View source for Ethel Merman

{{short description|American actress and singer (1908–1984)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Ethel Merman
| image              = Ethel merman 1967.JPG
| caption            = Merman in 1956
| birth_name         = Ethel Agnes Zimmermann
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1908|01|16}}
| birth_place        = Queens, New York City, U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1984|02|15|1908|01|16}}
| death_place        = Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
| resting_place      = Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum, [[Colorado Springs]], [[Colorado]], U.S.
| awards             = [[American Theater Hall of Fame]]<br>[[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actress|singer}}
| yearsactive        = 1930–1983
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|William Smith|1940|1941|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Robert Levitt, Sr.|1941|1952|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Robert Six]]|1953|1960|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Ernest Borgnine]]|June 27, 1964|1964|end=divorced}}
}}
| children           = 2
| party              = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
}}
'''Ethel Merman''' (born '''Ethel Agnes Zimmermann'''; January 16, 1908  – February 15, 1984) was an American singer and actress. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in [[musical theatre|musical theater]],<ref name="WVobit">Obituary ''[[Variety Obituaries|Variety]]'', February 22, 1984.</ref> she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.musicals101.com/mermbio.htm|title=Merman 101: Ethel Merman Biography - Part I|website=Musicals101.com|access-date=September 28, 2021|archive-date=December 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224094009/http://www.musicals101.com/mermbio.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> She performed on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in ''[[Anything Goes]]'', ''[[Annie Get Your Gun (musical)|Annie Get Your Gun]]'', ''[[Gypsy (musical)|Gypsy]]'', and ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]''

She is also known for her film roles in ''[[Anything Goes (1936 film)|Anything Goes]]'' (1936), ''[[Call Me Madam (film)|Call Me Madam]]'' (1953), ''[[There's No Business Like Show Business (film)|There's No Business Like Show Business]]'' (1954), and ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963). Among many accolades, she received the [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical]] for her performance in ''[[Call Me Madam]]'', a [[Grammy Award]] for ''Gypsy'', and a [[Drama Desk Award]] for ''Hello, Dolly!''

Merman introduced many Broadway [[Standard (music)|standards]], including "[[I Got Rhythm]]" from ''[[Girl Crazy]]'', "[[Everything's Coming Up Roses]]", "[[Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries]]", "Some People" and "[[Rose's Turn]]" from ''Gypsy'', and the [[Cole Porter]] songs "[[It's De-Lovely]]" (from ''[[Red, Hot and Blue]]''), "Friendship" (from ''[[Du Barry Was a Lady]]''), and "[[I Get a Kick Out of You]]", "[[You're the Top]]", and "[[Anything Goes (Cole Porter song)|Anything Goes]]" (from ''Anything Goes''). The [[Irving Berlin]] song "[[There's No Business Like Show Business]]", written for ''Annie Get Your Gun'', became Merman's signature song.<!-- Is there a way we can shorten this list, or at least get citations marking their notability? -->

==Early life==
Ethel Merman was born January 16, 1908, in her maternal grandmother's house in [[Astoria, Queens]], but she later insisted that the year of her birth was 1912. She was an only child.<ref>Kellow, Brian, ''Ethel Merman: A Life''. New York: Viking Press 2007. {{ISBN|0-670-01829-5}}, p. 2.</ref> Her father, Edward Zimmermann, was an accountant with James H. Dunham & Company, a Manhattan wholesale dry-goods company, and her mother, Agnes ({{Nee|Gardner}}) Zimmermann, was a schoolteacher.

Edward had been raised in the [[Dutch Reformed Church]] and Agnes was [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]]. Shortly after they married, they joined the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]] congregation at Church of the Redeemer, where their daughter was baptized. Merman's parents were strict about church attendance and she spent every Sunday attending morning services, Sunday school, afternoon prayer meetings, and evening study groups for children.<ref>Kellow, pp. 2–4.</ref>

Merman's parents insisted she have an education with training in secretarial skills, in case her entertainment career failed. Merman attended P.S. 4 and [[William Cullen Bryant High School]] (which later named its auditorium in her honor), where she pursued a commercial course that offered secretarial training.<ref>Kellow, pp. 4–7.</ref> She was active in numerous extracurricular activities, including the school magazine, the speakers' club, and student council, and frequented the local music store to peruse the weekly arrivals of new sheet music.<ref>Kellow, p. 7.</ref>

On Friday nights, the Zimmermann family took the subway into Manhattan to see the [[vaudeville]] show at the [[Palace Theatre (New York City)|Palace Theatre]], where Merman saw [[Blossom Seeley]], [[Fanny Brice]], [[Sophie Tucker]], and [[Nora Bayes]]. At home, she tried to emulate their singing styles, but found her own distinctive voice difficult to disguise.<ref>Kellow, p. 6.</ref>

After graduating from Bryant High School in 1924, Merman was hired as a [[stenographer]] by the Boyce-Ite Company. One day during her lunch break, she met [[Victor William Kliesrath|Vic Kliesrath]], who offered her a job at the Bragg-Kliesrath Corporation for a $5 increase above the weekly $23 salary she was earning, and Merman accepted the offer.<ref name="Ethel Merman a Life" /> She eventually became personal secretary to company president [[Caleb Bragg]], whose frequent lengthy absences from the office to race automobiles allowed her to catch up on the sleep she had lost the previous night when she was out late singing at private parties.<ref name="Ethel Merman a Life">{{cite book|last=Kellow|first=Brian|title=Ethel Merman : a life|year=2008|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New York|isbn=9780143114208|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OJK5VL5dr8IC&q=Bragg-Kliesrath+brake&pg=PT24|access-date=October 30, 2020|archive-date=March 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309031817/https://books.google.com/books?id=OJK5VL5dr8IC&q=Bragg-Kliesrath+brake&pg=PT24|url-status=live}}</ref>

During this period, Merman began performing in [[nightclub]]s, first hired by [[Jimmy Durante]]'s partner [[Lou Clayton]]. At this time, she decided the name Ethel Zimmermann was too long for a theater marquee, her next ambition to sing in. She considered combining Ethel with Gardner or Hunter, which was her grandmother's maiden name. Her father strongly disapproved of these considerations, so she abbreviated Zimmermann to Merman to appease him.<ref>Kellow, pp. 8–13.</ref>

==Career==
===Early career===
During a two-week singing engagement at a club in midtown Manhattan called Little Russia, Merman met agent Lou Irwin, who arranged for her to audition for [[Archie Mayo]], a film director under contract at [[Warner Bros.]] He offered her an exclusive six-month contract, starting at $125 per week, and Merman quit her day job, only to find herself idle for weeks while waiting to be cast in a film. She urged Irwin to cancel her agreement with Mayo; instead, he negotiated her a better deal allowing her to perform in clubs while remaining on the Warner Bros.'s payroll. Merman was hired as a [[torch song|torch singer]] at Les Ambassadeurs, where the headliner was Jimmy Durante; the two became lifelong friends. She caught the attention of columnists such as [[Walter Winchell]] and [[Mark Hellinger]], who began to give her publicity. Soon after, Merman underwent a [[tonsillectomy]], which she feared would damage her voice, but after recovering, she discovered it was more powerful than ever.<ref>Kellow, pp. 13–19.</ref>

