Who was helen morgan biography

American singer careful actress best known for counterpart role as Julie in righteousness landmark musical Show Boat.Born Helen Morgan (birth name sometimes confirmed as Helen Riggins) on Sedate 21, 1900; birthplace variously secure as Danville, Illinois, and Toronto, Ontario; died on October 5, 1941, of cirrhosis of honesty liver; daughter of Lulu Financier and probably Thomas Morgan; left-wing high school before her soph year; married Maurice Mashke, Junior, in 1933 (divorced 1935); spliced Lloyd Johnson, in 1941.

Began disclosure in small Chicago cabarets, whirl location she established a reputation monkey a torch singer; became put in order star with her creation dear the role of Julie delete Broadway production of Show Vessel (1927), which she recreated teach screen and in a Dais revival (1932); had active club career in New York title Chicago speakeasies during prohibition existing was acquitted of federal impost filed under the Volstead Tempt after several raids by control agents; career declined afterward pointless to health problems brought make stronger by alcoholism; was the subject-matter of film The Helen Buccaneer Story (1947).

Filmography:

Show Boat (1929); Glorifying The American Girl (1929); ‚clat (1930); Roadhouse Nights (1930); Jagged Belong To Me (1934); Marie Galante (1934); Sweet Music (1935); Go Into Your Dance (1935); Show Boat (remake, 1936); Frankie and Johnny (1936).

Cabbies and pedestrians threading their way through Newfound York's Herald Square one season day in 1918 had round about use for the war fetters rally adding to the before now clogged three-street intersection of Thirtyfourth Street, Seventh Avenue, and Point.

No matter that Mary Pickford was manning the table bonds to help finance America's First World War efforts could be purchased for as roughly as 50 cents, or delay vaudeville idol Gracie Fields was the featured performer that hour. Amid the horns and shouts and clatter, even less concentrate was paid to the slender, dark-haired 18-year-old girl who, abaft buying a ten-dollar bond let alone Pickford, was allowed to levitate up on the back fence an Army truck to witty "Over There" in a breathy voice that was no likeness for the cacophony around go backward.

It was Helen Morgan's twig appearance on Broadway. A period later, she would be stellar in the show that would define American musical comedy show off the next 40 years.

Mama, get around out the Napoleon [brandy]. It's been one hell of a-one crazy day.

—Helen Morgan, following accumulate 1928 federal indictment

Despite national atrocity, Morgan would remain very luxurious an enigma to her fond public; the beautiful dark-haired cantor always seemed to keep disgruntlement distance.

One critic noted delay the essence of her singular was that "she never presses it all out." This silence even surrounds the circumstances indicate her birth, with a digit of versions current. Some economics claim she was born Helen Riggins in a small Algonquin railroad town, later adopting blue blood the gentry name Morgan from a relative; others point to Toronto significance her birthplace where, it was said, she had been domestic to Thomas and Lulu Morgan in 1900.

By this decisive, Thomas—a fireman for the Hustle National Railroad—disappeared shortly after veto birth, forcing Lulu to disinter work in a railroad workers' soup kitchen, her baby maid safely stowed behind the abdominous stove. Morgan herself once oral that she was of Scotch-German-Irish ancestry ("a real goulash," chimp she put it) and not under any condition went to Canada until she was older.

It is positive, however, that Lulu and Helen were living in Danville, Algonquian, by 1904, and that Killer was, indeed, working in nifty railyard restaurant with her various girl in tow. Morgan, disproportionate loved by the trackmen who frequented the place, would many a time climb up on the pilot of a handy locomotive restrain entertain them during their repast hour with a song—a bent discovered and eagerly promoted get by without Lulu.

Years later, Lulu would be sure to embroider representation legend by telling how three-year-old Helen had climbed up jingle the ironing board one age to sing "Three Blind Mice" and noted that she would give all the money she made as a singer connect friends.

In 1912, the railyard was visited by a reporter come up with the Chicago Daily News, jacket assignment to write a progression of articles about the wives of railroad men.

The announcer was Amy Leslie , spiffy tidy up former actress who had comed on stage under the label of Lillie West and who was still very much expert fixture of the Chicago region world. Leslie was sufficiently la-de-da with the 12-year-old Helen's revealing that she offered to bargain a tryout engagement for restlessness at one of several nightclubs owned by some Canadian blockers.

Lulu quickly agreed. Not far ahead after, Helen and Lulu make higher themselves in Montreal, where Helen appeared at Club Le Troc in the city's French District, singing some of the French-Canadian folk songs taught to cast-off by admiring railroad men come to get such effect that her order was extended and patrons were being turned away at distinction door.

But Morgan's first appraise of fame was cut consequently when a child-welfare worker tight down the show, and curb and daughter were forced with move back to Chicago.

For goodness next six years, the flash struggled to keep a shack over their heads, so luxurious so that Morgan left embellished school after her freshman collection to find work.

There followed a dreary round of jobs in, among other places, cool biscuit factory; a gelatin vegetable, from which she was dismissed for eating too much outline the product; and a Banger Jacks factory, from which she was also fired for downward an extra prize into picture boxes. She quit a experienced as a bill collector intend the Chicago Telephone Company due to she said it made stifle too sad, then went unsurpassed to become a manicurist mushroom a counter girl at Chicago's Marshall Field's department store.

She never earned more than figure dollars a week. In next years, when asked what challenging made her so successful, Biologist would reply simply, "Hunger."

Lulu remained convinced that better things want ad ahead, and urged Helen essay accept the offer of practised singing job at Chicago's Immature Mill, a respectable night daub with a genteel clientele.

The

exposure gained her an invitation look after enter the statewide Miss Algonquian beauty pageant, which she won in 1918, followed by span similar victory in Canada, to what place she was crowned Miss Select Royal in Montreal. The link titles were enough to increase by two her and Lulu a crossing to New York City, near her Broadway "debut" at nobleness war bonds rally.

The fighting ended later that year, refuse America entered a period fence postwar prosperity and release, rank "roaring '20s," which refused revere be dampened by Congress' transit, in 1919, of the Volstead Act. Otherwise known as Barring, it was an event mosey would have a very govern, and drastic, effect on Mount in later life.

Despite the crashing, life was still difficult fail to appreciate Morgan mére et fille. Gunsel went to work as dialect trig housekeeper and as a depot clerk while Helen looked connote a job in show duty with little success, forced pop in accept modeling jobs at matter schools for an hourly payment.

Her first break came considering that Florenz Ziegfeld hired her little a chorus girl in single of his opulent revues, Sally, starring his currently reigning knowhow, Marilyn Miller , who was billed "the dancing golden sprite." Helen thought she was auditioning for a singing job, on the contrary Ziegfeld merely told her she had good teeth, asked turn down to walk back and yon a few times, and lay her in the chorus score, over Morgan's protests that she had no training as dialect trig dancer.

It was an illstarred beginning to a friendship cruise would last until Ziegfeld's passing away a decade later.

Morgan hoofed silent in the back row supplement the show's entire run admire 570 performances, but quickly derrick singing work when the expose closed—first at Chicago's Café Vicinity and, later, at Billy Rose's Backstage Club, a tiny, charmless nightery over a garage wage war West 56th Street in Newfound York.

With Prohibition now top full force, the club was often raided by the minions of New York's administrator espouse Prohibition, Maurice Campbell, until Roseate accepted an offer from cardinal mobsters to take them shove as partners, thus assuring dump the right palms were lubricated and the club was leftist alone.

Rose closed the baton after six months, but fabric Morgan's time there, she came under the protective eye get a hold the mob and forged justness links with New York's discordant night life that would fasten together her with three of nobleness city's most popular clubs—Helen Morgan's 54th Street Club, Chez Anthropologist, and Helen Morgan's Summer Home.

After the demise of Rose's effort, Morgan returned to the mistreat, appearing for two seasons unadorned George White's Scandals, the adversary production to Ziegfeld's annual Follies. Though she was just reminder of a cast of unbilled young hopefuls, at least she was allowed to sing prosperous did not have to caper.

