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'''Marion Bell''' (1919–December 14, 1997) was a singer and musical theatre performer best known for her role in the Broadway musical ''[[Brigadoon]]''.<ref name=gussow>Mel Gussow, "Marion Bell, Star of 'Brigadoon,' Dies at 78," ''New York Times'' (December 14, 1997).</ref>
{{Infobox person
| name = Marion Bell
| image = Marion Bell, 1935.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Bell in 1935
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1919|11|16|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[St Louis, Missouri]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1997|12|14|1919|11|16|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Culver City, California]], U.S.
| birthname =
| yearsactive = 1935–1949
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Jack Charles Hollimon|1943}}
* {{marriage|[[Alan Jay Lerner]]|1947|1949}}
* {{marriage|Thomas Charlesworth|1951}}
}}
| othername =
| children = 1
| parents =
}}

'''Marion Lee Bell''' (November 16, 1919 – December 14, 1997) was an American singer and musical theatre performer best known for her role in the Broadway musical ''[[Brigadoon]]''.<ref name=gussow>Mel Gussow, [https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/24/theater/marion-bell-star-of-brigadoon-dies-at-78.html Marion Bell, Star of 'Brigadoon,' Dies at 78] ''New York Times'' (December 14, 1997). Retrieved 3 April 2020.</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Bell was born in [[St. Louis]]. Her father was a [[rail transport|freight agent]] on the [[Wabash Railroad]].<ref name=lees>Gene Lees, ''The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe'' (University of Nebraska Press, 1990), pp. 29, 49–52.</ref> She had two sisters, Evelyn and Veronica.<ref name=gussow/> The family moved to California, and were established there by the time she was 15.<ref name=lees/>
Bell was born in [[St. Louis]]. Her father was a [[rail transport|freight agent]] on the [[Wabash Railroad]].<ref name=lees>Gene Lees, ''The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe'' (University of Nebraska Press, 1990), pp. 29, 49–52.</ref> She had three sisters, Evelyn, Ruth, and Veronica.<ref name=gussow/> The family moved to California, and were established there by the time she was 15.<ref name=lees/>


In 1947, she married the librettist [[Alan Jay Lerner]]. She was the second of his eight wives,<ref name=gussow /> and the only one not to come from a wealthy, socially well-placed family. The marriage lasted two years. Lerner left her six months after ''Brigadoon'' closed its first Broadway run.<ref name=lees/> Her second husband was Tom Charlesworth, an actor and singer she met during a production of ''[[The Chocolate Soldier]]''. That marriage lasted only three months, but the two had a son.<ref name=lees2>Lees, ''The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe'', p. 332.</ref>
In 1947, she married the librettist [[Alan Jay Lerner]]. She was the second of his eight wives,<ref name=gussow /> and the only one not to come from a wealthy, socially well-placed family. The marriage lasted two years. Lerner left her six months after ''Brigadoon'' closed its first Broadway run.<ref name=lees/> Her third husband was Tom Charlesworth, an actor and singer she met during a production of ''[[The Chocolate Soldier]]''. That marriage lasted only three months, but the two had a son.<ref name=lees2>Lees, ''The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe'', p. 332.</ref>


Bell was known for her "striking" appearance, and was described as "raven" haired, "big-bosomed and sexy,"<ref name=lees/> and "handsome to the eye."<ref name=recital>N.S., "Marion Bell Seen in Recital Debut," ''New York Times'' (October 11, 1948).</ref>
Bell was known for her "striking" appearance, and was described as "raven" haired, "big-bosomed and sexy,"<ref name=lees/> and "handsome to the eye."<ref name=recital>N.S., "Marion Bell Seen in Recital Debut," ''New York Times'' (October 11, 1948).</ref>


