Special offer! Order today the new 2025 Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy calendar AND the book Jeanette MacDonald: A Pictorial Treasury – 50th Anniversary Special Edition and save $5 plus pay only one shipping charge!
1. The 2025 Calendar link
2. The Pictorial Treasury book link
Add anything else to your order and still pay one shipping fee, even though these items may ship separately.
Offer and sale price good through September 15, 2024.
The latest Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy magazine, Issue #78, was officially released at our Los Angeles event!
Journal #78 features our Interview issue, with transcripts of the following:
1) an annotated, little-known 1959 interview with Jeanette, in which she speaks candidly on some different topics than other interviews, discussing friendships ranging from Jean Harlow to Woody Van Dyke. She also has stories to share about director Ernst Lubitsch (who once proposed marriage to her!), Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Louella Parsons, opera vs concerts, youth and maturity, and her Broadway career.
2) the only known excerpt from Nelson’s interview with Tony Thomas, in which he discusses the phases of his career.
3) the very important Blythe Kearney interview which includes a transcript of her edited video clip (on YouTube) but also additional content from the 3-hour full interview. Why is this interview so vital? Because Blythe is someone who personally knew Jeanette for years and had a frank conversation with her about her relationship with Nelson and how Gene Raymond dealt with it. Blythe’s grandmother, Mary Blythe (of the Barrymore family; John Barrymore was her cousin) was a lifelong friend and confidante with Jeanette from their high school years onward. Blythe spent time with Jeanette as a child, when Jeanette came to visit and stay with her grandmother. On some trips young Blythe, who often stayed with her grandparents, shared a bedroom with Jeanette. Over the years, Jeanette related to Blythe many anecdotes about her career and life. Also as a child, Blythe spent a day with both Jeanette and Nelson, when they showed up together on a very private vacation. They stayed at the Princess Martha Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida. And took Blythe with them on an outing one day to nearby Sunken Gardens, where Blythe had the opportunity to observe them as a loving couple, when they weren’t hiding the intimacy of their relationship. Blythe’s commentary on why Jeanette remained married to Gene Raymond, and the difference between her “loving” someone vs “being in love” with Nelson, is quite insightful.
4) Terry Kilburn, the child star who played “Brother” in the movie Sweethearts.
This beautiful glossy magazine contains additional information, documentation and many photos.
You can order Issue #78 here.
There’s a complete list of all our magazines still available at this link.
Today we honor the birthday of singer and movie star Jeanette MacDonald, born on this day in 1903.
Remembering Nelson Eddy today on the anniversary of his passing at age 65. June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967.
From the person who probably knew him best, here’s what Jeanette MacDonald had to say about Nelson Eddy in 1935: “No other man on the screen gives such an impression of eagerness and sincerity as Nelson Eddy. He is unique in this respect…. It is this boy-like quality which appeals most to women – the quality of unsophisticated eagerness in a mature and attractive man. He is exactly the same on the screen as he is off … anxious to please … the least theatrical artist I’ve ever known. There’s not an ounce of affectation in him. He was destined for stardom from the beginning.”
Join us to celebrate the June birthdays of Jeanette and Nelson! We are meeting at the Smoke House in Burbank, with new and returning guest speakers. Our meal is a lavish buffet brunch in the famous restaurant plus a special birthday cake. The restaurant opened in 1946; Jeanette and Nelson ate there, as did most of the Hollywood stars of the day. It’s across from Warner Bros. studios so remains popular with industry folks today. Price includes food, our private room and everything except alcoholic drinks (other than the free mimosas that come with the buffet) which can be ordered from your server.
One of our guest speakers will be Cora Sue Collins, famed child actress from “Naughty Marietta”, “Queen Christina” and other great MGM films.
Jun 18, 2024 update: Our meeting time has been slightly adjusted, please be there at 11:30 am!
Details:
Date: Sunday, June 23, 2024
Location: The Smoke House restaurant, 4420 W Lakeside Dr, Burbank (across from Warner Bros. studios)
Time: 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Admission: $100/person
The buffet food choices include tri-tip steak, ham, turkey, along with vegetarian choices including salads, omelets, waffles, crepes station, soups, coffee, etc.
No physical tickets are needed; please keep your emailed receipt plus we will have a master list of paid reservations at the door. If your reservation includes more than one person, please note their names in the “order notes” section when you check out. Thank you.
ALSO: those interested can join us on Saturday morning, June 22, for an all-day driving tour of Jeanette and Nelson’s homes. There’s no charge for this but if you’re interested, please note that in the “comments” section so we can coordinate drivers and cars.
