Above we see a shot from “New Moon” with Nelson Eddy … and Buster Keaton to the right of him.
Buster Keaton was a WWI veteran. Today we celebrate Armistice Day 2018 … the 100 year anniversary. Through all my years of research I was lucky enough to meet and interview several Hollywood folks from the silent years and onwards who participated in WW1. For example, if you’re an old movie buff you’d probably recognize character actor Ian Wolfe (pictured below) who appeared in many great films (including “Maytime” and “The Firefly”). Wolfe was a WW1 vet and a client of my father’s.
I also met Buster Keaton (he was mostly cut out of “New Moon”), who lost much of his hearing during WW1 while fighting in France. Remembering that great generation today… thank you .
We already know the WW2 contributions made by Nelson and Jeanette. Let’s honor all these folks today:
The photo above is a closeup from Ned Wayburn’s “Demi Tasse Revue” which opened at the Capitol Theatre on October 24, 1919. Take a close look at the girl in the center of the photo…yes, she resembles Jeanette MacDonald but those dimples give her away. It’s Jeanette’s older sister Blossom, who spoke up to Wayburn and got Jeanette her first job in the same show. Below is the full lineup of dancing girls.
And a closeup from the program, showing her billing as Blossom McDonald, still using the original correct Irish spelling of their last name.
In this important show, George Gershwin introduced his song “Swanee” while another actress had her own scandalous featured song. Recognize her?
It’s Mae West! But most important to readers here is Blossom’s younger sister, all of 16 when she landed her first small part. Already her beauty stands out above the others. Below, a signed portrait of Jeanette from 1920; note she’s still spelling her name “Jeannette.” But don’t be fooled by her waif-life beauty, the set of her chin and those determined eyes reflect a young girl ready for stardom.
Celebrating the 117th birthday of Nelson Eddy, the most famous baritone of the 20th century. He was the first “crossover” opera singer to become a major movie star and virtual rock star of his day.
Above, Nelson’s 37th birthday on the set of “Sweethearts” (1938) with his pregnant co-star/girlfriend/future secret wife Jeanette MacDonald. Posing here with a dog and her new puppies was no random coincidence as they were expectant parents at this point in time.
In 1933 when he first went to Hollywood, Nelson at first planned to make a couple of films and then return to the opera and concert life. Then his world changed completely when he met Jeanette MacDonald and their lives spun off into a totally different direction. Later he would write a song based on his love for her, shocking fans by singing such passionate lyrics on his radio show: My Wonder One.
Happy birthday, Jeanette MacDonald! Born 115 years ago… a great singer and movie star. Despite more than her share of life’s challenges, she always wore a smile in public and encouraged others. Below…what better birthday to display here today than 1938 – perhaps her happiest, with a certain baritone kissing her (in public) and sucking on her lower lip as we’ve seen so often. A happy secret shared between them…and perhaps the anticipation that the fortune teller’s prediction would come true later that year…having a special child that would do great things in the world…
Happy May Day! Thanks to Cat Clark for this beautiful artwork.
If you’re watching Maytime today, here’s a link to live blogging the movie. Adds some extra insight as to what was happening as they filmed and what to watch for! Enjoy!
Re-visiting the best seller list, one day after the TCM Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy film marathon! Right now the Kindle edition of Sweethearts is #88 in “Actors and Entertainers.” Thank you all who purchased it!
Alert! Watch live or set your DVRs! Turner Classic Movies is airing all the Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy team movies in chronological order starting at 6 am (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, April 17, 2018.
In recent weeks I’ve been chatting with folks on various Classic Hollywood groups and have come to realize that many people are not aware of the Jeanette-Nelson story or of the fascinating behind-the-scenes details of their 8 films together. It’s possible that no other screen team blurred their privates lives with their films as much as these two did. It surely was a case of reel life becoming real life…or vice versa! And an intriguing look at how Hollywood operated in the 1930s.
I will be live-blogging this entire marathon, detailing some of the following background information that adds to the enjoyment of these films:
What was happening behind the scenes in their private lives that affected each production in terms of editing, deleted scenes and even whether the movie was in color or not!
The story behind their most famous film, “Rose Marie” (1936) which was shot at Lake Tahoe when they were privately engaged and Nelson planned to elope with Jeanette in nearby Reno.
Bloopers and ad-libbing such as Nelson shoving a startled Jeanette too hard into a chair in “Naughty Marietta,” (1935); pregnant Jeanette falling on a staircase in ”Sweethearts” (1938); Jeanette cracking up and breaking out of character at Nelson’s antics in “I Married An Angel” (1942).
Why Nelson and Jeanette are both in tears in “Maytime” (1937) and why he predicted their lives would turn out like the plot of that film. Also, why he is visibly drunk in “The Girl of the Golden West (1938) and the main love duet is missing. In “Bitter Sweet” (1940) Nelson is thinner and looks weary in some scenes due to recovering from a breakdown. Additionally, why there are so few candids of them together from that movie as the studio had ordered them to squelch their renewed affair and stay away from each other off-camera.
Audio recordings and related photos, candids, screenshots and “what to watch for” guides.
Quotes and anecdotes relating to these 8 films… from or about the many co-workers or friends who granted me interviews and are quoted in my MacDonald-Eddy biography Sweethearts.
I will be happy to answer any questions I can about these films and will update this post later today with links of how to contact and read real-time updates.
The late, great TCM host Robert Osborne praised my book “Sweethearts” when it was first published, noting that it “offers considerable proof they may have been secret lovers for years.” I was also friends with Jeanette MacDonald’s actress sister Blossom Rock (grandmama in “The Addams Family”) who authorized me to write the biography because she felt her sister and Nelson Eddy were unfairly becoming forgotten when they were two of the hugest stars in the MGM galaxy…or in all of Hollywood!
For some reason “New Moon” (1940) is not included in this film marathon but can be streamed as a rental/purchase from iTunes and Vudu or purchased as a DVD from shop.tcm.com or Amazon’s website. I am posting the “New Moon” article now for those who wish to watch it in advance…or at a later date. In fact, I will keep these posts up for anyone wanting to refer to them in the future.
Note that I am not affiliated with TCM. I have lectured on this film series at the American Film Institute (AFI East Coast), at film festivals, writers’s events, in school classes and on two dedicated MacDonald-Eddy cruises.
Not sure why we never posted this particular video excerpt by itself but here it is. More details about Nelson’s 1935 Christmas letter to Jeanette can be read here.
“For Easter 1947, Nelson sent Jeanette a white satin prayer book of Psalms with passages marked for her to study and a custom-made hair clasp – a single purple violet on a green leaf with a large diamond center and a tiny diamond stem. The attached note read: ‘Darling, marriage is not always being together. It is this Life – Tenderness – Sympathy and Pity – through which we learn to accept this journey through the years – smiling through our tears. This is marriage. My Angel wife you will always be.'”
Excerpt from Sweethearts by Sharon Rich, c 1994, 2001, 2014. All rights reserved.
Happy May Day! Thanks to Cat Clark for this beautiful artwork.
