."[98] The same critic reviewed Faust: "From where I sit at the opera, Jeanette MacDonald has turned out to be one of the welcome surprises of the season ... her Marguerite was better than her Juliet ... beautifully sung with purity of line and tone, a good trill, and a Gallic inflection that understood Gounod's phrasing ... You felt if Faust must sell his soul to the devil, at least this time he got his money's worth."[99]
Radio and television
MacDonald's extensive radio career may have begun on a 1929 radio broadcast of the Publix Hour. She was on the Academy Awards ceremony broadcast in 1931. She hosted her own radio show, Vicks Open House,[100] from September 1937 to March 1938, for which she received $5,000 a week. However, the time demands of doing a weekly live radio show while filming, touring in concerts, and making records proved enormously difficult, and after fainting on-air during one show, she decided not to renew her radio contract with Vicks at the end of the 26-week season. Thereafter, she stuck to guest appearances.
MacDonald appeared in condensed radio versions of many of her films on programs such as
MacDonald sang frequently with Nelson Eddy during the mid-1940s on several Lux Radio Theater and The Screen Guild Theater productions of their films together. She also appeared as his guest several times on his various radio shows such as The Electric Hour and The Kraft Music Hall. He was also a surprise guest when she hosted a war-bonds program called Guest Star, and they sang on other World War II victory shows together. The majority of her radio work in the mid to late 1940s was with Eddy. Her 1948 Hollywood Bowl concert was also broadcast over the air, in which she used Eddy's longtime accompanist, Theodore Paxson.
MacDonald appeared on early TV, most frequently as a singing guest star. She sang on The Voice of Firestone on November 13, 1950.[103] On November 12, 1952, she was the subject of Ralph Edwards' This Is Your Life.[104] Her surprise guests included her sisters, a sailor she danced with at the Hollywood Canteen, her former English teacher, her husband and the clergyman who married them, and Nelson Eddy appeared as a voice from her past, singing the song he sang at her wedding; his surprise appearance brought her to tears. Shortly thereafter, she appeared as the mystery guest on the December 21, 1952, episode of What's My Line?[103] After the panelists guessed her identity, she told John Daly she was in New York for the holidays and would have a recital at Carnegie Hall on January 16. On February 2, 1956, MacDonald starred in Prima Donna,[105] a television pilot for her own series, written for her by her husband Gene Raymond. The initial show featured guest stars Leo Durocher and Larraine Day, but it failed to find a slot. In December 1956, MacDonald and Eddy made their first TV appearance as a team on the Lux Video Theatre Holiday Special. In 1957, Eddy and she appeared on Patti Page's program The Big Record, singing several songs.[3] On Playhouse 90 (March 28, 1957), MacDonald played Charley's real aunt to Art Carney's impersonation in "Charley's Aunt."[105]
Personal life
When MacDonald was born, her father quickly doted on her.
MacDonald cited the number thirteen as her lucky number.[112] Her characters always had a name beginning with M, the first letter of her surname and the 13th letter of the English alphabet, a ritual upon which she had insisted.[112] Interestingly, thirteen became a recurring number throughout her life, such as the thirteen-year gap between her overseas tours in Europe;[113] principal photography for The Merry Widow had taken thirteen weeks to film;[112] her first movie, The Love Parade, was the number-one box-office draw for 13 weeks;[114] MacDonald performed opera for the first time for a screen test thirteen years after meeting Newell (who was also on set);[115] the thirteen-year gap between her and sister Blossom's death;[108] and husband Gene Raymond's birthday was August 13.[116]
On sets, MacDonald would never
A recurrent issue throughout MacDonald's career was her health. Her handwritten letter from August, 1929 indicates that MacDonald, age 26, had recently suffered a heart attack.
MacDonald was a
Relationships
MacDonald met Jack Ohmeis (1901-1967)
MacDonald eventually dated a Wall Street rep named Robert Ritchie (died 1972[108]), 12 years her senior,[133] who claimed that he was the son of a fallen millionaire.[134] They traveled with MacDonald's family to Hollywood, and he became a press agent for MGM. Rumors circulated that they were engaged and/or secretly married,[135] since Ritchie was by MacDonald's side during her European tour and they lived together[136]—MacDonald even signing her return address as "JAR" (Jeanette Anna Ritchie)[135] and referring to him as her "darling husband."[135] Despite Ritchie's family claiming that he was married to MacDonald but the marriage had been annulled in 1935,[135] he never confirmed the claims.[135] He later relocated to Europe as an MGM representative, becoming responsible for recruiting Greer Garson, Hedy Lamarr, and Luise Rainer.[137]
MacDonald married
Raymond was sometimes mistaken for Nelson Eddy by MacDonald's fans and passersby, which MacDonald later admitted that she never liked: "Of course we always laughed it off—sometimes Gene even obliged by signing Nelson's name—but no one will ever know the agonies I suffered on such occasions. More than anything else in the world those days, I wanted to see him receive as much acclaim as I, to spare him these humiliations."[144] When she reunited with Chevalier in 1957, he asked her why she had retired from films, to which she replied, "Because for exactly twenty years I've played my best role, by his [Raymond's] side. And I'm perfectly happy."[3]
Death
MacDonald died at the
The funeral took place on January 18.
Honors and commemorations
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, MacDonald has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6157 Hollywood Blvd. For her contribution to recording, MacDonald has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1628 Vine Street.[151]
MacDonald was crowned as the Queen of the Movies in 1939 with Tyrone Power as her king. The ceremony was filmed and presented by Ed Sullivan.[152]
MacDonald was awarded an honorary doctor of music degree from Ithaca College in 1956.[153]
MacDonald was named Philadelphia's Woman of the Year in 1961.[154] Of the award, she said, "It is strange how awards, decorations, doctorates, etc., can be conferred from various parts of the country, and even the world. And yet, the funny satisfaction of being recognized in one's home town seems to be a more gratifying recognition than all."[155]
Posthumous
Shortly after MacDonald's death, surviving classmates from her high school contributed a $150 donation in her name to the Children's Heart Hospital of Philadelphia.[156]
The USC Thornton School of Music built a Jeanette MacDonald Recital Hall in her honor.[157]
A bronze plaque for MacDonald was unveiled in March 1988 on the Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame in Raymond's presence.[158]
Controversy
Autobiography
MacDonald began developing an autobiography in the 1950s. She wanted her readers to both be inspired by her career and understand how she had coped with balancing a public and personal life.[159] In one early version she intended to candidly discuss Nelson Eddy but dropped that idea when Eddy feared public fallout.[160] She hired and fired other ghostwriters and wrote a manuscript solo but it was rejected by the publisher for being "too genteel";[161] MacDonald refused to include many personal details about Eddy and she deleted already typed pages admitting to one single pregnancy that ended in miscarriage. Her last ghost writer, Fredda Dudley Balling, noted that MacDonald was too ill to work more than a couple hours a day, so a final draft was never completed. The unfinished manuscript was published and annotated in 2004.[162] MacDonald said that publishers wanted her to spice up her story. She refused to gossip about her colleagues and said she did not live that kind of life. In the last year of her life, despite declining health, she still was trying to find a publisher. An early version of the book, written with James Brough, is in the Cinematic Arts Library, Doheny Memorial Library, University of Southern California.[163]
Relationship with Nelson Eddy
Despite public denials from the stars themselves of any personal relationship between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, documentation shows otherwise. In a handwritten 1935 letter by Nelson to "Dearest Jeanette," written on his letterhead, Nelson Eddy writes: "I love you and will always be devoted to you."[164]
In the biography Sweethearts by Sharon Rich, the author presents MacDonald and Eddy as continuing an adulterous affair after their marriages. Rich, who was a close friend of MacDonald's older sister Blossom Rock, also knew Gene Raymond, and documents that the relationship lasted—with a few breaks—until MacDonald's death. Newsreel footage from MacDonald's funeral shows Eddy as the last person exiting the chapel, circled by other celebrities, such as Lauritz Melchior, who offer him condolences.[165]
MacDonald had a reported eight pregnancies by Eddy, the first while they were filming Rose Marie. This was before she had an intimate relationship with Gene Raymond. Raymond was physically unable to father children, and MacDonald alluded to this fact in her unfinished autobiography, writing that she returned from her Hawaii honeymoon with Raymond with the knowledge and accurate admittance that "The MacRaymonds had no children."[166] Nevertheless, MacDonald had additional, later, documented and visible pregnancies while married to Raymond, all of which ended in miscarriage.
