Will the love story between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy be revealed?

[pastfoxy]

To Tacky. Good question. Sounds so simply today, but back then you didn't divorce that easily. You did what you were told. You did what got you the appearance you wanted. Not needed, but wanted for appearance sake.

Looks to me like both Nelson and Jeanette had worked all their lives to get to the point where they were in their singing careers. No matter how they tried to figure out putting their two lives together, it just couldn't work out. So they went their seperate ways, realizing as time went on, it was the worst mistake they could have made. They could not stay away fom each other.

In reading the book Sharon Rich wrote, one can watch the movie they were making together and see where they were in their relationship with each other. Sometimes, so in love, sometimes trying desperately to break it off, yet their love alway rose up to the point they had to see or at least talk to each other. This continued until their deaths. A modern American tragedy. Watch their movies on TCM throughtout the month of March. Judge for yourself. Were they in love with each other and it showed on the screen, or were they just terrific actors?

[mawgie]

Oh yes, when I watch the movies I can clearly see the love and the heartache between Jeanette and Nelson. There are scenes where they are looking into each other eyes with such love that transcends what you see on the screen. And there are scenes where you can see how hard they were working at not crying during their love songs. You can see the tears in the eyes or how they cannot keep eye contact because of the tears. I personality do not see how anyone can watch the movies and not see all of this.

[d120421]

I must say, although it's been some time since I read the books by Rich and Turk, I don't understand why, if they were so much in love, MacDonald and Eddy couldn't just dump their respective spouses and get divorced either, especially as, at least according to Sharon Rich, the public wanted them to get together offscreen as well as onscreen.

 

Divorce may not have been as prevalent back then as it is now, but it certainly wasn't unheard of. Contemporaries of MacDonald and Eddy's like Joan Crawford, Ginger Rogers,Clark Gable, Alice Faye, Betty Grable, and Cary Grant, were among the many, many celebrities of the time who got divorced and remarried without it hurting their popularity or professional standing, and unlike Jeanette and Nelson, whose film careers were basically over when they left MGM, these stars continued in the studio system for several years after their marriages crumbled and they found other partners.

 

Nor did divorce hurt the professional careers of former child stars like Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland, Natalie Wood or Elizabeth Taylor (if anything divorce gave Taylor's career a boost), audeinces had a much more proprietary interest in these younger stars than they did in Jeanette and Nelson.

 

I also find it difficult to believe that Louis B.Mayer deliberately sabotaged their careers at MGM because Jeanette spurned his advances. Given the quality of the vehicles that MGM gave Eddy throughout his career with the studio, from his first leading role in NAUGHTY MARIETTA to his last in I MARRIED AN ANGEL and including such non-Jeanette films as THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER and LET FREEDOM RING, MGM seemed to always give Nelson "A" list production values, lavish budgets and top supporting players for his films, and the same seems to hold true for such non-Eddy MacDonald films of the period as SAN FRANCISCO, THE FIREFLY and SMILIN THROUGH.

 

I know that many fans say that this was due to Mayer's inability to ignore Nelson's enormous popularity, but Nelson certainly wasn't wildly popular before NAUGHTY MARIETTA was released, and even after the success of that film, from what I can recall MGM still didn't consider the two a team, intending to co-star Eddy with Metropolitan Opera soprano (and Columbia film star) Grace Moore in ROSE MARIE with Jeanette only substituted at the last moment when Moore's prior commitments wouldn't enable her to make the film.

 

If I remember correctly, the departure of MacDonald and Eddy from MGM was concurrent with a general "house cleaning" by the studio of several of its' most illustrious female stars of the 1930s including Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo and Norma Shearer. Given that this move was concurrent with the rise of younger stars such as Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland, June Allyson, Mickey Rooney, and Kathryn Grayson, it seems to me just as likely, if not more so that Jeanette and Nelson, both of whom were at or approaching 40, had "had their day" onscreen and their vehicles were no longer as lucrative or as eagerly anticipated as they had been in the mid-late 1930s.

