The great comedienne was honored tonight with the Screen Actors Guild 2016 Lifetime Achievement award. As she accepts, she mentions her childhood of watching movies and about 2 minutes in she mentions Nelson and Jeanette.
Cora Sue Collins is one of the last surviving child stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She had a small role as Felice in Naughty Marietta (Cora Sue: “I love puppies!” Jeanette: “Oh, you do?” And gets her the puppy. Cora Sue: “Thank you, Princess!”) Ironically, Cora Sue also played the young Moonyean in the 1932 Norma Shearer version of Smilin’ Through. In 2015 she gave a very informative interview for the website cinephiled.com about her MGM days, the entire interview is fascinating to read (at the link) but perhaps of most interest to us is an incident involving a confrontation between Norma Shearer and Louie B. Mayer which is quoted below:
Q: Did you have much to do with studio head Louis B. Mayer?
A: Well, I used to go to his house every Sunday to have brunch with his three granddaughters and go horseback riding with them. They were perfectly nice, but it was a command performance so it felt like a job. I did it because I was told to. Oh, and there’s one story about Mr. Mayer that I don’t know if I dare tell you.
Q: Well now you have to!
A: Okay. I was about six or seven and my mother and I were sitting in Mr. Mayer’s huge outer office in the Thalberg Building with his secretary, Ida Koverman. We were waiting to go into to talk to Mr. Mayer about something. Suddenly this woman I knew quite well opened the door and starting backing out of Mr. Mayer’s office screaming, “Don’t tell me that, L.B., I f**ked all those bastards on my way up!” And with that she slammed the door, and spun around. When she saw me she literally gasped and said, “Oh, hello, Cora Sue, how are you?” She was so embarrassed. We had worked together in the film Smilin’ Through with Leslie Howard where I played her as a child. And, of course, she had been married to Irving Thalberg.
Q: Oh my God, Norma Shearer?
A: Yes! So after she ran off, I asked my mother, “What does ‘f**k’ mean?” My mother got all flustered and wouldn’t say anything. So I went over to Mrs. Koverman and asked her and she got just as flustered. I looked at both of them and said, “It’s okay. She said it to Mr. Mayer so I’ll just ask him what that word means!” As much as they begged me not to, they couldn’t shut me up and I did ask him!
Q: Egads! What did he say?
A: He got very addled and said, “Cora Sue, some day someone will explain that word to you!”
Thanks to Katie for the screenshots!
We missed this one when it was published last year but it’s very complimentary to Jeanette and Nelson:
….While many moviegoers instantly fell in love with Greta Garbo’s husky, Swedish accent in her 1930 “talkie” debut Anna Christie, MGM and Garbo’s favored leading man, John Gilbert, didn’t fare as well. A combination of his flat, affected delivery, high tenor voice and subpar recording equipment of the time made this once celebrated sex symbol of the 1920s box office poison.
Two actors of the day who faced slightly different, yet equally challenging adjustments, were Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. The two were crossover acts — singers, who transitioned from the live venues of opera houses, to actors, starring in motion pictures; Eddy, an accomplished, classically trained baritone, and MacDonald, a stunning beauty and talented soprano with a three-octave range. Between 1935 and 1942, the two singers would star in eight successful movies together, each incorporating their vocal talent with a commanding screen presence as well as an exceptionally natural comedic ability.
It’s difficult to pin down a single production by either artist to spotlight as their “best”. Nelson Eddy had nearly 30 successful opera performances under his belt before his appearance in film, in addition to various TV/radio appearances and albums throughout his career. Jeanette MacDonald was quite accomplished in her own right, having a successful run on Broadway before her film career and, like Eddy, a noteable catalog of recordings. Furthermore, is there such a thing as a “bad” Jeanette MacDonald movie? In my opinion, there simply is not.
With many fans of Eddy and MacDonald, the movie Maytime remains an all time favorite. Taking into consideration the outstanding musical performances in this film, as well as the undeniable chemistry these two shared, it’s one of my favorites as well. ….The intimate connection these two shared was unmistakable. Scenes such as these would be fodder for Hollywood gossip, for decades to come. …This performance is one of Eddy and MacDonald’s best collaborations, and of great significance to anyone who’s familiar with Nelson and Jeanette’s real-life, 30-year, on/off again, alleged affair. In “Czaritza”, the two pour their hearts out to one another, lamenting a union which cannot be. As the number climaxes and comes to a close, a tear falls from Nelson’s eye as he embraces Jeanette. To whom did this tear belong, Nelson or the Czar? Was the Czarina grieving…or was Jeanette? This aspect of Eddy and MacDonald’s relationship is an entirely different story, an offshoot to two extraordinary careers of very interesting personalities. Movie buffs who’re interested, may find the book Sweethearts by Sharon Rich an intriguing read. Other notable performances in Maytime for suggested viewing would be Nelson Eddy’s comical rendition of Ham and Eggs, Jeanette’s interpretation of the Leo Delibes classic Les Filles de Cadix and the duo’s soulful Carry Me Back to Old Virginny. Whether you’re a fan of musicals, operettas, or movie classics in general, Maytime is a must-see. Young and old fans alike, may you always “remember the day”.
As we know, Betty White is an avid fan of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Here’s an excerpt from a 2012 New Zealand interview in which she discusses her film The Lorax:
Q: Do you ever wish you were someone else in Hollywood? You have always been successful, you’ve been working your whole career, but has there been any point where you wished you had the career of someone else?
