Mary Martin and Ethel Mermen Feud

[romantico]

Posted: 10/1/06 at 1:29pm

I know I have my facts mixed up so please be patient.I heard from someone on this board a while back that there was a feud between Mary Martin and Ethel Merman. Something about Ethel doing a play and Mary watching it opening night. Before the first act was over Mary had either her agent or a producer/lawyer find out who owned the rights so she could do the tour of that production. Anyone have any more details on that? Is it true they hated each other or has that been exagerated? Many thanks everyone!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/1/06 at 3:51pm

Merman and Martin were actually good friends -- so much so that they did several concerts over the years together.

"Something about Ethel doing a play and Mary watching it opening night. Before the first act was over Mary had either her agent or a producer/lawyer find out who owned the rights so she could do the tour of that production."

The only role of Ethel's that Martin toured was Annie in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, but I never heard that story before. The story sounds apocryphal since Martin knew full well going in that Irving Berlin wrote the show and that her good friends Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein produced the show. I don't know who the hell the agent or whoever would have been running off to contact in the middle of the first act.

[romantico]

Posted: 10/1/06 at 3:57pm

Thanks Margo! Like I said, my facts were shady. When I read that, I wasn't that interested in either Martin or Merman, but am now begining to and am trying to catch up on stories like that. I recently bought a dvd with the two of them performing and wasn't sure if they patched up problems or if it was just a rumor. thanks again for the reply!

[StageManager2]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:24am

Ethel was pissed that Mary stole her Tony.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 10:17am

Ethel Merman said, and I quote, "Mary Martin's okay...if you happen to like talent."

[Unknown User]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 11:57am

And, when she lost the Tony to Martin (Who played Maria in "Sound of Music") "How do you buck a Nun?"

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:28pm

Ethel was always very possessive of her roles. Angela Lansbury is too much of a lady to tell everyone what Merman really thought about the "Gypsy" revival.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:29pm

Until you get a couple of Scotches into her.