 

The changing political climate in Europe would be another perfectly valid basis for MGM to release Jeanette and Nelson in the early 1940s. The MacDonald/Eddy films were always more eagerly anticipated in Europe than in America. For example, in Britain, Jeanette was in the "Top Ten" at the British box office from 1937 through 1942, and Nelson also made this group several times. However, even here, Jeanette was ultimately displaced by Deanna Durbin who becme the biggest female box office draw in Britain from 1939 through 1942. The loss of much of the European market due to wartime conditions severely damanged MacDonald & Eddy's commercial value to MGM, particulary when the studio could produce the immensely popular Garland/Rooney vehicles more cheaply, and seems a perfectly valid business reason for the studio's releasing them from their contracts at this time, without any personal feelings or animosities being ascribed to it.

 

Just a few points to consider.

[Tacky]

It all sounds like a soap opera to me but my local library has a copy of Sweethearts so I will take a look. However, I will say that since the couple made their last film in 1942, it seems like it would hardly harm their joint careers to divorce and marry each other. It's not like others weren't going through multiple serial marriages. This smacks of revisionism after all the parties are dead for the purpose of selling a book. Also, it's rather low to accuse Gene Raymond of being gay when he can't defend himself. Finally, it would also be nice if either party had made some public comments about their feelings which, I gather, neither did.

[pastfoxy]

Good your reading Sweethearts. You will soon see, no one goes out and works for 20 years to get interviews that are fake. No fun in that. The book is the truth about their real story they tried so hard to keep private.

Yes, both Jeanette and Nelson, for sure, had their reasons for doing what they did. Yet, Jeanette said later in life that she had chosen career over love and she regretted that. This naturally indicates that she did not marry her true love since she was marry to Gene Raymond at the time. Plus, Gene openly visited the queer bars in Santa Monica while married to Jeanette MacDonald. He made the, "low" news, himself decades ago.

[ayresorchids]

"Picture Paul Revere without a horse

Picture love in Hollywood without divorce..."

 

--Cole Porter

[jeanettefan7]

LOL.good one.

[jeanettefan7]

Sad the way folks hate Jeanette for not marrying Nelson. If she gave up her career we would not have any great films.

 

Message was edited by:

jeanettefan

 

Message was edited by:

jeanettefan

[jeanettefan7]

I for one think Jeanette did love Nelson, BUT so did Gene, as I have said, a lot of folks loved her. She was a wonderful person as well as a great performer. It is sad that there is so much hate out there. I hope next week Mr Osbourne will show her good side and not just make mean comments. She did help a lot of folks, during the war she gave a ton of money away for the effort. After the way she helped a lot of children's groups.

[daddysprimadonna]

I agree

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pastfoxy]

Two people cannot get their replys to show on this board, These are what they wanted said:

 

From Thetagirl

 

This is partly to answer "daddy's girl prima donna". If you are going

to correct another person's grammar, get it right yourself. When you

say "your" is a conjunction of "you are" you are incorrect. It is a

contraction resulting in "you're". A conjunction is a part of speech

used to connect phrases: "and", "but", "because" are conjunctions. The

next thought is that some one who goes around the house on her toes

would usually be called a prima BALLERINA NOT a prima donna. Guess

things must be different in Biloxi. I will be so happy to see all the

Nelson Eddy/Jeanette MacDonald films on TCM. They were frequently

criticised about their lack of acting abilities. Indeed, if their

feelings of love (on the screen) were merely acting, they have been

royally "screwed" by lack of Oscar nominations. There are such feelings

of love from their movies. I wish Mr. Osborne would interview Sharon

Rich during March. It would be most interesting. Another question: why

are there such bad feelings and actual dislike of Nelson Eddy with some

of the Jeanette fans? Their films were successes and much did better

box office than her solo efforts.

[daddysprimadonna]

You apparently have my post confused with someone else's,as I never correct people's grammar on a message board.In your haste to pick an argument with me,you have me confused with someone else.

