The Baritone

and His Lady…

 Part VII….

Jeanette on a better day.

When it was Christmas time in 1943, Nelson was still in Europe. Back from a concert tour, Jeanette fell to pieces. When Nelson didn’t hear from her, he frantically cabled an old friend, Sybil Thomas to check on her. When Sybil finally got past Jeanette’s mother, who was guarding the door at Twin Gables, she found Jeanette frail, thin and almost incoherent. Sybil asked her why she hadn’t written to Nelson and Jeanette said” I thought I did”. She seemed dazed but got up long enough to write a short note that Sybil helped her with and promised to post.

By the time Nelson returned (a few days ahead of schedule) Jeanette had improved enough to meet him briefly in Florida. Ironically Ann was expecting him in New York and planned a big party. But her guest of honor never showed up. Ann was furious but she packed up and went home where she planned another party and…. Nelson didn’t come to that one, either! When he did get home, he heard that Jeanette had collapsed while on her tour. He made a U-turn and went to her in El Paso. When he got there Jeanette looked so bad, Nelson was sure she was dying. He took her away to the mountains to recuperate.

Nelson and Jeanette holding hands on the radio!

In April, 1944 Jeanette got food poisoning and had to go into the hospital. Nelson was in New York at the time, giving a concert at Carnegie Hall. He was so worried that the critics, reviewing his performance, noted that in the first half of the program, Nelson wasn’t himself. During the intermission, Nelson received a phone call reassuring him about Jeanette’s condition, and the second half went very well. When it was time for encores, Nelson asked the audience if he could “sing a song very dear to me”. It was “Indian Love Call”!

On June 12, 1944 Nelson worked with Jeanette again for the first time since they made “I Married An Angel”. It was the Lux Theater radio presentation of “Naughty Marietta”. Fans in the audience would recall later how happy they seemed to be and how close they stood to each other during the broadcast. In August, they did a “Mail Call” show with Burns and Allen and, in September, another Lux Theater show in “Maytime”. But then Nelson got his own show “The Electric Hour” and Jeanette began studying with Lotte Lehman for her American opera debut.

Nelson with Dinah Shore and Frances Langford

Gene Raymond came home from the war and Jeanette resumed their “marriage mode”. Nelson also kept up appearances with Ann to keep her from going off the deep edge again. But he stayed at his mother’s house most of the time where Ann wasn’t allowed to visit. However the two sweethearts managed to get time alone together at “Mists”. In July, 1945 Jeanette went on another concert tour while Nelson stayed home. He was working with Walt Disney on an animated feature called “Make Mine Music”. He did all the voices for his segment on Willie the Whale.

Willie heats up the place!

But, in the winter of 1946, it was Nelson who took ill. He was so ill from pneumonia that the doctor felt his survival was in doubt and called the family together. The family meant Isabel, Aunt Gert and Jeanette. Ann wasn’t allowed to visit. When Nelson recovered, he went to “Mists” with Jeanette so they could be alone for several days before doing “Sweethearts” for Lux in late March.

Nelson posing for..is that Roger Pryor?

By May, Jeanette knew she was pregnant again but she didn’t tell Nelson. She was leaving that conversation until after her concert tour to Britain. But they quarreled over her going and Jeanette left before they had a chance to make up. She arrived in Liverpool on her birthday three months pregnant. But not long after checking into the hotel, Jeanette suffered another miscarriage. And this time she was all alone with her heartbreak.

To Be Continued…..

In the next issue…..Filming solo for “Northwest Outpost” and “Three Daring Daughters” …another break-up, another make-up…. heartbreak again and the end of an era.

 There is a present under each tree….look and see!