While singing in vaudevillian revues on the [[B. F. Keith Circuit|Keith Circuit]], Merman was signed to replace [[Ruth Etting]] in the [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] film ''[[Follow the Leader (1930 film)|Follow the Leader]]'' (1930), starring [[Ed Wynn]] and [[Ginger Rogers]]. Following a successful seven-week run at the [[Brooklyn Paramount Theater|Brooklyn Paramount]], she was signed to perform at the Palace for $500 per week. During the run, theater producer [[Vinton Freedley]] saw her sing and invited her to audition for the role of San Francisco café singer Kate Fothergill in the new [[George Gershwin|George]] and [[Ira Gershwin]] musical ''[[Girl Crazy]]''. Upon hearing her sing "I Got Rhythm", the Gershwins immediately cast her, and Merman began balancing daytime rehearsals with her matinee and evening performance schedule at the Palace.<ref>Kellow, pp. 21–26.</ref> Merman introduced the songs "[[Sam and Delilah]]" and "[[Boy! What Love Has Done to Me!]]" as well as "I Got Rhythm" in the show.<ref name="Furia1997">{{cite book|last=Furia|first=Philip|title=Ira Gershwin : the art of the lyricist|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=1997|isbn=978-0-19-535394-5|oclc=1074289846|page=77}}</ref>

''Girl Crazy'' opened on October 14, 1930, at the [[Neil Simon Theatre|Alvin Theatre]], where it ran for 272 performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=11231|title=Girl Crazy – Broadway Musical – Original - IBDB|first=The Broadway|last=League|access-date=December 4, 2009|archive-date=January 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113180650/http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=11231|url-status=live}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' noted Merman sang "with dash, authority, good voice and just the right knowing style", and ''The New Yorker'' called her "imitative of no one."<ref name="Kellow, p. 30">Kellow, p. 30.</ref> Merman was indifferent to her reviews, prompting George Gershwin to ask her mother: "Have you ever seen a person so unconcerned as Ethel?"

[[File:Ethel merman ragtime9.jpg|thumb|left|Merman with [[Tyrone Power]] in the trailer for ''[[Alexander's Ragtime Band (film)|Alexander's Ragtime Band]]'' (1938)]]

During the run of ''Girl Crazy'', Paramount signed Merman to appear in a series of 10 short musical films, most of which allowed her to sing both a rousing number and a ballad. She also sang at the [[Central Park Casino]], the [[Paramount Theatre (Manhattan)|Paramount Theatre]], and a return engagement at the Palace. As soon as ''Girl Crazy'' closed, she departed with her parents for a vacation in [[Lake George (town), New York|Lake George]] in upstate New York, but after their first day there, Merman was summoned to [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]], to help salvage the troubled latest edition of ''[[George White's Scandals]]''. Because she was still under contract to Freedley, White was forced to pay the producer $10,000 for her services, in addition to her weekly $1,500 salary. Following the Atlantic City run, the show played in [[Newark, New Jersey]], and then [[Brooklyn]] before opening on Broadway, where it ran for 202 performances.<ref>Kellow, pp. 32–37.</ref>

Merman's next show, ''Humpty Dumpty'', began rehearsals in August 1932 and opened{{emdash}}and immediately closed{{emdash}}in Pittsburgh the following month. Producer [[Buddy DeSylva]], who also had written the book and lyrics, was certain it could be reworked into a success, and with a revamped script and additional songs by [[Vincent Youmans]],<ref>Kellow, pp. 37–40.</ref> it opened with the new title ''[[Take a Chance (musical)|Take a Chance]]'' on November 26 at the [[Apollo Theatre (42nd Street)|42nd Street Apollo Theatre]], where it ran for 243 performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=11687|title=Take a Chance – Broadway Musical – Original - IBDB|first=The Broadway|last=League|access-date=December 4, 2009|archive-date=May 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509012303/http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=11687|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Brooks Atkinson]] of ''The New York Times'' called it "fast, loud, and funny" and added Merman "has never loosed herself with quite so much abandon." Following the Broadway run, she agreed to join the show on the road, but shortly after the Chicago opening, she claimed the chlorine in the city's water supply was irritating her throat, and returned to Manhattan.<ref name="Kellow, p. 30"/>

Merman returned to Hollywood to appear in ''[[We're Not Dressing]]'' (1934), a [[screwball comedy]] based on the [[J. M. Barrie]] play ''[[The Admirable Crichton]]''. Despite working with a cast including [[Bing Crosby]], [[Carole Lombard]], and [[Burns and Allen]], under the direction of [[Academy Award for Best Director|Academy Award]]-winning director [[Norman Taurog]], Merman was unhappy with the experience, and she was dismayed to discover one of her musical numbers had been cut when she attended the New York opening with her family and friends. She also appeared on screen with [[Eddie Cantor]] in ''[[Kid Millions]]'' (also 1934), but her return to Broadway established her as a major star and cemented her image as a tough girl.<ref>Kellow, pp. 42–67.</ref>

''[[Anything Goes]]'' was the first of five [[Cole Porter]] musicals in which Merman starred. In addition to the title song, the score included "[[I Get a Kick Out of You]]", "[[You're the Top]]", and "Blow Gabriel Blow". It opened on November 21, 1934, at the Alvin Theatre,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=9382|title=Anything Goes – Broadway Musical – Original - IBDB|first=The Broadway|last=League|access-date=December 4, 2009|archive-date=February 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207122136/http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=9382|url-status=live}}</ref> and the ''New York Post'' called Merman "vivacious and ingratiating in her comedy moments, and the embodiment of poise and technical adroitness" when singing "as only she knows how to do." Although Merman always had remained with a show until the end of its run, she left ''Anything Goes'' after eight months to appear with Eddie Cantor in the film ''[[Strike Me Pink (film)|Strike Me Pink]]'' (1936). She was replaced by [[Benay Venuta]], with whom she enjoyed a long but frequently tempestuous friendship.<ref>Kellow, pp. 55–57.</ref>

Merman initially was overlooked for the film version of ''[[Anything Goes (1936 film)|Anything Goes]]'' (1936). Bing Crosby insisted his wife [[Dixie Lee]] be cast as Reno Sweeney opposite his role as Billy Crocker, but when she unexpectedly dropped out of the project, Merman got the part. From the beginning, it was clear to Merman the film would not be the enjoyable experience she had hoped it would be. The focus was shifted to Crosby, leaving her in a supporting role. Many of Porter's ribald lyrics were altered to conform to the guidelines of the [[Hays Code|Motion Picture Production Code]], and "Blow Gabriel Blow" was eliminated, replaced by a song, "Shang Hai-de-Ho", which Merman was forced to perform in a headdress made of peacock feathers while surrounded by dancers dressed as Chinese slave girls. The film was completed $201,000 over budget and 17 days behind schedule. [[Richard Watts Jr.]] of the ''New York Herald Tribune'' described it as "dull and commonplace", stating that Merman did "as well as possible", but she was unable to register "on screen as magnificently as she does on stage."<ref>Kellow, pp. 57–59.</ref>

[[File:EthelMermanNoBusinesstrailer.jpg|thumb|right|In the film trailer for ''[[There's No Business Like Show Business (film)|There's No Business Like Show Business]]'' (1954)]]

