Ethel Merman/Ethel Waters

[runaways]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 1:23pm

Hi guys,

Where might I find information about these two women? I'm currently writing a paper for class and having difficulty finding anything an academic would deem worthy of citing in a paper. I'd prefer articles, but I'd also take video!

Thanks in advance!

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 1:26pm

For Merman: Her 2nd Autobiography (with George Eells) and Brian Kellow's Merman book.

Updated On: 8/27/12 at 01:26 PM

[runaways]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 1:32pm

Thanks, Mildred!

[WOSQ]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 1:40pm

They might be the same person. Have you ever seen a picture of the two of them together?

That old joke said, there is reference to Waters in James Gavin's book on the history of cabaret in NYC. I cannot remember the book's title--something like Intimate Nights. One story in particular is very funny.

Also look for reviews of As Thousands Cheer (1930s; I think this is the revue where she sang Suppertime), Mamba's Daughter (circa 1940), and The Member of the Wedding (circa 1950); also the film Pinky.

There is plenty of information on them both, but you may have to dig.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 5:46pm

Out here in Los Angeles, we had The Los Angeles Civic Light Opera which mounted perfect recreations of Broadway shows, usually just after the run of the show on Broadway. It was a subscription series and in the 40s, often featured the stars of the Broadway cast with LA talent in the smaller roles and chorus (Gwendolyn Verdon danced in the company in 1940!) and one of the shows would be brought straight from Broadway.

When the LACLO decided to do, "Cabin In The Sky" which was Ethel Water's great Broadway hit, the had to list it as a "novel specialty" to get audiences to come and see a show with an all-black cast. I'm glad we've come a long way since then.

That said, the show itself was apparently wonderful, featuring Vernon Duke's greatest hit "Takin' A Chance On Love" which became Waters' themesong.

There is an amazingly fathful movie version, directed by Vincente Minelli which captures Waters performance and introduces Lena Horn.

[Almira]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 6:00pm

Waters was in the news recently.

Mike Huckabee Would Like to Remind You That Rape Has Created Some Extraordinary People

Why is everybody so down on rape? This is what Mike Huckabee wanted to know today, on his radio program, which also featured Rep. Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akin as a guest. For instance, did you know that Ethel Waters was conceived when her mother got raped? Do you know what a world without rape would look like? A world without Ethel Waters, that's what.

http://gawker.com/5936386/mike-huckabee-would-like-to-remind-you-that-rape-has-created-some-extraordinary-people

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 6:54pm

I find that argument beneath contempt.

[runaways]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 7:05pm

allofmylife, I didn't know that existed! I live in LA, but I'm much too young to have been around for that.

Almira, knowing Waters' religious views, I think had her mother been afforded the option, she would have kept the baby.

Thanks for all the lovely commentary, guys!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 7:06pm

Huckabee is a swine. He's a symbol of everything that has rotted the Republicans Party. And it's interesting that he chose a black woman to link to rape, not one of the thousands of talented white women who may also be the product of rape. I guess he's blowing the dog whistle again.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 7:57pm

runaways, if you want serious dramatic criticism on those women, try the Queer Studies section.

Ethel Waters was rather discreet, but I believe it's pretty well accepted that she was bisexual. Somebody should have written about this by now.

Ethel Merman was neither gay nor bisexual, but her "butch" persona was the subject of frequent jokes. You might find works that analyze her appeal to lesbian fans.

I am NOT suggesting you WRITE about the sex life of either woman (unless that is what interests you). I'm just saying that if you want serious academic analysis, you may find it in the Queer Studies section. Similarly, you will probably find serious articles about Waters in the African-American Studies section. As you probably know, academia can be a series of ghettos.

Updated On: 8/27/12 at 07:57 PM

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 8:35pm

Ethel Waters wrote an autobiography, His Eye is on the Sparrow (or something like that). I've never read it but you might find it on Amazon. Although autobiographies can be self-aggrandizing, there should be some interesting truths in the book.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 8:37pm

That's the right title, Ed. I think it's a very highly regarded example of the form. For one thing, Waters had a fascinating life, full of tragedy and triumph.

[Broadwayhunk]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 8:41pm

You are in "academia" and do not know how to use the research resources available to you? For shame. (and I'm not referring to Google or Wikipedia).

[runaways]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 8:41pm

Gaveston, it's interesting you bring that up. I did stumble upon a paper about Mary Martin and her sexuality. The paper insinuated that Mary Martin was bi, or perhaps a lesbian--I can't remember for sure. The subject of sexuality sounds extremely interesting and actually really shines some light on what may have lead Waters to Billy Graham's Crusade. However, the paper is on Merman and Waters and their respective contributions to American musical theater.