 

 

 

And I am perfectly aware that it's "prima ballerina",not "primadonna".I took ballet. My daddy,not being a ballet fanatic,wasn't aware of this,and the pet name was what he called me.It's the same in Biloxi,"prima ballerina",as elsewhere. It's the title used when the International Ballet Competition is held in Jackson Mississippi,one of four cities in the world that have the honor of hosting the competition on a rotating basis.

 

 

 

And again,you have me confused with someone else-I like Jeannette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy,and have many of their movies taped,and have many books about them as a screen couple,and Jeannette separately. You might want to make sure you read my posts,and make sure that it's me to whom you're responding. And make sure that you understand that I said "primadonna" is what my daddy called me,and not what I called the leading female ballet dancer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Arabella]

I wrote a message awhile ago into this thread but it must have gotten lost in cyberspace. I wanted to reply to the idea that Nelson fans hate Jeanette and vice versa. I think the discord is between those who regard Sharon Rich's book to be the truth about their relationship and those who don't and not a love-hate contest between fans of one star or another. I do believe that Sharon has the facts. And whether Gene was gay or not is also a matter of record...including at least one police record. I heard he was gay back in the 1940s before Sharon was old enough to write a book! The boys in service out there had all the scoop. I have also read any number of books written before and after Sharon's with the same information. Also it is true that L. B. Mayer did have control of MGM stars through contract clauses, innuendo and the services of Howard Strickland, scandal snoop extraordinaire. I believe Jeanette was desperately afraid of him.

[pastfoxy]

Jeanettefan---- I have indeed heard of Jeanette fans hating Nelson.

 

I have never heard of Nelson's fans hating Jeanette. Never. Everyone I know, speaks of both of them with great respect.

 

The Sinners, are the people who believe that Nelson and Jeanette loved each other.They are, I guess, followers of Sharon Rich's book, Sweethearts. Everyone that I know of, loves both Nelson and Jeanette equally.(Are so I thought they did.)

 

The Saints believe that Jeanette was pure as was Nelson. They were friends only.

 

No one hates Jeanette for not marrying Nelson. Where did you ever get that idea?

 

What do you mean you hope Osborne will not just make mean comments about them? Say right out exactly what your referring to.

 

You stated, "I guess they like Anne and Nelson was allowed to go out with everyone in town."

 

I am sure, there is someone somewhere, that liked Anne... (is that spelt Anne or Annie, I'm not sure.)

 

.... and I have no idea what is meant by Nelson was allowed to go out with everyone in town??? Do you mean Nelson cheated on his wife Anne? Why would he do that? Why didn't he just Divorce her? Hmmmm?

 

Yes, you sound confused about them. That's okay, a lot of people are confused about these relationships:

 

1 Nelson and Jeanette

2 Nelson and Anne.

3 Anne and Gene

4 Gene and Jeanette

5 Nelson and Gene

6 Nelson and Gale

7 Gale and Anne

 

That is why Sharon Rich wrote and straightened everyone's role out.

Thank you Sharon Rich.

[pastfoxy]

Again, here is the second item from Thetagirl, since she can't get her post to register I will again, put what she stated on here:

 

Thetagirl said:

 

To go with along with Sharon Rich's story of the love affair, I would

like to tell you all about a lunch I enjoyed with a woman who had been

an MGM contract dancer in the late 30s to the mid40s. I first learned

about her in a human interest story in a Seattle newspaper. The thrust

of the article was about Ronald Reagan who was President at the time. I

called her and arranged to meet her for lunch. She brought quite a few

memorabilia items including her screen actor's guild membership card,

pics of her and Clark Gable etc. When I mentioned Jeanette MacDonald,

the first words she uttered were

"What a tragic life she had. You know she was in love with Nelson

Eddy". That woman had NO reason to lie about something she'd known for

40 years. I simply would like people to realize there are actual men

and women saying these things. We met in 1988.

[jeanettefan7]

I see at Sharon's website they are having a sale on a number of items for those who wish to learn more. The magazines are rather good.