BW: Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. I would not be in this business if it weren’t for them. I know people laugh and they like to make fun of it, but I saw Naughty Marietta 48 times, and I didn’t just like Jeanette MacDonald, I was Jeanette MacDonald. I just thought she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. I did Summer stock [summer theatre festival] one year, many years later, and Jeanette Mac Donald and I we were doing the same play. She closed [the show] on Saturday night, and I was opening the next day, so I was introduced to her and my chin just dropped. I was old enough to know better than to do that, but she said, “Betty, I have so many beautiful flowers in my dressing room, would you take them and would you take care of them? I don’t want them to die.” So the whole week I was there, I was thinking, “These are Jeanette MacDonald’s flowers!” Those flowers never got such good care their entire life! She was so lovely. Meeting Nelson Eddy was just the end of the world, for me. One day I was over at NBC, and Nelson Eddy was standing down at the other end of the hall, as if he was waiting for someone. I saw him and I turned around and ran. That was as close as I got to him. He had no idea what a deep impact he had on my whole life.
Note: The play referred to above is Jeanette’s 1959 starring in the play Bitter Sweet at the Packard Music Playhouse Hall in Warren, Ohio, for the Kenley Players. Betty White had the subsequent show starring in The King and I.
“I used to think that Love was the most powerful emotion. But I found out it wasn’t. Pride is the greater emotion.” – Nelson Eddy
Today, January 18, marks the anniversary of Jeanette MacDonald’s funeral in 1965. Pictured above is a grieving Nelson Eddy. He looks shell-shocked and he told the press that this was the worst day of his life and “I didn’t know she was so sick.”
Hard to believe that he didn’t fully realize what was going down; after all, he and Jeanette generally spoke daily on the phone and he admitted to the press that they had talked just a few days earlier.
It’s not certain when the last date was that he saw her in person; certainly he accompanied her to the UCLA hospital when she was admitted just before Christmas 1964. Her private duty nurse verified that Nelson visited Jeanette during the hospital stay – although not on her shift.
Once Jeanette was released from UCLA and the private duty nurse was let go by Gene Raymond (and replaced with no one) on January 4, 1965, there was a period of 8 days before Gene finally sprang into action, putting his dying wife on a COMMERCIAL plane to Houston, Texas. Her life was in such jeopardy at this point, it boggles the mind that he did not instead drive down Wilshire Blvd where they lived and take her right back to UCLA where at least they might have tried to stabilize her. And only then, since her husband was an Army Air Force pilot, perhaps Gene could have called on a friend to use a private plane instead if she had to be flown anywhere.
There is the other issue of Jeanette’s phone being removed from her bedroom which the private duty nurse, Susan Nelson, verified…but of course the the logical thinking was that Jeanette was weak and having a phone added undue stress; according to Mrs. Nelson there was no phone in Jeanette’s hospital room for that very reason.
Nelson complained when his phone calls were diverted to Gene’s apartment but his last phone call with Jeanette (made from the living room, not her bedroom) reassured him that she was doing okay and recuperating.
The timing of Gene finally taking Jeanette to Houston cannot be a coincidence as all this went down while clueless Nelson was heading to Anaheim to open his nightclub act. What would have happened if Gene called Nelson instead and said, “Hey, old man, she’s in rough shape, can you come over and help?” If Gene wasn’t going to get a private plane to Houston, Nelson certainly could have quickly arranged it by calling a friend…he had connections everywhere. I think the reason Gene didn’t do this is obvious – for when the dust settled, Nelson would have understood what we now know to be true – the degree of neglect and abuse that went on under everyone’s nose.
In the end, Nelson did learn some of these details and he turned in anger to Jeanette’s sister Blossom for not alerting him. But Blossom herself seemed to be somewhat clueless. She was busy working on her TV series and she expected her sister was being cared for by those whose job it was to do exactly that.
In the years that I knew Blossom, she never expressed anger or lashed out against Gene Raymond regarding Jeanette’s final days…her only comment was finding a single can of soup in the cupboard but her assumption was – just like Nelson, that everything was being attended to with food made or brought in and Jeanette being carefully cared for and fed as best as she would eat.
But even as a teenager, my learning about this for the first time and trying to ask Blossom non-accusatory questions regarding Jeanette’s last days was frankly difficult…Blossom did mention the topic of some arguments Jeanette obliquely referred to in her 1963 diary about the “same old thing”…namely, Gene’s efforts to convince Jeanette that Nelson no longer cared for her. For decades I have said little about this subject, not wanting to judge either Blossom or Nelson because I felt I had to be missing some of the facts. But the discovery of Jeanette’s desk diary put into perspective that yes, this is exactly how things went down to its sad ending.
Below, Nelson standing on the left of the photo as Jeanette’s casket is carried out of the church. Note that all the honorary pallbearers are looking at the casket, Nelson is looking down.
Why did Jeanette not complain to either her sister or Nelson? It seems she confided in no one as to certain challenges in her life. We have learned that to be sadly true this last year…in her 1963 desk diary where she writes about the abuse and neglect going on in the final years of her life – which started earlier than I even understood. This has been covered in detail but honestly, there’s no joy in “being right” about what happened. It’s frankly inconceivable…. Maybe Jeanette didn’t think anyone would believe the truth after all the years of cover-up, maybe she could not muster the strength to deal with an ugly scene which, after all, she brought upon herself and blamed herself for. Her weight fell at times to below 100 pounds and she was suffering constant dizzy spells, fainting, migraines, etc. as her heart was failing.
I discuss in Sweethearts several “reasons” Jeanette gave for not wanting Nelson to see her as an aging sick woman. Getting old is no fun for anyone, having to scale back financially, being less able to work or do projects, having a body that fights your mind with its aches and pains, etc. But imagine what it’s like for someone who was once a great film star, idolized and on a pedestal to your public and to one certain man. When you have wielded such power, how hard is it to reach out for help in your low moments?
