Nelson Eddy was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1901. He is best known for his screen partnership with Jeanette McDonald in a series of hughly popular MGM Musicals in the 1930’s and early 1940’s. The titles included “Maytime”, “The Girl of the Golden West”, “New Moon” and “Bitter Sweet”. His other leading ladies included Suzanna Foster, Llona Massey and Rise Stevens.

TCM overview:

Promising opera baritone with a wholesome masculinity and a resounding voice who vaulted to stardom opposite Jeanette MacDonald in a series of enormously popular MGM operettas in the 1930s and early 40s. The duo starred in eight films together, though the first three, “Naughty Marietta” (1935), “Rose Marie” (1936) and “Maytime” (1937), were the team’s best. Though his film career is largely linked with MacDonald’s, Eddy did enjoy some success opposite Eleanor Powell in the lavish “Rosalie” (1938) and with Rise Stevens in the witty “The Chocolate Soldier” (1941). He also provided several voices for the disappointing, uneven Disney offering, “Make Mine Music” (1946), delightfully performing the title role of the segment, “The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met”. After his film career petered out in the late 40s, Eddy returned to occasional concert work and made nightclub appearances.