Rich's findings also included documentation that Raymond physically and emotionally abused MacDonald, and had affairs as early as their honeymoon when MacDonald allegedly discovered Raymond in bed with Buddy Rogers.[167] Raymond was arrested three times, the first in January 1938, as verified by a court document,[168] and also in England during his army service,[169] for his behavior.[170] Raymond's wedding to MacDonald, orchestrated by Louis B. Mayer, forced MacDonald to become Raymond's "beard," and the 1938 arrest resulted in Mayer blacklisting him in Hollywood for almost two years.
Biographer E. J. Fleming also alleged that Eddy had confronted Raymond for abusing MacDonald, who was visibly pregnant with Eddy's child[171] while filming Sweethearts, which ended with Eddy attacking him and leaving him for dead, though newspapers reported Raymond was recovering from a fall down the stairs.[172]
At that time Mayer adamantly refused to allow MacDonald to annul her marriage and elope. The situation ended with MacDonald losing her baby at nearly 6 months.[173] The boy was named Daniel Kendrick Eddy, and Nelson buried him (or his ashes) on private property in Ojai, California.[173]
Other co-stars and friends verified the MacDonald/Eddy relationship.[174][175][176]
Over the decades, MacDonald and Eddy privately occupied several homes together. In 1938, they had a small Burbank house located at 812 S. Mariposa Street in Burbank. In the 1940s, Nelson leased and remodeled for himself and MacDonald the old cowboy bunkhouse at 1330 Angelo Drive, Beverly Hills. Starting in 1947, they used 710 N. Camden Drive, which had been the home of MacDonald's mother until her death. They also alternately stayed at favorite hotels and homes across the country owned by celebrity friends including Lily Pons and Irene Dunne. In 1963, MacDonald and Raymond moved into two adjoining apartments at the Wilshire Comstock in Westwood, on the 8th floor in the East building. Nelson Eddy had his own apartment on the 7th floor of the West building, and allowed MacDonald to decorate it; they used it as a rendezvous spot until she was too weak to walk the few yards over to his building. (After Eddy's death, his widow Ann learned of the apartment and moved into it.)[177]
Forbidden to marry early on by MGM studio boss Louis B. Mayer, MacDonald and Eddy performed a mock wedding ceremony at Lake Tahoe while filming Rose Marie. They considered that "by God's laws" they were married, although they were never able to do so legally. Every autumn, they returned to Lake Tahoe to renew their vows. As late as 1948, MacDonald's desk diary has a "Lake Tahoe" entry.[178] After their 1943 visit, Eddy wrote a lengthy diary entry about their trip and his love for her, calling her "my wife," which he did in private to the end of her life.[179]
Credits
Filmography
Discography
MacDonald performed and recorded more than 50 songs during her career, working exclusively for
- MacDonald in Song (1939)[181]
- Religious Songs (1945)[182]
- Operetta Favorites (1946)[183]
- Romantic Moments (1950)[184]
- Favorites (c. 1951)[185]
- Favorites in Stereo (1959)[186]
- Smilin' Through (1960)[187]
- Jeanette MacDonald Sings Songs of Faith and Inspiration (1963)[188]
Concerts
Date | Location | Set list | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
August 10, 1943 | Emil Blatz Temple of Music, Milwaukee | "Le Roi de Thulé", "The Jewel Song", "The Waltz Song", "Les Filles de Cadiz", and "Badinage" | Performed with the Music Under the Stars Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jerzy Bojanowski | [97] |
August 9, 1945 | The Hollywood Bowl |
Performed with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowski | [97] | |
August 18, 1948 | The Hollywood Bowl | Performed with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Ormandy |
[97] | |
January 13, 1949 | War Memorial Opera House | Performed with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Monteux | [97] | |
July 27, 1950 | Robin Hood Dell |
Performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Golschmann | [97] | |
July 19, 1951 | Lewisohn Stadium | Performed with the Stadium Concerts Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Smallens | [97] | |
July 26, 1952 | Robin Hood Dell | Performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Erich Leinsdorf | [97] | |
July 2, 1954 | Red Rocks Theater | Performed with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Saul Caston | [97] | |
July 16, 1957 | Emil Blatz Temple of Music, Milwaukee | Performed with the Music Under the Stars Orchestra, conducted by John Anello | [97] |
