By Barbara Cowan
Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy were sweethearts, but not many people knew.
The tale of their secret 30-year relationship is the topic of the musical "A Scandalous Affair," part of the Blair County Arts Foundation's A Night for the Mishler fundraiser March 13.
Opera singers Hallie Neill and her husband, Theodore Lambrinos, star.
But the show has a tie to the Mishler Theatre and to a local backer of the arts.
"This year's Night is particularly exciting and meaningful, as the inspiration for the evening was Eleanore Steckman, whose passing last year at the age of 101 prompted us to reflect on her considerable influence in saving the Mishler from being razed and replaced with a parking lot," Kate Shaffer, executive director of the BCAF, said.
Steckman was the executive secretary of the foundation for more than 20 years and was instrumental in bringing the Ward Memorial Chandelier to the Mishler. She traveled to Hollywood to attend an MGM studio auction and purchased the 600-pound, 6-feet wide, 8-feet long crystal chandelier.
The chandelier was from the MacDonald/Eddy movie "Maytime."
Shaffer said planning for the fundraiser fell together when, a few days after Steckman's memorial service, she received a call about "A Scandalous Affair" and had a chance to bring it to Altoona.
Steckman, who also was inducted into the Blair County Arts Hall of Fame, was a fan of MacDonald and Eddy.
"'Maytime' was one of Eleanore Steckman's favorite movies," said Jane Hite, chairwoman of the A Night for the Mishler event.
The chandelier has been in the Mishler since 1971.
In the same room where the chandelier hangs, the story of MacDonald and Eddy will unfold.
"I became a fan of their (MacDonald and Eddy) chemistry on the screen. I came to realize you can't really act as they did on the screen. They were real-life lovers," Neill said in an interview last week from New York City. "I became very intrigued by the story."
For 30 years, the two actors hid their relationship - something, Neill said, that was dictated by the MGM studio. She said there were secret pregnancies, and it "was quite scandalous, especially since it was the late 1940s. The studios were extremely powerful ... and just ran their lives."
MacDonald and Eddy were forced to marry other people.
The couple's story was told in the book "Sweethearts." And from there, the musical "A Scandalous Affair" was created.
"We started performing it before 2006. We've done it about 30 times around the country, and it's beginning to get a lot of interest," Neill said.
"It's a feel-good show. It's a romance, and another big part of the show is the music," she said, adding pieces included are by composers such as Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hart.
Songs include "Indian Love Call," "One Kiss," "Sweethearts" and "Do You Remember."
"People might come in not knowing their music, but they leave whistling them," Neill said.
"I think it's (the show) inspiring," she said, adding people of all ages can enjoy the story, the music and the charm of the romance. The show also has humor, she said.
"Nelson Eddy was the most popular and highest paid singer in the world, and he was replaced by Frank Sinatra," Neill said. "In his day he was the top ."
The duo made films together from 1935 to 1942. They also did radio shows, concerts, operas and TV shows, Neill said.
If unfamiliar with the duo, she recommends people watch the move "Maytime."
"It's the most magical one (of their movies). In it, John Barrymore is the villain. Nelson and Jeanette are lovers and forbidden to be together. It parallels their real life," she said.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go into the foundation's operating budget and be used toward the upkeep of the historic theater, Shaffer said.