Merman returned to Broadway for another Porter musical, but despite the presence of Jimmy Durante and [[Bob Hope]] in the cast, ''[[Red, Hot and Blue]]'' closed after less than six months.<ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=12157 ''Red, Hot and Blue''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512101959/http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=12157 |date=May 12, 2012 }} at the Internet Broadway Database</ref> Back in Hollywood, Merman was featured in ''[[Happy Landing (1938 film)|Happy Landing]]'', one of the top-10 box-office hits of 1938 comedy with [[Sonja Henie]], [[Cesar Romero]], and [[Don Ameche]]. She also starred in the box-office hit ''[[Alexander's Ragtime Band (film)|Alexander's Ragtime Band]]'', a pastiche of Irving Berlin songs interpolated into a plot that vaguely paralleled the composer's life, and ''[[Straight, Place and Show]]'', a critical and commercial flop starring the [[Ritz Brothers]].<ref>Kellow, pp. 69–71.</ref> She returned to the stage in ''Stars in Your Eyes'', which closed short of four months as the public flocked to the [[1939 New York World's Fair]].<ref>Kellow, p. 75.</ref> Merman followed this with two more Porter musicals. ''[[Du Barry Was a Lady]]'', with [[Bert Lahr]] and [[Betty Grable]], ran for a year,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=1024|title=Du Barry Was a Lady – Broadway Musical – Original - IBDB|first=The Broadway|last=League|access-date=December 4, 2009|archive-date=July 7, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707053141/http://ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=1024|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Panama Hattie]]'', with [[Betty Hutton]] (whose musical numbers were cut from the show on opening night at Merman's insistence), [[June Allyson]], and [[Arthur Treacher]], fared even better, lasting slightly more than 14 months.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/panama-hattie-1028|title=Panama Hattie – Broadway Musical – Original|website=IBDb.com|access-date=February 25, 2019|archive-date=December 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210015731/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/panama-hattie-1028|url-status=live}}</ref>

Shortly after the opening of the latter, Merman{{emdash}}still despondent about the end of her affair with [[Stork Club]] owner [[Sherman Billingsley]]{{emdash}}married her first husband, William Smith, Treacher's agent. She later said she knew on their wedding night that she had made "a dreadful mistake", and two months later, she filed for divorce on grounds of desertion.<ref>Kellow, pp. 87–89.</ref> Shortly after, she met and married Robert D. Levitt, a promotion director for the ''[[New York Journal-American]]''. The couple eventually had two children and divorced in 1952 due to Levitt's excessive drinking and erratic behavior.<ref>Kellow, pp. 136–137, 142–143.</ref>

In 1943, Merman was a featured performer in the film ''[[Stage Door Canteen (film)|Stage Door Canteen]]'' and opened in another Porter musical, ''[[Something for the Boys]]'', produced by [[Mike Todd|Michael Todd]]. In 1944, she was set to star as the title character in the musical play ''[[Sadie Thompson (musical)|Sadie Thompson]]'' with a score by [[Vernon Duke]] and [[Howard Dietz]], directed and produced by [[Rouben Mamoulian]]. The musical play was based on the short story "[[Rain (short story)|Rain]]" by [[W. Somerset Maugham]].<ref>Kellow, Brian (2007). ''Ethel Merman: A Life''. Viking Press, pp.104-105.</ref> The serious nature of the production was a departure from Merman's string of successful musical comedies.<ref>Kellow, Brian (2007). ''Ethel Merman: A Life''. Viking Press, (Kellow) pp.104-105.</ref> During rehearsals, Merman had difficulties memorizing the lyrics, and she blamed Dietz for his use of sophisticated and foreign words.<ref name="Kellow, pp.104-105">Kellow, pp.104-105</ref> She had her husband tone down some of the lyrics.<ref name="Kellow, pp.104-105"/> Dietz took exception to Merman's singing the altered lyrics and gave her an ultimatum to sing his original lyrics or leave the show.<ref name="Kellow, p. 105">Kellow, p. 105</ref> In response, Merman withdrew from the production.<ref name="Kellow, p. 105"/> Commentators have speculated that Merman's departure was probably due to her reluctance to assume such a serious role in her first dramatic musical.<ref>I Like the Likes of Duke (v "Sadie Thompson" (11/16/44 - 01/06/45)), That’s Entertainment (September 7, 2015) jacksonhupperco.com/tag/june-havoc, accessed on September 9, 2020; Mordden, Ethan (1999) ''Beautiful Mornin’: The Broadway Musical in the 1940s''. Oxford University Press p. 113.</ref> [[June Havoc]] left her starring role in ''[[Mexican Hayride]]'' and assumed the role, instead.<ref name="Kellow, p. 105"/>'' Sadie Thompson'' opened on Broadway on November 16, 1944, to mixed reviews.<ref>Dietz, Dan (2015) The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, ("Dietz") p. 248.</ref> Havoc received almost uniformly favorable reviews.<ref>Dietz, p.248</ref> Reactions to the score and the book were mixed, with the score called "undistinguished."<ref>Dietz, p.247</ref> The show only lasted 60 performances and closed on January 6, 1945.<ref>Dietz, p. 248</ref>

In August 1945, while in the hospital recovering from the [[caesarean section|caesarean birth]] of her second child, Merman was visited by [[Dorothy Fields]], who proposed she star as [[Annie Oakley]] in a musical her brother [[Herbert Fields|Herbert]] and she were writing with [[Jerome Kern]]. Merman accepted, but in November, Kern suffered a stroke while in New York City visiting [[Richard Rodgers]] and [[Oscar Hammerstein II|Oscar Hammerstein]] (the producers of the show) and died a few days later. Rodgers and Hammerstein invited Irving Berlin to replace Kern,<ref>Kellow, pp. 107.</ref> and the result was ''[[Annie Get Your Gun (musical)|Annie Get Your Gun]]'', which opened on May 16, 1946, at the [[Imperial Theatre]], where it ran for nearly three years and 1,147 performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/annie-get-your-gun-1440|title=Annie Get Your Gun – Broadway Musical – Original|website=IBDb.com|access-date=February 25, 2019|archive-date=December 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213211344/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/annie-get-your-gun-1440|url-status=live}}</ref> During this time, Merman took only two vacations and missed only two performances due to illness.<ref>Kellow, p. 116.</ref> Merman lost her role in the film version to [[Judy Garland]] (who eventually was replaced by Betty Hutton), but starred in a Broadway revival two decades later at [[Lincoln Center]] alongside [[Bruce Yarnell]], who was cast as [[Frank E. Butler]], Annie Oakley's husband and manager. Yarnell was 27 years younger than Merman.

Merman and Berlin reunited for ''[[Call Me Madam]]'' in 1950, for which she won the [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical|Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical]], and she starred in the [[Call Me Madam (film)|1953 screen adaptation]] as well, winning the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical|Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]] for her performance. The following year, she appeared as the matriarch of the singing and dancing Donahue family in ''[[There's No Business Like Show Business (film)|There's No Business Like Show Business]]'', a film with a score written by Berlin.