Was she simply resigned to the way her life was, tolerating it as abuse victims are sometimes prone to do?
While we are outraged over Jeanette’s story, there are other stars who have suffered unbeknownst to their fans… Mickey Rooney, for example, who finally spoke out but much too late. Rooney died in 2014, worth only $18,000 according to press reports. In October 2015, The Hollywood Reporter ran this article:
He was one of Hollywood’s greatest actors, someone whose estate could have been worth hundreds of millions when he died in summer 2014. Instead, he endured beatings, humiliation and poverty at the hands of his eighth wife and one of her sons, both accused today of elder abuse and destroying a legend.
Mickey Rooney shrieks in pain. Is he OK? “No, I’m not,” he says, choking back tears. It’s July 2010, inside The Grill on the Alley in Thousand Oaks, and in the midst of an interview with one of the authors of this piece, the diminutive 89-year-old has been kicked under the table by his eighth wife, Jan, as confirmed by his stepson, Chris Aber, who also is at the table. “She kicked him real hard,” says Chris with a laugh. Rooney’s offense? Rambling in his answers.
This meeting took place because the interviewer (who, as a then-freelance writer, was gathering material for a book) agreed to requirements set forth by Jan and Chris and conveyed to him over the phone by Kevin Pawley, Rooney’s Kentucky-based manager: Bring a check for $200 and slip it to Chris when Rooney wasn’t paying attention (ostensibly because financial transactions made him uncomfortable) and treat the three of them to lunch at the restaurant (Jan later ordered dinners to go for each of them).
A flip cam at the end of the table rolls as Jan, theatrically seeking the source of what caused her husband’s pain, peers under the table for a moment and then turns to Chris and scolds him for confirming, in part, what the general public only would learn later: In his final years, Rooney was the victim of ongoing elder abuse.
The alleged wrongdoing and how it went on for so long has been a mystery — until now. Five years after that interview, and more than a year after the star’s death, an investigation by The Hollywood Reporter (uncovering legal documents, witness testimony and financial records that never before have been publicized) indicates Rooney’s life was more abusive than he let on while he was alive.
My daughter Juliet and I went to see Mickey Rooney’s show during one of the last times he performed in New York state. He was still an entertainment powerhouse, a born vaudevillian who you sensed would die with his boots on. But I watched him carefully during a segment when the room went dark and some film footage was shown of him and Judy Garland as kids. He stood to the side leaning against a table; I ignored the movie footage and studied him. He looked very tired and frail and tried to catch his breath, he was gasping a bit. The footage of Judy brought tears to his eyes, he wept unabashed for a moment before wiping his eyes. My heart broke watching him, why did he have to be trotted out like this? Was this fun for him? Did he need the money that badly?
Well yes, apparently he did. After the show, Juliet and I dutifully bought something so we could meet and greet him, then we stood to the side just to observe. The wife and the son in particular were running the whole show and Mickey was very meek and compliant and honestly, something seemed very off about the whole setup. Juliet and I finally left and discussed our fears about his health during the entire drive home.
How much courage does it take for an older celebrity to reach out when help is needed?
I have written before about attending Eleanor Powell’s birthday party, 1978 I think it was. To walk in and meet her and have her do a dance for her guests – just to show that she still could dance like a dream – was a thrill. She was as gracious as could be but the first thing I noticed was that her clothes and shoes seemed a bit worn. This was a red flag to me but I said nothing. I also had a few phone conversations with her and twice we had long talks – or rather, she did most of the talking – and I realized then that she must be a very lonely person. She hardly knew me, she loved to reminisce about Nelson Eddy and she clearly adored him as her eyes filled with tears while discussing him with me at her party. Other than the politics between fan clubs, I don’t remember exactly what she was chatting about on the long phone calls. Only that I sensed her life was not all rosy.
When Peter Ford finally wrote a biography of his dad, Glenn Ford, only then did the facts come out that Eleanor suffered financial challenges in later years after her divorce from Ford and her life was difficult. I had observed something was not right and was saddened to learn that my observation was accurate. She was such a kind lady…no, it wasn’t fair.
Susanna Foster…It was obvious that she needed help when I first met her in 1983. She was living in a tiny place off Hollywood Blvd. with one of her fans. (Before that she was kicked off welfare and was living in her car.) There was no food in her refrigerator (just a bottle of wine) and I offered to take her shopping and/or to give her some money but she was too proud to accept help. Besides, she told me, she was taking on a job as a switchboard operator so she would have a salary. My God, this talented singer with a genius IQ working as a switchboard operator? She called me to pick her up when she was quickly fired and it was only then that I realized that her acting skill cleverly covered up what was obviously mental illness. She had spunk and stubborn pride and since she was proud of her singing voice still (she sang for me to prove it), I arranged for a singing gig – just a few numbers – that would have paid her a couple hundred dollars… as she wanted no charity. But – no, it was beyond what she could deal with. She did agree to have me take her out to eat at Musso and Frank’s. She ordered freely, assuming Paramount Studios was paying for this meal. Whatever. I happily paid and was glad she had leftovers to take home. I met one of her sons at the apartment, Philip (named after England’s Prince Philip), who was emaciated and strung out on drugs. Her other son Michael, wrote me the details of Philip’s death two years later:
On that November evening in 1985 Philip lapsed into hepatic coma (liver failure) on my mother’s living room floor and died three days later in Van Nuys Hospital. He was deeply steeped in the disease of alcoholism…he was an ‘alcoholic’, a very very sick one. Our family was literally wracked- to- death by this and mental illness. As you know my poor mother had a very sick mother was also alcoholic AND mentally ill. Both of my mother’s sister were heavily afflicted by mental illness and alcoholism. The majority of their children are fated with this dilemma. My son is schizo-affective as well as alcoholic and my daughter is alcoholic. This is a family disease….and you’re right it is “truly a miracle” that I can even write this note to you.