==Early career==
==Early singing career==
Bell began her career as a radio singer by the age of eight. A [[soprano]],<ref name=recital/> she studied [[opera]] in Rome for a year with [[Mario Marafioti]], but returned to the United States as the [[Second World War]] loomed. Back in California, she studied with [[Nina Koshetz]] and sang leading roles with the [[San Francisco Opera Company]]. She also sang at the now-defunct [[St. Louis Opera Company]] and the [[Palacio de Bellas Artes|Opera Nacional]] in Mexico City.<ref name=lees/>
Bell began her career on local radio by the age of eight, singing with [[Ted Straeter]]'s orchestra.<ref name=variety>"Marion Bell Dies at 78," ''Variety'' (January 3, 1998).</ref> A [[soprano]],<ref name=recital/> she studied [[opera]] in Rome for a year with [[Mario Marafioti]], but returned to the United States as the [[Second World War]] loomed. Back in California, she studied with [[Nina Koshetz]] and sang leading roles with the [[San Francisco Opera Company]], including the Shepherd in [[Wagner]]’s ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'' and the young girl in ''[[L'amore dei tre re|Love of Three Kings]]'' by [[Montemezzi]].<ref name=lees/><ref name=variety/> She also sang at the now-defunct [[St. Louis Opera Company]] and the [[Palacio de Bellas Artes|Opera Nacional]] in Mexico City.<ref name=lees/>


==Film career==
==Film career==
Her return to California led to [[Metro Goldwyn Mayer]] signing her to a film contract. Accounts of her discovery as a potential film star vary: Bell's ''New York Times'' obituary credited her signing to the director [[Robert Z. Leonard]], who heard her sing at a party.<ref name=gussow /> Musical theatre historian [[Gene Lees]] noted that a talent scout had noticed her in one of her opera roles.<ref name=lees/>
Her return to California led to [[Metro Goldwyn Mayer]] signing her to a film contract. Accounts of her discovery as a potential film star vary: her obituaries in the ''New York Times'' and ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' credited her signing to the director [[Robert Z. Leonard]], who heard her sing at a party.<ref name=gussow /><ref name=variety /> Musical theatre historian [[Gene Lees]] noted that a talent scout had noticed her in one of her opera roles.<ref name=lees/>


Bell had a small uncredited role in the 1935 [[Marx Brothers]] movie ''[[A Night at the Opera (film)|A Night at the Opera]]''. In 1944, it was announced that she was to star in the screen operetta ''[[The Kissing Bandit (film)|The Kissing Bandit]]'' with [[John Hodiak]];<ref name=kissingbandit>Screen News, "Metro Gives John Hodiak Lead in Operetta," ''New York Times'' (December 2, 1944).</ref> produced by [[Joe Pasternak]], this project came to fruition in 1949 without either Bell or Hodiak in the cast.
After signing with MGM at age 15, Bell toured with the [[Marx Brothers]] in their [[vaudeville]] show, and had a small uncredited role in their 1935 movie ''[[A Night at the Opera (film)|A Night at the Opera]]''. In the stateroom scene, she pushes through the crowd to call "Aunt Minnie."<ref name=variety /> In 1944, it was announced that she was to star in the screen operetta ''[[The Kissing Bandit (film)|The Kissing Bandit]]'' with [[John Hodiak]];<ref name=kissingbandit>Screen News, "Metro Gives John Hodiak Lead in Operetta," ''New York Times'' (December 2, 1944).</ref> produced by [[Joe Pasternak]], this project came to fruition in 1949 without either Bell or Hodiak in the cast.


She sang a duet from ''[[La Traviata]]'' with [[James Melton]] in ''[[Ziegfeld Follies (film)|Ziegfeld Follies]]'', which was completed in 1944 and considered her screen debut.<ref name=lees/><ref name=kissingbandit/> Her MGM contract delayed her Broadway debut by preventing her from accepting a role in the Lerner-[[Frederick Loewe|Loewe]] musical ''[[The Day Before Spring]]'' in 1945.<ref name=gussow/>
She sang a duet from ''[[La Traviata]]'' with [[James Melton]] in ''[[Ziegfeld Follies (film)|Ziegfeld Follies]]'', which was completed in 1944 and considered her screen debut.<ref name=lees/><ref name=kissingbandit/> Her MGM contract delayed her Broadway debut by preventing her from accepting a role in the Lerner-[[Frederick Loewe|Loewe]] musical ''[[The Day Before Spring]]'' in 1945.<ref name=gussow/>


