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
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!
On sale this week for Valentine’s Day! An oversized, hardcover, glossy coffee table book, the first biography of Jeanette MacDonald published 50+ years ago! Here’s the link.
Today marks the 60th anniversary of Jeanette MacDonald’s death at age 61. She is pictured above on the set of her favorite film, Maytime (1937). Also remembering today Jeanette’s sister Blossom, who ironically died 13 years to the day after Jeanette, at age 82. In a radio interview Blossom gave some months after Jeanette’s death, she sounds loving and sad about her sister but practical and down-to-earth. Which is why she was a steadying figure for Jeanette, whose life was often fairly dramatic. And that’s what she was like when I knew her. She would sometimes confirm or clarify the most heartbreaking stories and remain dry-eyed, whereas we’d walk out of there and head back to our car, bawling our eyes out. You can listen to her interview below. Remembering both sisters today with love.
Oscar-winning child actor Claude Jarman, Jr. has died at age 90. He is best known for The Yearling (1946), in which his beautiful portrayal earned him a Juvenile Oscar. Three years later, he was Jeanette’s co-star (along with Lassie) in her last film, The Sun Comes Up. Read his obituary at this link.
