The Baritone and His Lady….

What were they doing and where were they doing it?

Part IV….

After Jeanette’s wedding ceremony, a broken-hearted Nelson headed home for a stiff drink to ease the pain, leaving his mother to attend the reception alone. But a phone call from Jeanette took him rushing back to her side. Jeanette asked everyone to give them some privacy and the two star-crossed lovers met alone in an upstairs room. After a few minutes they rejoined the others but what they said to each other in those moments went with them to their graves.

On the set of "The Firefly"

Jeanette finished up the final retakes on “The Firefly” and left with Gene on a honeymoon cruise to Hawaii …in separate staterooms! On the same ship, two other newlyweds were also honeymooning…silent film star Mary Pickford and Charles “Buddy” Rogers. But while Gene and Buddy were enjoying the cruise together, their new brides were alone. Mary spent much the time in the Rogers ’ cabin getting drunk and Jeanette rarely came out of hers.

Back from the honeymoon!

Nelson began “Rosalie” a week after Jeanette’s wedding. During the filming, Nelson tried to forget how much he missed Jeanette, even dating his co-star, Eleanor Powell. But the spark wasn’t there. However, even after the relationship ended, their warm friendship remained. The movie went way over schedule and wasn’t released until Christmas week, 1937. It was a box office hit but met with mixed critical reviews. However, Nelson had other things on his mind. He was due on the set of “Girl of the Golden West” and dreaded being that close to Jeanette again. He went back to drinking to ease the heartache.

Nelson and Eleanor

Things went wrong right from the start. Nelson’s hair, cut very short for “Rosalie” had no time to grow back and he had to wear a wig. Then, in one of the “Ramerez and gang” scenes, he fell off the horse and narrowly escaped being trampled by the oncoming riders. It was the quick thinking of Leo Carrillo that saved his life. Jeanette fell to pieces during the duet and so it was scratched with Nelson doing a solo of “Obey Your Heart”. Fans later complained about the fact that there was no duet and few scenes between the two stars. But in the scenes they did together, their pain was evident.

No duet!

One evening in late January just before “Girl…” finished filming, Jeanette drove herself to Nelson’s house and collapsed in the driveway. She had just come from bailing Gene out of jail after he had been picked up in a police raid on a gay bar. Thanks to some friends on the police force, she was able to keep his name out of the press but she vowed to end the marriage. Nelson was overjoyed.

But they finished up happily!

By spring 1938 Jeanette and Nelson were seeing each other again. In fact, Jeanette had gotten pregnant early in their reunion and Nelson couldn’t be happier. But Gene had returned from his publicity tour and was often drunk and sullen. On one occasion he hit Jeanette during one of his tantrums and Nelson warned him never to do it again. Then at a party Nelson attended, he found Jeanette there hiding bruises under a scarf. He found Gene and beat him senseless. The hospital records attributed the injuries to a fall down stairs.

They were filming “Sweethearts” and all was cozy and happy on the set. But accidents still happened. Nelson took a header off the two-sided staircase during the “Every Lover Must Meet His Fate” number and suffered a slight concussion. Jeanette fell up the stairs after the family sing-along scene but since she seemed to be all right, the fall was left in the film. Unfortunately, Jeanette lost the baby before filming ended and both were devastated.

Blowing on her neck!

Enter the villain again. Mayer made a surprise visit to Twin Gables and told Jeanette….no divorce or no career. But it was his veiled threats against Nelson that frightened her. When Nelson was almost run off the road on his way home one night, Jeanette felt sure it was Mayer’s doing. She told Nelson divorce was no longer an option. He swore he would never ask her again.

Nelson began going out with a few friends of his mother that were in the opera crowd, Doris Kenyon and Ann Franklin. Ann had been married to director Sidney Franklin and involved in a “swinging” foursome with the Conrad Nagels. Sidney married the ex-Mrs. Nagel after the divorce but Conrad wasn’t as obliging and so Ann set her sights on Nelson. One morning in mid-January, after a night of drinking himself into oblivion, Nelson eloped to Las Vegas with Ann Franklin.

The wedding party..Isabel Eddy, Nelson, Ann and Doris Kenyon.

On the set for retakes for “Broadway Serenade” Jeanette heard the news…..and tried to kill herself in her dressing room….To Be Continued

Coming in the next issue …The results of Nelson’s foolish marriage…two hearts caught in a vise and the making of “Bittersweet” and “New Moon”

For much, much more read Sharon Rich’s book “Sweethearts” and visit www.maceddy.com

From the archives…..

….our version of “Girl of the Golden West”

The Subject is HATS!

Jeanette versus Ann!

Jeanette	Ann
and Jeanette, again!	...and Ann again!