Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: Virginia O'Brien

  1. #1
    lobosco107 Guest

    Virginia O'Brien

    Does anyone remember Virginia O'Brien? She was called the Diva of the Deadpan. She was in a lot of MGM musicials of the 1940s...




    Born Virginia Lee O’Brien
    April 18, 1919 Los Angeles, California
    Died January 16, 2001
    Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Years active1940 - 2000

    Spouse(s)Kirk Alyn (1942-1955)
    Vern Evans (1958-1966)
    Harry B. White (1968-1996)

    Virginia O'Brien (born April 18, 1919 in Los Angeles, died January 16, 2001), was a popular American singer and actress known for her comedic roles in MGM musicals of the 1940s. She is also noted for her singing style, as well as her beauty.
    O'Brien's looks belied the fact that she 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 fright before singing a number.

    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. It should be noted that 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.

    Among the films she appeared in during her time at MGM were The Big Store (1941) with the Marx Brothers, 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 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. In 1984 she created a cabaret act saluting her career with MGM and this was recorded at the Masquer's Club in Hollywood, subsequently released as a Compact Disc and then with iTunes.

    She continued to perform well into the 1980s with both a one-woman show and a production of Show Boat. She also continued to perform in the 1990s with the Palm Spring Follies.

  2. #2
    Guest Guest

    Smile

    Lol surprisingly I remember her - I like the old musicals and Virginia was a nice looking lady.
    I remember her one time hubby Kirk Alyn too - 'superman'. He got alzheimers quite early I believe and didn't do so much acting

    Attachment 8133
    Last edited by Guest; 09-25-2008 at 05:31 AM.

  3. #3
    lobosco107 Guest
    I have a CD of Virginia O'Brien from her cabaret performances in the 1990s. She still had it. Nice voice and cute gal.

  4. #4
    Guest Guest

    Smile

    I can't remember her singing voice but I remember it was pleasant - is there any of her on youtube or similar? I'd love to remind myself

  5. #5
    lobosco107 Guest
    Your wish is my command:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c-BzWJ-D74

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QdxK...eature=related

    Two of my favorite Virginia O'Brien moments!

  6. #6
    Guest Guest

    Smile

    Quote Originally Posted by lobosco107 View Post
    Your wish is my command:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c-BzWJ-D74

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QdxK...eature=related

    Two of my favorite Virginia O'Brien moments!
    Yayyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!! Thank you my friend

  7. #7
    radiojane Guest
    She killed me in Dubarry was a Lady.

    "No Matter How You Slice It, It's Still Saaalllooommme!"

    Her faux strip tease reminds me of a comic version of Rita Hayworth's in Gilda

  8. #8
    lobosco107 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by radiojane View Post
    She killed me in Dubarry was a Lady.

    "No Matter How You Slice It, It's Still Saaalllooommme!"

    Her faux strip tease reminds me of a comic version of Rita Hayworth's in Gilda
    She was a very underrated singer too.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    NoHo Arts District-L.A.
    Posts
    5,648
    I'm watching her in The Harvey Girls, right now. She certainly had charisma!
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]peek-a-boo!!

  10. #10
    Guest Guest
    Very true Jop! Great film too, lots of lovely ladies in it!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    S.E. Pennsylvania, USA
    Posts
    624
    Happy 100th Birthday to Virginia !!!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Ontario,Canada
    Posts
    4,742
    She was great and always a pleasure to watch, I loved her bit in Ziegfeld Follies. One of the most unique talents on the MGM roster.
    Today you could be standing next to someone who is trying their best not to fall apart. So whatever you do today, do it with kindness.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •