Helen Morgan

Helen Morgan

Born: August 1, 1900
Died: October 9, 1941
in Danville, Illinois, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Helen Morgan (August 2, 1900 – October 9, 1941) was an American singer and actress who worked in films and on the stage. A quintessential torch singer, she made a big splash in the Chicago club scene in the 1920s. She starred as Julie LaVerne in the original Broadway production of Hammerstein and Kern's musical Show Boat in 1927, as well as in the 1932 Broadway revival of the musical, and appeared in two film adaptations, a part-talkie made in 1929 (prologue only) and a full-sound version made in 1936, becoming firmly associated with the role. She suffered from bouts of alcoholism, and despite her notable success in the title role of another Hammerstein and Kern's Broadway musical, Sweet Adeline (1929), her stage career was relatively short. Helen Morgan died of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 41. She was portrayed by Polly Bergen in the Playhouse 90 drama The Helen Morgan Story and by Ann Blyth in the 1957 biopic based on the television drama.

Morgan appeared in at least 15 films including Show Boat 1929, Applause 1929, Marie Galante 1934 and Show Boat 1936.

Movies for Helen Morgan...

Musical Comedy Tonight III
Title: Musical Comedy Tonight III
Released: November 22, 1985
Type: Movie
Sylvia Fine hosts this musical show featuring some great American singing and dancing stars, featuring music by Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, Berlin and Kern.
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American Pop
Title: American Pop
Character: Singer in Raided Nightclub (archive footage)
Released: February 13, 1981
Type: Movie
The history of American popular music runs parallel with the history of a Russian Jewish immigrant family, with each male descendant possessing different musical abilities.
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Show Boat
Title: Show Boat
Character: Julie LaVerne
Released: May 17, 1936
Type: Movie
Despite her mother's objections, the naive young daughter of a show boat captain is thrust into the limelight as the company's new leading lady.
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Frankie and Johnnie
Title: Frankie and Johnnie
Character: Frankie
Released: April 30, 1936
Type: Movie
The story of a woman, Frankie, and the man who has done her wrong, Johnnie.
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Go Into Your Dance
Title: Go Into Your Dance
Character: Luana Wells
Released: April 20, 1935
Type: Movie
An irresponsible Broadway star gets mixed up with gambling and gangsters.
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Sweet Music
Title: Sweet Music
Character: Herself
Released: February 23, 1935
Type: Movie
A midwest band leader and his lead singer share a love-hate relationship as they try for success in New York.
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Marie Galante
Title: Marie Galante
Character: MissTapia
Released: October 25, 1934
Type: Movie
On the French coast, unlucky Marie Galante is abducted and forced to board an American cargo ship bound for the Panama Canal. When an escape attempt leaves Marie high and dry in the Yucatan, she takes work as a nightclub singer to earn her safe passage to the Canal region. But Marie faces bigger problems when she gets mixed up in a destructive plot against the U.S. Naval fleet, and so she accepts the kindly assistance of secret agent Dr. Crawbett.
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You Belong to Me
Title: You Belong to Me
Character: Bonnie Kay
Released: September 8, 1934
Type: Movie
When vaudeville performer Florette Faxon is left penniless with her six-year-old son Jimmy, she relies on the friendship of fellow performer Bud Hannigan to help her get a job. Bud is reluctant to become her partner, as he has proven to himself to be unreliable in relationships, but he tells her to call him whenever she needs help. While working in a beer garden, Florette meets Hap Stanley, an avaricious performer who marries her to get the rights to perform her show routine. Hap dislikes Jimmy and eventually convinces Florette to send him away to school. Both Jimmy and Florette are broken-up over being apart, but Jimmy pretends it is what he wants so Florette can be happy with Hap.
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Hollywood on Parade No. B-1
Title: Hollywood on Parade No. B-1
Released: March 2, 1934
Type: Movie
Short film in which Frankie Darro as a Telegram delivery boy visits various Hollywood locations to make deliveries. He visits the Los Angeles Pier and a Gala Hollywood Premiere.
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The Gigolo Racket
Title: The Gigolo Racket
Character: Helen Marlowe
Released: June 15, 1931
Type: Movie
As a publicity stunt, a musical comedy star announces her engagement to a young man she believes is a gigolo, with whom she eventually falls in love.
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Roadhouse Nights
Title: Roadhouse Nights
Character: Lola Fagan
Released: February 15, 1930
Type: Movie
Based on the Hammett novel, this ultra-rare film—is nominally taken from the author's classic gang-war novel Red Harvest, which proved too brutal and cynical even for pre-Code Hollywood.
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Glorifying the American Girl
Title: Glorifying the American Girl
Character: Self
Released: December 7, 1929
Type: Movie
A young woman, who wants to be in the Follies, is making ends meet by working at a department store's sheet music department, where she sings the latest hits. She is accompanied on piano by her childhood boyfriend, who is in love with her, despite her single-minded interest in her career. When a vaudeville performer asks her to join him as his new partner, she sees it as an opportunity to make her dream come true. Upon arriving in New York City, our heroine finds out that her new partner is only interested in sleeping with her and makes this a condition of making her a star. Soon, however, she is discovered by a representative of Ziegfeld.
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Applause
Title: Applause
Character: Kitty Darling
Released: October 7, 1929
Type: Movie
This early example of the "backstage" musical genre tells the story of Kitty Darling, a fading burlesque star who tries to save her convent-educated daughter April from following in Mom's footsteps.
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Show Boat
Title: Show Boat
Character: Julie LaVerne [prologue]
Released: July 27, 1929
Type: Movie
This film sticks very closely to the Edna Ferber novel, rather than the musical based on the novel. There are only two major changes from Ferber's book : *Julie in this version is a white woman, not a racially mixed one; therefore she and her husband are not unlawfully married. * Ravenal returns at the end, instead of dying as in the novel
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Six Cylinder Love
Title: Six Cylinder Love
Character: Extra (uncredited)
Released: November 4, 1923
Type: Movie
After buying a car, Richard Burton finds that his wife and daughter have become unreasonably extravagant, and is surrounded by sponging friends.