[23] He cast her as the leading lady in The Love Parade, his first sound film, which starred Maurice Chevalier. She was busy in a string of musical productions. . Only one event would permanently separate the couple - the death of Jeanette MacDonald. In 1920, she appeared in two musicals: Jerome Kern's Night Boat as a chorus replacement, and Irene on the road as the second female lead; future film star Irene Dunne played the title role during part of the tour,[12] and Helen Shipman played the title role during the other part of the tour. And I'm perfectly happy. "When Jeanette MacDonald approached me for coaching lessons," wrote Lehmann, "I was really curious how a glamorous movie star, certainly spoiled by the adoration of a limitless world, would be able to devote herself to another, a higher level of art. Annabelle's Affairs (1931) was a farce, with MacDonald as a sophisticated New York playgirl who does not recognize her own miner husband, played by Victor McLaglen, when he turns up five years later. Jeanette MacDonald's death; Nelson Eddy breaks down when interviewed, January 14, 1965 (Exclusive) maceddy 1.05K subscribers 298K views 16 years ago Hollywood's Greatest Cover-Up. [169] Raymond's wedding to MacDonald, orchestrated by Louis B. Mayer, forced MacDonald to become Raymond's "beard," and the 1938 arrest resulted in Mayer blacklisting him in Hollywood for almost two years. Birth Name: Jeannette Anna McDonald Date of Birth: June 18, 1903 Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. [55] The film featured an original score[56] by Sigmund Romberg,[57] and reused the popular David Belasco stage plot[54] (also employed by opera composer Giacomo Puccini for La fanciulla del West). He was also a surprise guest when she hosted a war-bonds program called Guest Star, and they sang on other World War II victory shows together. [78] During her 39-year career, MacDonald earned two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (for films and recordings) and planted her feet in the wet concrete in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater. She was American by nationality. "[25] The Vagabond King (1930) was a lavish two-strip Technicolor film version of Rudolf Friml's hit 1925 operetta. MacDonald appeared on early TV, most frequently as a singing guest star. He said that their last conversation was when MacDonald said, "I love you," and he replied, "I love you too;" she then sighed deeply, and her head hit the pillow. Other radio shows included The Prudential Family Hour, Screen Guild Playhouse, and The Voice of Firestone, which featured the top opera and concert singers of the time. [44] The film won an Oscar for sound recording, and received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. [137], MacDonald married Gene Raymond in 1937. That November, she did two more performances of Romo et Juliette and one of Faust in Chicago. [34], MacDonald took a break from Hollywood in 1931 to embark on a European concert tour, performing at the Empire Theater in Paris[36] (Mistinguett and Morris Gest were said to have been in the crowd)[36] and at London's Dominion Theatre,[37] and was invited to dinner parties with British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald and French newspaper critics. [58] MacDonald and Eddy played a husband-and-wife Broadway musical-comedy team who are offered a Hollywood contract. Cause of death Heart attack Role Singer Name . ), and Filming Today Press, 2005, Hollywood, California (www.GDHamann.com). A reunion with Maurice Chevalier was also considered. [178], MacDonald performed and recorded more than 50 songs during her career, working exclusively for RCA Victor in the United States. [95] She quickly repeated the role in Quebec City (May 12),[96] Ottawa (May 15 and 17),[96] Toronto (May 20 and 22),[96] and Windsor (May 24). September 8, 2014 @ Jeanette filled the years of World War II with stage performances like many other actors while husband Gene Raymond served our country overseas as a bomber pilot . . I have spent many good years in training and cultivating it, and I would be foolish to do anything which might impair or ruin it. (Jeanette MacDonald), Copyright 2023 /The Celebrity Deaths.com/All Rights Reserved. ("Lone Ranger," Episode No. [56], Mayer had promised MacDonald the studio's first Technicolor feature, and he delivered with Sweethearts (1938), co-starring Eddy. Biographer E. J. Fleming also alleged that Eddy had confronted Raymond for abusing MacDonald, who was visibly pregnant with Eddy's child[170] while filming Sweethearts, which ended with Eddy attacking him and leaving him for dead, though newspapers reported Raymond was recovering from a fall down the stairs. In the 1950s, talks with respect to a Broadway return occurred. Eisenhower. She was the third daughter of Daniel and Anne MacDonald, younger sister to Blossom (MGM's character actress Marie Blake), whom she followed to New York and a chorus job in 1920. The leading role of "The Actress" was changed to "The Singer" to allow MacDonald to add some songs. The one thing I missed was never having children. [67], I Married an Angel (1942), was adapted from the Rodgers & Hart stage musical about an angel who loses her wings on her wedding night. "[13] In 1922, she was a featured singer in the Greenwich Village revue Fantastic Fricassee,[14] for which good press notices brought her a role in The Magic Ring the next year. Watch the video and read their story at http://www.maceddy.com. 0 references. Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy Home Page", "Nelson Eddy: "The most miserable day of my life" (Jeanette MacDonald's funeral)", "Gods and Foolish Grandeur: Gene Raymond, Buddy Rogers, and three rather odd Hollywood marriages", "Jeanette MacDonald | Nelson Eddy Biography Part 3 Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy Home Page", "Jeanette MacDonald pregnancy screenshot Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy Home Page", "Lake Tahoe trip, 1948 Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy Home Page", "An Excerpt from "Sweethearts" Sharon Rich", "Religious Songs sung by Jeanette MacDonald", "Jeanette MacDonald's Operetta Favorites", "Jeanette MacDonald Sings Songs of Faith and Inspriation", The Rosary by Florence L. Barclay, new introduction by Sharon Rich, comments by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, Sweethearts: The Timeless Love Affair Onscreen and Off Between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jeanette_MacDonald&oldid=1142003300, Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale), 20th-century American women opera singers, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2008, TCMDb name template using non-numeric ID from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Performed with the Music Under the Stars Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jerzy Bojanowski, Performed with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, conducted by, Performed with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, conducted by, Performed with the Stadium Concerts Symphony Orchestra, conducted by, Performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by, Performed with the Music Under the Stars Orchestra, conducted by John Anello, "Aimez-moi ce soir", "Reviens", "Parlez-moi d'amour", ", "Lehn' Deine Wang an Meine Wang" (A. Jensen), "Ich Liebe Dich" (E. Grieg), ", It was roughly at this point when other songs were included in the concerts, such as ", Supporting acts: Mickey Sharp (comic), Yvonne Moray (singer), and The Harem Dancers, This was a mixture of a concert and a stage play, which was entirely in French, Also featured The New Wayburn Rhythm Dancers, The Rex Appeal Girls, and The Mangan-Tillerex Dancers, MacDonald also danced with Bill Alcorn and Jack Mattis, Eddy, Nelson, "All Stars Don't Spangle" movie treatment for himself and MacDonald, reprinted in its entirety in. Rouben Mamoulian directed Love Me Tonight (1932), considered by many film critics and writers to be the perfect film musical. The situation ended with MacDonald losing her baby at nearly 6 months. [106] Although he had hoped for a son who would pursue "an American dream" life that he believed he had failed to live himself, he advised his three daughters to do this instead. In 1931, Don't Bet on Women was a non-musical drawing-room comedy in which a playboy (Edmund Lowe) bets his happily married friend (Roland Young) that he can seduce his friend's wife (MacDonald). [31], In hopes of producing her own films, MacDonald went to United Artists to make The Lottery Bride in 1930. ), representatives of her fan club, former presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, Senator George Murphy, former vice-president Richard Nixon, future governor & president Ronald Reagan, and Mary Pickford; Dr. Gene Emmet Clark of the Church of Religious Science officiated. [148] DeBakey suggested open-heart surgery, and Raymond brought MacDonald into the hospital January 12. Location: Forest Lawn Glendale; Freedom Mausoleum . After Thalberg's untimely death in September, production was shut down and the half-finished film scrapped. [15] In 1925, MacDonald again had the second female lead opposite Queenie Smith in Tip Toes, a George Gershwin hit show. [74] Other thwarted projects with Eddy were The Rosary,[75] The Desert Song, and a remake of The Vagabond King, plus two movie treatments written by Eddy for them, Timothy Waits for Love and All Stars Don't Spangle. J Guy Kibbee and Alice Brady. [112] Interestingly, thirteen became a recurring number throughout her life, such as the thirteen-year gap between her overseas tours in Europe;[113] principal photography for The Merry Widow had taken thirteen weeks to film;[112] her first movie, The Love Parade, was the number-one box-office draw for 13 weeks;[114] MacDonald performed opera for the first time for a screen test thirteen years after meeting Newell (who was also on set);[115] the thirteen-year gap between her and sister Blossom's death;[108] and husband Gene Raymond's birthday was August 13. MacDonald's extensive radio career may have begun on a 1929 radio broadcast of the Publix Hour. [124] She fired her manager Charles Wagner for anti-Semitic abuse of her Jewish friend Constance Hope,[125] and declared during the 1940 presidential election, "I sing for Democrats and Republicans, black and white, everyone, and I just can't talk politics. Actress and singer who appeared in several movie musicals and played roles in Maytime and The Love Parade. She was 25 years old. She sang on The Voice of Firestone on November 13, 1950. The initial show featured guest stars Leo Durocher and Larraine Day, but it failed to find a slot. [48] A new script was filmed with a different storyline and supporting actors (including John Barrymore,[49] whose relationship with MacDonald was strained due to his alcoholism). She passed away aged only 61 on January 14, 1965. Despite music by Rudolf Friml, the film was not successful. Jeanette Anna Macdonald Birth Place Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Born June 18, 1903 Died January 14, 1965 Cause of Death Heart Attack Following Abdominal Adhesions Biography Read More "[135] Despite Ritchie's family claiming that he was married to MacDonald but the marriage had been annulled in 1935,[135] he never confirmed the claims. Here is all you want to know, and more! She also did command performances at the White House for President Dwight D. In 1957, Eddy and she appeared on Patti Page's program The Big Record, singing several songs. Jeanette MacDonald (English) 1 reference. [52] MacDonald's co-star was tenor Allan Jones, who she demanded get the same treatment as she would, such as an equal number of close-ups. [16], The following year, 1926, found MacDonald still in a second female lead in Bubblin' Over, a musical version of Brewster's Millions. In 1953, MacDonald sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, broadcast on both radio and TV. Jeanette MacDonald real name was Jeannette Anna McDonald.