Michael Evans prided himself on being the only sane person in his family…but he admitted that even he struggled. He spoke at a club event in New York City and went into uncomfortably graphic details about what Susanna Foster endured during her childhood. And I questioned him separately about WHY Susanna and her two children lived sometimes in near-poverty in the years after her divorce from baritone Wilbur Evans. Why did Evans not realize that his children were at risk or that Susanna was not capable of taking care of herself or her children? Again – it was pride.
I also asked Michael why he or his brother did not confide to their father the sufferings they endured in their childhood… but they were numb. They didn’t want to rock the boat and perhaps upset their dad or their precarious lifestyle.
Michael was grateful that I understood the problems with his mother because some of her fans blamed him for not “helping” her when she refused all help. Eventually, though, he moved her to the East Coast where he lived and made sure she was safely taken care of in the Actors’ Home in New Jersey. When Susanna died I spent literally hours with Michael on the phone as he discussed the tragedy of his life and legacy.
I’m sure there are many more stories of film stars or celebrities who kept quiet about suffering in their later years – when any fan off the street would have been more than happy to help them in any way they could.
No wonder Jeanette leaned on her fans to the degree that she did, even in her declining days.
Below, Jeanette in her Houston hospital room about a year before her death.
Bringing this article back around to the subject of Jeanette’s own PRIDE, it appalls me to see how right up to the end, Nelson Eddy was treated like the “black sheep” of Jeanette’s life. Except by her sister Blossom, Nelson was considered a thorn in their side, “he who must not be named,” the outcast. Case in point: Jeanette being rushed to the hospital on December 21, 1964 but Nelson was unable to sign as a family member for the necessary surgery so what did he do? He had to find the husband of record and he called Jeanette’s secretary, Emily West, for Gene’s whereabouts. And after he located Gene and the surgery was done, what did Emily West do? Write a letter to Clara’s fan club president, Clara Rhoades, postmarked December 28, 1964, in which she notes that her Christmas plans were spoiled, she had planned a dinner for “J and G and Blossie and Gene’s brother and wife…”
But did Emily bother to invite Nelson to said dinner? Never, of course not! Probably he would have declined anyway, preferring to spend time privately with Jeanette rather than having to play social friends with people who didn’t like him – excluding Blossom. That’s probably why he had his own apartment in the building right next door to Jeanette. (This did not become public knowledge until after Nelson’s death, when his widow eventually chose to move into it.) Or maybe Ann had made plans for him with her family. But that’s not the point. My God, the man had been a fixture in Jeanette’s life for over 30 years. And yet to the bitter end, they only had stolen moments together. And lived with constant disapproval around them, whether voiced loudly or not at all.
Does Emily mention that Nelson was the upset, traumatized one who went to the hospital with Jeanette, that Nelson was even on the scene? Nope – that’s all conveniently rewritten out of history! Instead, Emily is quick to point out that on Christmas Gene “managed to make it to dinner and THEN (underlined) returned to the HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY (underlined). “So our Xmas wasn’t too gay this year!” writes Emily. And Gene Raymond comes off looking like the very devoted husband diligently putting his wife first. “As ever – Emily” she signs this letter and yes, it was as ever, always spinning the correct PR.
For some reason, it seems far more painful this year to contemplate the events leading up to Jeanette’s funeral on January 18. The rejection and pain that Nelson endured – on so many levels – must have been devastating.
Here is further reading about Nelson’s reaction to Jeanette’s death, funeral footage and a telling photo of Nelson one month later.
But…better to end on a high note and remember them in their youth…when the world first discovered this magical team.
Today we remember Jeanette MacDonald…but instead of the normal tribute to her life and career, I’d like to quote from a Nelson Eddy fan report of a concert given by Nelson on April 22, 1942. This was during World War II and on this Wednesday evening, Nelson was singing in El Paso, Texas to a crowd sitting on folding chairs. The female fan wrote:
When Nelson Eddy strides out I am almost electrocuted. He is a very different Eddy in concert than the one I had been seeing…. “Star Spangled Banner” – his voice ringing out deep and clear above everybody’s…. He is not merry tonight; in fact, rather sad. sad, quiet, poised…
Mr. Eddy had as his guests 100 soldiers from the hospital. They requested him to sing “Danny Boy” and he said that as he didn’t know the words very well he would sing it with different words, “My Love of Londonderry” and we could just imagine he was singing the other ones.
At this point Nelson proceeded to sing the “Danny Boy” melody but with different lyrics. It should be noted that Nelson had, in fact, sung this song several previous times on the radio, in 1936, 1937, 1939 and 1940. He would sing it at least six more times on radio and record it twice on record. On his 1936 tour, it was one of his standard encores after every performance. Here are the original lyrics:
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer’s gone, and all the flowers are dying
‘Tis you, ’tis you must go and I must bide.But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow
‘Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You’ll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an “Ave” there for me.And I shall hear, tho’ soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you’ll not fail to tell me that you love me
I’ll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.I’ll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.
It’s highly unlikely that Nelson Eddy “didn’t know the words very well.” Granted, this song has been sung with different lyrics over the decades but certainly Nelson was quite familiar with it. What stands out is that after singing “Danny Boy” in September 1936 and September 1937, Nelson did not sing the sing the song the following autumn – of 1938.