Tours
Title | Location(s) | Opening date | Closing date | Selected set list | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jeanette MacDonald, en personne | Empire Theatre, Paris (France) | September 4, 1931 | c. September 18, 1931[a] | "Dream Lover" (Schertzinger/Grey), "Un Jour" (Friml), "Beyond the Blue Horizon" (Whiting/Harling/Robin), "Riveiens" (Fragson), "Marche des Grenadiers" (Schertzinger) | [189] | |
Jeanette MacDonald, In Person | Dominion Theatre, London (England) | September 21, 1931 | c. October 5, 1931[a] | "Dream Lover" (Schertzinger/Grey), "Un Jour" ("Some Day"; Friml), "Beyond the Blue Horizon" (Whiting/Harling/Robin), "Riveiens" (Fragson), "Marche des Grenadiers" (Schertzinger) | [189] | |
Jeanette MacDonald, dans une creation scenique | (Rex Theatre) Paris, | February 3, 1933 | n/a | "Aimez-moi ce soir", "Reviens", "Parlez-moi d'amour", "N'est-ce pas poétique?", "Le Chanson de Vilia", "J'aime d'amour", "Marche des Grenadiers" |
|
[189] |
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg and 20 other cities (USA) |
March 16, 1939 | n/a | "Lehn' Deine Wang an Meine Wang" (A. Jensen), "Ich Liebe Dich" (E. Grieg), " Comin' Thro the Rye" (G. H. Clutsam), "The Jewel Song" (from Faust), "Sempre Libera" (G. Verdi), "J'ai pleuré en rêve" (G. Hüe), "From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water " (C. W. Cadman), "Daddy's Sweetheart" (L. Lehmann), and "When I Have Sung My Songs" (E. Charles) |
[96] | |
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 30 cities (USA) | Spring 1940 | " " | [96] | ||
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 11 cities (USA) | Fall 1940 | " " | [96] | ||
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 13 cities (USA) | Winter 1941 | " " | [96] | ||
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 14 cities (USA) | Fall 1942 | " " | For the Army Emergency Relief fund | [96] | |
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 7 cities (USA) | Summer 1943 | " " | [96] | ||
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 20 cities (USA) | Fall 1943 | " " | [96] | ||
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 14 cities (USA) | Spring 1944 | " " | [96] | ||
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 20 cities (USA) | Fall 1944 | " " | [96] | ||
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 17 cities (USA) | Fall 1945 | " " | [96] | ||
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | England, Scotland and Wales (7 cities) | Summer 1946 | " " | It was roughly at this point when other songs were included in the concerts, such as " Beau Soir", "The Last Rose of Summer ", "Down in the Glen", and "Ah! non credea mirarti" |
[96] | |
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 18 cities (USA) | Spring 1948 | " " | " " | [96] | |
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital (US Air Force Holiday Variety Show) | 16 cities (Western Europe) | Late 1949 | Early 1950 | " " | "" | [96] |
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 13 cities (USA) | Spring 1950 | " " | " " | [96] | |
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 7 cities (USA) | Fall 1950 | " " | [96] | ||
Jeanette MacDonald in Recital | 14 cities (USA and Canada) | Fall 1952 | " " | [96] | ||
Jeanette MacDonald at The Sahara | The Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas |
March 10, 1953 | n/a[a] | Supporting acts: Mickey Sharp (comic), Yvonne Moray (singer), and The Harem Dancers | [83] | |
The First Lady of Song, Jeanette MacDonald | Sands Hotel, Las Vegas | October 28, 1953 | n/a[b] | " Un bel di ". |
|
[83] |
The First Lady of Song, Jeanette MacDonald | Cocoanut Grove, Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles) | January 20, 1954 | n/a[a] | " Un bel di ". |
" " | [81] |
Footnotes
Citations
- ^ Sweethearts, 2001, p. 486 photograph of baptismal record.
- ^ a b c d Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 197.
- ^ a b c d Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 313.
- ^ a b c Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 8.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 4-5.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 7.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 5.
- ^ Montiel, Pierre. "The Iron Butterfly :: Early Years". Legendary Jeanette MacDonald. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ Skeel, Sharon. Catherine Littlefield: A Life in Dance, Oxford University Press, 2020.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 20.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 35.
