Virginia O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Virginia Lee O'Brien was a popular American actress, singer, and radio personality known for her comedic roles in MGM
musicals of the 1940s.
before singing a number in the Los Angeles stage production Meet The People
. The audience found the performance to be hilarious and she was soon hired to repeat this performance in a number of movies beginning in 1940 for which she gained the nicknames "Frozen Face" and "Miss Ice Glacier" among others. When she wasn't singing, her acting style was just as emotive as other actresses, and she didn't always employ her gimmick when singing as evidenced by her performance in the excerpt from Show Boat
in the 1946 film Till the Clouds Roll By
. She made her Broadway debut in the short-lived musical Keep Off The Grass
with Jimmy Durante, and recorded four of the songs for Columbia Records. She also recorded several sides for Decca Records
, including two of her signature songs The Wild, Wild West
and Say We're Sweethearts Again.
Among the films she appeared in during her time at MGM were The Big Store
(1941) with the Marx Brothers
, Lady Be Good
(1941) and Ship Ahoy
(1942) with Eleanor Powell
and Red Skelton
, Thousands Cheer
(in which she endured ribbing from Mickey Rooney
about her singing style), Du Barry Was a Lady
(with Skelton and Lucille Ball
), the film version of Meet the People
with Dick Powell
, The Harvey Girls
(with Judy Garland
) and Ziegfeld Follies
. After appearing once again with Red Skelton in 1947's, Merton of the Movies
, and after a guest appearance the following year in the short Musical Merry-Go-Round
, O'Brien was suddenly dropped from her MGM film contract and she moved into television and back to live performances.
She made two film appearances after this: Francis in the Navy
and the 1976 Walt Disney Studios comedy, Gus. She was among the stars in a 1972 nostalgia revue entitled The Big Show of 1928 with Allan Jones
, Cass Daley
, Beatrice Kay
and Sally Rand
, which toured the country and played New York's Madison Square Garden
. In 1984 she created a cabaret act, "Virginia O'Brien Salutes the Great MGM Musicals," which was recorded at the Masquer's Club in Hollywood, and is currently available on CD and on iTunes
. She performed several times at such clubs as Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel Cinegrill, the Vine St. Bar and Grill and the Gardenia, as well as the Plush Room in San Francisco.
She continued to perform well into the 1990s with both her one-woman show and a production of Show Boat
co-starring Alan Young
and also headlined the Palm Springs Follies.
She died aged 81 in Woodland Hills
, California
from a heart attack. She is buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California
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...
musicals of the 1940s.
Life and career
O'Brien primarily performed in comedic roles during the height of her formal film career. This was in part due to her intentionally humorous singing style, which involved her singing in a deadpan manner, with no facial expressions and very little movement– reportedly she stumbled upon this "gimmick" by accident during a stage show when she became virtually paralyzed with stage frightGlossophobia
Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking. The word glossophobia comes from the Greek glōssa, meaning tongue, and φόβος phobos, fear or dread...
before singing a number in the Los Angeles stage production Meet The People
Meet the People
Meet the People was a 1944 MGM patriotic film made during World War II with Lucille Ball and Dick Powell that took its title from a successful Los Angeles stage revue...
. The audience found the performance to be hilarious and she was soon hired to repeat this performance in a number of movies beginning in 1940 for which she gained the nicknames "Frozen Face" and "Miss Ice Glacier" among others. When she wasn't singing, her acting style was just as emotive as other actresses, and she didn't always employ her gimmick when singing as evidenced by her performance in the excerpt from Show Boat
Show Boat
Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
in the 1946 film Till the Clouds Roll By
Till the Clouds Roll By
Till The Clouds Roll By is a 1946 American musical film made by MGM. The film is a fictionalized biography of composer Jerome Kern, who was originally involved with the production of the film, but died before it was completed...
. She made her Broadway debut in the short-lived musical Keep Off The Grass
Keep Off The Grass
Keep Off the Grass is a musical revue with sketches by Mort Lewis, Parke Levy, Alan Lipscott, S. Jay Kaufman, and Panama & Frank, lyrics by Al Dubin and Howard Dietz, and music by Jimmy McHugh. The choreography was by George Balanchine....
with Jimmy Durante, and recorded four of the songs for Columbia Records. She also recorded several sides for Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, including two of her signature songs The Wild, Wild West
The Wild, Wild West
Wild Wild West or The Wild Wild West may refer to:In film and television:*The Wild Wild West , a 1921 film starring Hoot Gibson*The Wild Wild West, a CBS television show, 1965-1969...
and Say We're Sweethearts Again.
Among the films she appeared in during her time at MGM were The Big Store
The Big Store
The Big Store is a Marx Brothers comedy film in which Groucho, Chico and Harpo work to save the Phelps Department Store, owned by Martha Phelps . Groucho plays her detective and bodyguard Wolf J...
