American actress and singer
Lorraine Bridges (August 17, 1906 – December 4, 1993) was an American actress and singer who was known for her ability to hit high notes.
Bridges was a native of Oklahoma ,[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] where she was a singer for radio station WKY early in her career.[ 4]
Bridges was a contract player at Paramount ; the studio dropped her in 1935.[ 5] She was signed by MGM three weeks later.[ 6]
Bridges performed as a vocal stand-in, often uncredited, for actresses in popular films such as for BIllie Burke in The Wizard of Oz (1939)[ 7] and Jeanette MacDonald in New Moon (1940), Bitter Sweet (1940), and Smiling Through (1941).[ 8]
Bridges also performed on stage, including with the St. Louis Municipal Opera in the 1942 season.[ 4] She had a show at The Palace in New York in 1951. A Variety review of her show described her as "a fine lyric soprano whose voice occasionally achieves the qualities of a coloratura".[ 9] She married Leonard Ceeley in 1943.[ 10] They were principal players in the Marx brothers revue A Day at the Races .[ 11] [ 12]
She appeared in a number of shows in England, including an adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac titled Gardenia Lady , which was written, composed, produced by and costarred her husband Leonard Ceeley, in Leeds in 1947.[ 13] [ 14]
Her husband, Leonard Ceeley, died in 1977.[ 15]
Filmography
References
^ Nobel, George. "Times Square: Chatter: Oklahoma City." Variety . Vol. 103, Iss. 5, (Jul 14, 1931): 39.
^ "City Girl Gets Film Contract: Lorraine Bridges" . Newspapers.com . Retrieved 2020-08-24 .
^ "Adult Department No 1" . Oklahoma City Star . 1944-03-24. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-09-14 .
^ a b "Aside We've Gathered" . Newspapers.com . Retrieved 2020-09-14 .
^ "Pictures: Par, WB Drop 45 Writers; Others." Variety . Vol. 118, Iss. 2, (Mar 27, 1935): 2.
^ "Pictures: Banquet Warbling Wins MG Termer for Castoff." Variety . Vol. 118, Iss. 9, (May 15, 1935): 4.
^ Nash, Jay Robert; Ross, Stanley Ralph (1987). The Motion Picture Guide . Cinebooks. ISBN 978-0-933997-09-7 .
^ Staff, America Film Institute; Gevinson, Alan; Institute, American Film; Afi, American Film (1997). Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960 . University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-20964-0 .
^ "House Review: Lorraine Bridges." Variety . Vol. 183, Iss. 10, (Aug 15, 1951): 20, 63.
^ "Leonard Ceeley Weds Lorraine Bridges" . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . 1943-05-22. p. 12. Retrieved 2020-08-24 .
^ Rees, Les. "Pictures: Marx Bros.' Presentation Break-In of 'Day at Races' Evidences OK Comedy." Variety . Vol. 123, Iss. 6, (Jul 22, 1936): 2.
^ "Marxes "Comic Caravan" Hits the Road Next Week" . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . 1936-07-04. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-09-14 .
^ "New Show to Open in Leeds." Accordion Times and Musical Express . Iss. 45, (Aug 15, 1947): 1.
^ Gänzl, Kurt (1994). The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre . Schirmer Books. ISBN 978-0-02-871445-5 .
^ "Obituary for O' Connor Alh " . The Los Angeles Times . 1977-05-10. p. 40. Retrieved 2020-09-14 .
^ Tyler, Don (2007-04-02). Hit Songs, 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era . McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-2946-2 .
^ Hogan, David J. (2014-06-01). The Wizard of Oz FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Life According to Oz . Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4803-9720-0 .
^ Films in Review . National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. 1975.
External links