Sally Sweetland (née Mueller; September 23, 1911 – February 8, 2015) was an American
soprano singer and teacher. She was active in the film and recording industry during the 1940s and 50s, before moving into teaching.
Career
Sweetland was born Sally Mueller in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
in 1911. In the 1940s, she provided voice dubbing for singing voices in movies, notably for
Joan Leslie in several films including ''
Yankee Doodle Dandy
''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Ro ...
'' (1942) and ''
Rhapsody in Blue
''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work premiered ...
'' (1945), as well as for
Brenda Marshall,
Martha Vickers and
Joan Fontaine
Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the " Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...
in other films of that era. She was featured as a solo artist on television programs such as ''
The Perry Como Show
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...
'' and ''
The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...
''. She was the female soloist on ''Gaslight Gayeties'' on
NBC Red in the mid-1940s
[Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920–1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; . p. 250.] and on ''Top of the Evening'', which debuted in 1944.
In March 1952, Sweetland featured on
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signi ...
's
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Ar ...
recording of "
Summertime" by
George and
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the ...
, which was released as a single, and appeared on Como's album ''TV Favorites''. The following month, Sweetland provided backing vocals on two early recording sessions for the young
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his bir ...
on
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
. She also took part in numerous children's records at this time. In 1953, she provided vocals for
Eddie Fisher
Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...
's recording of "
I'm Walking Behind You", which reached number one on both the
Billboard Top 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
and the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
Sweetland later worked as a vocal coach with her husband Lee, a baritone, who was
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Productions, Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Pictures, Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972.
Woody, an anthropom ...
's singing voice on
NBC Radio
The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the NBC Blue Network it was one of the first t ...
. Among their students was
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and '' The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creato ...
, creator of ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their ...
''. In 1995, actor
George Hearn
George Hearn (born June 18, 1934) is an American actor and singer, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.
Early years
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hearn studied philosophy at Southwestern at Memphis, now Rhodes College before he embarked on a c ...
won the
Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical
This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The award has been given since 1947, but the nominees who did not win have only been publicly announced since 1956.
Winner and ...
for his role in ''
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare i ...
''. In his acceptance speech, he thanked the Sweetlands.
Personal life
She married Lee E. Sweetland, an actor and fellow singer, on December 11, 1939, becoming known under her married name. The couple had four children, including a son, Steve Sweetland, and a daughter, Judy Horrall. Steve took over their former students, and carries on their work.
Sally was widowed in 2009, after 69 years of marriage.
Sweetland celebrated her 100th birthday in 2011, citing laughter as her secret to longevity. As of 2013, she was a resident of
Banning, California
Banning is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 29,505 as of the 2020 census, down from 29,603 at the 2010 census. It is situated in the San Gorgonio Pass, also known as ''Banning Pass''. It is named for P ...
. She died at her home there, on February 8, 2015, aged 103.
SecondHandSongs: Sally Sweetland profile
/ref>
Soundtrack list (film dubbing)
*1940 – '' The Sea Hawk'' ("Old Spanish Song"; dubbed Brenda Marshall)
*1942 – ''Yankee Doodle Dandy
''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Ro ...
'' ("Mary's a Grand Old Name", "Harrigan", and "The Warmest Baby in the Bunch"; dubbed Joan Leslie)
*1943 – '' The Hard Way'' ("Youth Must Have Its Fling", "Shuffle Off to Buffalo", "She's a Latin from Manhattan", and "My Little Buckaroo"; dubbed Joan Leslie)
*1943 – '' The Constant Nymph'' ("Tomorrow"; dubbed Joan Fontaine
Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the " Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...
)
*1943 – '' The Sky's the Limit'' ("My Shining Hour"; dubbed Joan Leslie)
*1943 – '' Phantom of the Opera'' ("Martha" (Act 3, opera excerpt; dubbed Jane Farrar; "Amour et gloire"; dubbed Jane Farrar)
*1943 – '' Thank Your Lucky Stars'' ("I'm Riding for a Fall" and "No You, No Me"; dubbed Joan Leslie)
*1944 – ''Hollywood Canteen
The Hollywood Canteen operated at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in the Los Angeles, California, neighborhood of Hollywood between October 3, 1942, and November 22, 1945 (Thanksgiving Day), as a club offering food, dancing and entertainment for servi ...
'' ("Sweet Dreams, Sweetheart"; dubbed Joan Leslie)
*1944 – ''Knickerbocker Holiday
''Knickerbocker Holiday'' is a 1938 musical written by Kurt Weill (music) and Maxwell Anderson (book and lyrics); based loosely on Washington Irving's '' Knickerbocker's History of New York'' about life in 17th-century New Netherland (old New ...
'' ("It Never Was You"; dubbed Constance Dowling
Constance Dowling (July 24, 1920 – October 28, 1969) was an American model turned actress of the 1940s and 1950s.
Early life and career
Born in New York City, Dowling was a model and chorus girl before moving to California in 1943. She had ...
)
*1945 – '' Where Do We Go from Here?'' ("If Love Remains", "All at Once" and "Morale"; dubbed Joan Leslie)
*1945 – ''Rhapsody in Blue
''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work premiered ...
'' ("Embraceable You
"Embraceable You" is a jazz standard song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song was written in 1928 for an unpublished operetta named ''East Is West''. It was published in 1930 and included in that year's Broadway mu ...
", " Swanee", " Smiles", "Somebody Loves Me
"Somebody Loves Me" is a popular song, with music written by George Gershwin, and lyrics by Ballard MacDonald and Buddy DeSylva. The song was published in 1924 and featured in '' George White's Scandals'' of 1924.
This is not to be confuse ...
", and " Delishious"; dubbed Joan Leslie)
*1946 – '' The Time, the Place and the Girl'' ("A Rainy Night in Rio" and "A Gal in Calico"; dubbed Martha Vickers. Also dubbed singing for Florence Bates
Florence Bates ( Rabe; April 15, 1888 - January 31, 1954), was an American film and stage character actress who often played grande dame characters in supporting roles.
Life and career
Bates was the second child born to Jewish immigrant pa ...
)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweetland, Sally
1911 births
2015 deaths
American centenarians
American sopranos
Singers from Los Angeles
People from Banning, California
Women centenarians
21st-century American women