Click here to get your ticket(s)! There’s limited seating so please reserve now.
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ALSO: those interested can join us the day before, on Saturday morning, June 22, for an all-day driving tour of Jeanette and Nelson’s homes (including “Mists”). There’s no charge for this but if you’re interested, please note that when you make your reservation in the “order notes” section. There will also be some planned events on Friday, June 21, likely visiting their final resting places and exploring Hollywood landmarks. If you’re coming from out-of-town, you might want to stay for a long weekend, from Thursday night until Monday. For anyone needing an affordable hotel for the weekend: We have reserved a block of rooms at a discount rate of $139 plus tax. You MUST mention that you’re with the Mac/Eddy group to get the special rate (give them the code “MAC”) and it’s recommended that you make your reservation quickly before the rooms are gone. The hotel does allow cancellations so call them for details. The hotel price includes a full breakfast buffet:
Holiday Inn Express
22617 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills
Phone: 818-222-2299
Group code: MAC
January 14 is the anniversary of the passing of two MacDonald sisters. In life they were very close so it’s ironic that they both died on the same day but different years; Jeanette MacDonald in 1965, Blossom MacDonald Rock in 1978. Without Blossom’s friendship, we would not be here today. In the early 1970s when Hollywood secrets still could not be told, her viewpoint was: “My generation, we can’t talk about it. Your generation doesn’t care.”
Remembering them both today with love and respect.
For your listening pleasure this holiday week, here’s a Nelson Eddy solo radio show in which he sings Christmas songs for nearly a half hour! Enjoy and have a safe and healthy holiday!
What a difference in Nelson Eddy, so visible to see! In this short clip above of his appearance on November 30, 1952, we see a man who, as his mother used to comment when Jeanette was in his personal life, was “beaming like a headlight.” This is the change in his whole demeanor, voice and confidence when things were good between them.
Why is he so serene here? Let’s look quickly at the timeline. This show aired live exactly 18 days after Nelson had made a surprise last-minute appearance on Jeanette’s “This is Your Life” episode. Her reaction at seeing him was obvious to everyone, and her tears were probably even more obvious to him as it was to those viewing the episode.
But just before “This is Your Life,” this happened…
October 28, 1952. Nelson’s proposed TV pilot airs, “Nelson Eddy’s Backyard.” He has that weary sadness about him, being enthusiastic as he can be, but he doesn’t look happy. Watch it at the link below and notice Nelson’s own painting of Lake Tahoe on the wall behind him as he looks at the camera and sings “Wish You Were Here.” As we know, Lake Tahoe was so vital in his life with Jeanette; it’s where he proposed marriage to her before their relationship went south for a time.
November 12, 1952. Nelson is a surprise guest on Jeanette’s “This is Your Life” episode. For anyone under the impression that Nelson’s appearance was planned in advance, you can read the original script for this episode, reproduced in our Journal #72, that shows that Nelson was NOT planned to be part of this show. It was a last minute decision on his part.
As we have noted elsewhere in great detail, Jeanette struggles to keep her composure every time Nelson’s name is mentioned and she finally cries when he appears at the show’s end. They had been personally estranged and their separate personal lives stressful during this breakup. The complete show from Jeanette’s own collection, transferred from 16mm film is below. If you haven’t watched it, it’s necessary to view and see the various dynamics and different body language with both her husband and with Nelson. It tells you more about their personal lives than any written words could.
And next, on November 30, the video at the top of this page. Per Nelson’s interview comments, it was after their personal reunion in late 1952 that they sat down and tried to plan a professional (and personal) future together, ie, singing together in nightclubs. Nelson as we know went on to do this but it was too strenuous for Jeanette with her heart condition. Except for a short solo run, she bowed out of nightclubs. Whereas Nelson, of course, made a new career for himself, for literally the rest of his life.
In their films and now in their shows that have been surfacing in recent years, we see how they wore their hearts on their sleeves. It’s all there to see!
Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy rock! Their first film, “Naughty Marietta”, screened today on TCM and tonight the book “Sweethearts” is #1 on this Amazon best seller list! Amazon has it on sale and with Prime free shipping. It’s wonderful that folks are watching their films and learning more about their lives. Very humbling and thank you for your support! The Amazon ordering link is here. Those of you living outside of the U.S. should see similar sale prices on your Amazon websites as well. The book is always available from this website as well and can be autographed at your request.