Gosh, it would be lovely if I had access to a physical library right now, but I'm unfortunately working miles away from my school. It's an online class and I chose to stay at home this summer. Oh, well.

[runaways]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 8:45pm

Broadwayhunk, I do. But my major's database is entirely different. I'm able to find anything I want through those resources , but finding biographies and other information is proving to be a challenge. Thankfully, I have been able to locate many wonderful articles on Merman and Waters since I posted this.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 8:49pm

I actually heard that Mary Martin paper read in San Francisco when I was presenting a paper on medieval Japanese drama. So academia is both small and ghettoized. LOL. I was thinking of that very Martin paper and wondering if someone had done something similar with Ethel Merman.

(As an erstwhile Queer Studies writer myself, I don't find speculation on the secret sexuality of others very credible. But studies of how performers were perceived by minority fans is another matter; we have lots of evidence for that.)

Again, I was never suggesting you should write about sex, only that Queer Studies papers might also have the sort of academic research you need. Since you aren't near a library, keep googling. No telling what you may find.

(I looked through a couple of volumes I have on gay theatrical artists, but they don't discuss Ethel Waters. I'm a little embarrassed. I should have demanded that she be included when I was writing entries on other artists, but I assumed--wrongly as it turns out--that one of the African-American scholars would do so.)

Updated On: 8/27/12 at 08:49 PM

[runaways]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 9:08pm

Waters is holy territory, if you will, for a lot of African Americans. She was the first African American woman to do a lot of things, like star in a television show and have star billing next to white people in a Broadway show.

It's also interesting that this idea of a "butch" Ethel Merman didn't also extend to Waters: the two women both took the reigns of their careers in their later years and expected a hell of a lot from people they worked with, a characteristic often associated with masculinity. I guess Merman's butch persona mostly stems from her voice, which in many papers is termed as "brassy" and "contralto."

I wonder why, though, that even today, no one has speculated about Waters' sexuality. We now live in a world where religious bigots tap their feet under stalls in airport bathrooms; perhaps Waters' religion was a front for her sexuality, as well?

Updated On: 8/27/12 at 09:08 PM

[Jon]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 10:02pm

One of the characters in Lynn Nottage's play, 'BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK" is clearly based on Ethel Waters - the singing actress who went from sexy young diva (As Thousands Cheer)to heavy-set matron playing mothers and maids (Member of the Wedding).

By the way, my mother had the honor of appearing in summer stock with Miss Waters in MEMBER OF THE WEDDING in 1954.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 10:09pm

I wonder why, though, that even today, no one has speculated about Waters' sexuality. We now live in a world where religious bigots tap their feet under stalls in airport bathrooms; perhaps Waters' religion was a front for her sexuality, as well?

Well, SOMEBODY has speculated, or I wouldn't know about it. I've been out of that "biz" for 9 years. I even found one source on the subject with a simple google search.

So the material on Waters' sexuality is out there. It may not be emphasized out of a misguided sense of "protecting" her as an African-American icon. But this is sheer speculation on my part. (Although I have written on Langston Hughes and found some of the same "overprotectiveness" directed at him.)

I wouldn't go so far as to question the religious faith of a stranger, so I would never say Waters' religion was just a "cover". But did it also protect her from public speculation on her personal life? Probably. But so did her three marriages to men.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 11:05pm

You can't say that the faith of someone like Ethel Waters was a cover. It was as intrinsic as was her sexuality or her race.



In the clip below, from Member of the Wedding, Ethel Waters sings 'His Eye Is on the Sparrow' to Julie Harris and Brandon DeWilde

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 11:14pm

Ethel Waters's lover was dancer Ethel Williams.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 11:15pm

Isn't that what I said, joey? It's certainly what I meant to say, though I readily admit you said it more clearly.

Frankly and though our culture has long been obsessed with the sexuality of gay men, it has tended to ignore lesbians. Women's lives outside the world of men was not, until lately, a subject of much concern.

So I doubt Waters needed a "cover". And I have no reason to question her religious devotion.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 11:16pm

I think she had more than one female lover in her lifetime, Joey.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/27/12 at 11:22pm

Ethel Merman, about Mary Martin: "Dyke, ya'know"

How 'bout that time the Merm was caught making out on a couch with Jackie Susann?

Updated On: 8/27/12 at 11:22 PM

[Yawper]

Posted: 8/28/12 at 6:38am

it would be lovely if I had access to a physical library right now

You live in LA and don't have access to a physical library?? C'mon, get out of the house! Even if the local public library doesn't have anything they can get you books from other libraries. Most public libraries also have useful online resources available (e.g. The New York Times). A simple name search of the historical NYTimes database produced over 2,600 hits for Ethel Waters, including many original critical reviews.