Merman returned to Broadway at the behest of her third husband, [[Continental Airlines]] executive [[Robert Six]], who was upset she had chosen to become a housewife in Colorado following their wedding in 1953. He expected her public appearances to generate publicity for the airline, and her decision to forgo the limelight did not sit well with him. He urged her to accept the lead in ''[[Happy Hunting (musical)|Happy Hunting]]'', with a book by [[Howard Lindsay]] and [[Russel Crouse]] (who had written ''Call Me Madam'') and a score by Harold Karr and Matt Dubey. Merman acquiesced to her husband's demands, although she clashed with the composers from the start and soon was at odds with co-star [[Fernando Lamas]] and his wife [[Arlene Dahl]], who frequently attended rehearsals. The show opened in New York with an advance sale of $1.5 million, and despite Merman's dissatisfaction with it, garnered respectable reviews. Although Brooks Atkinson thought the score was "hardly more than adequate", he called Merman "as brassy as ever, glowing like a neon light whenever she steps on the stage." Several months into the run, she insisted that two of her least-favorite numbers be replaced by songs written by her friend [[Roger Edens]], who, because of his exclusive contract with [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], credited them to [[Kay Thompson]]. She lost the Tony Award to [[Judy Holliday]] in ''[[Bells Are Ringing (musical)|Bells Are Ringing]]'', and the show closed after 412 performances, with Merman happy to see what she considered "a dreary obligation" come to an end.<ref>Kellow, pp. 160–169.</ref>

===Later career===
''[[Gypsy (musical)|Gypsy]]'' (1959) was based on the memoirs of [[Gypsy Rose Lee]] and starred Merman as [[Rose Thompson Hovick|Rose Hovick]], her domineering [[stage mother]]. The musical opened on May 21, at the [[Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)|Broadway Theatre]]. In the ''New York Post,'' Richard Watts called Merman "a brilliant actress", and Brooks Atkinson of ''The New York Times'' wrote that "She gives an indomitable performance, both as actress and singer." Despite the acclaim, Merman lost the [[Tony Awards|Tony Award]] to her close friend [[Mary Martin]] in ''[[The Sound of Music]]'', and jokingly quipped "How are you going to buck a nun?" Shortly after she divorced Robert Six, his affair with television actress [[Audrey Meadows]] became public, and she found solace in her work.<ref>Kellow, pp. 174&ndash;188</ref>

Throughout the 702-performance run of ''Gypsy,'' [[Mervyn LeRoy]] saw it numerous times, repeatedly assuring Merman that he planned to cast her in the film adaptation he was preparing. Before the show's closing, it was announced that [[Rosalind Russell]] instead had been signed to star. Russell's husband, [[Theatrical producer|theater producer]] Frederick Brisson (whom Merman later called "the lizard of Roz"),<ref>{{Cite book|title=Brass Diva: The Life and Legends of Ethel Merman|last=Flinn|first=Caryl|publisher=University of California Press|year=2009|isbn=9780520260221|location=Berkeley|pages=311|oclc=264039481}}</ref> had sold the screen rights to the [[Leonard Spigelgass]] play ''[[A Majority of One]]'' to Warner Bros. on the condition that his wife would star in both films. Because Russell was still a major box-office draw with the success of ''[[Auntie Mame (film)|Auntie Mame]]'' a few years earlier, and Merman having never established herself as a popular screen presence, the studio agreed to Brisson's terms. Merman was devastated at this turn of events and called the loss of the role "the greatest professional disappointment of my life."<ref>Kellow, Brian, pp. 173&ndash;195</ref>

Following the Broadway closing of ''Gypsy'' on March 25, 1961, Merman halfheartedly embarked on the national tour. In San Francisco, she severely injured her back, but continued to perform for packed houses. During the Los Angeles run, LeRoy visited her backstage and claimed Russell was so ill that "I think you're going to end up getting this part." Believing the film version of ''Gypsy'' was within her grasp, she provided him with the many house seats he requested for friends and industry colleagues, only to discover she had been duped.<ref>Kellow, pp. 191&ndash;192</ref> Merman's role in ''Gypsy'' earned her an estimated $130,000 per year, plus an additional 10% of the box-office receipts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/01/04/Broadway-pay-rises-Hollywood-style/6842820731600/|title=Broadway pay rises -- Hollywood style|website=Upi.com|access-date=October 6, 2019|archive-date=July 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731013525/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/01/04/Broadway-pay-rises-Hollywood-style/6842820731600/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Trailer4.jpg|thumb|270px|''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963) trailer, featuring [[Edie Adams]], [[Sid Caesar]], [[Jonathan Winters]], Merman, [[Milton Berle]], [[Mickey Rooney]], and [[Buddy Hackett]]]]

In 1963, Merman starred in the ensemble comedy film ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' alongside [[Spencer Tracy]], [[Sid Caesar]], [[Jonathan Winters]], [[Phil Silvers]], [[Buddy Hackett]], and [[Mickey Rooney]]. Merman played Mrs. Marcus, the loudmouthed mother in-law of [[Milton Berle]]. The film was a major box-office success, earning $60 million on a budget of $9.4 million and becoming the [[1963 in film|third-highest-grossing film of 1963]]. It received six [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations and one win.

Merman also starred in the flop ''[[The Art of Love (1965 film)|The Art of Love]]'' (1965). She made dozens of television appearances on [[variety show]]s hosted by [[Perry Como]], [[Red Skelton]], Judy Garland, [[Dean Martin]], [[Ed Sullivan]], and [[Carol Burnett]], talk shows with [[Mike Douglas]], [[Dick Cavett]], and [[Merv Griffin]], and in episodes of ''[[That Girl]]'', ''[[The Lucy Show]]'', ''[[Match Game]]'', ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'', ''[[Tarzan (1966 TV series)|Tarzan]]'', and others.

Producer [[David Merrick]] encouraged [[Jerry Herman]] to compose the score of ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]'' specifically for Merman's vocal range, but when he offered her the role, she declined it. She finally joined the cast on March 28, 1970, six years after the production opened. On Merman's opening night, her performance was continually brought to a halt by prolonged standing ovations, and the critics unanimously heralded her return to the New York stage. [[Walter Kerr]] in ''The New York Times'' described her voice: "Exactly as trumpet-clean, exactly as penny whistle-piercing, exactly as Wurlitzer-wonderful as it always was." He wrote: "Her comic sense is every bit as authoritative, as high-handed, really, as her voice."<ref>Kerr, Walter.[https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/12/archives/merman-a-kid-who-wins-all-the-marbles-merman-wins.html?sq=%2522Ethel+Merman%2522&scp=1&st=p "Merman: A Kid Who Wins All the Marbles; Merman Wins"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723182701/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/12/archives/merman-a-kid-who-wins-all-the-marbles-merman-wins.html?sq=%2522Ethel+Merman%2522&scp=1&st=p |date=July 23, 2018 }} ''The New York Times'' (abstract), April 12, 1970, p.D1</ref> The seventh actress to portray [[Dolly Gallagher Levi|the scheming matchmaker]] in the original Broadway production, she remained with the musical for 210 performances until it closed on December 27, 1970. Merman received the [[Drama Desk Award]] for Outstanding Performance for what proved to be her last appearance on Broadway.

