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 Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, where she was a singer for radio station

WKY WKY (930 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, owned by Cumulus Media. It is the oldest radio station in Oklahoma and among the oldest in the nation. WKY airs a sports ...

early in her career. Bridges was a contract player at

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

; the studio dropped her in 1935. She was signed by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

three weeks later. Bridges performed as a vocal stand-in, often uncredited, for actresses in popular films such as for

BIllie Burke Mary William Ethelbert Appleton "Billie" Burke (August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970) was an American actress who was famous on Broadway and radio, and in silent and sound films. She is best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of t ...

in ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'' (1939) and

Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American soprano and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', ''Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow (1934 film) ...

in ''

New Moon In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the naked eye, except when it is silhouetted against the Sun during a solar eclipse. ...

'' (1940), '' Bitter Sweet'' (1940), and '' Smiling Through'' (1941). Bridges also performed on stage, including with the

St. Louis Municipal Opera The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) is an amphitheatre, amphitheater located in St. Louis, Missouri. The theatre seats 11,000 people with about 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first ...

in the 1942 season. She had a show at

The Palace ''The Palace'' is a British drama television series that aired on ITV (TV network), ITV in 2008. Produced by Company Pictures for the ITV network, it was created by Tom Grieves and follows a fictional British Royal Family in the aftermath of t ...

in New York in 1951. A ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' review of her show described her as "a fine lyric soprano whose voice occasionally achieves the qualities of a coloratura". She married

Leonard Ceeley Leonard Ceeley, real name Leon Otis Dickerson Seeley, was a British actor, born August 14, 1892 in Gravesend, Kent (United Kingdom) and died May 7, 1977 in Los Angeles, California (United States). He began as a choirboy at Rochester Cathedral bef ...

in 1943. They were principal players in the

Marx brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

revue ''A Day at the Races''. 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 Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

in 1947. Her husband, Leonard Ceeley, died in 1977.

Filmography

* '' It's Great to Be Alive'' (1933) as Singer (uncredited) * ''

Wagon Wheels Wagon Wheels are a sweet snack food sold in the United Kingdom as well as other Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India. They are also sold in Ireland. They consist of two biscuits that form a sandwich with a m ...

'' (1934) as Singer ("Estrelita") * ''

Escapade Escapade or Escapades may refer to: Transportation *Beneteau Escapade, a French sailboat design * HMS ''Escapade'', a 1934 Royal Navy destroyer that served in World War II *'' Just Escapade'', an American two-seat kit-built light aircraft Films ...

'' (1935) as Singer ('You're All I Need') * '' A Night at the Opera'' as Louisa (1935) (uncredited) * ''

Swiss Miss Swiss Miss is an American brand name for cocoa powder and pudding products created by Charles Sanna and sold by American food company Conagra Brands. History In the 1950s, the company sold its original hot cocoa product for commercial use, dis ...

'' (1938) as Chambermaid (uncredited) * ''

'' (1939) as Ozmite / Lullaby League Member / Glinda (voice, uncredited) * ''

'' (1940) (vocal stand-in - uncredited) * '' Bitter Sweet'' (1940) (vocal stand-in:

) * ''

Kiss the Boys Goodbye ''Kiss the Boys Goodbye'' is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Mary Martin, Don Ameche and Oscar Levant. It is based on a play by Clare Boothe Luce which was inspired by the search for an actress to ...

'' (1941) (uncredited) * '' Smilin' Through'' (1941) (voice double: Jeanette MacDonald) * ''

The Chocolate Soldier ''The Chocolate Soldier'' (German: ''Der tapfere Soldat'' he courageous soldieror ''Der Praliné-Soldat'') is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, '' Arms and the Man''. The German language li ...

'' (1941) in Solo Bit in 'Thank the Lord the War is Over' number (uncredited) * '' Rio Rita'' (1942) (vocal stand-in:

Kathryn Grayson Kathryn Grayson (born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick; February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010) was an American actress and coloratura soprano. From the age of 12, Grayson trained as an opera singer. She was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ...

) * ''

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

'' (1942) (vocal stand-in: Jeanette MacDonald) * ''

Seven Sweethearts ''Seven Sweethearts'' is a 1942 musical film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Kathryn Grayson, Marsha Hunt and Van Heflin. In 1949, Hungarian playwright Ferenc Herczeg sued MGM, producer Joe Pasternak and screenwriters Walter Reisch and Le ...

'' (1942) in Specialty Bit in "Little Tingle Tangle Toes" number (uncredited)

References

External links

* *
Lorraine Bridges
at

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Lorraine B Ceeley
at

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Forest Lawn may refer to: Cemeteries California * Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, a chain of cemeteries in southern California * Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City), California * Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale), California * Fore ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridges, Lorraine 1906 births 1993 deaths Singers from Oklahoma Actresses from Oklahoma 20th-century American women opera singers 20th-century American actresses