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IMDbPro

Ethel Merman(1908-1984)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Ethel Merman, 1928.
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer3:27
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
5 Videos
74 Photos
Born in the Astoria section of Queens, New York City, Ethel Merman surely is the pre-eminent star of 'Broadway' musical comedy. Though untrained in singing, she could belt out a song like quite no one else, and was sought after by major songwriters such as Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. Having debuted in 1930 in "Girl Crazy, " she is yet remembered for her marvelous starring appearances in so many great musicals that were later adapted to the silver screen. Among the film versions, Merman herself starred in Anything Goes (1936) and Call Me Madam (1953). That wonderfully boisterous blonde, Betty Hutton, had the Merman lead in both Red, Hot and Blue (1949) and Annie Get Your Gun (1950). Besides Betty Hutton, other Merman screen stand-in roles include Lucille Ball, (in Du Barry Was a Lady (1943)), Ann Sothern, (in Panama Hattie (1942)), Vivian Blaine (in Something for the Boys (1944)) and Rosalind Russell (in Gypsy (1962)). (Russell could never render Stephen Sondheim and Jule Styne's "Everything's Coming Up Roses" the way the immortal Merman did, over and over again.) Ethel Merman's lifetime facts: her dare of birth, was on Thursday, January 16th, 1908 & her life expired on Wednesday, February 15th, 1984. Thursday, January 16th, 1908 & Wednesday, February 15th, 1984, differ 27,789 days, equaling 3,969 weeks & 6 days.
BornJanuary 16, 1908
DiedFebruary 15, 1984(76)
BornJanuary 16, 1908
DiedFebruary 15, 1984(76)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 5 wins

Photos74

Mary Martin and Ethel Merman in Television (1988)
Ethel Merman, Rufus Smith, and Bruce Yarnell in Annie Get Your Gun (1967)
Edie Adams, Lovyss Bradley, Ethel Merman, and Dorothy Provine in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Milton Berle, Jonathan Winters, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Ethel Merman, Dorothy Provine, Dick Shawn, and Terry-Thomas in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Spencer Tracy, Peter Falk, Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, Buddy Hackett, Jonathan Winters, Edie Adams, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Sid Caesar, Ethel Merman, Dorothy Provine, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, and Terry-Thomas in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Spencer Tracy, Peter Falk, Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, Buddy Hackett, Jonathan Winters, Edie Adams, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Sid Caesar, Ethel Merman, Dorothy Provine, Phil Silvers, and Terry-Thomas in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Jonathan Winters, Ethel Merman, and Dorothy Provine in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Ethel Merman in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, Dorothy Provine, and Terry-Thomas in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, Buddy Hackett, Jonathan Winters, Edie Adams, Sid Caesar, and Ethel Merman in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, and Dorothy Provine in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Ethel Merman in The Art of Love (1965)

Known for

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
7.5
  • Mrs. Marcus
  • 1963
Call Me Madam (1953)
Call Me Madam
6.8
  • Sally Adams
  • 1953
Airplane! (1980)
Airplane!
7.7
  • Lieutenant Hurwitz
  • 1980
Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, and Charles Ruggles in Anything Goes (1936)
Anything Goes
6.2
  • Reno Sweeney
  • 1936

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)
    The Love Boat
    • Roz Smith
    • TV Series
    • 1979–1982
  • Airplane! (1980)
    Airplane!
    • Lieutenant Hurwitz
    • 1980
  • Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)
    Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
    • Lilly Loraine (voice)
    • TV Movie
    • 1979
  • Ethel Merman in You're Gonna Love It Here (1977)
    You're Gonna Love It Here
    • Lolly Rogers (as Miss Ethel Merman)
    • TV Movie
    • 1977
  • Bruce Dern, Madeline Kahn, and Augustus von Schumacher in Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
    • Hedda Parsons
    • 1976
  • Journey Back to Oz (1972)
    Journey Back to Oz
    • Mombi, The Bad Witch (voice)
    • 1972
  • Robert Morse and E.J. Peaker in That's Life (1968)
    That's Life
    • Madame Estelle
    • TV Series
    • 1968
  • Marlo Thomas in That Girl (1966)
    That Girl
    • Ethel Merman
    • TV Series
    • 1967–1968
  • Tarzan (1966)
    Tarzan
    • Rosanna McCloud (as Miss Ethel Merman)
    • TV Series
    • 1967
  • Batman (1966)
    Batman
    • Lola Lasagne
    • TV Series
    • 1967
  • Ethel Merman, Rufus Smith, and Bruce Yarnell in Annie Get Your Gun (1967)
    Annie Get Your Gun
    • Annie Oakley
    • TV Movie
    • 1967
  • Angie Dickinson, James Garner, Dick Van Dyke, Ethel Merman, and Elke Sommer in The Art of Love (1965)
    The Art of Love
    • Madame Coco La Fontaine
    • 1965
  • Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963)
    Kraft Suspense Theatre
    • Clara Lovelace
    • TV Series
    • 1965
  • The Lucy Show (1962)
    The Lucy Show
    • Ethel Merman
    • TV Series
    • 1964
  • It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
    It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
    • Mrs. Marcus
    • 1963

