Trivia of Nelson Eddy

 Trivia of Nelson Eddy (29 June 1901 - 6 March 1967)

*As a boy, he was a strawberry blond and quickly acquired the nickname "Bricktop".As an adult, his reddish hair prematurely whitened, so his hair photographed as blond.

*Eddy developed his talent as a boy soprano in church choirs.He gave recitals for women's groups and appeared in society theatricals, usually for little or no pay. Throughout his teens, Eddy studied voice and imitated the recordings of baritones such as Titta Ruffo and Antonio Scotti.His first professional break came in 1922, when the press singled him out after an appearance in a society theatrical, The Marriage Tax, although his name had been omitted from the program.

*He was "discovered" by Hollywood when he substituted at the last minute for the noted diva Lotte Lehmann at a sold-out concert in Los Angeles on February 28, 1933. He scored a professional triumph with 18 curtain calls, and several film offers immediately followed. After much agonizing, he decided that being seen on screen might boost audiences for what he considered his "real work", his concerts.Eddy's concert fee rose from $500 to $10,000 per performance.

*MGM chief Louis B. Mayer ordered Eddy to test for his debut in Broadway to Hollywood (1933). The 33-year-old Eddy took a record 58 takes before the exasperated test director gave up. Despite this failure, Mayer overruled the general consensus about Eddy's acting talent--non-existent--and ordered him used for a singing sequence in the film only.

*He was cast as the male lead opposite the established star Jeanette MacDonald in the musical film Naughty Marietta (1935).Eddy's song for this movie "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life", became a hit and earned Eddy his first gold record.He also sang "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp" and "I'm Falling in Love with Someone". The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, received the Photoplay Gold Medal Award as Best Picture.

*Rose Marie (1936) is probably his most-remembered film. Eddy sang "Song of the Mounties" and "Indian Love Call". His definitive portrayal of the steadfast Mountie became a popular icon, frequently spoofed in cartoons and TV skits.It's one of 7 movies Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald starred together : Naughty Marietta (1935), Maytime (1937), Sweethearts (1938), The Girl of Golden West (1938), New Moon (1940), Bitter Sweet (1940), I Married An Angel (1942), all for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

*He was an accomplished sculptor, and often crafted bronze statues of his co-stars and directors. The statue he made of Susanna Foster was used in her film Phantom of the Opera (1943).