"The rose speaks of love silently in a language known only to the heart."

The Baritone and His Lady…

…..in the lazy, hazy days of summer,
                   
                         
   what were they doing?...
  ….and where were they doing it?

Part X…

Nelson’s smash debut at San Diego’s Tops on January 21st, 1953 brought him a 4-week booking at the Las Vegas Sahara Hotel for that coming April.  At the same time Jeanette (a devout Republican) was in Washington for the Eisenhower Inaugural Ball. But with Jeanette in mind, Nelson spent the rest of the winter polishing his act and adding songs from their films. “I’m pretty good” he told her “but not good enough to sing duets by myself”. Jeanette was still unsure and decided to test the waters by herself before giving him an answer.
         

Nelson with Gale

In early spring, Jeanette opened solo at the Sands in Las Vegas. It was very disappointing. Her fans. who attended in droves, hated the change in her image. Seeing their idol in a black slinky dress singing a la Sophie Tucker seated on the piano, didn’t please them at all.  Jeanette also lacked the sharp comedic skills that a nightclub act required and she found herself dangerously exhausted even after one performance. By the time Nelson was ready for Las Vegas, he knew Jeanette would never be onstage with him. He also knew he would have to look for a partner because the fans wanted the duets from the movie hits.
                    

Nelson hired blonde singer Gale Sherwood, a young lady with operatic training and a solid operetta resume, for the Sahara booking. But what was supposed to be a temporary situation would last another 15 years. The two worked well together and Gale turned out to be a natural comedienne. Eventually, like Ted Paxson, she became an equal partner in Nelson’s little company. Since Ann never considered her a threat (though she may well have been) Gale was never treated to the virulent threats Jeanette suffered.
                            

Nelson in 1955

In 1955 Nelson and Gale starred in NBC’s colorcast of the operetta “Desert Song” and they did it live! While the production lacked today’s special effects and opulent sets, the performances won great reviews. Later Nelson added songs from the show to his nightclub act finale with an added twist. Gale dressed in a “revealing harem costume” and a jewel glued to her navel, sang the duet with him and they finished up with a kiss. While doing so, Nelson removed the jewel covertly  and then held it up to the crowd. They went wild! Gale later referred to it as the “belly-button controversy” hinting that some fans thought it a bit risqué.
                               

... scene from Desert Song

While Nelson toured the country with Gale, there were long separations from Jeanette. She continued her attempts to do club dates closer to home where she felt she could avoid some of the fatigue.  But nothing really clicked. In the 1950s she was living with Gene on two coasts…at Twin Gables in California and the Comstock apartments in New York (they continued to have separate living quarters even in the same house). But they were rarely in the same state at the same time. Jeanette said that one year the only time she saw Gene was at the annual anniversary party for the press.
               

Their 19th....

...and their 20th

Jeanette with Al Caizza in "Prima Donna"

By mid-1955, Jeanette and Nelson began meeting again in secret hideaways. One special place was an apartment in New York set up for them by Jeanette’s good friend Irene Dunne.  On occasion , Jeanette would also swap apartments with another good friend for intimate weekends. In late 1955, they both returned to Las Angeles….Nelson to do a club date and Jeanette to do a television show “Prima Donna” based on a story Gene had written. In December, 1956 Nelson and Jeanette made their first joint television appearance together (Lux Video Theatre) and cut a record. It looked like 1957 was going to be a good year, too, but they was sadly mistaken.
                          

Offers for more guest appearances poured in and, to Nelson’s surprise, Jeanette was willing to join him. But it was obvious to everyone attending one guest appearance that Jeanette was not her old self. Often Nelson had to slow the tempo to accommodate her frail voice and, in one scene, had toput his arm around her to keep her from falling. Finally, in early December, 1957, Jeanette was hospitalized at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. for heart surgery (the press was only told she had an appendectomy) When the surgeons opened her up and saw they couldn’t help her, they just sewed her back up. However, they did take out her appendix.
                        

Jeanette was still in the hospital when Isabel Eddy died on December 20th, 1957. She returned to Los Angeles as soon as she could but she was still recovering in bed the day of the funeral. As humiliating as it was, Ann Eddy had to go to Jeanette and Gene for help to get a grieving Nelson away from the gravesite where he had literally collapsed in tears. Still weak, Jeanette got out of bed and went to the cemetery. She waited in the car until Gene brought Nelson to her. As she held him she knew it would take all the strength she had to pull her sweet Nelson back from that deep black hole.
                           

Jen and Nelson 1956

Coming next issue…the conclusion of the love story here on earth.

For more on the love story, read “Sweethearts” by Sharon Rich and visit www.maceddy.com

Guest-ing!

Nelson on the "The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show".

... and mugging on"The Danny Thomas Show"