So what happened in 1938? Why did the song drop out of his repertoire altogether in the fall of that year with a future lame excuse that he “didn’t know the words very well?”
I’m sure some of you are a few steps ahead of me here… aware that in 1938 Jeanette MacDonald came the closest she would ever come to having a baby with Nelson Eddy…a too-premature boy that did not live but that they named Daniel, in honor of her deceased father.
In 1937 and 1939, Nelson sang on his radio show the different lyrics found below. The alternate version that Nelson sang was called “My Love of Londonderry.” In his intro to singing it (in 1937), Nelson says: “Inspired by the old and familiar ‘Londonderry Air’, Helen Vordemann Knox made it into a romantic love song. Through her re-setting of the music, she added a beautiful and poetic lyric. Then very appropriately she called it, ‘My Love of Londonderry’. ”
This is the version that Nelson chose to sing when not wanting to do the standard “Danny Boy” lyrics. He’s referring to the blue-eyed girl that he loves. This cannot be coincidental because in 1937 he was facing making a new film with Jeanette after her marriage to Gene Raymond…and he wasn’t doing a very good job of pretending he was over her. And as for October 22, 1939, Nelson was again trying desperately to make peace with Jeanette so they could work together in New Moon. These were highly personal lyrics, proclaiming his love for her. Did it soften her up? Remember also that Nelson told Jeanette to sing “One Kiss” just for him, writing her that “my love for you is indestructible.” So what did Jeanette do? She sang “One Kiss” on a radio show exactly one week later, October 29, 1939.
In September of 1940 Nelson sang it again – on a show called “We Think of England.” Not his normal radio show. And then he skipped 1941. Then sang “My Love of Londonderry” at this April 1942 concert and and less than a month later the same melody on the radio again – but instead with the original “Danny Boy” lyrics (we have the show here to verify).
Truly this was a sad song for Nelson after 1938 with the “Danny Boy” lyrics…but when requested to sing it by an audience of WWII servicemen, he sang the more personal lyrics instead about a beautiful girl with sweet blue eyes…and “the love that never dies.” Though even with that version, the fan writing about Nelson’s concert in April 1942 noted how subdued he was.
Actually, folks, there WAS a reason that Nelson chose not to sing “Danny Boy” that evening and it had everything to do with what was happening in his life and in Jeanette’s at that time. But that is another story. The audience accepted the excuse he gave.
So on this 2016 anniversary of Jeanette MacDonald’s death, here is an obvious tribute to her life, beauty and love sung by a man who knew her better than any of us ever could. Here are the lyrics for “My Love of Londonderry”, a song that at times had a private, special meaning when Nelson sang them:
‘Twas in the dear old town of Londonderry
‘Twas in the merry, merry month of May.
‘Twas there I found my own, my blue-eyed darling.
In one short hour she stole my heart away.
“Will you be mine?”, I asked her, gently pleading.
“Sure it was heaven that made you just for me.”
Only one look she gave me from her sweet blue eyes
But in that glance, I saw the love that never dies.‘Twas in the dear old town of Londonderry
‘Twas in the merry, merry month of May
The blackthorn buds were bursting into flower
The birds were singing blithe and gay.
Sure my own heart itself with joy was bursting
God ever bless the merry month of May
For it was then I found my blue-eyed darling
And wooed and won her heart to be my own always.
As a postscript, the fan wrapped up her narrative:
The Liberty Hall – where the concert was held – was 7 blocks from “our” hotel…. I rushed [to get back to the hotel] for it was blowing and raining…. When I got there I sat on the big majestic chair which was near the elevators – a tall, straight backed carved Spanish affair. In about two minutes a party came marching in the front doors, a pair of broad shoulders being the most dominant element…How different he looked from that concert apparition! Maybe it was that big grey overcoat, but he looked rather huge, very tired and quiet.
Note: Nelson did write the lyrics to a new song about Jeanette; the 70th anniversary of his singing “My Wonder One” on the radio is explored here.
Today we celebrate Jeanette’s life…and also remember and honor her older sister Blossom Rock (aka Marie Blake, pictured below) who, ironically enough, also died on this day exactly thirteen years after Jeanette on January 14, 1978.
By the way, you can listen to Nelson’s radio rendition of this song at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npqMilMRCkk. Note that the video says 1938 but once it starts playing the correct date is flashed on the screen, it’s the 1937 version that Nelson sang on September 19, 1937. Thanks to Kitty Job for spotting this and providing the correct link.
Today marks the 70th anniversary of Nelson Eddy introducing a new song on radio. It was announced as “My Wonder One” with the sheet music published as “My Magic You.” Whatever the title, on January 13, 1946, Nelson’s fans tuned in to his weekly radio series, The Electric Hour, and wondered at the love-sick lyrics written by Nelson himself, set to music by Nelson’s accompanist Ted Paxson. For those of you who have watched Nelson’s “schmaltzy” performance singing on the 1954 Bob Hope TV show (following his unexpected appearance on Jeanette’s guest radio spot with Bob Hope, so Nelson was in a highly emotional mood) you might notice a similar heightened, blatant emotion. The song stunned Nelson’s listeners and the fans were all abuzz afterwards…could it really be true, etc….
Listen to the song at the link below.
Thanks to Katie Gardner for putting together a new video for this song, using Nelson’s own handwritten words to Jeanette that only serve to back up the intimate lyrics he wrote and sang.
A 17-year old singer describes Nelson Eddy to his generation: “The most inspirational voice you’ve never heard.”
