Dust to Dust [Nelson Eddy & Jeanette MacDonald]

Edited by Laura
Made for Fun, not Profit
**Program Used: Sony Vegas 12
•• Watch in 720p ••

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DESCRIPTION//
A tribute to the films of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.

FILMS USED;
Naughty Marietta (1935)
Rose Marie (1936)
Maytime (1937)
The Girl of the Golden West (1938)
Sweethearts (1938)
New Moon (1940)
Bitter Sweet (1940)
I Married an Angel (1941)

"They get more out of a look than I get out of the whole sex act"- Spencer Tracy (on Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald's infamous on-screen chemistry).

MACEDDY!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY BABIES. Seriously, my love for these two cannot be put into words. In short, during the last few months, they have RUINED me. I watched "Naughty Marietta" for the first time (and LOVED IT) over a year ago but never got around to watching their other films. Then about a month back, I watched "Rose Marie" and thus a grand obsession was born. I absolutely adore everything about them and their films and wanted to make this video- not only because I love them- but because I want everyone on YouTube to love them too. I realise this is an unrealistic goal but, if I can turn even one person into a MacEddy fan, I will consider this a successful video. Considering they were MGM's Top Box Office earners in the 1930's, they are criminally under-appreciated today and I wish more people were aware of just how spectacular they were. While not all their films are masterpieces, their chemistry more than makes up for it.

To explain the quote at the beginning of the video to non-MacEddy fans (the diehards will no doubt have heard and cried over it many a time, as I unashamedly have)- Nelson Eddy gave an interview the day after Jeanette MacDonald died and was asked to speak about his first impressions of his former singing partner. His emotional response is the quote at the beginning of the video. What their fans (and the public alike) didn't know at the time was that Nelson and Jeanette had been on-again, off-again lovers for almost 30 years, carrying on their relationship while they were both supposedly happily married to other people. Their story is one of the most fascinating in Hollywood history and presents the studio system at it's absolute life-ruining worst. Louis B. Mayer's tampering in thier relationship resulted in both stars suffering nervous breakdowns and years of unhappiness- all because Mayer felt that if they ever divorced, his box office dominating duo would end their on-screen partnership as well. If you want to have your heart ripped into a million pieces, read "Sweethearts" by Sharon Rich and learn all about their soul destroying 30 year love affair. I'm currently half way through and it is SO good. I mean, it's mentally destroying me and my heart but SOOOOO GOOD.

Whether you believe Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald were a couple in real-life or not (some people don't, even though the proof is beyond irrefutable at this point), their films are truly something special and worth experiencing at least once. My personal favourite is "Maytime". I also highly recommend "Naughty Marietta", "Rose Marie" and "New Moon". To be honest, they're all great (with perhaps the exception of "I Married an Angel", which is my least favourite). I hope you enjoy watching this video as much as I did making it :)

As I mentioned earlier, Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, unfortunately, aren't very well known today. In fact, it took nearly two years into my classic film watching journey for me to even recognise Nelson Eddy (who despite being one of the biggest concert artists of his time, is mostly forgotten today). This video changed all that for me;    • Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy || P...   If it weren't for this incredible tribute, I probably never would've discovered the MacEddy filmography and, as a result, this video holds a very special place in my heart.

If you want to learn about these two incredible film stars, the greatest online resource for all things MacEddy is the wonderful http://maceddy.com. This website was a tremendous resource for me during the editing process of "Dust to Dust" and I am eternally grateful for the wealth of information contained throughout the pages of this site. I also strongly recommend that you purchase Sharon Rich's biography "Sweethearts"- it's a romantic, emotional, heart-wrenching read that will leave you captivated from start to finish.