[pastfoxy]

Here is another lady that could not get her post to register. Her name is JackieM. Here is one of two of the posts she wanted up.

JackieM said:

 

I just wanted to add to Arabella's comments on the subject of hatred directed at Jeanette or Nelson by the fans. Sharon was the first to have a club devoted to both of them, and the motto of the club is respect for both. I know of one incident in one of the Nelson clubs because it was written in the club mag. there were two

sisters who were co presidents, and really pushed for Rise Stevens to be paired with Nelson. They wrote letters to MGM complaining that Jeanette got more film footage, and insisted on top billing. Nelson heard of this, forced them to resign, then, wrote a letter to the club that he would have no such remarks made about any leading lady, and said if it continued he would disband the club. On the other hand, I have never personally attended a meeting of the IJMFC, but I have heard accounts of the way Nelson was viewed by the club officials. I personally think Jeanette would have been heartsick to hear this, and would never have allowed it in her presence.

 

The reality is, there are many fans of N&J, and I imagine like any other groups, some are going to play the blamegame just to make it simple. But this was a complicated affair --sometimes none of it made sense. And yes, there are people who, if they are forced to accept that Nelson loved Jeanette, feel sorry for Ann, and feel he done her wrong:) This woman was well aware of his feelings for Jeanette, and if she did not trick him, she at least took advantage of his unhappiness and kept him trapped for life. There are also fans of Gene, and some of them really

buy into the illusion of a fairy tale marriage . It's like nothing isblack and white, but many shades of gray.

[pastfoxy]

Here is the 2 of 2 notes that the post would not register from JackieM.

 

JackieM said:

 

I'd like to 2nd all the suggestions that Robert Osborne have Sharon Rich as his guest. And to be totally fair to the naysayers, perhaps Professor Turk should receive an invite to appear with Sharon. We can hear of Sharon's 20+years of research, compared to Prof.Turk's few months of research and heart to hearts with Gene Raymond, and judge for ourselves.

 

On the divorce issue, and why they simply didn't divorce after they left MGM in 1942--the obvious answer is they did not retire from show business. Nelson continued working until the day he died. He made 4 moref ilms, had 2 radio shows that spanned the war years to the early 50s, continued with his Concert tours until TV made them unprofitable and did 14 years of very successful work in Nght Clubs. Jeanette appeared on stage with (and without ) her husband, returned to MGM for 2 films, even tried out a Club act in Vegas. They continued to make recordings and appeared on TV. Jeanettes, failing health finally forced her into

retirement.

 

No doubt, Nelson could have filed for divorce, a nasty scandalous affair, in which he would have lost half his assets, but worse, Jeanette would have been subjected to the worst battering to her reputation inhis opinion. Ann would never have gone quietly.(BTW, Gene would have consented to the divorce-he had his own skeletons in the closet) Nelson knew the rapport and pleasure Jeanette drew from the affection of her fans. He could not let this happen to her. They must have thought things might change, no one guessed what little time they had. Jeanette died at 61, Nelson followed two years later at 65. Their spouses continued on

well into their 80s nursing their own agendas, threatening to sue anyone who raised any doubts about the "perfect marriages"

 

However, in 1970 a teen aged, future writer, named Sharon Rich, happened

to meet Blossom Rock, (Jeanette's sister) and the hiouse of cards began to collapse, bit by bit. Incidentally, someone suggested that Sharon waited till the spouses were dead and could not defend themselves against her book. Farewell To

Dreams was written while they both lived and Sweethearts while Gene Raymond was still alive. Neither of the books or their contents were ever challenge in court.

[d120421]

Personally, the fact that J & N continued in show business means little or nothing to me. As I said before, many, many contemporaries of J & N also continued in show business and also, according to more recent allegations, engaged in private behavior, which, if brought up in Court could have ruined their careers/lives on a level comparable to that which Miss Rich alleges in her book would have happened to J & N. Moreover, unlike J & N, many of these contemporaries continued to work steadily in the film industry for decades after J & N abandoned it.

