Jeanette MacDonald | Nelson Eddy Club background:
The Mac/Eddy Club is the first ever to honor Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. The club began in 1977 – the first club ever for both stars. Our website went up early in 1996 – the very first one for either star on the Internet!
Our purpose is to keep their names plus their artistic works and classic films in the public eye – and archived for generations to come.
We do this in a number of ways. We publish a 64-page glossy magazine which has sold on newsstands and in cinema shops around the world; thus far we’ve published over 70 issues! The magazine, Mac/Eddy Today, contains much of the research and interviews that documented the off-screen relationship of the two stars.
You do not need to be a club member to order any items from this website. Members receive 3 magazines a year for $50 (or $55 outside of the U.S.) which saves you at least $15-25 over purchasing the 3 magazines separately. So right there a membership is cost-effective. There are also other member-only sales. Membership dues cover the high printing costs of our glossy magazine and keep Mac/Eddy Today in print. Thank you for your support!
We have our own record/CD label with which we have released nearly 100 albums to date of rare, unpublished home recordings and radio shows.
We have also sponsored concerts around the country, and in keeping with the purposes of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, we have awarded scholarship monies to promising young operatic singers. We’ve also done lectures and events at senior centers and donated videos, books and magazines for their enjoyment.
We provide libraries and other non-profit groups (such as PBS Stations) with material on the two stars. One project was gathering over 20,000 petition signatures urging the United States Postal Stamp Committee to issue a MacDonald/Eddy stamp. The Committee has yet to make a decision, but the club was featured on NBC News and in The New York Times.
We have one simple policy: you may love either star but respect must be shown for both. The constant bickering and animosity between the original Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald clubs proved to be detrimental to the stars during their lifetimes. It was as a team that they had their greatest fame and so it is as a team that we honor them.
Below, our website screenshots from past years: from left to right 2011, 2000 and 1996.
The Club President is Sharon Rich, author of the best-selling biography Sweethearts: The Timeless Love Affair On-screen and Off Between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. (updated 2001 edition published by Bell Harbour Press.) Awarded as a “Dame of Merit” in 1995 by the Knights of Malta (Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem) for her contributions to History and Literature, Sharon Rich was a co-founder of the Mac/Eddy Club in 1977, and has been its President since 1979. Rich was good friends with Jeanette MacDonald’s older sister, actress Blossom Rock (of the TV series “Addams Family” fame). She has written for several magazines, has lectured around the country about Hollywood musicals and MacDonald and Eddy, and was a featured speaker at the American Film Institute in Washington, D.C.
All the club staff, including the President, are “baby boomers” who were too young to ever see Jeanette MacDonald or Nelson Eddy in person, but nevertheless discovered them on video. Club members range in age from 12 to 94. Our mailing list is currently over 3,000 worldwide, and we hold functions at various times during the year across the United States, Toronto, and the United Kingdom. Sign up for our email newsletter so you’ll be notified when we hold an event in your area!
Our glossy 64-page magazine has been called the most beautiful film journal of its kind. Published three times a year, Mac/Eddy Today features articles and interviews about Hollywood’s most beloved screen team. It deals with all aspects of their lives, on-screen and off, and candidly addresses many of the myths and questions that fans have wondered about for decades. Recent articles have included:
A feature on Miliza Korjus
Interviews with Rise Stevens,Susanna Foster, Rose Bampton, Lawrence Tibbett Jr.
Nelson Eddy’s and Jeanette MacDonald’s operatic careers
The “lost” Technicolor Maytime
Jeanette MacDonald’s pregnancies by Nelson Eddy
Why they married other people
Nelson Eddy’s WWII government work
The films they never made
Where to find recordings, videos, and other memorabilia
Each issue is a collector’s item, filled with rare photos and a gorgeous color cover. You won’t want to miss a single issue! You can join here and receive three issues of the magazine.
Jeanette MacDonald | Nelson Eddy Members write:
The journal is beautiful! It’s as if Nelson and Jeanette are back with us again. I like the feeling of warmth and caring that comes from reading this journal. B.B.
What the world needs now is beauty and good taste. Congratulations on offering plenty of both through your fine club. May I always be a part of it. S.T.
I don’t know when I’ve looked forward so much to a publication. Nostalgia of a high order is a wonderful thing and I can’t thank you enough for the tremendous job you are doing. P.W.
Being an opera buff, I was embarrassed to admit I was also a Mac/Eddy fan. Thanks to you, I’ve come out of the closet. J.C.
I used to think that perhaps I was a little strange, holding onto my addiction to the “dynamic duo,” but it’s nice to know that there are so many people like me, all wanting to know all they can about Nelson and Jeanette. J.J.
Thank you for telling the truth. Those who love Jeanette and Nelson want to know all. You have done amazing research, and each and every journal is a treasure. L.C.
I love your magazine and am glad that others beside myself have not forgotten two enchanting people. A.L.