Irene Manning
Encyclopedia
Irene Manning was an actress/singer.
She was born Inez Harvuot in Cincinnati, Ohio
in a family of five siblings. Her family loved to go on outdoor picnics where the featured activity was group singing. This family environment helped Irene to develop a keen interest in singing at a very early age. Her sisters later complained that little Irene would sing in her sleep, keeping them awake.
While performing with an all-girl USO show in England, Irene was asked to perform with bandleader Glenn Miller
shortly before his death in 1944. Miller was involved in making swing records to be broadcast into Nazi Germany as part of the American Broadcasting System in Europe. Because she had been a light opera star prior to World War II and was fluent in singing in German, she was asked to sing some American pop tunes which had been translated into German vocals. Her sides were some of the last records made by Glenn Miller, prior to his being lost on an ill-fated flight to Paris over the English Channel in December 1944.
She was briefly credited as Hope Manning in her first films, as she broke in with the Republic Studios system in 1936. Her first film placed her as the lead actress in a western, The Old Corral, opposite Gene Autry
. Irene once said in jest that "she had left light opera for a horse opera."
By the early 1940s, Irene was employed in the Warner Bros.
studio system as a contract actress and singer. She is probably best remembered as diva "Fay Templeton" in Yankee Doodle Dandy
(1942), opposite James Cagney
. In this film, she had a scene in which she had to simultaneously act, sing the song "Mary," and play the piano. She starred with Humphrey Bogart
in The Big Shot
(1942) and with Dennis Morgan
in both The Desert Song
(1943) and Shine On, Harvest Moon
(1944).
Her contract was picked up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
(MGM) to place her singing skills as a threat to Jeanette MacDonald
, who was giving MGM fits with her difficult demands. In private, Manning claimed that she was a better singer. The problem between MacDonald and MGM subsided, and Manning's contract was dropped without any appearances in a MGM film. In all, Irene Manning made a dozen films.
The musical stage took priority in the second half of the 1940s with The Day Before Spring
on Broadway and both DuBarry Was a Lady
and Serenade
in London. She remained in England and appeared on her own BBC TV show, An American in England until 1951, when she returned to the United States for TV and nightclub work.
Eventually she retired to teach acting and voice.
She died aged 91 from congestive heart failure
at her home in San Carlos, California.
She was born Inez Harvuot in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
in a family of five siblings. Her family loved to go on outdoor picnics where the featured activity was group singing. This family environment helped Irene to develop a keen interest in singing at a very early age. Her sisters later complained that little Irene would sing in her sleep, keeping them awake.
While performing with an all-girl USO show in England, Irene was asked to perform with bandleader Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
shortly before his death in 1944. Miller was involved in making swing records to be broadcast into Nazi Germany as part of the American Broadcasting System in Europe. Because she had been a light opera star prior to World War II and was fluent in singing in German, she was asked to sing some American pop tunes which had been translated into German vocals. Her sides were some of the last records made by Glenn Miller, prior to his being lost on an ill-fated flight to Paris over the English Channel in December 1944.
She was briefly credited as Hope Manning in her first films, as she broke in with the Republic Studios system in 1936. Her first film placed her as the lead actress in a western, The Old Corral, opposite Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
. Irene once said in jest that "she had left light opera for a horse opera."
By the early 1940s, Irene was employed in the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
studio system as a contract actress and singer. She is probably best remembered as diva "Fay Templeton" in Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney.The movie was written by...
(1942), opposite James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
. In this film, she had a scene in which she had to simultaneously act, sing the song "Mary," and play the piano. She starred with Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
in The Big Shot
The Big Shot
The Big Shot is a crime drama film starring Humphrey Bogart as a crime boss and Irene Manning as the woman with whom he falls in love.-Cast:*Humphrey Bogart as Joseph "Duke" Berne*Irene Manning as Lorna Fleming*Richard Travis as George Anderson...
(1942) and with Dennis Morgan
Dennis Morgan
Dennis Morgan was an American actor-singer. Born as Earl Stanley Morner, he used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting his professional name....
in both The Desert Song
The Desert Song (1943 film)
The Desert Song is a 1943 epic musical film. It was directed by Robert Florey and starred Dennis Morgan, Irene Manning and Bruce Cabot. It is based on the 1926 operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg...
(1943) and Shine On, Harvest Moon
Shine On, Harvest Moon (film)
Shine On, Harvest Moon, starring Ann Sheridan, is a 1944 musical film biography of the vaudeville team of Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth, who wrote the popular song "Shine On, Harvest Moon".-Cast:*Ann Sheridan as Nora Bayes*Dennis Morgan as Jack Norworth...
(1944).
Her contract was picked up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
(MGM) to place her singing skills as a threat to Jeanette MacDonald
Jeanette MacDonald
Jeanette MacDonald was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier and Nelson Eddy...
, who was giving MGM fits with her difficult demands. In private, Manning claimed that she was a better singer. The problem between MacDonald and MGM subsided, and Manning's contract was dropped without any appearances in a MGM film. In all, Irene Manning made a dozen films.
The musical stage took priority in the second half of the 1940s with The Day Before Spring
The Day Before Spring
The Day Before Spring is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe.-Productions:The 1945 touring production closed in Chicago after three days due to a crippling coal strike...
on Broadway and both DuBarry Was a Lady
DuBarry Was a Lady
DuBarry Was a Lady is a Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, and the book by Herbert Fields and B.G. DeSylva. The musical starred Bert Lahr, Ethel Merman and Betty Grable, and the song "Friendship" was one of the highlights...
and Serenade
Serenade
In music, a serenade is a musical composition, and/or performance, in someone's honor. Serenades are typically calm, light music.The word Serenade is derived from the Italian word sereno, which means calm....
in London. She remained in England and appeared on her own BBC TV show, An American in England until 1951, when she returned to the United States for TV and nightclub work.
Eventually she retired to teach acting and voice.
She died aged 91 from congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
at her home in San Carlos, California.
External links
- Irene Manning at the IMDB
- Photo of Irene Manning signing autographs for troops in World War II
- Photo