- ^ Logansport Pharos-Tribune, March 18, 1922
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 36.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 38-40.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 40-5.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 48-9.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 51.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 51-3.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 55-6.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 60-2.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 62-3.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 57.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 65.
- ^ "The-Love-Parade – Cast, Crew, Director and Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 80.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 89.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 91.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 98-9.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 98.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 357.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 268.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 96.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 102.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 359.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 105.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 111.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 114.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 117.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 119.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 360.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 135.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 361.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 362.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 363.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 159.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 173.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 364.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 196.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 203.
- ^ Mosher, John (March 27, 1937). "Maytime". The New Yorker. New York, NY. p. 70.
Altogether, it's possible that this is one of the best and most competently handled operettas that Hollywood has turned out
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 215.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 213.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 216.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 221.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 223.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 222.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 366.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 367.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 230.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 238.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 237.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 246.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 235.
- ^ "New Moon (1940) – Articles". TCM.com. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 243.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 248.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 247.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 257.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 259.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 260.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 263.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 372.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 373.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 305.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 319.
- ^ a b c d e Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 318.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 175.
- ^ "Legendary Jeanette MacDonald :: Filmography". Retrieved April 7, 2019.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 150.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 306.
- ^ a b c d Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 354.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 311-2.
- ^ a b c d Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 353.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 303-4.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 109-15.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 232.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 276-77.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 294.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 250-1.
- ^ a b "Biography [Jeanette MacDonald] - Miss MacDonald's". MissMacDonalds.com.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 250.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 251.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 308.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 269.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 265.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 351.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 352.
- ^ Rich (2001), p. 330
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 277.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 218.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 270.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 187.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 296.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 301.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 310.
- ^ a b c Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 6.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 19.
- ^ a b c Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 333.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 14.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 10.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 9.
- ^ a b c Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 144.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 279.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 87.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 182.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 165.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 239.
- ^ Miss Jeanette MacDonald [@MissMacDonalds] (February 20, 2018). ""A MacDonald home without dogs is like ham without eggs." She had as many as five dogs living with her at Twin Gables. Here are some shots of Jeanette and her pups at home over the years" (Tweet). Retrieved May 15, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ Jeanette MacDonald: The Irving Stone Letters
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 102n.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 315-6.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 3.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 242.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 288.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 272.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 245.
- ^ I'll See You Again 2019a, p. 37.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 37.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 38.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 43.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 44.
- ^ a b I'll See You Again 2019a, p. 39.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 59.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 58.
- ^ a b c d e "Robert G. Ritchie". LegendaryJeanetteMacDonald.com. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 94.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 132.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 209.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 163.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 166.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 211-2.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 332.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 292.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 293.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 328.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 321.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 322.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 327.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 330.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 331.
- ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame". Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Miss Jeanette MacDonald [@MissMacDonalds] (May 6, 2018). "Celebrating Tyrone Power (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) on his birthday. #BornOnThisDay Here are Tyrone and Jeanette being crowned King and Queen of The Movies in 1939! #botd #TyronePower #JeanetteMacDonald" (Tweet). Retrieved May 15, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, pp. 310–1.
- ^ Miss Jeanette MacDonald [@MissMacDonalds] (February 27, 2018). "This lovely article chronicles a few of the acts that led to Jeanette MacDonald becoming #WomanOfTheYear in her hometown of Philadelphia, which she described as being "a more gratifying recognition than all". Her smile throughout the night shows the sincerity in her words" (Tweet). Retrieved May 15, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ Brookhouser, Frank (1960). "Man About Town".
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 334.
- ^ "USC Maps". Web-app.usc.edu. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 335.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 316.
- Sweethearts., p. 488
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 317.
- Jeanette MacDonald Autobiography: The Lost Manuscript.
- ^ McCormick, Maggie (2019). I'll See You Again, Volume 3: After the War.
- ^ "Nelson Eddy's "Dearest Jeanette…I love you" handwritten 1935 letter to Jeanette MacDonald! – Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy Home Page". Maceddy.com. June 23, 2015.
- ^ "Nelson Eddy: "The most miserable day of my life" (Jeanette MacDonald's funeral)". Maceddy.com. July 8, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- Jeanette MacDonald Autobiography: The Lost Manuscript.
- ^ "Gods and Foolish Grandeur: Gene Raymond, Buddy Rogers, and three rather odd Hollywood marriages". Godsandfoolishgrandeur.blogspot.com. November 10, 2013.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald | Nelson Eddy Biography – Part 3 – Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy Home Page". Maceddy.com. April 30, 2012.
