Join us! Los Angeles event celebrating “Naughty Marietta” 90th anniversary!

Join us! Los Angeles event celebrating “Naughty Marietta” 90th anniversary!

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June 10th update!

This year marks an important anniversary for fans of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Their first movie together, Naughty Marietta, was released 90 years ago this month!

Join us on Sunday, June 22nd in Los Angeles to celebrate this event as well as the June birthdays of both Jeanette and Nelson. We have new and returning celebrity guest speakers closely associated with the film.

Our event will be held at the famous Smoke House Restaurant, with a buffet brunch and a special birthday cake. 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. Details:

Date: Sunday, June 22, 2025
Location: The Smoke House restaurant, 4420 W Lakeside Dr, Burbank (across from Warner Bros. studios)
Time: 12 noon – 3 pm
Admission: $100

Tickets must be purchased in advance at this link.

The fabulous 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. Most out-of-towners are arriving late Wednesday and leaving Tuesday.n includes more than one person, please note their names in the “order notes” section when you check out. Thank you.

NOTE: When checking out here on the website, if you already have a login on our site but have problems logging in, please order as a guest.

ALSO: these look to be our final plans for Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the event: Thursday: A partial tour of their homes including “Mists”, the “Twin Gables” property, Nelson’s Brentwood homes and his beach house. We’ll also be visiting the Santa Monica Pier.  Likely lunch at DuPar’s at Farmers’ Market. Friday: Visit the Hollywood area, both their final resting locations, and eating at Miceli’s Restaurant. Friday night we’ll screen Naughty Marietta on the big screen at the hotel at 7 pm. Saturday: walk in their shoes and take a drive to the Santa Barbara, Ojai and Solvang area, to visit the Jeanette/Nelson locations there.  Saturday evening at 7 pm we’ll show the new blu-ray of Sweethearts, again in the hotel meeting room. If you’re interested in joining us for any of these options, please specify in the “order notes” section what you would like to see or do, so we can coordinate the entire weekend, including drivers and cars. Sunday, of course, is our main event at The Smoke House in Burbank.

If you’re coming from out-of-town, you might plan to make a long weekend of it; arrive no later than Thursday night and leave Monday. Most out-of-towners are arriving late Wednesday and leaving Tuesday. Our group stays at the hotel listed below, mention (or type in if reserving online) the group code below for the special $139 rate (plus tax). Full breakfast is included. You can also have a longer stay if you’d like; the special rate is good for check-in any time from Wednesday, June 18 through Tuesday, June 24. Note: Not sure if this group rate is still available as of this date; please call the hotel directly if interested.

Holiday Inn Express
22617 Ventura Blvd
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
818-222-2299
Group code: MCD

Remembering Nelson Eddy (1901-1967)

Remembering Nelson Eddy (1901-1967)

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March 6th is the anniversary of Nelson Eddy’s passing at age 65. As he had wanted, he literally did sing till he dropped.

He was onstage in Miami about to sing a solo number, his “private moment” with Jeanette MacDonald, who had passed two years previously. Every season of his nightclub act, he chose a special song that had meaning for them, had the spotlights turned off so he couldn’t see the audience, and sang his chosen number.

The 1967 season began in Australia, with Bob Hunter replacing Ted Paxson as Nelson’s accompanist. Hunter reported that for the 1967 season, Nelson’s “private number” was “Last Night When We Were Young.” Upon returning home to the United States, Nelson had a couple weeks break and then headed to Miami to continue his tour.

Here are the lyrics to that song; one can easily understand why it had such meaning for him.

Last night when we were young
Love was a star, a song unsung
Life was so new, so real, so right
Ages ago last night

Today the world is old
You flew away and time grew cold
Where is that star that shone so bright
Ages ago last night?

To think that spring had depended
On merely this, a look, a kiss
To think that something so splendid
Could slip away in one little daybreak

So now let’s reminisce
And recollect the sighs and the kisses
The arms that clung
When we were young last night

Listen to Nelson and Jeanette radio rehearsal and live broadcast!

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The Fall of 1948 was interesting for Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. On August 17, Jeanette sang a recital at the Hollywood Bowl. Her accompanist was none other than Ted Paxson, Nelson’s accompanist! Nelson was not seen by the public at the performance; however, a letter from the time indicates that he was actually backstage! He kept out of sight, not wanting to cause a commotion by sitting out front, which might distract from Jeanette’s solo triumph. She was in fabulous voice, by the way.

On September 5th, Jeanette hosted a party at her home for Eleanor Steber. Nelson and his wife Ann attended, and Jeanette’s husband Gene was of course also in attendance. The very next day, according to Jeanette’s desk diary, she as off to Lake Tahoe, where per letters from the time, she and Nelson had a private yearly “anniversary.”

Some might claim that Tahoe had some special meaning for Jeanette and Gene and who knows; there are several documented trips in which Jeanette travels with him for show; but once arrived, they often go off on their own adventures. This was not uncommon with them over the years. Jeanette obviously does not clarify this in her fan club write-ups; over time there was sometimes confusion when she mentioned her “husband” as to which man she was talking about. However, should one think a yearly Tahoe reunion had any romantic or emotional meaning for Jeanette and Gene, they are mistaken. While they had dated and Gene continued to woo her from afar at that time, he never came to Tahoe and Jeanette would not become engaged to him for nearly a year!

The man who did propose marriage to her at Tahoe was none other than Nelson, when they were filming Rose-Marie back in the Fall of 1935. This was verified by several people’s testimony including those who were there while filming. This included their co-star Jimmy Stewart who was interviewed in 1988 at the Pennsylvania Broadcasters’ Association, when he won an award. This was Stewart’s comment: “No, they didn’t hate each other. They couldn’t have sustained all their musicals if they did. They did not hate each other. Well… I can’t really say from any personal experience except for the one movie I was in with them… but it was the exact opposite.”

Jeanette accepted Nelson’s engagement ring but as we know, a series of events resulted in them breaking up at that time. Once they returned to Los Angeles, Gene had a stronger opportunity to move in as a rebound relationship.

The owners of Tahoe’s Chambers Lodge verified to researcher Carol Kaplan that Nelson and Jeanette made yearly trips to Tahoe and stayed together at the Lodge, in Jeanette’s cabin from 1935. It’s unknown how many years they continued this private reunion.

Back to 1948. After the Tahoe trip in early September, Nelson publicly sang again with Jeanette. He was the radio host of Kraft Music Hall; Dorothy Kirsten was his regular guest co-star but she fell ill. The night before the September 16 broadcast, Dorothy cancelled. Jeanette agreed to step in. For comparison, we are lucky enough to have both the afternoon rehearsal and the live evening show that followed. Enjoy!


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