Nancy McCord (died July 8, 1974, Arcadia, California) was an American soprano and actress who had an active career in opera, musical theatre, and vaudeville during the 1920s, 1930s and early 1940s. She appeared in operettas and musicals on Broadway and in operas with several American companies, including the St. Louis Municipal Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. Her repertoire consisted mainly of roles from light opera and operettas. She is best remembered for creating the roles of Marie-Baroness von Schlewitz in the original production of Oscar Hammerstein II and Sigmund Romberg's May Wine (1935); and Mary Stone in the world premiere of Douglas Moore's The Devil and Daniel Webster (1939). She also performed leading roles in the United States premieres of two operettas: Franz Lehár's The Land of Smiles (1933, Boston) and Robert Stolz's Venus in Seide (1935, Saint Louis).

Career

A native of Long Island, New York,[1] McCord studied singing with Marcella Sembrich at the Juilliard School and at her studio in Bolton Landing, New York on Lake George.[2][3] She began her career as a radio singer in the early 1920s as a regular performer on NBC Radio's WEAF station in New York City.[4] In 1929 she made her New York opera debut performing the role of Micaëla in Georges Bizet's Carmen at Lewisohn Stadium with Vladimir Rosing's American Opera Company (AOC) and conductor Eugene Ormandy.[5] She gave her first performance on Broadway on January 10, 1930, as Susanna in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro for the AOC at the Casino Theatre.[6][7] This was soon followed by the role of Marguerite in Charles Gounod's Faust on January 18, 1930, opposite tenor Charles Kullman in the title role; notably the last performance given at the Casino Theatre before it was demolished the following month.[8] She then toured with the AOC to Washington D.C., performing the same three opera roles at Poli's Theatre.[9][10] Also in 1930, she starred as Marie Madame Morrosini in the Walter Kollo's operettaThree Little Girls (German: Drei arme kleine Mädels) at the Great Northern Theatre in Chicago.[11] In 1933 she portrayed Lisa in the United States premiere of Franz Lehár's The Land of Smiles at the Boston Opera House.[12]

In addition to appearing in operas, McCord toured periodically in vaudeville in the early to mid 1930s with a 1932 review in Variety describing her as a "looker with a voice".[13] In 1934 she was a headliner on the Orpheum Circuit; appearing in venues like Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre.[14] In 1932 she appeared at the Ambassador Theatre on Broadway as Mable Stork in the musical revue Chamberlain Brown's Scrap Book which was produced by the show's namesake.[15] She appeared in several more Broadway musicals in the 1930s, including the role of Kit Baker in the 1933 revival of Irving Berlin's Face the Music; a role which she was originally scheduled to perform in the musical's initial run a year earlier.[16] Having secured the role in the revival, critic Mehler wrote in his review of her performance as Kit, "How come Nancy McCord, the ingenue in the show, was let go from the original production is beyond us. Here she does much better than her successor in the first presentation. She has a distinctive personality and is nice to look at.[16]

McCord appeared in several more Broadway productions in the 1930s; starring as Queen Erna of Langenstein in the original production of Frederick Herendeen and Edward A. Horan's All the King's Horses (1934);[17] and Marie-Baroness von Schlewitz in the original cast of Oscar Hammerstein II and Sigmund Romberg's May Wine (1935).[18] Her final Broadway performance was as Mary Stone in the world premiere of Douglas Moore's The Devil and Daniel Webster at the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway.[19] She repeated this role for several performances at the 1939 New York World's Fair after it left that theatre.[20]