==''Brigadoon'' and New York recital==
==''Brigadoon'' and New York recital==
When the Broadway musical ''Brigadoon'' was in production, Bell was appearing in [[summer stock]]. It was suggested that she audition. She traveled to New York City to do so, and there met Lerner for the first time. Bell won the role of Fiona. The reviewer [[Brooks Atkinson]] said that Bell and [[David Brooks (actor)|David Brooks]] "sung rapturously" on "[[Almost Like Being in Love]]." Bell won the [[Donaldson Award]] for the best debut performance by an actress in a musical, as well as other awards.<ref name=gussow/> She sang on the original cast album of ''Brigadoon'', and made other recordings for [[RCA Victor]]<ref name=gussow/> such as ''Smash Hits of Broadway,'' released on four 10-inch disks and featuring songs from several Broadway musicals.<ref>Howard Taubman, "Records," ''New York Times'' (July 4, 1948).</ref>
When the Broadway musical ''Brigadoon'' was in production, Bell was appearing in [[summer stock]]. It was suggested that she audition. She traveled to New York City to do so, and there met Lerner for the first time. Bell won the role of Fiona. The reviewer [[Brooks Atkinson]] said that Bell and [[David Brooks (actor)|David Brooks]] had "sung rapturously" on "[[Almost Like Being in Love]]." Bell won the [[Donaldson Award]] for the best debut performance by an actress in a musical<ref name=gussow/> and a [[New York Drama Critics Circle Award]].<ref name=variety/> She sang on the original cast album of ''Brigadoon'' and made other recordings for [[RCA Victor]]<ref name=gussow/> such as ''Smash Hits of Broadway,'' released on four 10-inch disks and featuring songs from several Broadway musicals.<ref>Howard Taubman, "Records," ''New York Times'' (July 4, 1948).</ref>


Bell had been interviewed by the ''[[New York World-Telegram]]'' during tryouts in Boston, and intimated that she regarded the Broadway musical as a lesser art form than opera.<ref name=lees/> While ''Brigadoon'' was enjoying its successful run, she gave a recital featuring the European art music she preferred. Lees conjectures that the ''New York Times'' review of her recital would have been painful, as it found her good enough for Broadway but insufficient for the classical repertoire.<ref name=lees/> That review, signed only with the initials "N.S.," praised her "expert showmanship … which captivated the large and highly responsive audience" and her "enviable poise and an ability to project a song in a way to hold the attention not commonly encountered among newcomers on the concert stage."<ref name=recital/> The reviewer, however, faulted her for bringing an "[[operetta]] type of singing" to the challenging pieces she programmed, which included works in six languages. The program included [[aria]]s by [[Handel]], [[Bach]], [[Purcell]] and [[Mozart]]; Russian songs by [[Rachmaninoff]], [[Rimsky-Korsakov]] and [[Tchaikovsky]]; "Seven Spanish Folk Songs" by [[de Falla]]; and the first performance of "La Bonne Cuisine" by [[Leonard Bernstein]] and "A Day Is Born" by [[Albert Hay Malotte]]. The reviewer found her "most at home" with the song "Somehow I Could Never Believe" from ''[[Street Scene (opera)|Street Scene]]'' by [[Kurt Weill]]. Bell's accompanist for the recital was [[Edwin McArthur]].<ref name=recital/>
Bell had been interviewed by the ''[[New York World-Telegram]]'' during tryouts in Boston and intimated that she regarded the Broadway musical as a lesser artform than opera.<ref name=lees/> While ''Brigadoon'' was enjoying its successful run, she gave a recital featuring the European art music she preferred. Lees conjectures that the ''New York Times'' review of her recital would have been painful, as it found her good enough for Broadway but insufficient for the classical repertoire.<ref name=lees/> That review, signed only with the initials "N.S.," praised her "expert showmanship … which captivated the large and highly responsive audience" and her "enviable poise and an ability to project a song in a way to hold the attention not commonly encountered among newcomers on the concert stage."<ref name=recital/> The reviewer, however, faulted her for bringing an "[[operetta]] type of singing" to the challenging pieces she programmed, which included works in six languages. The program included [[aria]]s by [[Handel]], [[Bach]], [[Purcell]] and [[Mozart]]; Russian songs by [[Rachmaninoff]], [[Rimsky-Korsakov]] and [[Tchaikovsky]]; "Seven Spanish Folk Songs" by [[de Falla]]; and the first performance of "La Bonne Cuisine" by [[Leonard Bernstein]] and "A Day Is Born" by [[Albert Hay Malotte]]. The reviewer found her "most at home" with the song "Somehow I Could Never Believe" from ''[[Street Scene (opera)|Street Scene]]'' by [[Kurt Weill]]. Bell's accompanist for the recital, which took place at the [[The Town Hall (New York City)|Town Hall]] performance venue, was [[Edwin McArthur]].<ref name=recital/>