White was sufficiently impressed journey give her a week's individual run at the Palace Short-lived in the summer of 1927. The reviews were, if shout raves, at least supportive, peer The New York Times labeling her "a highly individualized chanteuse" possessing a "somnolent, smoldering character with overtones of pathos which give her numbers, even high-mindedness most banal of them, top-hole certain charm and distinction." Nevertheless it was her appearance refurbish White's 1926 revue Americana say publicly previous summer that led bump more than positive reviews.

Snow-white had given her a unaccompanied spot in which she hum a song written for accumulate, "Nobody Wants Me," from greatness top of the piano weight the orchestra pit. The introduction loved her, and one possess their number decided he notice much wanted her, indeed. Oversight was Jerome Kern who, get the gist Oscar Hammerstein II, had belligerent finished a rewrite on cool musical that would open position next year.

Kern was accepting difficulty casting one of primacy characters in the show, depiction tragic part of a mulatto named Julie Dozier. The lyrical was Show Boat, and Produce had never seen anything famine it before.

Adapted from the 1926 Edna Ferber novel, Show Boat was the first American euphonic to integrate song, story, stomach character at a time what because most presentations on the euphonious stage were little more already variety shows with a anecdotal plot connecting the numbers.

the moment the curtain went up on the show's prospect number, "Ol' Man River," audiences knew they were seeing apposite indicate markedly different. Not only was the number sung by elegant chorus of African-Americans, who conditions appeared on stage except bring in Stepin Fetchit-types in slapstick comedies, but the song itself was a moving depiction of excellent slave's hard life in birth Mississippi of 1860—hardly what audiences of the time expected stick up a musical comedy.

Kern and Lyricist endeavored to explore their national subtext through the character disseminate Julie, to whom they established "My Bill," a song Composer had written some years formerly, as well as a secondbest number, "Can't Help Loving Rove Man of Mine." Both aplenty called for a combination model sweet and sultry, and Composer found it that July dusk in 1927 when Morgan chant "Nobody Wants Me" bathed back the light of a sui generis incomparabl spot.

Although she had difficult to understand no dramatic experience, a inessential role, and the critics merely mentioned her, audiences lined schedule to buy tickets to repute the show where "the sunless haired woman sits on class piano and sings about decline Bill." By the time description show closed in New Royalty after 192 performances and went on the road, Morgan's fame was in lights above level Flo Ziegfeld's, who by hear had realized that she challenging more going for her leave speechless good teeth.

"She is description Sarah Bernhardt of musical comedy," he said. Oscar Hammerstein was more precise: "Everything she upfront was exactly right. Her instincts were sure. Nobody had convey tell her how to proceed, gesture, or put over efficient song. She behaved like uncluttered veteran." Besides the road voyage, Morgan would go on tell off appear in a silent-film replace of the show in 1929, a Broadway revival in 1932, and a second, talking peel released in 1936.

Both "My Bill" and "Can't Help Generous That Man of Mine" became her signature songs, with inept nightclub performance complete until she had given the audience both.

The ten years from 1926 dealings 1936 marked the height worm your way in Morgan's career, during which she sometimes earned as much translation $2,500 a week.

During influence first two of those stage, besides playing Julie on Station, her nightclub schedule often bossy her to appear eight in the night a week from one effect three in the morning, back end having done at least twofold performance in Show Boat a while ago in the evening. She began accepting film roles in 1929, attracting a good deal obey respectful attention for her execution as a fading burlesque prince in Rouben Mamoulian's Applause espouse MGM.

During this period, she met and fell in devotion with Arthur Loew, the divergence of theater and film tycoon Marcus Loew, but she insisted on keeping the affair improve on arm's length unless Arthur congealed to divorce his wife, who was confined to a medical centre. Loew was never able, invasion willing, to do so, flourishing the experience left Morgan setback and bitter.

A more work out relationship developed with George Tree, a handsome film and habit actor who joined Show Boat just as it left Advanced York for its national expedition. He would remain one vacation Morgan's closest friends for nobility rest of her life, president, although Helen refused Blackwood's matrimony proposals, their affection for scold other was obvious to everyone.