(1941) with the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
, Lady Be Good
Lady Be Good
Lady Be Good may refer to:* Lady, Be Good , a 1924 Broadway musical by George and Ira Gershwin** "Oh, Lady Be Good!", a song from the above musical* Lady Be Good , a film directed by Richard Wallace...
(1941) and Ship Ahoy
Ship Ahoy
Ship Ahoy is the title of a 1942 musical-comedy film produced by MGM, starring Eleanor Powell and Red Skelton.-Background:This was the first of two films in which Powell and Skelton co-starred...
(1942) with Eleanor Powell
Eleanor Powell
Eleanor Torrey Powell was an American film actress and dancer of the 1930s and 1940s, known for her exuberant solo tap dancing.-Early life:...
and Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
, Thousands Cheer
Thousands Cheer
Thousands Cheer is a 1943 American comedy musical film released by MGM. Produced at the height of the Second World War, the film was intended as a morale booster for American troops and their families.-Plot:The film is essentially a two-part program...
(in which she endured ribbing from Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
about her singing style), Du Barry Was a Lady
DuBarry Was a Lady (film)
DuBarry Was a Lady is a 1943 Technicolor film, starring Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, and Gene Kelly, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is based on the 1939 stage musical of the same name....
(with Skelton and Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
), the film version of Meet the People
Meet the People
Meet the People was a 1944 MGM patriotic film made during World War II with Lucille Ball and Dick Powell that took its title from a successful Los Angeles stage revue...
with Dick Powell
Dick Powell
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell was an American singer, actor, producer, director and studio boss.Despite the same last name he was not related to William Powell, Eleanor Powell or Jane Powell.-Biography:...
, The Harvey Girls
The Harvey Girls
The Harvey Girls is a 1946 MGM musical film based on a 1942 novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams about Fred Harvey's famous Harvey House restaurants. Directed by George Sidney, the film stars Judy Garland, John Hodiak, Angela Lansbury, Virginia O'Brien, Ray Bolger, and Marjorie Main...
(with Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
) and Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies (film)
Ziegfeld Follies is a 1945 Hollywood musical comedy film directed by Lemuel Ayers, Roy Del Ruth, Robert Lewis, Vincente Minnelli, Merrill Pye, George Sidney and Charles Waters...
. After appearing once again with Red Skelton in 1947's, Merton of the Movies
Merton of the Movies
Merton of the Movies is a 1919 book written by Harry Leon Wilson. In 1922, it was adapted into a Broadway play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly. A 1924 silent movie version was directed by James Cruze and starred Glenn Hunter who had created the role on Broadway...
, and after a guest appearance the following year in the short Musical Merry-Go-Round
Musical Merry-Go-Round
Musical Merry-Go-Round was a NBC TV series which aired from 25 July 1947 to 1949. The series featured live music performances.-Production history:Each 30 minute episode was hosted by Jack Kilty. Little else is known about this early television series....
, O'Brien was suddenly dropped from her MGM film contract and she moved into television and back to live performances.
She made two film appearances after this: Francis in the Navy
Francis in the Navy
Francis in the Navy is a 1955 American black-and-white comedy film, the sixth and last in the Francis the Talking Mule series directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Donald O'Connor and Chill Wills . There was one more film without them, which was poorly received. This marked the first credited role...
and the 1976 Walt Disney Studios comedy, Gus. She was among the stars in a 1972 nostalgia revue entitled The Big Show of 1928 with Allan Jones
Allan Jones
Allan Jones was an American actor and singer. For many years he was married to actress Irene Hervey; their son is American pop singer Jack Jones.-Life and career:...
, Cass Daley
Cass Daley
Cass Daley was an American radio, television and film actress, singer, and comedienne. The daughter of an Irish streetcar conductor, Daley started to perform at nightclubs and on the radio as a band vocalist in the 1940s....
, Beatrice Kay
Beatrice Kay
Beatrice Kay was an American singer, vaudevillian, music hall performer, stage and film actress...
and Sally Rand
Sally Rand
Sally Rand was a burlesque dancer and actress, most noted for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance. She also performed under the name Billie Beck.-Early life and career:...
, which toured the country and played New York's Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. In 1984 she created a cabaret act, "Virginia O'Brien Salutes the Great MGM Musicals," which was recorded at the Masquer's Club in Hollywood, and is currently available on CD and on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. She performed several times at such clubs as Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel Cinegrill, the Vine St. Bar and Grill and the Gardenia, as well as the Plush Room in San Francisco.
She continued to perform well into the 1990s with both her one-woman show and a production of Show Boat
Show Boat
Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
co-starring Alan Young
Alan Young
Alan Young is an English-Canadian actor and voice actor, best known for his role as Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series and video games...
and also headlined the Palm Springs Follies.
