Though known these days mostly because of her eight films with Nelson Eddy, Jeanette MacDonald also had a career that existed outside of that duo, making a total of 28 films during a 20-year career, most showcasing her lovely soprano voice with its impressive range.
Born Jeanette Anna MacDonald on June 18, 1903 in Philadelphia, Jeannette was trained as a dancer and then a singer, performing at an early age, and eventually starring on Broadway before beginning her film career in 1929, at the dawn of the sound era.
She was a star from the very beginning. In fact, her first film, The Love Parade (1929), also made Maurice Chevalier a star, and put Ernst Lubitsch into the top ranks of directors. It was not the only pairing of MacDonald and Chevalier, but studio decisions resulted in another male co-star becoming her better-known companion.
Jeanette was first paired with Nelson Eddy in Naughty Marietta (1935), and Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy became the biggest musical team of their era, making seven more films together during the 30s and 40s. Their fans were legion, and they still have plenty of devotees, even 60 years after their heyday. It may have been cornball to some critics, but it was successful, popular, and well-sung corn.
Jeanette's film career slowed after the early 1940s, although she performed before sold-out audiences in stage musicals and operas, and she eventually retired from films after her 1949 appearance in The Sun Comes Up, a Lassie film. She made a few personal appearances, and recorded a best-selling album of songs with Eddy, but there were no more movies.
Married to actor Gene Raymond since 1937, she concentrated on her family until her death in 1965 from heart disease at the age of 61. We saluted her with this tribute on what would have been her 100th birthday, and invite you to enjoy some of the links listed below. If you haven't heard her sing, be sure to listen to any available sound clips.
Jeanette MacDonald Tributes/Pages
Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy Home Page Extensive site (which we somehow missed previously) offers a biography, filmography, photos, and more, plus membership in the Mac/Eddy Club. It's also your headquarters for Sweethearts and other books by Sharon Rich.
Jeanette MacDonald: Hollywood Beauty - From Ginny Sayre's ReelJewels.com, an extensive tribute featuring a biography, filmography, and much more.
Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy: A Tribute - Newly revamped and relocated site includes a biography, filmography, reviews, recordings and music credits, compiled by Eleanor Knowles Dugan and designed by Ginny Sayre.
A Tribute to the Lovely Lady of Song - The site hasn't been updated since August, 2000, and you'll want to mute your speakers to avoid the looping sound file (or just click "cancel" if you see a popup and close the blank page that appears), but there's still plenty here for MacDonald fans.
Sweethearts - A CD from Barbara Russell and Ron Sharpe recreating many of the songs made famous by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, including "Wanting You," "The Desert song," and many others.
Selected Reviews of Jeanette MacDonald's Best Films