Soundtrack

  • Paul Reiser, Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville, Calum Worthy, Keegan-Michael Key, Rachel Bloom, and Krista Marie Yu in Reboot (2022)
    Reboot
    • performer: "There's No Business Like Show Business"
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Hollywood (2020)
    Hollywood
    • performer: "There's No Business Like Show Business" (uncredited)
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2020
  • Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard in Good Morning Britain (2014)
    Good Morning Britain
    • performer: "There's No Business Like Showbusiness" (uncredited)
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Zeit.geschichte (2011)
    Zeit.geschichte
    • performer: "There's No Business Like Show Business" (uncredited)
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • I'm Dying Up Here (2017)
    I'm Dying Up Here
    • performer: "Anything You Can Do"
    • TV Series
    • 2017
  • The Sugarcube Critic (2013)
    The Sugarcube Critic
    • performer: "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)"
    • TV Series
    • 2014
  • Six by Sondheim (2013)
    Six by Sondheim
    • performer: "Rose's Turn"
    • TV Movie
    • 2013
  • RuPaul in RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2012)
    RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
    • performer: "There's No Business Like Show Business"
    • TV Series
    • 2012
  • The Secret Disco Revolution (2012)
    The Secret Disco Revolution
    • performer: "No Business Like Show Business"
    • 2012
  • The Joy of Disco (2012)
    The Joy of Disco
    • performer: "Alexander's Ragtime Band"
    • TV Movie
    • 2012
  • Michael Feinstein's American Songbook (2010)
    Michael Feinstein's American Songbook
    • performer: "Why Do They Call a Private a Private?"
    • TV Series
    • 2010
  • Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me (2009)
    Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me
    • performer: "There's No Business Like Show Business"
    • TV Movie
    • 2009
  • Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression (2009)
    Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
    • performer: "Mandy" (uncredited)
    • Video
    • 2009
  • David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel in Bones (2005)
    Bones
    • performer: "I Got Rhythm"
    • TV Series
    • 2006
  • Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, and Alia Shawkat in Arrested Development (2003)
    Arrested Development
    • performer: "Rose's Turn" (uncredited)
    • TV Series
    • 2005

Videos5

Trailer
Trailer 3:39
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:27
Official Trailer
Anything Goes
Trailer 2:13
Anything Goes
There's No Business Like Show Business
Trailer 2:45
There's No Business Like Show Business
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Trailer 3:42
Alexander's Ragtime Band

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Miss Ethel Merman
  • Height
    • 5′ 5½″ (1.66 m)
  • Born
    • January 16, 1908
    • Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • February 15, 1984
    • Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA(natural causes)
  • Spouses
      Ernest BorgnineJune 27, 1964 - November 18, 1964 (divorced)
  • Children
    • Ethel Levitt
  • Other works
    (1/17/72) Stage: Appeared in "'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin".
  • Publicity listings
    • 8 Print Biographies
    • 2 Portrayals
    • 8 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Elaine Stritch was once a stand-by for Ethel Merman for the musical "Call Me Madam". In her one woman show "Elaine Stritch: At Liberty", Stritch told a story illustrating Merman's showmanship and attitude: One night, while performing the song "Can You Use Any Money Today", a drunken audience member kept calling out to Merman while she performed, annoying both the audience and Merman herself. Finally, Merman got to the last line of the song, hit the first three notes, and then stopped the song. She then walked off the stage, through the wings, down the stairs and into the audience. She got to the drunken man, yanked him out of his seat, dragged him up the center aisle and through the doors that led out of the theater and literally threw the man out into the street. She then walked back into the theater, down the center aisle, up the stairs, through the wings onto the stage, got to dead center and hit the final note of the song as if nothing had happened.
  • Quotes
    [on 1959, when she was nominated for a Tony Award for "Gypsy" but had lost to Mary Martin in "The Sound of Music"] You can't buck a nun.
  • Trademarks
      The song, sung in her inimitable way, "There's No Business Like Show Business"
  • Salary
    • Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall
      (1948)
      $20,000

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