About "Sweethearts"

Sweethearts, now it its second, updated 2001 edition, this best-selling book is the true story of one of Hollywood's greatest cover-ups -- the love affair between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Known as "America's Singing Sweethearts" of the 1930s and 40s, MacDonald and Eddy made eight box office hits together for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and became the most popular singing team in movie history. Rumor had it that they hated each other off-screen, but the truth was that they wanted to marry, thwarted only by their studio boss, Louis B. Mayer. Both eventually married others, but their love for each other never died, driving them to self-destruct their careers, health, and ultimately their lives.

Author Sharon Rich had her first book published by Times Mirror at age nineteen. Since then she has authored a total of five books about MacDonald and/or Eddy, and has written hundreds of pages of articles and/or edited magazines dealing with film history, film preservation, MacDonald and Eddy, and opera. She has lectured here and abroad, and has been featured in radio, television, and newspaper articles. The book "Sweethearts" was officially released at a special event hosted by the American Film Institute in Washington, D.C. In 1995 Rich was awarded a Dame of Merit by the Knights of Malta for her contribution to History and Literature. Rich is considered by many to be the leading authority on MacDonald and Eddy in the world, and is responsible for a massive ongoing project that has located and preserved the hundreds of hours of MacDonald/Eddy radio shows and private home recordings.

Sweethearts is the result of two decades of research. The project began when Sharon met Jeanette's older sister, Blossom Rock, the actress who played the grandmother on "The Addams Family" TV series in the mid-sixties. During their nine-year friendship (until her death), Blossom introduced Sharon to numerous friends and colleagues of her sister and Nelson Eddy. At the tail end of her research, Sharon was contacted by a woman in the midwest who for fifty years had kept in her possession hundreds of hand-written letters from a correspondence with Nelson Eddy's mother, that told in great detail of the star-crossed relationship between Nelson and Jeanette. Included in the correspondence were copies of Nelson's love letters to Jeanette (and vice versa), personal diary entries, and unpublished memoirs, in short, an unbelievable treasure trove that proved once and for all that the love affair Hollywood had so long denied ever existed was one of the great romantic tragedies of the twentieth century. This woman had never shown anyone the letters, but secretly hoped that some day a writer could be trusted to tell the true story, and she turned the letters over to Sharon for use in Sweethearts.

Also during her research, Rich learned that Nelson Eddy had an illegitimate son through a liaison with an opera singer in his pre-Hollywood days. This man, Jon Eddy, had never gone public about his identity. He was also a singer, and had an opera and nightclub career under a different name. Jon was at first fearful to "go public" but Sharon convinced him that the majority of Nelson Eddy fans would be thrilled to know of his existence. Sharon sponsored a 'coming out' concert for Jon Eddy which was held in Washington, D.C. and was attended by Eddy fans from as far away as Denmark and Hawaii. Further concerts were held around the country.

Sweethearts is based on 200+ interviews with friends, intimates, family, co-workers, lovers and co-stars. Included among her more famous sources were MGM stars Rise Stevens and Miliza Korjus, opera stars Rose Bampton, Helen Jepson and Theodor Uppman, MGM co-workers William Tuttle and Fred Phillips, and U.S. Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson who, in his youth, was Jeanette's butler/chauffeur and had occasion to observe her interaction both with Nelson Eddy and Gene Raymond. The MacDonald/Eddy fans always fervently hoped that their idols loved each other and they will not be disappointed. Sweethearts is one of the great, tragic love stories of Hollywood's Golden Era.

And the critics say...

"Sweethearts is one of the finest books about Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Hollywood during the Golden Era. It is a bittersweet love story of a famous couple whose musical duets on the silver screen thrilled a generation of moviegoers. They were a once-in-a-lifetime experience. With the knowledge, thanks to Miss Rich, that the actors were in love off the screen, gives their films a heartbeat. Included are love letters, notes from diaries, and observations of those who kept their secret. You will enjoy every word of Sweethearts and you will find a new meaning when viewing their musicals. Then you’ll read it a second time. -Jane Ellen Wayne, Author, The Golden Guys of MGM

"Offers considerable proof they may have been secret lovers for years." -Robert Osborne

"The star-crossed love affair of the century. Sharon Rich...paints a story of love so passionate, volatile and ultimately futile, even Shakespeare's frustrated lovers pale by comparison. At least Romeo and Juliet solved matters in less than a week....The account is anything but sugar-coated. Ms. Rich's book certainly contains much to raise the eyebrows. She names names and pulls no punches. Still, this is not a sensational expose; one comes away feeling sorry for the protagonists, and wishing that their story could have had a happier resolution. Further, Ms. Rich appears to have scrupulously documented each element of her narrative. Nelson's own letters, and the frequent comments of Jeanette's older sister, Blossom Rock, give credibility to an amazing story." - Rob Ray, Past Times"

"One of Hollywood's least well-kept secrets. Rich examines that relationship and the intertwined personal and professional lives of the great screen duo exhaustively and, as she does, also brings to life an incredible supporting cast of stars, moguls and flacks from Hollywood's golden years.... Rich affords a long, exciting, revealing look at two of the most important screen personalities of the 1930s. Vital reading to anyone interested in film history, Hollywood, or popular culture." - Mike Tribby, Booklist

"This dual biography of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy is a surprisingly interesting look at two people so wrapped up in make-believe that they began taking it seriously....Ms. Rich...reveals they had an off-screen romance that was even more torrid and intense than the ones the public paid millions to see. - Harry Bowman, The Dallas Morning News

"This book rings true. It is full of flowery language (from the principals' letters), illegitimate pregnancies, fainting spells, suicide attempts, mental breakdowns, and true romance. Fans will love it." - John Smothers, Library Journal

"This biography of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy reveals lives as melodramatic and star-crossed as one of their movies without the happy ending....A bonanza for MacDonald/Eddy fans, a pan full of nuggets for aficionados of Hollywood and MGM." - Kirkus Reviews

"People who like a good love story, especially a real-life one, will take Sweethearts to heart." - Travis Wolfe, Chattanooga Times