Nelson Eddy in Concert….
….the movie years 1933-1951
For at least 3 months out of every year, Nelson
Eddy left the movie sets, the klieg lights and the make-up chair (thankfully)
and took his magnificent voice on the road.
To follow a long with him in those years long
past, we had to use books, old concert programs, newspaper clippings
and fan mail. Sometimes we found the trail a little hard to find but…
tag along with us. It should be an interesting journey.
1933
On February 28th, Nelson got an emergency call
that Lotte Lehman had taken ill and could he fill in for her? Nelson
flew to Los Angeles and a capacity crowd at the Philharmonic Auditorium
that included scouts from every major studio. The audience was so
captivated with this handsome blond singer and his marvelous voice
that they demanded 14 encores and 32 curtain calls. Nelson would sign
later with MGM but his contract stipulated he had 3 months off a year
to continue his concert work.
1935
When “Naughty Marietta” was released
in March, Nelson was on tour. In Richmond, he was mobbed by screaming
fans….an instant matinee idol. Nelson suddenly became a bit
uneasy about his choice to work in films. Stops from Utica New York
to Dallas, Texas brought more adoring fans.
In November, two local concerts were scheduled
in Los Angeles and Pasadena. Jeanette MacDonald attended both. In
Los Angeles Nelson sang “Love’s Old Sweet Song”
to her as she stood up in the audience.
Listen!
1936
Nelson launched his concert tour in San Diego
on January 3rd, then traveled up the Pacific Coast, east to the Midwest,
on to the east Coast, Toronto and back through the south. He usually
enjoyed every mile but this time things got a little out of hand.
In Denver, a riot broke out among 2000 women…in Nashville a
fan actually broke into his hotel room while he was sleeping. By the
time the tour ended in El Paso, Nelson was totally exhausted.
1937
The first stops on this tour was Santa Ana,
California and it began well. But illness dogged Nelson’s steps
and in mid-February, he needed throat surgery in Kansas City. He was
hospitalized again in Chicago and had to cancel concert appearances
for two weeks before finishing the rest.
1938
Nelson was late starting out. He was due to
leave January 12th, but last minute work on “The Girl of the
Golden West” kept him back and it was February before our favorite
baritone could get out of town. Everywhere along the route Nelson
was a sensation….but he also needed police protection and bodyguards.
Newspapers reported that seats were sold out everywhere he played
even though extra sets were put behind the stage and in the orchestra
pit! The encores went on into the night.
1939
Nelson previewed his concert program at Redlands
as usual but something new had been added. He was now accompanied
by his new wife! The tour covered Texas, Oklahoma, the Midwest, Toronto,
Philadelphia and the south. But Ann Eddy left mid-tour and rumors
flew that the honeymoon was over.
1940
After an auspicious beginning on February 3rd,
illness again reared its ugly head on the concert trail. Nelson became
ill in Chicago a month later and his concert in Cleveland was canceled.
But he managed to play eight following dates before canceling Baltimore.
After 5 more concerts he became so ill that he had to leave Milwaukee
for home where he spent two weeks in the hospital. Was he giving his
all to his fans and not keeping enough back to sustain himself? A
young fan noted that she saw Nelson on April 23rd in Youngstown, Ohio
but only commented on how handsome he was…but she was only 12
years old!
1941
Nelson had just finished “Bittersweet”
the first MacDonald/Eddy film to lose money. On January 10th, he sang
at the inaugural of a new President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Ann
went with him on tour but the press continued to question him about
Jeanette. The Sweetheart fans were a loyal and determined bunch. In
Newark, a girl climbed onstage presumably to give him a religious
medal. She had heard he was going blind. Nelson was a little unnerved
but went on with the show including an encore of “I’ll
See You Again”.
Listen!
1942
Nelson began his first concert since war was
declared on February 3rd in San Diego. Jeanette was in the audience
and joined him in a duet of “Wanting You” from “New
Moon” first from her seat in the back of the hall and continuing
as she walked to the stage. The fans went wild! The two then did a
duet of “Indian Love Call” from “Rose Marie”
before Jeanette returned to her seat. Nelson continued his tour and
Ann joined him in Philadelphia. But Nelson got laryngitis and had
to cancel a number of the final concert dates.
1943
Nelson’s concert was a month late because
on February 4th, Jeanette and Nelson lost their best friend, director
Woody Van Dyke. Nelson’s picture at Universal, “Phantom
of the Opera” was lagging behind schedule. But he left late
on March 4th for Phoenix. As usual, all along his route he was shadowed
by faithful fans camping out everywhere they knew they would see him.
And at each show, the encores were songs from his films. But Nelson
continued to create a well-balanced program of classical and old favorites.
Here is one of his standards.
Listen!
1944
According to a press release, Nelson completed
a tour of military bases in Central Africa and Brazil with 29 concerts
in 26 days. In one small town an organ had to be flown in because
there was no piano available. Nelson covered over 40,000 miles but
lapses in time and place led many to conclude his work for his government
wasn’t all singing.
On April 15th, Nelson played Carnegie Hall and
the New York Herald Tribune review of his performance divided it into
two parts. They called the first half “uneven” but the
second half “much improved”. Could it be the news that
Nelson received at intermission....that Jeanette was recovering from
her bout with food poisoning?
In June a fan recalled that in a concert at
the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Nelson was his old humorous self. After
6 songs, he solemnly announced “Sorry, I have to go!”
The overflow audience made an uproar that was deafening until a smiling
Nelson confessed it was all in jest and the songs went on and on.
There were no concerts in 1945, 1946, or 1947.
Nelson abandoned the tours for personal reasons. Instead, he kept
busy on the radio. His latest picture, “Knickerbocker Holiday”
bombed at the box office in 1944 and he suffered a near-fatal bout
with pneumonia in 1946.
1948
The first tour after 4 years was highlighted
by an invitation to dinner…at the White House! President and
Mrs. Harry S. Truman and their songstress daughter, Margaret wanted
to meet this famous baritone. Ann met Nelson in Chicago to finish
the tour with him. But Nelson lost his voice in Iowa and fought a
cold for the rest of the tour.
After a concert in October, a fan wrote “Nelson
is the greatest baritone of the century. I was spellbound by his glorious
voice.”
1949
In late September, a fan reported from Sacramento:
“(He) announced he would sing all his encores at once without
going on and off the stage. …I was surprised to note his hair
seemed almost white….He also seemed tired.”
Nelson sang on November 23rd at Hollywood High
School and in Pasadena on November 30th.
1950-1951
Nelson went on tour in 1950 after the summer
session of Kraft Music Hall ended on the radio. He went again in 1951
to tour the Southwest. But not much has been reported on these concert
tours.
The concerts ended after 1951. Radio ended for
Nelson, too, except for guest appearances. Television was the media
of the day. Nelson tried it and found it lacking. He needed a new
horizon and in 1953, he found it!
On January 23rd, 1953 he opened at Tops in San
Diego with a nightclub revue..it was an instant hit! Gale Sherwood
joined him in the act and bookings often had to be made 2 years in
advance.
Everything old was new again!
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I wish to thank Sharon Rich and her book "Sweethearts"
for the detailed "road map" to Nelson's concert tours.
Arabella