For the remainder of her career, Merman made frequent guest appearances on television. For instance, she appeared on ''Match Game'' for seven weeks between 1975 and 1978.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsTfMgNAYwc Selected Ethel Merman "Match Game" Appearances]</ref>  In 1979, she recorded ''[[The Ethel Merman Disco Album]]'', with many of her signature songs set to a [[disco]] beat. She was a guest host on an episode in the first season of ''[[The Muppet Show]]''. Her last screen role was a self-parody in the 1980 comedy film ''[[Airplane!]]'', in which she portrayed Lieutenant Hurwitz, a [[Shell shock|shell-shocked]] soldier who thinks he is Ethel Merman. In the cameo appearance, Merman leaps out of bed singing "[[Everything's Coming Up Roses]]" as orderlies sedate her. She appeared in several episodes of ''[[The Love Boat]]'' (playing Gopher's mother), guest-starred on a CBS tribute to George Gershwin, did a summer concert tour with [[Carroll O'Connor]], played a two-week engagement at the [[London Palladium]], performed with Mary Martin in a concert benefiting the theater and museum collection of the [[Museum of the City of New York]], and frequently appeared as a soloist with symphony orchestras. She also volunteered at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center (now [[Mount Sinai West (hospital)|Mount Sinai West]]) working in the gift shop or visiting patients.

===Performance style===
Merman was known for her powerful [[mezzo-soprano]] voice, [[Belting (music)|belting]], precise [[Elocution|enunciation]], and pitch.<ref>{{cite web|
url=http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_features.php?id=5388|
title=Ethel Merman: A 100th-Anniversary Tribute|
access-date=April 23, 2009|
author=Michael Darvell|
publisher=classicalsource.com|
archive-date=May 22, 2008|
archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080522151818/http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_features.php?id=5388|
url-status=dead}}</ref> Because stage singers performed without [[microphone]]s when Merman began singing professionally, she had a great advantage, despite never taking vocal lessons. Broadway lore holds that George Gershwin advised her never to take such lessons after she opened in ''Girl Crazy''.<ref>Flinn, Caryl. ''Brass Diva: The Life and Legends of Ethel Merman'' (2007), p. 33, University of California Press, {{ISBN|0-520-26022-8}}</ref>

Caryl Flinn's 2007 biography includes many quotes from reviews of Merman's work, most of which were compliments to her. Brooks Atkinson summed up her talent:<ref name="flinn120">Flinn 2007 p. 120</ref>
{{Blockquote|She makes a song seem like a spontaneous expression of her personality, which may be regarded as the ultimate skill in the art of singing songs.}}

==Personal life==
[[File:Ethel Merman NYWTS-restored.jpg|thumb|240px|Merman at a typewriter in 1953]]

===Marriages and children===
Merman was married and divorced four times. Her first marriage, in 1940, was to theatrical agent William Smith. They were divorced in 1941.<ref name="sonneborn">{{cite book|last=Sonneborn|first=Liz|title=A to Z of American Women in the Performing Arts|year=2002|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=1-438-10790-0|page=141}}</ref> Later that same year, Merman married newspaper executive Robert Levitt. The couple had two children: Ethel (born July 20, 1942)<ref>{{cite news |title=Coroner Says Drugs Killed Ethel Geary |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14307681/ethel_geary_obituary/ |access-date=July 28, 2018 |work=The Greenville News at Newspapers.com |date=August 25, 1967 |archive-date=July 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728191032/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14307681/ethel_geary_obituary/ |url-status=live }}{{free access}}</ref> and Robert Jr. (born August 11, 1945). Merman and Levitt were divorced in 1952. In March 1953, Merman married [[Robert Six]], the president of [[Continental Airlines]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19601115&id=eDJWAAAAIBAJ&pg=3776,5396982|title=Ethel Merman Seeks Divorce|date=November 15, 1960|work=The Spokesman-Review|page=15|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=November 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121133755/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19601115&id=eDJWAAAAIBAJ&pg=3776%2C5396982|url-status=live}}</ref> They separated in December 1959 and were divorced in 1960.<ref name="sonneborn"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19591218&id=USIhAAAAIBAJ&pg=5801,3349008|title=Ethel Merman, Hubby Parted; Blame Careers|date=December 18, 1959|work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|page=17|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=February 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206142133/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19591218&id=USIhAAAAIBAJ&pg=5801,3349008|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Merman's son, he, his sister and mother and even his elderly grandparents had suffered emotional and physical violence from Six.<ref>Caryl Flynn in ''Brass Diva; the Life and Legends of Ethel Merman'' ISBN 978-0-520-229-45-6 pp 251 ff</ref> Merman's fourth and final marriage was to actor [[Ernest Borgnine]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/06/28/archives/ethel-merman-wed-to-ernest-borgnine.html|title=Ethel Merman Wed to Ernest Borgnine|date=June 28, 1964|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 12, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819040943/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/06/28/archives/ethel-merman-wed-to-ernest-borgnine.html|url-status=live}}</ref> They were married in [[Beverly Hills]] on June 27, 1964,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19640628&id=omJSAAAAIBAJ&pg=1418,3806876|title=Ethel Merman, Ernest Borgnine Wed|date=June 28, 1964|work=St. Petersburg Times|pages=6–A|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208225309/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19640628&id=omJSAAAAIBAJ&pg=1418,3806876|url-status=live}}</ref> separated on August 7, 1964, and Borgnine filed for divorce on October 21, 1964.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2512&dat=19641022&id=50BIAAAAIBAJ&pg=2166,5885684|title=Borgnine Sues Merman For Divorce|date=October 22, 1964|work=The Morning Record|page=20|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=November 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122201913/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2512&dat=19641022&id=50BIAAAAIBAJ&pg=2166%2C5885684|url-status=live}}</ref> Merman filed a cross-complaint shortly thereafter charging Borgnine with extreme cruelty. She was granted a divorce on November 18, 1964.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19641118&id=ccoxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UAEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7309,901094|title=Ethel Merman Granted Divorce|date=November 19, 1964|work=[[The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)|The Blade]]|page=2|accessdate=September 20, 2014}}</ref> An oft recounted story from their short marriage demonstrated the volatility of their relationship. 
When Borgnine asked Merman how her audition had gone, she replied: "Well, they were mad about my 35-year-old body, my 35-year-old voice, and my 35-year-old face."
"Is that so?" Borgnine responded. "And what did they think of your 65-year-old cunt?" 
Without missing a beat, Merman retorted: "You weren’t mentioned once."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/vulvanomics-how-we-talk-about-vaginas|title=Vulvanomics: how we talk about vaginas|publisher=Times Higher Education|date=November 2, 2015 }}</ref>

In a radio interview, Merman said of her numerous marriages: "We all make mistakes. That's why they put rubbers on pencils, and that's what I did. I made a few lulus!"<ref>Interview with Ray Wickens, April 1979, on [[CHRE-FM]], [[St. Catharines, Ontario]].</ref> In her 1978 autobiography ''Merman'', the chapter entitled "My Marriage to Ernest Borgnine" was a blank page.<ref>{{cite book|last=Flinn|first=Caryl|title=Brass Diva: The Life and Legends of Ethel Merman|url=https://archive.org/details/brassdivalifeleg0000flin|url-access=registration|year=2007|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-22942-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/brassdivalifeleg0000flin/page/352 352]}}</ref>