On the opera stage, McCord starred in many productions with the St. Louis Municipal Opera (SLMO) beginning with the 1931 summer season.[21] In 1933 she starred in the SLMO's productions of Noël Coward's operetta Bitter Sweet, the Edwardian musical comedy Florodora (as Dolores), and created the role of Marianne in the world premiere of Harry Tierney's operetta Beau Brummell.[22][23][24] She later returned to the SLMO in 1935 to portray Shirley Sheridan in Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach's The Cat and the Fiddle and Princess Stephanya in the United States premiere of Robert Stolz's operetta Venus in Seide (retitled Venus in Silk for American billing).[25][21] The latter work toured to Pittsburgh for tryout performances prior to a planned Broadway run; but poor reviews of the production prevented those plans from moving forward.[26] In 1938 she performed the role of Heidi Mahler in the SLMO's staging of Lost Waltz; a stage adaptation the 1934 musical film Two Hearts in Waltz Time.[27] Some of the other roles she sang with the SLMO included the title roles in Rudolf Friml's Rose-Marie (1939)[28] and Friml's Katinka (1939)[29]

McCord made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as the romantic lead Saamcheddine in Henri Rabaud's Mârouf, savetier du Caire on May 21, 1937, with Mario Chamlee in the title role.[30] That same year she was featured performing works by Gilbert and Sullivan in a 1937 NBC Radio broadcast on the program Sealtest's Saturday Night Party.[31] In 1941 she starred in The Student Prince in a production mounted by The Shubert Organization at the Boston Opera House, and then toured with that production to other theatres owned by the Shubert family.[32] That same year she portrayed the title role in Rio Rita at the Dallas Opera.[33]

Later life

McCord retired from performance after her marriage to Edmond C. Fleming in 1942.[2] Immediately following their marriage, the couple settled on Fleming's ranch in Altadena, California.[2] In 1954 she relocated to Arcadia, California where she resided until her death 20 years later on July 8, 1974.[34]