That’s right! Well into the 21st century, Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald continue to inspire and find new audiences – both with their music and their films! Below is an article written by Sean Maher for his high school newspaper. Sean is currently watching all the MacDonald/Eddy musicals and wrote on Facebook: “I watched Rose Marie, then Naughty Marietta. I’ll probably do Maytime next. It’d take hours to watch all of them back to back, and because I’m autistic, my attention span is only so long.”
Sean writes: “Nelson Eddy lived in a time where you actually had to be able to sing in order to be considered a talented singer; there were no computers to edit your voice. He has a better voice than most popular voices today.” He adds that Nelson “was an inspiration to the kids of his day, and is an inspiration to me….Just five minutes of your time is all I ask to open you up to a talented man, who in his time entertained, enriched lives, and inspired many people.”
Sean also has a beautiful baritone voice and here is a video of him singing at his school talent show.
Thanks to Sean’s mother, Eileen Maher, for giving us permission to re-publish Sean’s article and video on our website, and to Bern Schwartz for coordinating.
You can contact Sean directly on his Facebook profile.
BRAND NEW BOOK RELEASE!
From the kitchen of JEANETTE MACDONALD: Her personal recipe collection
Introduction by Sharon Rich
ISBN: 978-0-9903230-2-0
Published by Bell Harbour Press
Wire bound, full color on every page!
8.5 x 11″, 96 pages
From the back cover:
“This is the personal recipe collection of 1930s movie star and singer Jeanette MacDonald. She was also famous for her Hollywood parties. Each page of her original cookbook binder is reproduced in color along with her own handwritten notes and menu planning. In addition, many rare photos and some of her popular published recipes are included along with recipes contributed by her mother, grandmother and her co-star Nelson Eddy.”
Note: The cookbook has color on every page and is priced as a fundraiser so the profits can be used toward purchasing other unique items that may become available from Jeanette’s personal collection. Thank you for your support!
Sample pages:
Thanks to Mary Lynn Grana for allowing us to publish this and to Don Schumann for another amazing book cover! You can order the book at this link!
In 1973, Jeanette MacDonald: A Pictorial Treasury was published. I was 19 years old. I dedicated the book to Jeanette’s older sister and my good friend, Blossom Rock. I had met Blossom two years earlier while volunteering at the Motion Picture Home which was close by to where I lived in Woodland Hills.
The Home was putting on a variety show as a fundraiser using their own residents – either from “The Lodge” (assisted living section) or the “cottages” which was like your own little home but with a group dining room for meals if one preferred. It turned out Blossom was doing a song-and-dance number with her brother-in-law, Gene Raymond. All of the performers, ambulatory or not, sat in wheelchairs in a half-circle on the stage, wheeled out by their helpers (that was us, the gals from the high school honor society doing our “good deed” for the month). And then each performer did their number – again, some sang from their wheelchairs and others not. Blossom got up, and she and Gene did a tap dance. Blossom’s dancing was nimble still – even just walking she still had that dancer’s walk – very similar to Jeanette’s – but as for the song…well, you could tell she had a sweet singing voice, on pitch and she could hum the melody but her attempt to sing the words was garbled, the results of her stroke.
Below is a picture taken that day of us. Note Caesar Romero as MC. Sitting next to Blossom, by the way, on her left is Sally Benson who wrote Meet Me in St. Louis. What a sharp wit that woman had!
In Sweethearts, I explain in more detail about my friendship with Blossom. How I came to know that Blossom was Jeanette MacDonald’s older sister, which frankly meant nothing to me as I was not familiar with the Mac/Eddy films. Only after I watched a theater screening of the movie Sweethearts with Blossom did I “get it”. And after that screening when Blossom affirmed that yes, Nelson and Jeanette were in love while making that film and that Jeanette was pregnant – with Nelson’s child – I suddenly realized there was an untold story here. And Blossom was annoyed that her sister’s life had faded into the shadows and was not included among the handful of universally worshiped Hollywood “greats.” Blossom wanted that remedied. And she made me understand that because I was of a younger generation, the freewheeling culture of the 1970s, maybe I could see this with a more objective eye. None of this was particularly shocking or scandalous except when considered by the secrecy and morals of those days.
Hollywood still has, to this day, many secrets that still have not come out and probably never will. Jeanette and Nelson’s adulterous love affair (as it was viewed then) is pretty tame in comparison to other stories. It only SEEMS shocking because Jeanette in particular played up her blissful marriage and overall prim and proper life to her fan base. She was not, as she said to interviewer Tony Thomas, “the angelic creature I seemingly represent to a certain – uh, group of people.”
Once I agreed to write a book about Jeanette, I was hit head-on by the early sources who were still afraid to talk freely or go public. The climate of fear was very strong. Blossom handed me her phone book, I made calls, met the first round of people. She also encouraged me to attend the annual meeting of the Jeanette fan club which I did. Made the mistake of blabbing to everyone I met at the initial hotel room reception how sad it was that Jeanette was pregnant by Nelson during the filming of Sweethearts and how Mayer wouldn’t let them marry. You can imagine how well that went over! Only because I was known to be Blossom’s good friend is why they didn’t toss me out immediately – as I was a loose cannon. The disapproving glares and stares finally shut me up. And Clara Rhoades attempted diplomacy, not trying to tell me that Blossom’s information was untrue (as she knew I’d never buy that, it had already been confirmed elsewhere) but cautioning me that this was upsetting, the fans didn’t want to hear it so maybe I’d better not discuss it here. Stupid me, I agreed and shut my mouth going forward…for the next few years actually, except in private.
