Irène Bordoni
Encyclopedia
Irène Bordoni was a French singer and a Broadway and film actress.
, France, from an Italian family, she had been a child actor
, performing in Paris on stage and in silent film
s for a few years, having signed with theatrical agent André Charlot
. Bordoni made her first appearance on the stage at the age of thirteen, at the Variétés, Paris. She came to the United States on 28 December 1907, in steerage, on the S. S. La Provence. Bordoni's year of birth is given in standard theatrical biographies as 1895, her real birth year is 1889. She was 22 on papers when she arrived in the United States in 1907. She went first to Reno
, Nevada
, where her father Antonio had settled previously.
and was a successor to Anna Held
as Broadway's idea of French piquancy and Continental flavor. She was in Miss Information (1915) and successive productions of Hitchy-Koo
(1917 and 1918). 1919 audiences saw Bordoni in Sleeping Partners co-starring with H. B. Warner
at the Bijou. In 1920 her "captivating voice and presence" graced As You Were at the Central Theater.
Bordoni introduced George Gershwin
's hit song "Do It Again
" with vivacity and verve in the 1922 Broadway show The French Doll at the Lyceum. The title of the show became her soubriquet. She also starred in Little Miss Bluebeard (1923) and Naughty Cinderella (1925) by Avery Hopwood
, about which the theatre critic for the New York Times said, "Of Miss Bordoni one can report only what has been reported many times. Her voice, her accent and particularly her reeling eyes are, as ever, unmistakably attractive."
Noted for her seductive brown eyes and coquettish personality, Irène Bordoni is probably best remembered from musical theatre as the star of the 1928 Cole Porter
musical Paris
that featured the song "Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)" which became Porter's first big success. Bordoni would record and sing many times live and on radio another Cole Porter song, "Let's Misbehave
" with Irving Aaronson and His Commanders
dance band. The song has been included on the soundtrack of five motion pictures including Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)
(1972), Pennies from Heaven
(1981) and Bullets Over Broadway
(1994).
Throughout her Broadway career, Bordoni was renowned for wearing only the most stylish of clothes, including costumes by Erte. During this time, Bordoni appeared in Lucky Strike
cigarette advertisements with the quip, I smoke a Lucky to keep petite, which was said to have contributed to the tremendous increase in women's smoking in the 1920s. Bordoni wore her hair with trademark bangs, which she helped to popularize; indeed her 'look' was successfully emulated not only by her admirers but also by late 1920s budding Broadway starlet Claudette Colbert
. She was stockbroker W. D. Hutton's first customer when he opened his branch office on West 57th Street.
During the 1930s, Bordoni was a guest singer on many variety programs as well as being featured on The RKO Hour. Bordoni pleased audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, as with Irving Berlin
's It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow in London's West End in 1939.
, for which she reprised her starring role. The film used the Vitaphone
sound-on-disc
sound system and was shot in early Technicolor
. That year Bordoni also performed "Just an Hour of
Love" (by Al Bryan and Ed Ward) for the Warner Brothers film The Show of Shows produced by Darryl F. Zanuck
. In 1932 Max Fleischer
featured her in his follow-the-bouncing-ball Screen Song cartoon 'Just A Gigolo'
Her status as a major star of the American stage was such that in his song "You're The Top
", Cole Porter included the reference "You’re the eyes of Irene Bordoni". During the 1930s, she continued to perform on stage and starred in another Warner Brothers musical comedy film. In 1940, Bordoni was part of another major Broadway success with the Irving Berlin
musical Louisiana Purchase
and again reprised her role in the Paramount Pictures
film Louisiana Purchase
(1941) with Bob Hope
. She had another success in the role of "Bloody Mary" in the 1951 national tour of the musical South Pacific
.
, who produced many of her Broadway shows and whose sister Dorothy Goetz
was Irving Berlin
's first wife. At the height of her international appeal she maintained homes in increasingly stylish New York neighborhoods: from 230 Westend Avenue to 108 East 78th Street to 104 East 40th Street—as well as in Paris and Monte Carlo
. She invested in real estate in Palm Beach
in the 1920s during the Florida land boom. Bordoni was later associated with theatrical agent and producer Avery Galen Bogue (05/1896 – 09/05/1951). Bordoni died on 19 March 1953 at Jewish Memorial Hospital in New York City. She was buried in the Ferncliff Cemetery
, Hartsdale, New York
.
Early years
Born in AjaccioAjaccio
Ajaccio , is a commune on the island of Corsica in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud....
, France, from an Italian family, she had been a child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
, performing in Paris on stage and in silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s for a few years, having signed with theatrical agent André Charlot
André Charlot
André Eugene Maurice Charlot was a French impresario known primarily for the highly successful musical revues he staged in London between 1912 and 1937...