Ethel Levitt, her daughter, died on August 23, 1967, of a drug overdose that was ruled accidental.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=886&dat=19670824&id=MINPAAAAIBAJ&pg=4809,1739536|title=Ethel Merman's Daughter Dead; Autopsy Slated|date=August 24, 1967|work=The Prescott Courier|page=3|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=February 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205080918/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=886&dat=19670824&id=MINPAAAAIBAJ&pg=4809,1739536|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19670826&id=-XssAAAAIBAJ&pg=5358,4133985|title=Drugs Kill Daughter Of Singer|date=August 26, 1967|work=Herald-Journal|page=24|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=February 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209105326/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19670826&id=-XssAAAAIBAJ&pg=5358,4133985|url-status=live}}</ref> Her son Robert Jr., was married to actress [[Barbara Colby]]. Colby, at the time estranged from Robert, was shot and killed (along with a friend, James Kiernan), in a parking garage in Los Angeles in July 1975. The shooting was by apparent gang members who had no clear motive.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19750725&id=swUuAAAAIBAJ&pg=2750,5744717|title=Ethel Merman Kin Slain Leaving Dramatic School|date=July 25, 1975|work=Schenectady Gazette|page=10|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=November 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128034051/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19750725&id=swUuAAAAIBAJ&pg=2750%2C5744717|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Profanity===
Merman was notorious for her brash demeanor and for telling vulgar stories at public parties. For instance, she once shouted a dirty joke across the room at [[José Ferrer]] during a formal reception.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bob-thomas-7/i-got-rhythm-the-ethel-merman-story/|title=I Got Rhythm! The Ethel Merman Story|journal=Kirkus Reviews|access-date=November 30, 2015|archive-date=December 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208053427/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bob-thomas-7/i-got-rhythm-the-ethel-merman-story/|url-status=live}}</ref>

While rehearsing a guest appearance on ''[[The Loretta Young Show]]'', Merman exclaimed "Where the hell does this go?" [[Loretta Young|Young]], who was a devout Catholic, advanced towards Merman waving an [[Swear jar|empty coffee can]], saying, "Miss Merman, you said the 'H' word! That'll be twenty-five cents."—to which Merman replied, "Tell me, Loretta, how much will it cost me to tell you to go fuck yourself?"<ref>{{cite book|title=Ethel Merman: The Biggest Star on Broadway|first=Geoffrey|last=Mark|publisher=Barricade Legend|year=2006|isbn=9781569802939|page=[https://archive.org/details/ethelmermanbigge0000mark/page/66 66]|url=https://archive.org/details/ethelmermanbigge0000mark/page/66}}</ref>

===Politics===
Merman, a lifelong [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], was a frequent guest of [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]'s at the [[White House]].<ref>Flinn 2007 p. 177</ref> She was noted as saying, "Eisenhower was my war hero and the President I admire and respect most."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/ethelmerma314679.html|title=Ethel Merman Quotes|website=BrainyQuote.com|access-date=December 10, 2017|archive-date=November 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112021127/https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/ethelmerma314679.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  On January 20, 1981, she performed "Everything's Coming up Roses" at the [[first inauguration of Ronald Reagan]]. She had previously sung the same song at a pre-inaugural gala for [[John F. Kennedy]], but it was never broadcast.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosenfeld |first1=Megan |last2=McLellan |first2=Joseph |date=January 20, 1981 |title=Inaugural Gala |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/01/20/inaugural-gala/33995c28-3155-4d8e-8f3f-7d74cbe07e6f/ |access-date=December 10, 2017 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-date=December 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206210803/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/01/20/inaugural-gala/33995c28-3155-4d8e-8f3f-7d74cbe07e6f/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/biz/news/john-f-kennedy-jfk-lost-inaugural-gala-frank-sinatra-pbs-1202446449/|title=JFK's 'Lost Inaugural Gala': How Sinatra Created Showbiz's Biggest Political Night|first1=Ted|last1=Johnson|date=May 27, 2017|publisher=Variety|access-date=September 17, 2020|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101034428/https://variety.com/2017/biz/news/john-f-kennedy-jfk-lost-inaugural-gala-frank-sinatra-pbs-1202446449/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/219539342|title=Ethel Merman|date=May 30, 2017|access-date=September 28, 2021|website=Vimeo.com|archive-date=February 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209105310/https://vimeo.com/219539342|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Autobiographies==
Merman co-wrote two memoirs. The first, ''Who Could Ask for Anything More?'' (1955), was published by [[Doubleday & Co.]] and written with the assistance of Pete Martin.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19550717&id=iElSAAAAIBAJ&pg=3831,821311|title=With Ethel - Anything Goes!|date=July 17, 1955|work=St. Petersburg Times|page=12|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=November 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126200208/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19550717&id=iElSAAAAIBAJ&pg=3831%2C821311|url-status=live}}</ref> The second, ''Merman'' (1978), was published by [[Simon & Schuster]] and written with George Eels.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19780702&id=m8McAAAAIBAJ&pg=4276,587429|title=Fans Find 'Merman' For Them|last=Apone|first=Carl|date=July 2, 1978|work=The Pittsburgh Press|pages=H–6|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=February 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209105319/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19780702&id=m8McAAAAIBAJ&pg=4276,587429|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Later life and death==
Merman became forgetful with advancing age, and on occasion, had difficulty with her speech. At times, her behavior was erratic, causing concern among her friends. On April 7, 1983, she was preparing to travel to Los Angeles, to appear on the [[55th Academy Awards]] telecast, when she collapsed in her apartment. Merman was taken to Roosevelt Hospital (now Mount Sinai West), where doctors initially thought she had suffered a stroke. After undergoing exploratory surgery on April 11, she was diagnosed with stage four [[glioblastoma]].<ref name="flinn410">Flinn 2007 p. 410</ref> ''The New York Times'' reported that she underwent brain surgery to have the tumor removed, but it was inoperable and her condition was deemed terminal (doctors gave Merman eight and a half months to live).<ref name="flinn410"/><ref name="kellow262">Kellow 2007 p. 262</ref> The tumor caused her to become [[Aphasia|aphasic]], and as her illness progressed, she lost her hair and her face swelled.<ref name="flinn411">Flinn 2007 p. 411</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Mark|first=Geoffrey|title=Ethel Merman: The Biggest Star on Broadway|year=2006|publisher=Barricade Legend|isbn=1-569-80293-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/ethelmermanbigge0000mark/page/204 204]|url=https://archive.org/details/ethelmermanbigge0000mark/page/204}}</ref> According to her biographer Brian Kellow, Merman's family and manager did not want the true nature of her condition revealed to the public.<ref name="kellow262"/> Merman's son, Robert Jr., who took charge of her care, later said he chose not to publicly disclose his mother's condition because she strove to keep her personal life private. He stated, "Mom truly appreciated [her fans'] presence and their applause. But you shouldn't attempt to be personal—she drew lines, and she could cut you off."<ref name="flinn411"/>