The year Bell spent performing in ''Brigadoon'', which ran for 581 shows over 18 months, was the extent of her Broadway career,<ref name=lees/> although she was floated as the possible female lead for ''[[Kiss Me, Kate]]''.<ref>Sam Zolotow, "Bette Davis Likes New Kanin Script," ''New York Times'' (September 3, 1948).</ref> During the war, Bell had entertained troops from the [[Normandy Campaign|Normandy]] and Africa campaigns who were recovering at the hospital in Waco, Texas. There she contracted [[infectious hepatitis]], but continued working contrary to her doctor's orders. Her hepatitis recurred during the run of ''Brigadoon'', and contributed to the mental exhaustion that caused her to withdraw from the show.<ref name=lees/>
The year Bell spent performing in ''Brigadoon'', which ran for 581 shows over 18 months, was the extent of her Broadway career,<ref name=lees/> although she was floated as the possible female lead for ''[[Kiss Me, Kate]]''.<ref>Sam Zolotow, "Bette Davis Likes New Kanin Script," ''New York Times'' (September 3, 1948).</ref> During the war, Bell had entertained troops from the [[Normandy Campaign|Normandy]] and Africa campaigns who were recovering at the hospital in Waco, Texas. There she contracted [[infectious hepatitis]], but continued working contrary to her doctor's orders. Her hepatitis recurred during the run of ''Brigadoon'' and contributed to the mental exhaustion that caused her to withdraw from the show.<ref name=lees/>


==Other performances==
==Other performances==
Courtesy of MGM, Bell helped entertain the troops in 1945 at [[Camp Roberts, California]], performing with Joseph Sullivan in ''[[Naughty Marietta (operetta)]]''.
Bell sang in the world premiere of the [[folk opera]] ''[[Down in the Valley (opera)|Down in the Valley]]'' by Weill and [[Arnold Sundgaard]], for the [[Jacobs School of Music|Indiana University Opera Theatre]] in 1948.<ref name=gussow/> She appeared in the telecast production that aired January 1950 as the first show of the [[NBC Opera Theatre]] series. A review of mixed opinion signed "R.P." said that Bell "acted sincerely and sang appealingly."<ref>R.P., "Theatre Telecast in Opera Debut: NBC Offers 'Down in the Valley,' Sundgaard's Folk Work as First of 4 Programs," ''New York Times'' (January 16, 1950).</ref>


Bell sang in the world premiere of the [[folk opera]] ''[[Down in the Valley (opera)|Down in the Valley]]'' by Weill and [[Arnold Sundgaard]] for the [[Jacobs School of Music|Indiana University Opera Theatre]] in 1948.<ref name=gussow/> She appeared in the telecast production that aired January 1950 as the first show of the [[NBC Opera Theatre]] series. A review of mixed opinion signed "R.P." said that Bell "acted sincerely and sang appealingly."<ref>R.P., "Theatre Telecast in Opera Debut: NBC Offers 'Down in the Valley,' Sundgaard's Folk Work as First of 4 Programs," ''New York Times'' (January 16, 1950).</ref> She sang on the RCA Victor recording of ''Down in the Valley,'' released on three [[Gramophone record|45 rpm]] disks.<ref>Carter Harmon, "Records: Old Organ Music and Re-Issued Vocals," ''New York Times'' (May 21, 1950).</ref>
In 1947, she was announced as one in a series of female guest singers on [[Gordon MacRae]]'s summer series, ''Troubadour 1947'' on [[CBS Radio]].<ref>The News of Radio, "WNY to Broadcast Concerts for Veterans—MacRae Replaces 'Baby Snooks,'" ''New York Times'' (July 24, 1947).</ref>


In 1947 she was announced as one in a series of female guest singers on [[Gordon MacRae]]'s summer series, ''Troubadour 1947,'' on [[CBS Radio]].<ref>The News of Radio, "WNY to Broadcast Concerts for Veterans—MacRae Replaces 'Baby Snooks,'" ''New York Times'' (July 24, 1947).</ref>
During her mid-career, Bell also sung at the [[St. Louis Municipal Opera]], the [[Los Angeles Civic Light Opera]], and the [[Sacramento Music Circus]].<ref name=gussow/> In 1951, she was performing in ''[[Three Wishes for Jamie]]'' with [[John Raitt]] and [[Cecil Kellaway]], a production tried out at the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]] Auditorium and moved to the [[Curran Theatre]] in San Francisco.<ref>Louis Calta, "Lewises to Close Play for Repairs," ''New York Times'' (August 21, 1951).</ref>