. Bordoni made her first appearance on the stage at the age of thirteen, at the Variétés, Paris. She came to the United States on 28 December 1907, in steerage, on the S. S. La Provence. Bordoni's year of birth is given in standard theatrical biographies as 1895, her real birth year is 1889. She was 22 on papers when she arrived in the United States in 1907. She went first to Reno
Reno
Reno is the fourth most populous city in Nevada, US.Reno may also refer to:-Places:Italy*The Reno River, in Northern ItalyCanada*Reno No...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, where her father Antonio had settled previously.
On Broadway
Bordoni made her Broadway debut in a Shubert brothers production of Broadway to Paris at the Winter Garden TheatreWinter Garden Theatre
The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1634 Broadway in midtown Manhattan.-History:The structure was built by William Kissam Vanderbilt in 1896 to be the American Horse Exchange....
and was a successor to Anna Held
Anna Held
Helene Anna Held was a Polish-born stage performer, most often associated with impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, her common-law husband. -Early life:...
as Broadway's idea of French piquancy and Continental flavor. She was in Miss Information (1915) and successive productions of Hitchy-Koo
Hitchy-Koo
Hitchy-Koo of 1919 is a musical revue with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and the book by George V. Hobart. This revue was third in a series of four Hitchy-Koo revues produced by, and starring, Raymond Hitchcock. The original Broadway production was in 1919...
(1917 and 1918). 1919 audiences saw Bordoni in Sleeping Partners co-starring with H. B. Warner
H. B. Warner
H. B. Warner was a British actor.-Early life:He was born Henry Byron Charles Stewart Warner-Lickford in St John's Wood, London, England in 1875...
at the Bijou. In 1920 her "captivating voice and presence" graced As You Were at the Central Theater.
Bordoni introduced George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
's hit song "Do It Again
Do It Again (George Gershwin and Buddy DeSylva song)
"Do It Again" is an American popular song by composer George Gershwin and lyricist Buddy DeSylva. The song premiered in the 1922 Broadway show The French Doll, as performed by actress Irène Bordoni.-Background:...
" with vivacity and verve in the 1922 Broadway show The French Doll at the Lyceum. The title of the show became her soubriquet. She also starred in Little Miss Bluebeard (1923) and Naughty Cinderella (1925) by Avery Hopwood
Avery Hopwood
James Avery Hopwood , was the most successful playwright of the Jazz Age, having four plays running simultaneously on Broadway in 1920.-Biography:...
, about which the theatre critic for the New York Times said, "Of Miss Bordoni one can report only what has been reported many times. Her voice, her accent and particularly her reeling eyes are, as ever, unmistakably attractive."
Noted for her seductive brown eyes and coquettish personality, Irène Bordoni is probably best remembered from musical theatre as the star of the 1928 Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
musical Paris
Paris (1928 musical)
Paris is a musical with the book by Martin Brown, and music and lyrics by Cole Porter, as well as Walter Kollo and Louis Alter and E. Ray Goetz and Roy Turk . The musical, which premiered on Broadway in 1928, was Porter's first Broadway hit. The musical introduced the song "Let's Do It, Let's Fall...
that featured the song "Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)" which became Porter's first big success. Bordoni would record and sing many times live and on radio another Cole Porter song, "Let's Misbehave
Let's Misbehave
"Let's Misbehave" is a famous song written by Cole Porter in 1927, originally intended for the female lead of his first major production, Paris...
" with Irving Aaronson and His Commanders
Irving Aaronson
Irving A. Aaronson was an American jazz pianist and big band leader.Born in New York, USA, Irving Aaronson learned piano from Alfred Sendry at the David Mannes School for music...
dance band. The song has been included on the soundtrack of five motion pictures including Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) (film)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* is Woody Allen's fourth film, consisting of a series of short sequences loosely inspired by Dr. David Reuben's book of the same name....
(1972), Pennies from Heaven
Pennies from Heaven (1981 film)
Pennies from Heaven is a 1981 musical film. The film was based on a 1978 BBC television drama. In 1981, Dennis Potter adapted his own screenplay for a film of the same name for American audiences, with its setting changed to Depression era Chicago. Potter was nominated for the 1981 Academy Award...
(1981) and Bullets Over Broadway
Bullets Over Broadway
Bullets Over Broadway is a 1994 crime-comedy film written by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath and directed by Woody Allen. It stars an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Jennifer Tilly....
(1994).
Throughout her Broadway career, Bordoni was renowned for wearing only the most stylish of clothes, including costumes by Erte. During this time, Bordoni appeared in Lucky Strike
Lucky Strike
Lucky Strike is a brand of cigarette owned by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and British American Tobacco groups. Often referred to as "Luckies", Lucky Strike was the top selling cigarette in the United States during the 1930s.- History :...
cigarette advertisements with the quip, I smoke a Lucky to keep petite, which was said to have contributed to the tremendous increase in women's smoking in the 1920s. Bordoni wore her hair with trademark bangs, which she helped to popularize; indeed her 'look' was successfully emulated not only by her admirers but also by late 1920s budding Broadway starlet Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
. She was stockbroker W. D. Hutton's first customer when he opened his branch office on West 57th Street.