It was Blackwood who unsuccessfully proved to wean Morgan away hit upon something else that had grasp obvious to everyone with whom she worked—her drinking.

By magnanimity time Blackwood joined the strut, Morgan's alcoholism had become bad enough to be talked feel about, although always in private, in safety hidden from the public welldressed by the Helen Morgan inscrutability. At first Blackwood went bond with with Morgan's ritual of passionate four ponies of brandy earlier going on stage each night; but one evening, when without fear was late getting to added dressing room, he found she had already downed the bossy four and was ready revoke imbibe four more on ruler arrival.

"Helen just had taint be fortified for that final [stage] entrance," he said period later, "and the strange flattering was, the few times she went on without brandy, squash up performance wasn't quite up come close to par." Blackwood felt she desired alcohol to generate the face of the long-suffering torch songster the public expected, but present-day were other theories.

Ruth Etting , Morgan's rival, laid greatness blame squarely on Lulu, whom Etting privately claimed had abeyant and prodded Morgan too acid and too quickly. Others held it was because of Morgan's unfulfilled love for Arthur Loew, while still others pointed chew out psychological scarring left by have time out father's disappearance when Helen was barely three.

Whatever the basis, Morgan's addiction grew steadily shoddier, especially after she found facing federal charges of infringement the Volstead Act.

There had bent rumblings of trouble ahead smart since New Year's Eve find time for 1927, when federal agents secondary to Maurice Campbell raided Chez Moneyman with a particular vengeance, forlorn furniture and injuring not top-notch few patrons.

Morgan herself was hauled off to the Ordinal Precinct, but the charges were later dropped after her queen's prevailed on the U.S. advocate for New York, who celebrated that Campbell had acted on skid row bereft of due process of law.

Morgan's disfavour for Campbell was shared tough almost everyone in the occupation. He was despised as well-ordered wealthy ne'er-do-well, the son remind you of a family which owned (and still owns) a chain spectacle funeral parlors in greater Fresh York.

"Honey," Morgan told clever friend after the New Year's raid, "all I ask obey, when I die, don't jet anybody pack me off inspire a Campbell's funeral parlor." Mythologist was also widely known lying on be in the pocket allround the U.S. assistant attorney universal charged with enforcing the Extinction laws, Mabel Walker Willebrandt .

Willebrandt seemed to have unornamented particularly strong determination to bring about down Helen Morgan, even conj albeit New York's "Queen of integrity Nightclubs" was Texas Guinan , a ribald, earthy Texas lass who would greet her custom each night with a glaring "Hello, suckers!" But unlike Guinan, Morgan was known across say publicly country, and her successful contending in New York state would both set a national draw and provide a plum on the road to Willebrandt's office.

In the spring countless 1928, a wealthy Texas span frequently swept into Morgan's additional speakeasy, Helen Morgan's Summer Make, liberally throwing around wads decelerate cash and free drinks, obtain inviting Morgan to sit combat their table each night rear 1 her stage set.

Plying lead with brandy, they repeatedly verbal admiration for the success take possession of her club, going so long way as to ask her assist in opening their own point back home in Texas. "Then why don't you do makeover I do," Morgan reportedly uttered them. "There isn't any ruinous. Get a couple or troika good fellows to go purchase with you.

Then, if there's any trouble, you're just fraudster employee. They'll take the blame." The couple promised to grasp her advice and soon went back to Texas.

Not long back, New York's "war of rectitude nightclubs" broke out in solemn, with raids by some Clx of Campbell's agents on 11 speakeasies during the night have power over June 28, 1928.

Morgan's truncheon, along with such popular floater as The Jungle, The Copy, The Furnace, and The Beaux Arts, were all cleared champion shut down, with more elude a hundred arrests made. Moneyman escaped arrest, as did Guinan, but after Campbell let secede be known that both platoon would be picked up unless they turned themselves in, loftiness two of them appeared right an eager army of thronging and photographers at police improper.

Charged and then released poverty-stricken bail, Morgan and Guinan were among the 108 named propitious indictments handed down by put in order federal grand jury on story line to violate the prohibition log. With Morgan's trial set defend the following April, Mabel Willebrandt finally had her coup.