Merman's health eventually stabilized enough for her to be taken back to her apartment in Manhattan. On February 15, 1984, 10 months after she was diagnosed with brain cancer, Merman died at her home at the age of 76.<ref name="reading">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19840216&id=xPoxAAAAIBAJ&pg=4019,4359264|title=Fans Mourn death of Ethel Merman|date=February 16, 1984|work=Reading Eagle|page=53|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=February 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209105310/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19840216&id=xPoxAAAAIBAJ&pg=4019,4359264|url-status=live}}</ref> On the evening of Merman's death, all 36 theaters on Broadway dimmed their lights at 9{{Nbsp}}pm in her honor.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=110&dat=19840216&id=ZJtaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5278,2841594|title=Broadway Lights Dimmed To Honor Ethel Merman|date=February 16, 1984|work=Ludington Daily News|page=3|access-date=September 21, 2014|archive-date=February 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206183123/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=110&dat=19840216&id=ZJtaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5278,2841594|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Parish|first1=James Robert |last2=Pitts|first2=Michael R.|title=Hollywood Songsters: Garland to O'Connor|year=2003|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=0-415-94333-7|page=572}}</ref> A private funeral service for Merman was held in a chapel at [[St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, New York|St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church]] on February 27, after which Merman was cremated at the [[Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19840227&id=i5pOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6926,4848131|title=Private religious service held for Ethel Merman in New York|date=February 27, 1984|work=Lakeland Ledger|page=2A|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=February 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209105313/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19840227&id=i5pOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6926,4848131|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19840214&id=iJMgAAAAIBAJ&pg=1180,2672197|title=Broadway Musical Star Ethel Merman Dies|date=February 16, 1984|work=The Lewiston Daily Sun|page=10|access-date=September 20, 2014|archive-date=February 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205140654/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19840214&id=iJMgAAAAIBAJ&pg=1180,2672197|url-status=live}}</ref> In accordance with her wishes, Merman's remains were given to her son Robert Jr.<ref name="flinn410"/> Merman was interred in the Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum in Colorado Springs, Colorado, next to her daughter Ethel.

Upon her death, Merman left an estate estimated to be worth $1.5 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|1.5|1984|r=1}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) to be divided among her son and two grandchildren.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/wherethereswillw0000silv|title=Where there's a will-- : who inherited what and why|first=Stephen M.|last=Silverman|date=February 25, 1991|publisher=New York, N.Y. : HarperCollins|isbn=9780060162603|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

On October 10, 1984, an auction of her personal effects, including furniture, artwork, and theater memorabilia, earned over $120,000 ({{Inflation|US|120000|1984|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) at [[Christie's|Christie's East]].<ref>Kellow, pp. 261–266</ref> The [[56th Academy Awards]], held on April 2, 1984, ended with a performance of "There's No Business Like Show Business" as a tribute to Merman.

==Work==
===Theater===
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Venue
|-
|1930 || ''[[Girl Crazy]]'' || Kate Fothergill || [[Alvin Theatre]], Broadway
|-
|1931 || ''[[George White's Scandals]] of 1931'' || Performer || rowspan=2|[[Apollo Theatre]], Broadway
|-
|1932 || ''[[Take a Chance (1932 musical)|Take a Chance]]'' || Various roles 
|-
|1934 || ''[[Anything Goes]]'' || Reno Sweeney || rowspan=2|Alvin Theatre, Broadway
|-
|1936 || ''[[Red, Hot and Blue]]'' || Nails O'Reilly Duquesne 
|-
|rowspan=2| 1939 || ''Stars in Your Eyes'' || Jeanette Adair || [[Majestic Theatre (Broadway)|Majestic Theatre]], Broadway 
|-
|''[[DuBarry Was a Lady]]'' || May Daly/Mme. Du Barry || rowspan=2| [[46th Street Theatre]], Broadway
|-
|1940 || ''[[Panama Hattie]]'' || Hattie Maloney
|-
|1943 || ''[[Something for the Boys]]'' || Blossom Hart || rowspan=2|Alvin Theatre, Broadway 
|-
|1944 || ''[[Sadie Thompson (musical)|Sadie Thompson]]'' || Sadie Thompson 
|-
|1946 || ''[[Annie Get Your Gun (musical)|Annie Get Your Gun]]'' || [[Annie Oakley]] || rowspan=2|[[Imperial Theatre]], Broadway
|-
|1950 || ''[[Call Me Madam]]'' || Mrs. Sally Adams 
|-
|1956 || ''[[Happy Hunting (musical)|Happy Hunting]]'' || Liz Livingstone || Majestic Theatre, Broadway
|-
|1959 || ''[[Gypsy: A Musical Fable|Gypsy]]'' || Rose Hovick || rowspan=2|[[Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)|Broadway Theatre]], Broadway
|-
|1966 ||''Annie Get Your Gun'' || Annie Oakley 
|-
|1970 || ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]'' || [[Dolly Gallagher Levi|Mrs. Dolly Levi]] || [[St. James Theatre]], Broadway
|-
|1977 || ''Mary Martin & Ethel Merman: Together On Broadway'' || Performer || Broadway Theatre, Broadway
|-
|}