During the 1930s, Bordoni was a guest singer on many variety programs as well as being featured on The RKO Hour. Bordoni pleased audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, as with Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
's It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow in London's West End in 1939.
In Hollywood
Bordoni made her Hollywood debut in Warner Brothers Show of Shows (1928). In 1929 her Broadway play Paris was adapted to a talkie, also called ParisParis (1929 film)
Paris is a black-and-white musical comedy film with Technicolor sequences: four of ten reels were originally photographed in Technicolor. Paris was the fourth color movie released by Warner Bros.; the first three were The Desert Song, On With the Show and Gold Diggers of Broadway, all released in...
, for which she reprised her starring role. The film used the Vitaphone
Vitaphone
Vitaphone was a sound film process used on feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects produced by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1930. Vitaphone was the last, but most successful, of the sound-on-disc processes...
sound-on-disc
Sound-on-disc
The term Sound-on-disc refers to a class of sound film processes using a phonograph or other disc to record or playback sound in sync with a motion picture...
sound system and was shot in early Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
. That year Bordoni also performed "Just an Hour of
Love" (by Al Bryan and Ed Ward) for the Warner Brothers film The Show of Shows produced by Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck was an American producer, writer, actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors...
. In 1932 Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer was an American animator. He was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios...
featured her in his follow-the-bouncing-ball Screen Song cartoon 'Just A Gigolo'
Her status as a major star of the American stage was such that in his song "You're The Top
You're the Top
"You're The Top" is a Cole Porter song from the 1934 musical Anything Goes. It is about a man and a woman who take turns complimenting each other...
", Cole Porter included the reference "You’re the eyes of Irene Bordoni". During the 1930s, she continued to perform on stage and starred in another Warner Brothers musical comedy film. In 1940, Bordoni was part of another major Broadway success with the Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
musical Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase (musical)
Louisiana Purchase is a musical theater production from 1940. It has music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and book by Morrie Ryskind based on a story by B. G. DeSylva. In 1941 it was adapted for the film Louisiana Purchase directed by Irving Cummings....
and again reprised her role in the Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
film Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase (film)
Louisiana Purchase is a 1941 film adaptation of the musical theater play, Louisiana Purchase. A Paramount Pictures production, the film was directed by Irving Cummings with Robert Emmett Dolan serving as musical director as he had done for the play. Starring comedian Bob Hope, the film featured...
(1941) with Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
. She had another success in the role of "Bloody Mary" in the 1951 national tour of the musical South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
.
Personal life
Bordoni was for a time married to actor Edgar Becman from whom she was divorced in 1917. On 24 October 1918, Irène Bordoni was married to and some years later (1929) divorced from Broadway producer and lyricist E. Ray GoetzE. Ray Goetz
Edward Ray Goetz was an American composer, songwriter, author and producer. He was a charter member of ASCAP in 1914, and was a director until 1917. Goetz appeared in the films Somebody Loves Me , The Greatest Show On Earth and For Me And My Gal . He wrote the songs "Toddling The Todalo" and "For...
, who produced many of her Broadway shows and whose sister Dorothy Goetz
Dorothy Goetz
Dorothy Goetz was the first wife of the famous songwriter, Irving Berlin.She was twenty years old when she met Berlin in New York City where her older brother singer and lyricist Ray Goetz had been collaborating on some tunes with Berlin...
was Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
's first wife. At the height of her international appeal she maintained homes in increasingly stylish New York neighborhoods: from 230 Westend Avenue to 108 East 78th Street to 104 East 40th Street—as well as in Paris and Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
. She invested in real estate in Palm Beach
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
in the 1920s during the Florida land boom. Bordoni was later associated with theatrical agent and producer Avery Galen Bogue (05/1896 – 09/05/1951). Bordoni died on 19 March 1953 at Jewish Memorial Hospital in New York City. She was buried in the Ferncliff Cemetery
Ferncliff Cemetery
Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is located on Secor Road in the hamlet of Hartsdale, town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, about 25 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. It was founded in 1902, and is non-sectarian...
, Hartsdale, New York
Hartsdale, New York
Hartsdale is a hamlet and a census-designated place located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hartsdale is located at ....
.
Songs associated with Bordoni
Irène Bordoni introduced or was the first interpreter of the following songs:- "Do It AgainDo It Again (George Gershwin and Buddy DeSylva song)"Do It Again" is an American popular song by composer George Gershwin and lyricist Buddy DeSylva. The song premiered in the 1922 Broadway show The French Doll, as performed by actress Irène Bordoni.-Background:...
" - "I Won't Say I Will but I Won't Say I Won't"
- "So This Is Love"
- "Do I Love You?"
- "Let's Misbehave"
- "Where is the Song of Songs for Me?"
- "Don't Look at Me that Way"
- "Quelque-Chose"
- Let's Do It: Let's Fall in Love
- You Can't Believe My Eyes
- Just an Hour of Love