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Jeanette Anna MacDonald was born in Philadelphia and made her professional debut at the age of six, singing "Old Mother Hubbard" in a charity opera at Philadelphia's Academy of Music. At the age of 16, accompanied by her father, she went to see her older sister, Blossom Rock , perform on Broadway in New York. An audition was arranged by her sister for a part as dancer in the chorus of another production. Jeanette got the part and was given permission by her parents to take the job. Of her start in Broadway, many years later she told Ed Sullivan, "I got a crick in my neck and $40 a week".
Jeanette MacDonald performed on Broadway a further nine years, progressing to leading roles in Yes, Yes, Yvette ( 1927), Sunny Days ( 1928), Angela ( 1928) and Boom Boom ( 1929), before she was chosen by the Hollywood director Ernst Lubitsch to play the lead in his new film musical The Love ParadeThe Love Parade is a 1929 musical comedy film. The plot concerns the romantic difficulties of Queen Louise of Sylvania ( Jeanette MacDonald) and her new husband, Count Alfred ( Maurice Chevalier). The film was written by Guy Bolton and Ernest Vajda, from in 1929Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 See also 1929 in aviation 1929 in film 1929 in literature 1929 in mu. It was not until Irving ThalbergIrving Grant Thalberg ( May 30, 1899 September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and his unmatched ability for selecting the right scripts and making very profit lured her to Metro Goldwyn Mayer in 1934Events January-April January 1 Alcatraz becomes a federal prison. January 7 First Flash Gordon comic strip is published. January 10 Execution of Marinus van der Lubbe January 24 Einstein visits White House January 26 The Apollo Theater opens in Harlem, Ne, that she had her biggest hits including The Merry WidowThe Merry Widow is a musical comedy or operetta of 1905, by the Austro-Hungarian composer, Franz Lehar. The original German title is Die lustige Witwe''. Well-known music from the score includes the song "Vilja" and the "Merry Widow Waltz". The story conc ( 1934Events January-April January 1 Alcatraz becomes a federal prison. January 7 First Flash Gordon comic strip is published. January 10 Execution of Marinus van der Lubbe January 24 Einstein visits White House January 26 The Apollo Theater opens in Harlem, Ne) (with Maurice ChevalierMaurice Chevalier ( September 12, 1888 January 1, 1972) was a French actor and popular entertainer. He was born in Paris, France in 1888 and made his name as a star of musical comedy, appearing in public as a singer and dancer at an early age. It was in 1), Naughty Marietta ( 1935), the above-mentioned Rose-Marie, and Maytime (with Nelson Eddy). The latter, where she ages from a young girl to an old woman, is said to have been her favourite. On very rare occasions she was given roles that allowed to extend her range as a dramatic actress, however she was still expected to sing. Cast opposite Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy in San Francisco ( 1936), she was given some key dramatic scenes, but also contributed several obligatory musical numbers.
She did not confine herself to operetta, appearing in stage productions of grand opera, including Charles Gounod's Faust in 1943 and 1951, the latter being her last full length opera performance.
In 1937, Jeanette MacDonald married Gene Raymond , with whom she co-starred in 1941's Smilin' Through. Although they were married until her death from heart disease in 1965, they had no children. Jeanette died in Houston, Texas and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
After her death, rumors began to emerge that Jeanette MacDonald had an off-screen relationship with Nelson Eddy. A biography authorized by Jeanette's widower Gene Raymond, Hollywood Diva by Edward Baron Turk ( 2000), BooksEnthsiast.com, denies there was any such affair. However, Sharon Rich , a close friend of MacDonald's sister Blossom, has written several books supporting these rumors with excerpts from letters, diaries and interviews. Sweethearts by Sharon Rich ( revised edition,2001 ), BooksEnthsiast.com, discusses MacDonald's ill-fated affair with Eddy. Jeanette MacDonald: The Irving Stone Letters annotated by Sharon Rich ( 2002), BooksEnthsiast.com, is a compilation of Jeanette's handwritten letters to a beau from her Broadway years (with whom she also discusses her Hollywood years), while Jeanette MacDonald Autobiography: The Lost Manuscript annotated by Sharon Rich ( 2004), BooksEnthsiast.com presents MacDonald's unpublished autobiography.
Jeanette MacDonald was given two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to Recordings and Motion Pictures.