Rediscovered
Talent
Page 2
The Incomparable Hildegarde
Continued
from Page 1
Irving Berlin discovered Hildegarde could sing when she moved to New York and spent time
between engagements working as a song plugger
at Irving Berlin's publishing house, singing songs for vaudeville producers in need of new
material. In the classic "Hey the kid can sing" scenario, Irving Berlin came
into the office, heard her sing, and introduced her around New York society, where she
began singing at parties and meeting other prominent people in the music business. It was
the Roaring '20's, it was a great time to be in New York, and Hildegarde's career was off
to a great start.
In 1934, Hildegarde had her first hit with "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup," a
song written by her manager, Ana Sosenko, as she rode on a bicycle through a WWI cemetery
in Touquet, France. Later Hildegarde had a hit with "The Last Time I Saw Paris."
That song's lyric spoke of longing for an idyllic time, and the rising tide of war in
Europe made it a haunting tribute with international popularity. By now, King Gustov of
Sweden had long fallen for Hildegarde, and the French connection combined with her exotic
sounding name led the public to believe she was from Europe--and they embraced her as a
sophisticated continental chanteuse. Later, publicist Seaman Jacobs dubbed her "The
Incomparable Hildegarde," and the phrase became so synonymous with Hildegarde that
her name is listed under "I" in Actors Equity records. |
During World War II, Hildegarde introduced "I'll Be Seeing You," a song by Irving Kahal and Sammy Fain that once again captured the public's emotions of
the time. This led to hosting her own radio show, "Hildegarde's Raleigh Room,"
in the Tuesday night lineup with shows by Bob Hope, Red Skelton, and "Fibber McGee
and Molly." The lineup was so popular, box office receipts at movie theaters
plummeted, causing film distributors to band together and create giveaway promotions such
as the infamous "dish nights" to lure patrons back in.
Hildegarde's career as a successful recording artist wound down in the 50's but she
continued to record and perform sold-out engagements at hotels and cabarets, wearing her
trademark opera gloves (it was Hildegarde who made them a popular fashion statement) and
lace handkerchief, and giving long-stemmed roses to members of the audience. She performed
until age 89, finally informing her longtime manager that the travelling was "not fun
anymore." After being featured along with other cabaret performers in Vanity Fair in
June 1998, Hildegarde retired at the Town Hall gala tribute celebrating the 100th
anniversary of Oscar Hammerstein II's birth.
The Incomparable Hildegarde is now 97 years young and lives in New York. Always a
religious woman, she is a 3rd order Carmelite nun. Her longtime publicist Seaman Jacobs,
who dubbed her "The Incomparable Hildegarde," is 91.
Update July 31, 2005: Hildegarde died on July 29, 2005. She was 99.
Discography
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