===Filmography===
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1930 || ''[[Follow the Leader (1930 film)|Follow the Leader]]'' || Helen King ||
|-
|rowspan=2| 1934 || ''[[We're Not Dressing]]'' || Edith ||
|-
|''[[Kid Millions]]'' || Dot Clark || 
|-
|1935 || ''[[The Big Broadcast of 1936]]'' || Herself || 
|-
|rowspan=2| 1936 || ''[[Strike Me Pink (film)|Strike Me Pink]]'' || Joyce Lennox ||
|-
|''[[Anything Goes (1936 film)|Anything Goes]]'' || Reno Sweeney || 
|-
|rowspan=3| 1938 || ''[[Happy Landing (1938 film)|Happy Landing]]'' || Flo Kelly || 
|-
|''[[Alexander's Ragtime Band (film)|Alexander's Ragtime Band]]'' || Jerry Allen ||
|-
|''[[Straight, Place and Show]]'' || Linda Tyler || 
|-
|1943 || ''[[Stage Door Canteen (film)|Stage Door Canteen]]'' || Herself || 
|-
|1953 || ''[[Call Me Madam (film)|Call Me Madam]]'' || Sally Adams ||
|-
|1954 || ''[[There's No Business Like Show Business (film)|There's No Business Like Show Business]]'' || Molly Donahue || 
|-
|1963 || ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' || Mrs. Marcus ||
|-
|1965 || ''[[The Art of Love (1965 film)|The Art of Love]]'' || Madame Coco La Fontaine ||
|-
|1972 || ''[[Journey Back to Oz]]'' || Mombi, the Bad Witch || Voice; Animated film
|-
|1976 || ''[[Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood]]'' || Hedda Parsons || 
|-
|1980 || ''[[Airplane!]]'' || Lieutenant Hurwitz/Herself || 
|-
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|rowspan=2| 1949 || ''[[The Milton Berle Show]]'' || rowspan=4| Herself || 3 episodes
|-
|''Inside the U.S.A. with Chevrolet'' || Episode: "Ethel Merman" 
|-
|1950 || ''[[This Is Show Business]]'' || Episode: #2.27 
|-
|1953 || ''[[The Ford 50th Anniversary Show]]'' || Song medley duet with Mary Martin
|-
|rowspan=3| 1954 || ''[[The Colgate Comedy Hour]]'' || Reno Sweeney || Episode: "Anything Goes"
|-
|''[[The Best of Broadway]]''' || rowspan=2| Hattie Maloney || Episode: "Panama Hattie" 
|-
|''[[Panama Hattie]]'' || Television movie 
|-
|1955 || ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' || Herself/Guest Host || 9 episodes
|-
|rowspan=2| 1956 || ''[[General Electric Theatre]]'' || Muriel Flood || Episode: "Reflected Glory" 
|-
|''[[The United States Steel Hour]]'' || Libby Marks || Episode: "Honest in the Rain"
|-
|1958 || ''[[The Frank Sinatra Show (1957 TV series)|The Frank Sinatra Show]]'' || rowspan=6| Herself || Episode: "Ethel Merman" 
|-
|1961 || ''Merman On Broadway'' ||  Television special 
|-
|1962 || ''[[Bob Hope television specials#1962|The Bob Hope Special]]'' || March and November television specials
|-
|rowspan=6| 1963 || ''[[The Lucy Show]]'' || 2 episodes
|-
|''[[The Judy Garland Show]]'' || 2 episodes 
|-
|''[[The Jerry Lewis Show]]'' || Episode: #1.7
|-
|''Maggie Brown'' || rowspan=2| Maggie Brown || Unsold pilot
|-
|''[[Vacation Playhouse]]'' || Episode: "Maggie Brown"
|-
|''[[The Red Skelton Hour]]'' || Mother Hughes || Episode: "Get Thee to the Canery"
|-
|1963–65 || ''[[What's My Line]]'' || Mystery Guest || 2 episodes
|-
|rowspan=2| 1965 || ''[[Kraft Suspense Theatre]]'' || Clara Lovelace || Episode: "Twist the Cup and the Lip" 
|-
|''An Evening with Ethel Merman'' || Herself || Television special 
|-
|1965–79 || ''[[The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson]]'' || Herself/Musical Guest || 26 episodes
|-
|rowspan=3| 1967 || ''[[Annie Get Your Gun (musical)|Annie Get Your Gun]]'' || Annie Oakley || Television movie 
|-
|''Tarzan and the Mountains of the Moon'' || Rosanna McCloud || 2 episodes 
|-
|''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' || Lola Lasagne || 3 episodes
|-
|1967–68 || ''[[That Girl]]'' || rowspan=5| Herself || 2 episodes 
|-
|rowspan=2| 1969 || ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'' || Episode: #2.20 
|-
|''The Jonathan Winters Show'' || Episode: "Ethel Merman, Steve Allen, and the Third Wave" 
|-
|1972 || '''S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin'' || Television special 
|-
|1973 || ''[[The Dick Cavett Show]]'' || Episode: "Ethel Merman, the Harlem Globetrotters" 
|-
|1976 || ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' || Special Guest Star || Episode: "Ethel Merman"
|-
|1977 || ''You're Gonna Love It Here'' || Lolly Rogers || Television movie - unsold pilot
|-
|rowspan=2| 1978 || ''A Salute to American Imagination'' || rowspan=2| Herself || Television documentary 
|-
|''[[A Special Sesame Street Christmas]]'' || Television movie 
|-
|1979 || ''[[Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July]]'' || Lilly Loraine || Voice; television movie 
|-
|1979–82 || ''[[The Love Boat]]'' || Roz Smith || 6 episodes 
|-
|1981 || ''[[Great Performances]]'' || rowspan=3| Herself || 2 episodes 
|-
|rowspan=2| 1982 || ''Broadway! A Special Salute'' || rowspan=2| Television special
|-
|''[[Night of 100 Stars]]'' 
|-
|}

=== Discography ===
'''Hit records'''
*"[[How Deep Is the Ocean?]]" (1932) #14 US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Best Sellers
*"Eadie Was a Lady" (1933) US #8
*"An Earful of Music" (1934) US #11
*"[[You're the Top]]" (1934) US #4
*"[[I Get a Kick Out of You]]" (1935) US #12
*"Move It Over" (1943) US #14
*"[[They Say It's Wonderful]]" (1946) US #20 (with [[Ray Middleton (actor)|Ray Middleton]])
*"[[Dearie]]" (1950) US #12 (with [[Ray Bolger]])
*"I Said My Pajamas (And Put On My Prayers)" (1950) US #20 (with Ray Bolger)
*"[[If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake]]" (1950) US #15
*"[[You're Just in Love]]" (1951) US #30 (with [[Dick Haymes]])
*"Once Upon a Nickel" (1951) US #29 (with Ray Bolger)

==Awards and nominations==
{|class="wikitable" style="background: #f9f9f9;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Award
! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Category
! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Nominated work
! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Result
|-
| [[5th Tony Awards|1951]]
| rowspan=4|[[Tony Award]]
| rowspan=3|[[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical|Best Actress in a Musical]]
| ''[[Call Me Madam]]''
| {{won}}
|-
| [[11th Tony Awards|1957]]
| ''[[Happy Hunting (musical)|Happy Hunting]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[14th Tony Awards|1960]]
| ''[[Gypsy (musical)|Gypsy]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[26th Tony Awards|1972]]
| [[Special Tony Award]]
| Ethel Merman 
| {{won}}
|-
| [[11th Golden Globe Awards|1953]]
| [[Golden Globe Award]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]]
| ''[[Call Me Madam (film)|Call Me Madam]]''
| {{won}}
|-
| [[2nd Annual Grammy Awards|1960]]
|[[Grammy Award]]
|[[Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album|Best Musical Theater Album]]
|''Gypsy''
|{{won}}
|-
| 1970
| [[Drama Desk Award]]
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical|Outstanding Actress in a Musical]]
| ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]''
| {{won}}
|-
|}

She received two stars on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1960. One for her contribution to the motion picture industry at 7044 Hollywood Boulevard and one for recording at 1751 Vine Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://walkoffame.com/ethel-merman/|title=Hollywood Walk of Fame|date=October 25, 2019 |access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref>

Merman was in the inaugural class of inductees to the [[American Theater Hall of Fame]] in 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theaterhalloffame.org/members|title=Theater Hall of Fame|access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last=Thomas |first=Bob |title=I Got Rhythm! The Ethel Merman Story |url=https://archive.org/details/igotrhythmethel00thom/page/239 |type=Hardcover |date=November 1985 |publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons |location=New York |isbn=0-399-13041-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/igotrhythmethel00thom/page/239 239 pages] }}

==External links==
{{Archival records|title=Ethel Merman Papers|location= Music Division, [[Library of Congress]]|description_URL=https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu023008}}
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Portal|Biography|Theatre|Film|Television|Music}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{Playbill person|ethel-merman-vault-0000080654}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{AFI person | 49311-Ethel-Merman }}
* {{Find a Grave}}
* {{AllMusic}}
* {{Discogs artist}}
* [http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2008/01/they-say-she-was-wonderful-ethel-merman-at-100/ "They Say She Was Wonderful: Ethel Merman at 100, ''The House Next Door''{{-"}}] by N. P. Thompson, ''[[Slant Magazine]]''
* [https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0116.html Obituary, "Ethel Merman, Queen of Musicals, Dies at 76"], ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1984
* [[NPR]]'s [[Susan Stamberg]]'s [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4798048 "Report on the Memory of Ethel Merman"]

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Ethel Merman
|list =
{{DramaDesk MusicalActress}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestActressMotionPictureMusicalComedy 1950-1960}}
{{Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year}}
{{DramaCriticsBestActressMusical}}
{{Special Tony Award}}
{{TonyAward MusicalLeadActress 1948–1975}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

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