There isn't a voice anywhere that can make us grin like the sinus-clearing foghorn that used to belt to the rafters from the pipes of Ethel Merman.
Next year, you can expect all kinds of Mermania, since January will be the centenary of her birth. Meanwhile, there's plenty of Ethel out there (and in the pipeline), in all her larger-than-life, bawdy greatness. There are two new biographies due in November, Ethel Merman: A Life and Brass Diva: The Life and Legends of Ethel Merman.
For lesser known Merm, check out Mermania Volumes 1 and 2.
Among the many clips available online, we're partial to her duet with her co-diva, Mary Martin, here. And you can catch her doing a hilarious turn in the 1963 comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
written on Thursday Oct 18, 2007
who could ask for anything more?