- ^ Rich 1994, p. 303
- ISBN 1-55611-407-9.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald pregnancy screenshot – Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy Home Page". Maceddy.com. March 10, 2015.
- ISBN 0786420278.
- ^ a b Rich, Sharon (2014). Sweethearts: The Timeless Love Affair Onscreen and Off Between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.
- ^ "Sandy Reiss Interview". Maceddy.com. April 28, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "Rise Stevens Interview". Maceddy.com. April 28, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "Miliza Korjus Interview". Maceddy.com. April 28, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ Mac/Eddy Today, Issue #72
- ^ "Lake Tahoe trip, 1948 – Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy Home Page". Maceddy.com. February 20, 2017.
- ^ "An Excerpt from "Sweethearts" – Sharon Rich". Sharonrich.com.
- ^ "Searchable database". RIAA. 2015. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald – MacDonald In Song". Discogs. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ "Religious Songs sung by Jeanette MacDonald". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald's Operetta Favorites". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald - Romantic Moments". Discogs. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald - Favorites". Discogs. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Favorites in Stereo". Discogs. December 7, 1965. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald - Smilin' Through". Discogs. December 7, 1960. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald Sings Songs of Faith and Inspriation". Discogs. December 7, 1963. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ a b c Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 350.
References
- Barclay, Florence L., The Rosary by Florence L. Barclay, new introduction by Sharon Rich, comments by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, Bell Harbour Press, 2005. This 1910 #1 best seller featured two singers in a "Jane Eyre" plot, and the heroine's nickname was Jeanette. Eddy chose it as a possible film vehicle for himself and MacDonald in 1948. This edition features a new introduction with excerpts from their written correspondence of 1948, in which the film project was discussed.
- Castanza, Philip, The Films of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, Citadel Press, 1978.
- Eddy, Nelson, "All Stars Don't Spangle" movie treatment for himself and MacDonald, reprinted in its entirety in Mac/Eddy Todaymagazine, issue #50.
- Hamann, G.D. (Ed.), Collections of contemporary newspaper and magazine references in the following: Jeanette MacDonald in the 30s. (141 pp.), Jeanette MacDonald in the 40s (100 pp.), Nelson Eddy in the 30s and 40s (128 pp.), and Filming Today Press, 2005, Hollywood, California (www.GDHamann.com).
- Knowles (Dugan), Eleanor, The Films of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, Booksurge Llc, 2006.
- Rich, Sharon (2002). ISBN 0-9711998-4-1. Letters by MacDonald are reproduced and annotated. MacDonald dated Stone in 1927–28 and remained friends afterwards, so most of these are love letters. In one letter from August 1929 she tells Stone she is recovering from a heart attack.
- Rich, Sharon (2004). ISBN 0-9711998-8-4. The complete, typewritten autobiography with MacDonald's handwritten editing, deletions and comments noted throughout. Annotated and with original letters from MacDonald's collaborator on the project.
- Rich, Sharon (2001). ISBN 0-9711998-0-9.
- Rich, Sharon (2001). ISBN 0-9711998-1-7. This is an updated edition of Rich, Sharon, Sweethearts: The Timeless Love Affair - On-screen and Off - Between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, Donald I. Fine, 1994. Footnotes are from 2001 edition. Updated again in 2014.
- Skeel, Sharon. (2020) Catherine Littlefield: A Life in Dance. Oxford University Press.
- ISBN 978-0-520-22253-3.
- McCormick, Maggie (2019a). I'll See You Again: The Bittersweet Love Story and Wartime Letters of Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond, Volume 1: The War - and Before. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-62933-436-3.
- McCormick, Maggie (2019b). I'll See You Again: The Bittersweet Love Story and Wartime Letters of Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond, Volume 2: The Letters. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-62933-448-6.
- McCormick, Maggie (2019c). I'll See You Again: The Bittersweet Love Story and Wartime Letters of Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond, Volume 3: After the War. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-62933-450-9.
External links
- Jeanette MacDonald at IMDb
- Jeanette MacDonald at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jeanette MacDonald at the TCM Movie Database
- Jeanette MacDonald discography at Discogs
- Jeanette MacDonald at Find a Grave