 

While the two did continue to work in the entertainment industry, and both made occasional film appearances in the mid-late 1940s, to all intents and purposes, their days as cinematic superstars were over when I MARRIED AN ANGEL wrapped filming. For instance, Nelson's 1943 appearance in Universal's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA was much more a "star vehicle" for new Universal contract player Susanna Foster than it was for Nelson Eddy, and Jeanette's late 1940s appearances in THREE DARING DAUGHTERS and THE SUN COMES UP, saw her sharing screen time with co-stars Jane Powell in the former and Lassie in the latter in a manner that never would have occurred in the salad days of her film stardom. Nor can I recall ever finding any indication that any other studios were eager to craft a co-starring vehicle for the pair. The fact that no studios apparently did so, nor that the public continued to press for their pairing onscreen in a manner that resulted in the two making another film following their departures from MGM strongly suggests that the two had both enjoyed their cinematic day in the sun and had moved into other non-cinematic venues in their careers.

 

And logically, they should have. Both were forty-ish by the time I MARRIED AN ANGEL went into production, far too old to continue playing impetuous young lovers even with the best makeup department in the world to back them up. Also, from what I can recall, according to all sources I've seen on J & N, both were dedicated vocalists first and film stars second Neither regarded their film careers as the apex of their performing ambitions. MacDonald made no secret of her longstanding ambition to perform grand opera throughout her film career at Paramount and MGM, and Eddy, even more than MacDonald, viewed film solely as a means to increase his visibility and marketabilty as a radio and recording artist and recitalist. Significantly, both J & N continued to concertize, record and appear on radio (a medium that was verboten to many musical film stars) and made certain that these options were given primacy in any contracts they had with the studio throughout their tenures with MGM.

 

Based on his behavior toward other stars who opposed him, I believe there's a good deal of objective evidence to refute Miss Rich's claims that Louis B. Mayer's influence concerning J & N was all-powerful and all-pervasive throughout the entertainment industry, and that he deliberately sabotaged the careers of promising, money-making contract players to satisfy his own bruised ego. Broadway star Gene Kelly told Mayer off in no uncertain terms, and in far from a gentlemanly manner, when Mayer broke his promise to Kelly that Kelly would not be required to make a screen test for the studio. But while, according to many reports, this kept the two as distant co-workers throughout Mayer's stewardship at Metro, it didn't prevent Mayer from approving choice film projects for Kelly, including his co-starring debut opposite budding superstar Judy Garland in FOR ME AND MY GAL and choice roles in top dramatic vehicles such as THE CROSS OF LORRAINE. Young stars such as Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson, and June Allyson, all ignored Mayer's edicts to refuse marriage proposals from older and/or unknown men just as their careers were taking off, yet Mayer continued to promote and build the careers of these popular performers.

 

Even in a case where Mayer has been accused of dashing the screen hopes of a talented performer, his influence did not extend to other venues of entertainment. For example, it has been rumored that popular baritone vocalist Perry Como "ruined" his chances for a screen career by swearing at Mayer. Even if this allegation is accurate, this did not prevent Como from becoming one of the major recording artists in American popular music over the next three decades, enjoying remarkably enduring and almost unparallelled success in recordings, radio and television despite Mayer's animosity. Como contemporary Frank Sinatra also allegeldy earned Mayer's enmity by making an off-color allusion to Mayer's clandestine relationship with singer Ginny Simms, yet this didn't prevent Sinatra from working at other studios or from re-asserting his status as a top recording artist once he had developed a more mature singing style from his "bobby soxer teen idol" days.

 

Also, I think it unfair to allege that Professor Turk spent only "a few months" on his biography of MacDonald, as it perhaps is to accept that Miss Rich, who, I don't believe has ever made her extensive research on the pair available for public/critical perusal spent "20 years" on hers. I must admit that I find it puzzling that so few major publications have bothered to review or comment upon Miss Rich's works. Perhaps I'm mistaken on this and someone can point me to commentary on her projects by major publications such as THE NEW Y0RK TIMES, THE BOSTON GLOBE, THE WASHINGTON POST, OPERA NEWS and OPERA QUARTERLY, among many others, all of which I think did comment on Professor Turk's work. From what I've seen the only well-known publications to consider Miss Rich's research and scholarship are THE KIRKUS REVIEWS and PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY. I'd be interested in people's thoughts as to why she's been largely ignored by the major publications of the literary, artistic and biographical intelligentsia.

