Jeanette’s song is, in our opinion, the one and only song about "San Francisco!" Listen to it <a style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 255);” href=”http://www.maceddy.com/san_francisco.mp3″>here at this link.</a><br />
Please note that Turner Classic Movies TV host and author Robert Osborne has interviewed dozens (maybe hundreds) of the older Hollywood stars, filmmakers and crews, and has his own sources for verifying data. Therefore, I share the excitement of those who have forwarded me the following from the recently published March TCM guide:
“March 2006 marks the first time in TCM’s 12-year history that we’ve celebrated two Stars of the Month in a single 31-day period but–considering the duo we’re honoring–how could it be otherwise? It would be virtually impossible to salute Jeanette MacDonald without her perennial singing partner Nelson Eddy, or stalwart Nelson without lyrical Jeanette. Their names became as inseparable to the public as cheese and crackers, champagne and bubbles, beer and pretezels; they’re certainly one of the handful of great teams from Hollywood’s golden age, right up there with Astaire & Rogers, Bogart & Bacall, Powell & Loy, Tracy & Hepburn…
Before and after the films I’ll also be talking about some of the stories that have always circulated about our Stars of the Month. it’s been said that Jeanette and Nelson were, at best, chilly friends in real life and, at worst, constantly feuding. Yet a recent book offers considerable proof they may have been secret lovers for years, only pretending to be happily married to others. To further cloud the picture, Jeanette’s been described by many as a charming beauty with a delightful sense of humor; others say she was the original Iron Butterfly; larky on the surface but with ice cubes running through her veins. One thing, however, is unmistakably true: few have held the interest or the enthusiasm of fans longer than these two. For years, a large and enthusiastic ‘Jeanette & Nelson Fan Club’ has existed, with regular annual meetings…
If you’re someone wholly devoted to Snoop Dogg, Beyonce of LL Cool J, you may wonder about the longevity and deep devotion of fans over the years aimed at the pair in our March spotlight. On the other hand, don’t be surprised if, once you’ve seen and heard them, you feel the magic and catch the Jeanette & Nelson fever yourself. Millions have.”
tcm cover.gif
UPDATE: IMDB.com just reported the following interesting news tidbit:
"Movie star Shelley Winters realized her dream of marrying boyfriend Gerry DeFord hours before she died this past weekend. The Poseidon Adventure star’s partner of 18 years called off the couple’s wedding plans after Winters’ daughter Vittoria Gassman publicly opposed the marriage. Gassman, who took charge of her mother’s estate while she battled drug problems, refused to give up her right to the actress’ fortune and Winters eventually decided to give up on her wedding dreams. But she became Mrs. Gerry DeFord on her death bed when actress pal Sally Kirkland, a legally ordained Los Angeles minister, wed the couple on Friday night. It was 85-year-old Winters’ fourth marriage and DeFord’s first. Winters died of heart failure 10 hours after exchanging vows."
Oscar-winning actress Shelley Winters died last week.
Here’s a link to the L.A. Times Obituary:
link
Under the name "Shelley Winter," she co-starred with Nelson in the 1944 film Knickerbocker Holiday (see photo above and in the next news item). She wrote about the film and a confrontation with Nelson in her autobiography…and the story was retold in book Sweethearts.
To read about Knickerbocker Holiday and see pictures from the making of the film, plus the Shelley Winters connection, you can also get the Mac/Eddy Today Volume 6 book, that covers the making of the film. The link is here:
link
shelley2sm.jpg