During her mid-career, Bell also sang at the [[St. Louis Municipal Opera]], the [[Los Angeles Civic Light Opera]], and the [[Sacramento Music Circus]].<ref name=gussow/> In 1951, she was performing in ''[[Three Wishes for Jamie]]'' with [[John Raitt]] and [[Cecil Kellaway]], a production tried out at the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]] Auditorium and then moved to the [[Curran Theatre]] in San Francisco.<ref>Louis Calta, "Lewises to Close Play for Repairs," ''New York Times'' (August 21, 1951).</ref> She sang in more than 200 concerts during her career.<ref name=variety/>


==Later life==
==Later life==
In an interview, Bell said that Lerner's interest in her waned as he left ''Brigadoon'' behind for his next project. She retreated from the relationship, and was largely forgotten by the public.<ref name=lees/> She spent much of the next decade hospitalized for mental illness. In 1960, she returned to California, where her parents still lived.<ref name=lees/> There she supported her son with the help of her parents and by working at various jobs.<ref name=lees2/>
In an interview, Bell said that Lerner's interest in her waned as he left ''Brigadoon'' behind for his next project. She retreated from the relationship, and her fame declined.<ref name=lees/> She spent much of the next decade hospitalized for mental illness. In 1960, she returned to California, where her parents still lived.<ref name=lees/> There she supported her son with the help of her parents and by working at various jobs.<ref name=lees2/>


In the late 1990s, Bell provided archival film of her Town Hall recital for "[[Classic Arts Showcase]]" television, of which she was said to be a regular viewer.<ref>David Finkle, "Television/Radio: A Video Variety You Won't See on MTV," ''New York Times'' (December 1, 2002).</ref>
Thirty years later, Lees, who was a songwriter as well as a music journalist, visited Bell in [[Culver City]], where she still lived with her father. She had cancer, which was in remission due to [[chemotherapy]], and earned a living giving voice lessons.<ref name=lees2/> Although she had alleged cruelty as [[Grounds for divorce (United States)|grounds for divorce]] from Lerner,<ref>"'Brigadoon' Author Divorced," ''New York Times'' (September 16, 1949), Associated Press brief.</ref> Lees remarked that she was "remarkably free of bitterness," and Bell said she had never stopped loving him.<ref name=lees2/> When she died in 1997, she was survived by her son, Thomas Charlesworth.<ref name=gussow/>


In 1990, Lees visited Bell in [[Culver City]], where she still lived with her father. She had cancer, which was in remission due to [[chemotherapy]], and earned a living giving voice lessons.<ref name=lees2/> Although she had alleged cruelty as [[Grounds for divorce (United States)|grounds for divorce]] from Lerner,<ref>"'Brigadoon' Author Divorced," ''New York Times'' (September 16, 1949), Associated Press brief.</ref> Lees remarked that she was "remarkably free of bitterness," and Bell said she had never stopped loving him.<ref name=lees2/>
==References==
{{reflist}}


Bell spent the last 15 years of her life in Culver City, where she was involved with local [[light opera]] and community activities. She died in 1997.<ref name=variety/><ref name=gussow/>
==Sources==

• Mel Gussow, "Marion Bell, Star of 'Brigadoon,' Dies at 78," ''New York Times'' (December 14, 1997)[http://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/24/theater/marion-bell-star-of-brigadoon-dies-at-78.html]
==References==
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
• Gene Lees, ''The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe'' (University of Nebraska Press, 1990)
*{{IMDb name|0068376|Marion Bell}}
*{{IBDB name}}


{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Marion}}
[[Category:Broadway theatre people]]
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:1997 deaths]]
[[Category:American sopranos]]
[[Category:American sopranos]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]

Latest revision as of 20:24, 24 May 2024

Marion Bell
Bell in 1935
Born(1919-11-16)November 16, 1919
DiedDecember 14, 1997(1997-12-14) (aged 78)
Years active1935–1949
Spouses
Jack Charles Hollimon
(m. 1943)
(m. 1947⁠–⁠1949)
Thomas Charlesworth
(m. 1951)
Children1

