Gertrude Lawrence

. Jeanette MacDonald was given two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to Recordings and Motion Pictures.
. Jeanette MacDonald: The Irving Stone Letters annotated by Sharon Rich (2002), ISBN 0971199841, 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MacDonald Autobiography: The Lost Manuscript annotated by Sharon Rich (2004), ISBN 0971199884 presents MacDonald's unpublished autobiography.
. Sweethearts by Sharon Rich (revised edition,2001), ISBN 0971199817, discusses MacDonald's ill-fated affair with Eddy. In the 1968 film, Star!, based on her life, Gertrude Lawrence was played by Julie Andrews. 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.

She died of cervical cancer in New York, New York and was buried in her pink "Shall We Dance?" gown from the second act of The King and I in Lakeview Cemetery, in Upton, Massachusetts. A biography authorized by Jeanette's widower Gene Raymond, Hollywood Diva by Edward Baron Turk (2000), ISBN 0520222539, denies there was any such affair. She won the 1952 Tony Award for Best Actress for her role as Anna Leonowens in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I. After her death, rumors began to emerge that Jeanette MacDonald had an off-screen relationship with Nelson Eddy. She starred as Liza Elliot in Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin's psychoanalytic musical Lady in the Dark, and was a popular entertainer of the troops in World War II. Jeanette died in Houston, Texas and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. Noel Coward wrote Private Lives and Tonight at 8:30 (a cycle of nine one-act musicals and plays) for her. Although they were married until her death from heart disease in 1965, they had no children.

In this play she was the first British actress to create a lead role on Broadway. Cole Porter wrote Nymph Errant for her to star in London in 1929. In 1937, Jeanette MacDonald married Gene Raymond, with whom she co-starred in 1941's Smilin' Through. George and Ira Gershwin wrote Oh, Kay! for her, with the song "Someone to Watch Over Me," which became a standard. 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. Her onstage persona inspired composers and writers. 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 is also thought to have had lesbian affairs, notably with Daphne Du Maurier. 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.

She married Richard Aldrich in 1940. The latter, where she ages from a young girl to an old woman, is said to have been her favourite. They divorced in 1927. It was not until Irving Thalberg lured her to Metro Goldwyn Mayer in 1934, that she had her biggest hits including The Merry Widow (1934) (with Maurice Chevalier), Naughty Marietta (1935), the above-mentioned Rose-Marie, and Maytime (with Nelson Eddy). She married Francis Gordon-Howley in 1924, and they had a daughter, Pamela. 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 Parade in 1929. Her great charisma is attested to by those who saw her onstage, but her films fail to convey her charm. Of her start in Broadway, many years later she told Ed Sullivan, "I got a crick in my neck and $40 a week".

She was one of the foremost comediennes of her time, capable of playing both slapstick clowns and elegant ladies. 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. She understudied Beatrice Lillie in Andre Charlot's London revues on the 1920s, and became their star when they were brought to Broadway in 1924 and 1926. At the age of 16, accompanied by her father, she went to see her older sister, Blossom Rock, perform on Broadway in New York. She was born Gertrude Alexandria Dagmar Lawrence-Klasen in London, England, and was a professional performer by the age of ten. 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. She was particularly associated with the light comedy of Noel Coward. Jeanette MacDonald (June 18, 1903 - January 14, 1965) was a singer and actress best known for her film duets with Nelson Eddy, such as Rose-Marie (aka Indian Love Call) (1936).

Gertrude Lawrence (June 4, 1898 - September 6, 1952) was an actress and musical performer popular in the 1930s-40s, appearing on stage in London and on Broadway, and in several films. The Love Parade (1929). Gertrude Lawrence's Internet Movie Database page (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0492775/). The Vagabond King (1930). Gertrude Lawrence's Internet Broadway Database page (http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?id=49117). Paramount on Parade (1930) (cut from final print). The Glass Menagerie - 1950. Monte Carlo (1930).

Catherine the Great - 1948. Let's Go Native (1930). Brief Encounter - 1945. The Lottery Bride (1930). Men Are Not Gods - 1936. Oh, For a Man! (1930). Rembrandt - 1936. Don't Bet on Women (1930).

Mimi - 1935. Annabelle's Affairs (1931). No Funny Business - 1933. One Hour With You (1932). Lord Camber's Ladies - 1932. Love Me Tonight (1932). Aren't We All? - 1932. The Cat and the Fiddle (1933).

The Battle of Paris - 1929. The Merry Widow (1934). The King and I - 1951. Naughty Marietta (1935). Pygmalion - 1945. Rose Marie (1936). Gratefully Yours - 1942. San Francisco (1936).

Lady in the Dark - 1941. Maytime (1937). Skylark. The Firefly (1937). Susan and God - 1937. The Girl of the Golden West (1938). Still Life. Sweethearts (1938).

Family Album. Broadway Serenade (1939). Ways and Means. New Moon (1940). Fumed Oak. Bitter Sweet (1940). Shadow Play. Smilin' Through (1941).

We Were Dancing. I Married An Angel (1942). The Astonished Heart. Cairo (1942). Red Peppers. Follow the Boys (1943). Hands Across the Sea. Three Daring Daughters (1948).

Tonight at 8:30 - 1936