In the meantime, Gene Raymond had been cautiously friendly with me. And as I wrote in a 1979 article:
Blossom had long ago given up on speech therapists and refused to see them. It amazed me that for several days at a time, her speech could be perfect. I consulted a therapist myself and was instructed on how to help Blossom, which I did. For a few months we spent part of each day working. The hospital staff was astonished that Blossom was tolerating my help when she had refused others. Even Gene Raymond…commented to me on how much good my presence was doing Blossom.
But I ultimately freaked out Gene Raymond (who was visiting Blossom) by asking him too many questions about a photo, he suddenly tried to stop both the book project and my contact with Blossom. More from that 1979 article:
I tried to visit Blossom but the nurses told me they had orders not to let me see her…. Finally I called Blossom and asked her if this was her wish too. She was furious and agreed to let me in the back door of the Lodge where she lived. Thus I continued to see her almost daily; either she would sneak me in or I’d take her out for a drive and ice cream. Finally one day I got brave and put on a disguise, and waltzed past the nurses with no recognition on their part! [I had prearranged this with Blossom, by the way.] Blossom was watching, a huge grin on her face, and once we got out of the nurses’ view, we burst out laughing and howled the rest of the afternoon!
I have so many treasured recollections of Blossom…the time the head nurse suddenly made an appearance at Blossom’s door, knocking impatiently. Knowing I’d be thrown out if caught, Blossom grabbed my arm and pulled me into the bathroom, shoving me in the shower. Closing the bathroom door behind her, she sweetly greeted the nurse, chatted aimlessly then finally ushered the woman out. Afterwards, we laughed at her quick thinking till we were weak.
For a time, I came and left through Blossom’s sliding glass door but finally, no one seemed to care anymore about me so I resumed visiting Blossom normally…and I continued to visit her openly throughout the rest of her life without any issues. In fact, one night when Blossom had the flu I stayed overnight to sit with her since the new nurse on the floor complained that “it was a real pain” to have the added work of keeping an eye on Blossom. I wrote: “In the morning she was amazingly better, much to the frazzled nurse’s astonishment.”
I did speak face-to-face with Gene Raymond about this whole scene, he was very nervous when confronted and tried to deny his involvement but I detailed all the specifics I had been told. No telling though whether that’s why the “ban” was lifted. (The full version of this article can be found in this book.)
Perhaps you can understand why, when the pictorial book was published, I decided to look like I was towing the party line – so as not to be sued and also not to scare off those who might come forward and speak to me as a result of this book being published.
So I only hinted that there was more than met the eye.
This book filled with innocuous text still had two shockers in it – for which I was attacked anyway!
First, I had the nerve to publish Jeanette’s accurate birthdate. Sure, you may notice that other authors wrote in pre-1973 Hollywood books that Jeanette was possibly born in 1901, 1903, 1907, etc. But the difference was that MY information came RIGHT FROM JEANETTE’S SISTER! I was not using the nonsense 1907 birthdate that the fan club claimed and that even Gene Raymond used on Jeanette’s crypt. And I was stating 1903 as FACT not rumor or assumption.
Eek!!! Horrors!!!!! The shock of it!!!! I was called a liar and received hate letters from several of those fan club people. See below for evidence of my awful transgression:
To not alienate Gene Raymond, the fan club or anyone else, I wimped out and presented the happy Jeanette-Gene marriage. How else to learn more from this camp without being a double agent? And yet I couldn’t stomach not having the truth in there somewhere…and so I shouted as loudly as I could on the final pages of this book…because in the case of Jeanette and Nelson the pictures tell it all, do they not?
And Nelson’s pain close up:
And in case you can’t read the text, here are the very last words of this book:
Later that day when television reporters interviewed him reality sank in and Nelson grieved, “I didn’t know she was dying. I’ll never get over it.”
Friends claim he never did.
Another round of attacks and hate letters and threats…I made many enemies for writing those carefully chosen words. Laughable, isn’t it?
When I did press for the pictorial book, I had to continue to be very careful. As revealed in Sweethearts, Ann Eddy asked Emily West to show up at my radio interview with Thomas Cassidy. To make sure that I – quote – “didn’t spill the beans”. Which Emily did. Sat across from me and stared me down, daring me to open my mouth. Well, folks, I was still a wimpy coward and my voice quaked in that interview as I said nothing of importance.
But even in a newspaper interview, I tried to hint again at the truth, saying that the marriage between Jeanette and Gene ENDURED all their lives.
As I had hoped, post publication, new people came forward with information, several who knew that I knew…and so felt freer to speak openly.
***
I met Diane Goodrich at my first Jeanette fan club and to my surprise, she was NOT afraid to talk. She had known Nelson through her father and she had several lengthy conversations with Nelson alone during a period of time when his life was at a low point. He and Jeanette were broken up and he was re-examining how it had all gone south, what he did to contribute to the scene but mostly how he had loved Jeanette despite everything, stuck with her through thick and thin but finally she dumped him. She was through with him and now much time had passed and he was finally coming to terms with it and trying to move on with his life. This was August 1951, by the way.
Over the next few years Diane and I worked together researching, me generally dealing with the pro-Jeanette folks and Diane meeting up with the pro-Nelson ones. Due to the climate of the times, there was no way I could keep my promise to Blossom in a timely way to get the full story out – even if I fully understood it – which of course I didn’t. But we also had no support from our sources…no one would go public, they assured us they would disavow and threaten to sue if they were quoted. Actually, Marie Gerdes (formerly Waddy) who once ran Jeanette’s fan club, was a gentle, sweet lady and she was perhaps the lone person who offered support but warned me of the heartache I faced if I was foolish enough to try and buck the establishment.