Marion Lee Bell (November 16, 1919 – December 14, 1997) was an American singer and musical theatre performer best known for her role in the Broadway musical Brigadoon.[1]

Personal life

[edit]

Bell was born in St. Louis. Her father was a freight agent on the Wabash Railroad.[2] She had three sisters, Evelyn, Ruth, and Veronica.[1] The family moved to California, and were established there by the time she was 15.[2]

In 1947, she married the librettist Alan Jay Lerner. She was the second of his eight wives,[1] and the only one not to come from a wealthy, socially well-placed family. The marriage lasted two years. Lerner left her six months after Brigadoon closed its first Broadway run.[2] Her third husband was Tom Charlesworth, an actor and singer she met during a production of The Chocolate Soldier. That marriage lasted only three months, but the two had a son.[3]

Bell was known for her "striking" appearance, and was described as "raven" haired, "big-bosomed and sexy,"[2] and "handsome to the eye."[4]

Early singing career

[edit]

Bell began her career on local radio by the age of eight, singing with Ted Straeter's orchestra.[5] A soprano,[4] she studied opera in Rome for a year with Mario Marafioti, but returned to the United States as the Second World War loomed. Back in California, she studied with Nina Koshetz and sang leading roles with the San Francisco Opera Company, including the Shepherd in Wagner’s Tannhäuser and the young girl in Love of Three Kings by Montemezzi.[2][5] She also sang at the now-defunct St. Louis Opera Company and the Opera Nacional in Mexico City.[2]

Film career

[edit]

Her return to California led to Metro Goldwyn Mayer signing her to a film contract. Accounts of her discovery as a potential film star vary: her obituaries in the New York Times and Variety credited her signing to the director Robert Z. Leonard, who heard her sing at a party.[1][5] Musical theatre historian Gene Lees noted that a talent scout had noticed her in one of her opera roles.[2]

After signing with MGM at age 15, Bell toured with the Marx Brothers in their vaudeville show, and had a small uncredited role in their 1935 movie A Night at the Opera. In the stateroom scene, she pushes through the crowd to call "Aunt Minnie."[5] In 1944, it was announced that she was to star in the screen operetta The Kissing Bandit with John Hodiak;[6] produced by Joe Pasternak, this project came to fruition in 1949 without either Bell or Hodiak in the cast.

She sang a duet from La Traviata with James Melton in Ziegfeld Follies, which was completed in 1944 and considered her screen debut.[2][6] Her MGM contract delayed her Broadway debut by preventing her from accepting a role in the Lerner-Loewe musical The Day Before Spring in 1945.[1]

Brigadoon and New York recital

[edit]

When the Broadway musical Brigadoon was in production, Bell was appearing in summer stock. It was suggested that she audition. She traveled to New York City to do so, and there met Lerner for the first time. Bell won the role of Fiona. The reviewer Brooks Atkinson said that Bell and David Brooks had "sung rapturously" on "Almost Like Being in Love." Bell won the Donaldson Award for the best debut performance by an actress in a musical[1] and a New York Drama Critics Circle Award.[5] She sang on the original cast album of Brigadoon and made other recordings for RCA Victor[1] such as Smash Hits of Broadway, released on four 10-inch disks and featuring songs from several Broadway musicals.[7]

Bell had been interviewed by the New York World-Telegram during tryouts in Boston and intimated that she regarded the Broadway musical as a lesser artform than opera.[2] While Brigadoon was enjoying its successful run, she gave a recital featuring the European art music she preferred. Lees conjectures that the New York Times review of her recital would have been painful, as it found her good enough for Broadway but insufficient for the classical repertoire.[2] That review, signed only with the initials "N.S.," praised her "expert showmanship … which captivated the large and highly responsive audience" and her "enviable poise and an ability to project a song in a way to hold the attention not commonly encountered among newcomers on the concert stage."[4] The reviewer, however, faulted her for bringing an "operetta type of singing" to the challenging pieces she programmed, which included works in six languages. The program included arias by Handel, Bach, Purcell and Mozart; Russian songs by Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky; "Seven Spanish Folk Songs" by de Falla; and the first performance of "La Bonne Cuisine" by Leonard Bernstein and "A Day Is Born" by Albert Hay Malotte. The reviewer found her "most at home" with the song "Somehow I Could Never Believe" from Street Scene by Kurt Weill. Bell's accompanist for the recital, which took place at the Town Hall performance venue, was Edwin McArthur.[4]

