Lucille Norman (born Lucille Pharaby Boileau; June 15, 1921 – April 1, 1998) was an American

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

, radio personality, and stage and

film actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

active in the 1940s and 1950s.

Early life

When Noirman was 15 years old, she won a contest at resulted in her becoming a singer on radio station KLZ in Denver, Colorado. That was her first job, and that same summer she sang with the Colorado symphony. She appeared on the

Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air The Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air was an annual singing competition sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera of New York City for more than two decades. The competition's purpose was to find, encourage, and promote developing young opera singe ...

on December 7, 1941, singing an aria from ''

Orfeo ed Euridice (; French: '; English: ''Orpheus and Eurydice'') is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck, based on the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the '' azione teatrale'', meaning an ...

'' by

Gluck Christoph Willibald ( Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire at ...

MGM films

Norman's first film roles were in 1942. First, an uncredited part in the film ''Personalities,'' which was a vehicle that

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 ...

used to showcase their new stars. Then she and

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

both made their official screen debuts singing and dancing with

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

in the

film '' For Me and My Gal''. Fate intervened in interrupting her Hollywood film career, and she next performed on the Broadway stage.

Fred F. Finklehoffe Fred Franklin Finklehoffe (February 16, 1910, Springfield, Massachusetts – October 5, 1977, Springtown, Pennsylvania) was an American film writer and producer. He was educated at Virginia Military Institute (V.M.I.) where he met his writing part ...

, the film's co-writer, was so impressed with Norman's abilities that he offered her the leading role in his new vaudeville-type show called ''Show Time'', already a hit in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Norman replaced

Kitty Carlisle Kitty Carlisle Hart (born Catherine Conn; September 3, 1910 – April 17, 2007) was an American stage and screen actress, opera singer, television personality and spokesperson for the arts. She was the leading lady in the Marx Brothers movie '' ...

in New York and found herself a featured artist performing songs and comedy with

Jack Haley John Joseph Haley Jr. (August 10, 1898 – June 6, 1979) was an American actor, comedian, dancer, radio host, singer, drummer and vaudevillian. He was best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and his farmhand counterpart Hickory in the 193 ...

and George Jessel (342 performances Sept 16, 1942, through April 3, 1943).

The war years

Norman spent much of the war years as a radio singer. In August 1944, courtesy of MGM, Norman entertained the troops, starring in a production of ''

Roberta Roberta is a feminine version of the given names Robert and Roberto. It is a Germanic name derived from the stems *hrod meaning "famous", "glorious", "godlike" and *berht meaning "bright", "shining", "light". People with the name *Roberta Achtenbe ...

'' at

Camp Roberts, California Camp Roberts is a California National Guard post in central California, located on both sides of the Salinas River in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, now run by the California Army National Guard. It was opened in 1941 and is named afte ...

, a production where she met her future husband, Bruce Kellogg. Although he had acted in about 15 films, his full-time occupation was operating his 15,000-acre ranch near

Cody, Wyoming Cody is a city in and the county seat of Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after Buffalo Bill Cody for his part in the founding of Cody in 1896. The population was 10,028 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, making Cod ...

. They were married in Las Vegas on February 6, 1945, and he also became her agent and business manager. She and Kellogg had one child together, a daughter, Pamela, and remained married until his death. Her husband's efforts played a critical role in getting her accepted in radio, because she was initially regarded as an opera singer."Nebraskan a New Star." (March 2, 1952), Omaha

World-Herald The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper ...

Magazine,

Omaha, NE Omaha ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 41st-most-populous city, Omaha had a popul ...

During WWII, the Kelloggs sent word to all of the government hospitals that they would give work on their Wyoming ranch to wounded warriors that needed the "rehabilitation that can be found in healthy, out-of-doors employment. Dozens of veterans took advantage of the offer and profited by it." The Kelloggs also extended the same offer to veterans of the Korean War. After the war, Lucille Norman next appeared in film as a specialty singer in the 1946 film short, ''Musical Masterpieces''.

Radio

Her most memorable roles as a singer came through her national radio appearances. Foremost were her appearances on ''

The Railroad Hour ''The Railroad Hour'' was a radio series of musical dramas and comedies broadcast from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Sponsored by the Association of American Railroads, the series condensed musicals and operettas to shorter lengths, concentra ...

'', with show host

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer, and television and radio host. He appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and ''Carousel'' (1956), and ...

. ''The Railroad Hour'' was a weekly half-hour

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

featuring condensed versions of hit Broadway shows. One of his most frequent guest artists, Norman made 73 appearances (some as summer hostess while MacRae was on vacation) on the show between 1948 and 1954. She also starred as mistress of ceremonies of her own half-hour CBS radio show on the West Coast, the ''Hollywood Music Hall''. On October 21, 1952, Norman celebrated the fourth anniversary of the show Although the literature is unclear about the number of episodes, Norman's ''Hollywood Music Hall'' also debuted as a proposed television series in 1953, featuring the

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Young was posthumously awarded the ...

Orchestra. Norman was seen on various television shows originating in Southern California. She and her husband appeared under a one-year contract for a television series in 1951.

Concert stage

In 1949, Norman starred with

John Raitt John Emmet Raitt (; January 29, 1917 – February 20, 2005) was an American actor and singer best known for his performances in musical theatre. His most notable roles were Billy Bigelow in the original Broadway cast of ''Carousel'' and Curly ...

in the musical ''

The New Moon ''The New Moon'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. The show was the third in a string of Broadway hits for Romberg (after ''The St ...