So bottom line, Diane and I would gather up the latest information from our sources and then go over with Blossom for her take on it. We made the rounds, seeking out older Hollywood folk and others who would talk. In June 1977, there was a huge dust-up at a screening of New Moon with the Jeanette fan club. The Nelson fans were defiant enough to clap after Nelson’s singing solo. At which point the movie projector was shut off and Clara Rhoades – a schoolteacher by profession – stood up and gave the Nelson supporters a stern lecture. Which resulted in several of them walking right out of the room. Including Diane Goodrich. I hesitated – still a wimp by nature, sadly! and then decided enough was enough. I walked out too.
At the end of that week was the grand finale dinner, MC’d by Gene Raymond. This was the event at which Sunny Griffin was a featured guest speaker, the flavor of the week. He was introduced as Jeanette’s friend and he related funny anecdotes about his days hanging out with her in New York. Gene greeted him warmly by the way. And early into the reception I took the opportunity to take Sunny over to greet Blossom, to observe her reaction at seeing him. Between Blossom indeed knowing him and Gene’s endorsement – and Emily West’s as well, by the way, I verified Sunny as a valid source.
After the New Moon fiasco, Diane Goodrich decided to start a fan club for both Jeanette and Nelson, to reach out to folks with the truth and to hopefully have more people feel free to come forward with information. She asked me to be Vice-President and I agreed. While visiting Blossom during that summer, we discussed these plans with her and asked her if she would be willing to be the first honorary member. She agreed. The first issue of the magazine was published in late September of 1977 – and guess what? During that summer we had READ ALOUD TO BLOSSOM EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE IN THAT FIRST ISSUE!!!
And she approved it all, even the cover layout I designed which by today’s standards was my poor attempt at colorizing a photo!
This included Diane’s first letter to folks about why a team club was needed:
Here’s what was on “Their Page”:
The main article was about both stars’ early years up through their meeting and their first disastrous date where Jeanette walked out in tears:
Notice Nelson’s quote: “I think it was that moment that I really started loving her. She needed me and I was forever hooked.” This is what he told Diane Goodrich in 1951. She wrote this in 1977. Please note that it wasn’t until 1990 that I ever saw what Isabel Eddy wrote about this time or what Nelson himself wrote in a letter from the 1940s stating “I wanted to crush her to me and kiss away her tears.”
And here is more – all of which was read to Blossom – about their early attempts at a relationship, Jeanette having to deal with Nelson’s temper and stubborn ideas about what he wanted in a wife…and why a marriage between them seemed incompatible and unworkable in the months before Naughty Marietta was begun:
In short, the beginnings of the story was to some degree all there and was read out loud to Blossom. As I recall, she corrected a few things or had some comments…which I had to retype on my typewriter.
When this magazine was published, Blossom was immediately given a copy and it went right on her night table to browse through along with my pictorial book and the Eiffel Tower nightlight I had brought her from Paris and a few other things. Actually, while I gave her the Paris nightlight in the summer of 1972, by some point in the year 1977 (as shown below), it seems it now had a place of honor on her dresser!
The point is, folks, that Blossom was fully aware of what was being written and how we intended to unfold the full story of the Jeanette-Nelson romance in the upcoming magazines.
PS: In answer to questions I am asked as to whether Blossom was bitter? Was she angry at Gene? I have to say overall – no. Blossom was practical, with a wry sense of humor, she shrugged off any dramatics. It was over, it had happened. Part of it was that she couldn’t express herself well verbally. Both more it was that, from her responses to our questions, she accepted at face value the way Jeanette’s life turned out and the scrapes that Jeanette got herself into. I’m not sure Blossom knew the totality of what we now know about Gene’s neglect of Jeanette in those last years. As I wrote in Sweethearts, she only expressed doubts about Gene one time to me. Otherwise, she was angrier at Nelson.
She was FURIOUS, however, when I learned that Gene was selling her house in Beverly Hills without telling her. But I was not there to hear that argument.
I did see Blossom angry with Gene two other times. Once over me, he was scolding her about how much she was telling me. The other incident, I don’t know what it was about.
Gene dutifully showed up on a weekend day pretty regularly (at least in the early ’70s) to take Blossom out for a drink and a smoke. He was friendly and affectionate with her from what I could see. He didn’t show up every week but he was around. Gene was on the Board there so he had business that brought him to the Motion Picture Home anyway. (He also invited Blossom to his wedding to Nelson Ada Hees, his second wife.)
By the way, there were non-publicized problems at the Motion Picture Home while Gene was involved. Reports of neglect and abuse of residents, in fact, Jane Withers asked me if I would testify as to what I had seen there as there were complaints and this was all being investigated. I had helpful information and I agreed but I’m not sure any legal actions were pursued.
In summation, the admittance of a Jeanette-Nelson romance was published during Blossom’s lifetime, with Blossom’s support. The opposing side was silent at that time, at least in public. How could they argue against her? To do so would have meant them calling Blossom a liar. They couldn’t call her senile as she certainly still had her wits about her – as evidenced by her presence and interaction at the June 1977 fan club dinner, so it was going to be very difficult to explain away her cooperation a mere 6 weeks later. By then Diane and I had announced and sent out a letter to all the Mac/Eddy fans that we knew to alert them that a new team club was being formed, what it was about, that fans who had information should come forward, and that the first magazine was currently being written with the full support of Blossom and would be published in September.
We are all lucky, folks, that Blossom was the plucky and forthcoming person that she was. No wonder Jeanette looked up to her.