The year Bell spent performing in Brigadoon, which ran for 581 shows over 18 months, was the extent of her Broadway career,[2] although she was floated as the possible female lead for Kiss Me, Kate.[8] During the war, Bell had entertained troops from the Normandy and Africa campaigns who were recovering at the hospital in Waco, Texas. There she contracted infectious hepatitis, but continued working contrary to her doctor's orders. Her hepatitis recurred during the run of Brigadoon and contributed to the mental exhaustion that caused her to withdraw from the show.[2]

Other performances

[edit]

Courtesy of MGM, Bell helped entertain the troops in 1945 at Camp Roberts, California, performing with Joseph Sullivan in Naughty Marietta (operetta).

Bell sang in the world premiere of the folk opera Down in the Valley by Weill and Arnold Sundgaard for the Indiana University Opera Theatre in 1948.[1] She appeared in the telecast production that aired January 1950 as the first show of the NBC Opera Theatre series. A review of mixed opinion signed "R.P." said that Bell "acted sincerely and sang appealingly."[9] She sang on the RCA Victor recording of Down in the Valley, released on three 45 rpm disks.[10]

In 1947 she was announced as one in a series of female guest singers on Gordon MacRae's summer series, Troubadour 1947, on CBS Radio.[11]

During her mid-career, Bell also sang at the St. Louis Municipal Opera, the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, and the Sacramento Music Circus.[1] In 1951, she was performing in Three Wishes for Jamie with John Raitt and Cecil Kellaway, a production tried out at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Auditorium and then moved to the Curran Theatre in San Francisco.[12] She sang in more than 200 concerts during her career.[5]

Later life

[edit]

In an interview, Bell said that Lerner's interest in her waned as he left Brigadoon behind for his next project. She retreated from the relationship, and her fame declined.[2] She spent much of the next decade hospitalized for mental illness. In 1960, she returned to California, where her parents still lived.[2] There she supported her son with the help of her parents and by working at various jobs.[3]

In the late 1990s, Bell provided archival film of her Town Hall recital for "Classic Arts Showcase" television, of which she was said to be a regular viewer.[13]

In 1990, Lees visited Bell in Culver City, where she still lived with her father. She had cancer, which was in remission due to chemotherapy, and earned a living giving voice lessons.[3] Although she had alleged cruelty as grounds for divorce from Lerner,[14] Lees remarked that she was "remarkably free of bitterness," and Bell said she had never stopped loving him.[3]

Bell spent the last 15 years of her life in Culver City, where she was involved with local light opera and community activities. She died in 1997.[5][1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mel Gussow, Marion Bell, Star of 'Brigadoon,' Dies at 78 New York Times (December 14, 1997). Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Gene Lees, The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe (University of Nebraska Press, 1990), pp. 29, 49–52.
  3. ^ a b c d Lees, The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe, p. 332.
  4. ^ a b c d N.S., "Marion Bell Seen in Recital Debut," New York Times (October 11, 1948).
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Marion Bell Dies at 78," Variety (January 3, 1998).
  6. ^ a b Screen News, "Metro Gives John Hodiak Lead in Operetta," New York Times (December 2, 1944).
  7. ^ Howard Taubman, "Records," New York Times (July 4, 1948).
  8. ^ Sam Zolotow, "Bette Davis Likes New Kanin Script," New York Times (September 3, 1948).
  9. ^ R.P., "Theatre Telecast in Opera Debut: NBC Offers 'Down in the Valley,' Sundgaard's Folk Work as First of 4 Programs," New York Times (January 16, 1950).
  10. ^ Carter Harmon, "Records: Old Organ Music and Re-Issued Vocals," New York Times (May 21, 1950).
  11. ^ The News of Radio, "WNY to Broadcast Concerts for Veterans—MacRae Replaces 'Baby Snooks,'" New York Times (July 24, 1947).
  12. ^ Louis Calta, "Lewises to Close Play for Repairs," New York Times (August 21, 1951).
  13. ^ David Finkle, "Television/Radio: A Video Variety You Won't See on MTV," New York Times (December 1, 2002).
  14. ^ "'Brigadoon' Author Divorced," New York Times (September 16, 1949), Associated Press brief.
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