Ethel Merman: The Biggest Star on Broadway

by Geoffrey Mark

Book Overview

The star of 15 Broadway musicals and more than a dozen motion pictures, singer and actress Ethel Merman was one of America's most riveting performers. This biography offers detailed coverage of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1569802939
• ISBN13: 9781569802939
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Barricade Books
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Bravo La Merm!

I have been a theatergoer for over four decades and much of what I read here I believe to be quite true!! I began my career with Ethel in Hello,Dolly! seeing her in the show five times. There are no words to describe those standing ovations and Ethel's handling of her two new songs! It was heaven at the theater. I went to the performance a Wednesday matinee where it broke the record for being the longest running show in Broadway history at the time. I still recall being backstage with Ethel and a big cake. Ethel complained of perhaps a little heartburn from an earllier Englsh muffin!! I recall a good natured Ethel volunteering at Roosevelt Hospital helping ordinary visitors and patients while staying near her parents. That was the talk of New York for awhile. There is still a tree outside the hospital dedicated to the Zimmermans. I remember the l965 revival of "Annie Get Your Gun" -the one sometimes coldly called Granny Get Your Gun, but I also remember the whole town talking about Ethel bringing down the house every night with the new old fashioned wedding song that Mr. Berlin had written for her. And while I didn't see "Gypsy" doesn't Ms. Merman really haunt every peformance of that watershed musical? Isn't she the one you really "hear" yelling, "sing out, Louise" as Rose comes barreling down the aisle? Isn't she the one you always imagine in the dowdy coat? Isn't she always belting "Some People" in your mind's ear? Mr. Mark seems to capture a great deal of Ethel's story here. He clearly respects her. She was a great New York character at a time New York was well known for characters (and that could certainly include a salty mouth). It was common knowledge as I recall that Ethel loved men. (Maybe that's why she got along with Cole Porter so well?) She could be both a lady and a broad, it seemed. But she was above all a performer matched by no other. At a time when the type of star that Ethel represented no longer really exists, this book is a very decent if not perfect tribute. I thoroughly enjoyed myself while reading it. The author knows a lot of what he is talking about here. If you are a totally jaded, wizened, spoiled, curmudgeon this may not be your cup of tea. On the other hand if you know little to nothing about La Merm or just missed her era or simply miss her era, this book could be a lovely waltz down memory lane.

Not just Merman, but the Broadway scene and how she fits in

Ethel Merman's stardom came from her fame in the Broadway musical; yet it's surprising to note that there aren't a large number of books on the market covering her life and career as it relates to the concurrent rise of Broadway shows. That's why ETHEL MERMAN: THE BIGGEST STAR ON BROADWAY is an important survey of not only her life but the Broadway scene as a whole: she worked with some of the biggest names of her time and their stories blend with hers in a fine biographical survey. Very highly recommended indeed.