She died aged 81 in Woodland Hills
Woodland Hills
Woodland Hills is the name of various communities in the United States, including:*Woodland Hills, Cleveland, a neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio.* Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
from a heart attack. She is buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Hullabaloo Hullabaloo Hullabaloo may refer to:*Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!, the beginning phrase of the Aggie War Hymn*Hullabaloo , a 1940 film*Hullabaloo , a 1960s NBC musical variety series... |
Virginia Ferris | |
| Sky Murder | Lucille LaVonne (uncredited) | ||
| 1941 | The Big Store The Big Store The Big Store is a Marx Brothers comedy film in which Groucho, Chico and Harpo work to save the Phelps Department Store, owned by Martha Phelps . Groucho plays her detective and bodyguard Wolf J... |
Kitty | |
| Lady Be Good Lady Be Good (1941 film) Lady Be Good is the title of an MGM musical film which was released in 1941.The film starred dancer Eleanor Powell along with Ann Sothern, Robert Young, Lionel Barrymore, and Red Skelton. It was directed by Norman Z. McLeod and produced by Arthur Freed... |
Lull | ||
| Ringside Maisie Ringside Maisie Ringside Maisie is a 1941 film directed by Edwin L. Marin. It stars Ann Sothern and George Murphy.-Cast:*Ann Sothern as Maisie Ravier*George Murphy as Francis X. 'Skeets' / 'Skeeter' Maguire*Robert Sterling as Terry Dolan, aka Young O'Hara... |
Herself | Specialty Singer | |
| 1942 | Panama Hattie Panama Hattie Panama Hattie is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Herbert Fields and B. G. DeSylva. It is also the title of a 1942 MGM musical based upon the play... |
Flo Foster | |
| Ship Ahoy Ship Ahoy Ship Ahoy is the title of a 1942 musical-comedy film produced by MGM, starring Eleanor Powell and Red Skelton.-Background:This was the first of two films in which Powell and Skelton co-starred... |
Fran Evans | ||
| 1943 | Thousands Cheer Thousands Cheer Thousands Cheer is a 1943 American comedy musical film released by MGM. Produced at the height of the Second World War, the film was intended as a morale booster for American troops and their families.-Plot:The film is essentially a two-part program... |
Herself | Specialty Singer |
| Du Barry Was a Lady | Ginny | ||
| 1944 | Two Girls and a Sailor Two Girls and a Sailor Two Girls and a Sailor is a 1944 musical film about two singing sisters who are helped to set up a canteen to entertain soldiers by a mysterious wealthy admirer. It featured a host of celebrity performances, including Jimmy Durante doing his hallmark "Inka Dinka Doo", Gracie Allen, and Lena Horne... |
Herself | Specialty Singer |
| Meet the People Meet the People Meet the People was a 1944 MGM patriotic film made during World War II with Lucille Ball and Dick Powell that took its title from a successful Los Angeles stage revue... |
"Woodpecker" Peg | ||
| 1946 | The Show-Off The Show-Off The Show-Off is a 1946 film directed by Harry Beaumont. It stars Red Skelton and Marilyn Maxwell. Previously filmed in 1926 as The Show Off starring Ford Sterling, Lois Wilson and Louise Brooks and in 1934 as The Show-Off with Spencer Tracy also with Lois Wilson.-Cast:*Red Skelton as J. Aubrey... |
Hortense | |
| Till the Clouds Roll By Till the Clouds Roll By Till The Clouds Roll By is a 1946 American musical film made by MGM. The film is a fictionalized biography of composer Jerome Kern, who was originally involved with the production of the film, but died before it was completed... |
Ellie Mae | in Show Boat/Specialty Singer | |
| Ziegfeld Follies Ziegfeld Follies The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air.... |
Specialty Singer | ||
| The Harvey Girls The Harvey Girls The Harvey Girls is a 1946 MGM musical film based on a 1942 novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams about Fred Harvey's famous Harvey House restaurants. Directed by George Sidney, the film stars Judy Garland, John Hodiak, Angela Lansbury, Virginia O'Brien, Ray Bolger, and Marjorie Main... |
Alma from Ohio | ||
| 1947 | Merton of the Movies Merton of the Movies Merton of the Movies is a 1919 book written by Harry Leon Wilson. In 1922, it was adapted into a Broadway play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly. A 1924 silent movie version was directed by James Cruze and starred Glenn Hunter who had created the role on Broadway... |
Phyllis Montague | |
| 1948 | Musical Merry-Go-Round Musical Merry-Go-Round Musical Merry-Go-Round was a NBC TV series which aired from 25 July 1947 to 1949. The series featured live music performances.-Production history:Each 30 minute episode was hosted by Jack Kilty. Little else is known about this early television series.... |
Herself | Specialty Singer |
| 1955 | Francis in the Navy Francis in the Navy Francis in the Navy is a 1955 American black-and-white comedy film, the sixth and last in the Francis the Talking Mule series directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Donald O'Connor and Chill Wills . There was one more film without them, which was poorly received. This marked the first credited role... |
Nurse Kittredge | |
| 1976 | Gus | Reporter |
External links
- http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,3330719,00.html