 

Finally, I would be most interested to have an opportunity to review the many other books and other published sources cited by a previous poster which prove that Gene Raymond was homosexual, did not love his wife, and kept her trapped in a loveless marriage to cover his own clandestine sexual proclivities.

 

Thanking you all in advance for any assistance you may be able to provide on these issues.

[pastfoxy]

Here is a note from another lady that could not get her post to register.

Ms. Carter:

 

Dear Mr. Osborne:

 

I am writing this letter as a fan of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette

MacDonald, to tell you how happy I am to read your statement on the

web. Also, to note that in the month of March you are devoting the

entire month to their movies. I was born in 1932, so when the

picture Naughty Marietta was showing in 1935, I was only three years

old. However, I got to know them and see their movies as a younger

woman, and for me, it was instant love. I had never seen two people

so compatible, or that could sing in such beautiful harmony. Over

the years I came to realize that Nelson and Jeanette sang so many of

the songs that my mother played for us as children. (My mother was a

wonderful piano player) The more of their movies I watched, the more

I noticed the intimacy between them. The way they looked at each

other, his attentive behavior toward her. It was as if they were

making love to each other in their singing together. If the movie

called for him to kiss her, he didn't seem to want to let her go.

Then when I read the book by Sharon Rich, I realized that it wasn't

just acting. No doubt you realized it also. Then a few years ago I

found their web sites on the computer, and I at once joined the

clubs. Mr. Osborne, it is about time Nelson and Jeanette receive the

recognition that they deserve. It's also about time for the truth to

be known. You are helping to do that. Even though it is a sad love

story, it is a beautiful one. They had so much in common. In your

checking the facts for yourself, it seems to have become apparent to

you that Nelson and Jeanette were very much in love with each other,

and because they were prevented from marrying and having a life

together, they lived miserably, loving each other until their

premature deaths. So, since you will be commenting before each movie

in March, it would be so nice if you could arrange to have an

interview with Sharon Rich at sometime during your March

presentations. All of us will thoroughly enjoy that, and you will

also. Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Thomasina J. Carter

cardsgalore

[bansi4]

I say, more power to them. It's only natural for two stars who played opposite each other numerous times to become infatuated, and have a roll in the hay.

You'd be surprised what went on in Tinseltown during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

[Tacky]

I got both the Turk book and the Rich book from my local library and have started to read Turk's book. I note that he says that much of his material is from unpublished autobiographical materials written by MacDonald. What is Rich's position on this material? I gather she didn't have access to it. I've taken a quick look at Rich's book and my first impression is that she is a pretty bad writer. Turk seems much better.

 

I believe Rich's book came first and then Turk's book was published a few years later. Were any of the family members of Eddy or MacDonald involved in the writing of either book and, if so, who and how?

[NELSONFAN]

TURK'S BOOK WAS BETTER??? SORRY, I DON'T THINK SO! AND REGARDING SHARON RICH'S BOOK, SHE WAS AWARDED THE DAME OF MERIT BY THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA FOR HER CONTRIBUTION TO HISTORY!!!! I DON'T THINK TURK'S BOOK CAN MAKE THIS CLAIM--ESPECIALLY SINCE IT WAS SO BAD!!!

[stargzn]

Sorry pastfoxy. Indeed, I used the wrong word. My mind KNOWS the rule is called a contraction, but my fingers typed conjunction. I have known this since, possibly, the third grade, and also come from a whole family of schoolteachers. Thank you for noting my error. Bad fingers!

 

(Sorry daddysprimadonna)

[Tacky]

But what about the autobiographical materials that Turk used? Is anyone disputing it's authenticity?