'' at the

Greek Theatre A theatrical culture flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. At its centre was the city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, and the theatre was institutionalised there as par ...

in Los Angeles. She made five starring concert appearances at

The Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on the National ...

, including an annual Gershwin concert. Her appearance as soloist at the March 24, 1951, Easter Sunrise Service at the Bowl (with 2 choirs and the Werner Jenssen Symphony Orchestra) was attended by 20,000 people. She also performed as soloist with John Boles at the Easter Concert at the Carmel Valley Bowl on April 4, 1954, for an audience of 15,000. She performed in various supper clubs in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

. Norman was also the lead singer and star of the

Fiesta del Pacifico Fiesta del Pacifico (English: ''Festival of the Pacific'') was a civic festival held in San Diego, California, during the 1950s. The event was staged throughout the city for several weeks in the mid to late summer. It was intended to attract touris ...

in 1957. The

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

summer spectacular featured a cast of 1300 persons in the

Meredith Willson Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson (May 18, 1902 – June 15, 1984) was an American flautist, composer, conductor, musical arranger, bandleader, playwright, and writer. He is perhaps best known for writing the book, music, and lyrics for the 1 ...

production of "The California Story." In 1956, she was named Top Vocalist of the Year by the Southern California Music Trade Association.

Warner Bros. films

Norman returned to Hollywood acting and singing under contract with

Warner Brothers Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film studio and distribution arm of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., both of which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex ...

in 1951 as Abby in ''

Painting the Clouds with Sunshine "Painting the Clouds with Sunshine" is a popular music, popular song published in 1929 in music, 1929. The music was written by Joe Burke (composer), Joe Burke and the lyrics by Al Dubin for the 1929 musical film ''Gold Diggers of Broadway'' when ...

'' and she played herself in ''

Starlift ''Starlift'' (a.k.a. ''Operation Starlift'') is a 1951 American musical film released by Warner Bros. starring Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Virginia Mayo, Dick Wesson, and Ruth Roman. It was directed by Roy Del Ruth and written by John D. Klor ...

''. She also appeared in '' Sweethearts on Parade'' in 1953. Her most notable straight dramatic role was in 1952 starring opposite

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor, whose Hollywood career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in dramas, come ...

in the western film ''

Carson City Carson City, officially the Carson City Consolidated Municipality, is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the 6th most populous city in the state. The m ...

''. Her last acting appearance was in the television series ''

The Colgate Comedy Hour ''The Colgate Comedy Hour'' is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars. Many of the scripts of the serie ...

'', in which she appeared in a 1955 episode. Lucille Norman co-starred with Italian tenor Aldo Monaco on the TV special ''Songs of Christmas'' in 1963.

Carmen Dragon Carmen Dragon (July 28, 1914 – March 28, 1984) was an American conductor, composer, and arranger who in addition to live performances and recording, worked in radio, film, and television. Early years Dragon was born in Antioch, California, ...

provided the musical direction conducting The Glendale Symphony Orchestra.

Discography

Lucille Norman's discography is notable for a number of studio cast recordings of popular operettas that she made with

Dennis Morgan Dennis Morgan (born Earl Stanley Morner; December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994) was an American actor-singer. He used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame. According to one ob ...

and other artists that have remained popular and all have been reissued as CDs. *1938 - ''

I Married an Angel ''I Married an Angel'' is a 1938 musical comedy by Rodgers and Hart. It was adapted from a play by Hungarian playwright János Vaszary, entitled ''Angyalt Vettem Felesegul''. The book was by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, with music by Rodger ...

'', studio cast with

(reissued on AEI CD-1150, 1985) *1942 - ''For Me and My Gal'',

Soundtrack with

and

(Reissued by Sony UK CD 7638552, 2010); *1950 - ''

'', studio cast with

(Capitol H-217) LP *1950 - ''

The Vagabond King ''The Vagabond King'' is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic novel and play ''If I Were King''. The story is a fictionali ...

'', studio cast with

(Capitol LCT-6000) LP *1951 - ''

'', Soundtrack with

(Capitol L-291) LP *1952 - ''

The Desert Song ''The Desert Song'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Berber fighters, against French colonia ...

'', studio cast with

(Capitol L-351) LP *1952 - ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

'', studio cast with

(Capitol L-335) LP *1952 - ''

'', studio cast with

(Capitol L-334)LP *1953 - ''

''/''

'', studio casts with

(Capitol P-384) LP *1954 - ''

The Red Mill ''The Red Mill'' is an operetta written by Victor Herbert, with a libretto by Henry Blossom. The farcical story concerns two American vaudevillians who wreak havoc at an inn in the Netherlands, interfering with two marriages; but all ends well. Th ...

'', 1954 studio cast with

(Capitol L-530) LP *1955 - ''

The Student Prince ''The Student Prince'' is an operetta in a prologue and four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play ''Old Heidelberg (play), Old Heidelberg''. The piece has a scor ...

''/''

'', studio casts with

(Capitol T-437) *1955 - ''Naughty Marietta''/''

'', studio casts with

(Capitol T-551) *1956 - ''

''/''

'', studio casts with

(Capitol T-219) LP VCR recordings * 1942 '' For Me and My Gal'',

with

and

* 1951 ''

'',

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

with

and

Virginia Mayo Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of popular comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Bros.' biggest box-office draw in the late 1940s. S ...

* 1951 ''

'',

Filmcast with

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

and

Notes

References

External links

* *
Lucille Norman on MusicBrainz.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Lucille American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American radio personalities 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Lincoln, Nebraska 1921 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American singers Musicians from Lincoln, Nebraska 20th-century American women singers People from Cody, Wyoming