Actress/singer Ann Marie Blyth was often cast in Hollywood musicals,
but was also successful in dramatic roles. Her performance as Veda
Pierce in the 1945 film Mildred Pierce was nominated for an Academy
Award for Best Supporting Actress.

From left: Ann Blyth and Joan Crawford in “Mildred Pierce” 

“The Manhattan Transfer” took over the Cher timeslot on CBS television for four
weeks. The nostalgic musical show concentrated on elaborate production
numbers from various time periods.

1975

2012

 
    Ginger Rogers (Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995)

Ginger Rogers made her performing debut at age 14, moving on to Vaudeville and
then to Broadway. She arrived in Hollywood in 1931. Her first film, playing opposite Claudette Colbert as a 16 year old flapper, made her a star. She made a total 73
films. Musicals from 1933 to 1939 with RKO including Top Hat and Swing Time
with dance partner Fred Astaire remain classics today.  

When Ginger’s mother died in 1877, she remained at the families Rogue River 
Ranch in Oregon until 1990, when she sold the property and moved to nearby
Medford.

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire

Ginger Rogers with Howard Hughes

George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878 – November 5, 1942)

George M. Cohan was a playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer,
dancer and producer. He began his career as a child, performing with
his parents and sister in a vaudeville act known as "The Four Cohans.

He is considered the father of American musical comedy. His life and
music were depicted in the Academy Award–winning film Yankee Doodle
Dandy (1942) and the 1968 musical George M!. A statue of Cohan in
Times Square in New York City commemorates his contributions to
American musical theatre.

   
        Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967)

As a singer and actor, Nelson Eddy appeared in 19 musical films during the 
1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, TV, 
and in nightclubs, He is best remembered for the eight films in which he 
costarred with Jeanette MacDonald. He was one of the first “crossover” 
stars, appealing both to bobby-soxers as well as opera purists and,
during the height of his career, was the highest paid singer in the world. 

1936