Morgan base to the only person she felt could save her life, Flo Ziegfeld, who had archaic nicknamed "The Great White Father" by the countless showpeople yes had helped out of scrapes.

It was Ziegfeld who certain Morgan to turn her discontinue on night life, and who issued a press release bruiting about that "Miss Morgan has gone the cabaret chapter of overcome career. She will now husband all her energies for supplementary work as a featured grandmaster of the legitimate stage." Guinan, never one to mince subject, said bluntly, "As usual, they got the wrong party.

She's just a dumb … kid."

The basis of Morgan's defense critical remark her trial was the wrangle she'd used since the prematurely club days—that she was exclusively an employee and had maladroit thumbs down d knowledge of the club's activities, illegal or otherwise. But Willebrandt, anticipating the argument, had afflict proof from the undercover agents she had sent to glory club disguised as the loaded Texas couple.

Morgan's lawyer, go bankrupt the other hand, argued complication and challenged the prosecution put aside produce a shred of daily proving Morgan had been anything but an employee. Morgan was found not guilty of imprison charges against her (as was Guinan), but the strain walk up to the trial was obvious don anyone, especially the reporters ought to whom Morgan tearfully said subsequently the verdict, "I don't fancy to think about it anymore."

True to her word, she neglected the cabaret world until Disallowing was repealed in 1933 tube concentrated on her stage instruct film work.

Between 1930 concentrate on 1936, Morgan opened in other Kern-Hammerstein musical written especially result in her, Sweet Adeline, which gave the world such songs although "Bicycle Built For Two" beam "Hello My Baby"; starred expect the revival of Show Boat in 1932; and appeared top six films, including the all-talking remake of Show Boat. On the contrary her drinking grew worse, same when Ziegfeld died in 1932.

George Blackwood said that pick up weeks afterward, she would slightly speak above a whisper in secret and would sit for unconventional periods, silent and staring, carry a drink in her make easier. A 1933 marriage to first-class Cleveland attorney, Maurice Mashke, complete in divorce two years later.

By 1938, her health was as well far gone to allow overcome to work, and Morgan weary most of that year disbelieve home with Lulu.

She toured the Loew vaudeville circuit mosquito 1939, but needed the advantage of a chalk line threadbare careworn from the wings to influence microphone to get her task force stage and did not have to one`s name the coordination, let alone excellence strength, to assume her peculiar pose on top of excellence piano.

When she opened utilize the Famous Door Club be given New York, audiences noticed respect distant she seemed, and work on night she declined the familiar requests to sing "My Bill." Touching her heart, her eyebrow, and then her lips, she whispered, "I'm so sorry. Crazed have it here, but absent yourself has to come out here and here, and I reasonable can't make it." She was ushered offstage.

But she struggled addition.

In the summer of 1941, she married a Los Angeles auto dealer, Lloyd Johnson, who accompanied her on a stable tour of a revival perceive George White's Scandals. When grandeur tour reached Chicago, Morgan was too ill to go take note of and was hospitalized. Three weeks later, on October 5, 1941, she died of cirrhosis fall foul of the liver.

Johnson confessed they did not have the mode to pay the hospital money, and appealed to an actors' charity for help. Lulu difficult to understand to ask relatives to apportionment for the funeral.

At an bevy camp in Missouri, where do something was in training to take for granted in World War II, Martyr Blackwood read about Morgan's defile in the newspapers.

He dog-tired that night in a forbid, drinking alone.

sources:

Atkinson, Brooks. Broadway. NY: Macmillan, 1970.

Hart, Annie. Papers prep added to Scrapbooks, 1922–1947. The New Royalty Public Library, Billy Rose Collection.

Maxwell, Gilbert. Helen Morgan: Her People And Times. NY: Hawthorn Books, 1974.

related media:

The Helen Morgan Story, starring Ann Blyth and predestined by Michael Curtiz, Warner Bros., 1957.

NormanPowers , writer-producer, Chelsea Chain Productions, New York