References

  1. ↑ Francis D. Perkins (May 22, 1937). ""Marouf" Sung In English, with Chamlee in Role; American Tenor Portrays Cobbler in Rabaud Opera Revived After 17 Years; Nancy McCord in Debut, Long Island Soprano in Her First Metropolitan Part". New York Herald Tribune.
  2. 1 2 3 "Maj. E.C. Fleming And Bride Now at Western Ranch". The Washington Post. 10 April 1942. p. 20.
  3. ↑ "Sembrich Pupils to Sing.: Her Proteges to Appear in Benefit Recital at Lake George". The New York Times. 23 August 1930. p. 12.
  4. ↑ "Listening-In". The Washington Post. 21 September 1923. p. 22.
  5. ↑ "8,000 Hear 'Carmen' Sung at Stadium: The American Opera Company, Eugene Ormandy Conductor, Welcomed in Excerpts. "Pagliacci" Is Also Given – Heat Forces Natalie Hall, Heroine of "Carmen," to Sing Her Last Duet From a Chair". The New York Times. 13 August 1929. p. 30.
  6. ↑ "American Company Delights in "Figaro" – Mme. Sembrich in Audience at Casino as Nancy McCord Scores in Her Role of Suzanna". The New York Times. January 11, 1930. p. 21.
  7. ↑ "Feminine Frills: Footlight Fashions". Billboard. 42 (7): 40. February 15, 1930.
  8. ↑ "Casino Theatre, Landmark, Passes: Playhouse That Opened 48 Years Ago Was Scene of Success of Many Celebrities – Once "Farthest North" – Francis Wilson Speaks After the Final Curtain – Commercial Structure to Rise on Site". The New York Times. 19 January 1930. p. 31.
  9. ↑ "Opera Singers Will Have Tea In Thrift Shop: Divas to Attend Affair In Costumes of Their Stage Roles". The Washington Post. 20 January 1930. p. 4.
  10. ↑ "'Faust,' 'Carmen' Close Opera Here: American Company Adds to Laurels in Presentation of Final Classics – Orchestra is Lauded". The Washington Post. 23 Jan 1930. p. 4.
  11. ↑ "The Stage: Bettina Hall in New Show". Billboard. 4 (48): 15. November 29, 1930.
  12. ↑ "New Operetta". Chicago Daily Tribune. 1 January 1933. p. SC5.
  13. ↑ Abel (August 9, 1932). "Vaudeville House Reviews: Equity Thought Revue, but Brown's 'Scrap Book' Is Vaudeville at $1". Variety. 107 (9): 29.
  14. ↑ Loop (July 24, 1934). "Variety House Reviews: PALACE, CHICAGO". Variety. 115 (6): 18.
  15. ↑ Burr, Eugene (August 13, 1932). "The New Plays on Broadway: Ambassador". Billboard. 44 (33): 19.
  16. 1 2 Jack Mehler (February 11, 1933). "The New Plays on Broadway: 44th Street". Billboard. 45 (6): 17.
  17. ↑ Paul Denis (February 10, 1934). "Legitimate: The New Plays on Broadway – Shubert". Billboard. 46 (6): 16.
  18. ↑ Ibee (December 11, 1935). "Legitimate: Plays on Broadway - May Wine". Variety. 120 (13): 62.
  19. ↑ Downes, Olin (19 May 1939). "World Premiere for Benet Opera; American Lyric Theatre, for Its Bow, Gives The Devil and Daniel Webster New England Folk Tale Music Is by Douglas Moore – Text in English Idiom of Time and Place". The New York Times. p. 29.
  20. ↑ "Programs of the Week: World's Fair Opera Continues". The New York Times. 14 May 1939. p. 136.
  21. 1 2 "Legitimate: Plays Out of Town - Beloved Rogue". Variety. 119 (6): 57. July 24, 1935.
  22. ↑ "8,800 in St. Louis Hail 'Beau Brummell': World Premiere of Tierney Work Reveals Tuneful Operetta, Full of Comedy". The New York Times. 9 August 1933. p. 20.
  23. ↑ "Legitimate: St. Louis Opera Draws Record 13,000 Opening". Variety. Vol. 111, no. 1. June 13, 1933. p. 45.
  24. ↑ "American Stage – Florodora". The Stage. No. 2, 730. July 27, 1933. p. 15.
  25. ↑ "Feature News: St.Louis Muny Op Plans Set". Billboard. 47 (23): 6. June 8, 1935.
  26. ↑ Cohen (October 9, 1935). "Legitimate: Plays Out of Town - Venus in Silk". Variety. 120 (4): 52, 62.
  27. ↑ Sahu (July 13, 1938). "Play Out of Town: Lost Waltz". Variety. 131 (5): 50.
  28. ↑ "Legitimate Grosses: 'Rose-Marie' Clicks in St. L Al Fresco Bow". Variety. 134 (13): 43. Jun 7, 1939.
  29. ↑ "Legitimate Grosses: St. L. Streamlined 'Katinka' Preems; 'Waltz' Big $33,000". Variety. 135 (3): 51. June 28, 1939.
  30. ↑ Downes, Olin (May 22, 1937). "'Marouf' Revival Delights Audience – Salvos of Applause Greet the English Version of 'Cobbler of Cairo' at Metropolitan - Work Is in Comedy Vain – Gradually Gains in Its Musical Strength – Chamlee and Nancy McCord in Leading Roles A Welcome Departure Weds Sultan's Daughter Best Part of Opera". The New York Times. p. 18.
  31. ↑ "Radio-Reviews: Follow-Up Comment". Variety. 126 (6): 35. April 21, 1937.
  32. ↑ "Shuberts Reviving Popular Musicals – ' Rio Rita' and 'The Mikado' to Follow Successful Run of 'Student Prince' in Boston". The New York Times. October 10, 1941. p. 27.
  33. ↑ Wood, Frank W. (July 19, 1941). "Legitimate: Dallas Ops Still Going Strong". Billboard. Vol. 53, no. 29. p. 16.
  34. ↑ "Obituary of Anna Marie "Nancy" (McCord) Fleming". Arcadia Tribune. 14 July 1974. p. 7.

Further reading

  • Ruth Benjamin, Arthur Rosenblatt (2006). "Nancy McCord". Who Sang what on Broadway, 1866-1996: The singers (L-Z). McFarland & Company. p. 514.
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