Charmian, she thought, suited her much better. She didn't think she looked, felt, or sounded like Ethel. Nor like her middle name, which she really detested, Edna.
orig. Ethel Agnes Zimmerman born Jan. 16, 1909, Astoria, N.Y., U.S. died Feb. 15, 1984, New York, N.Y. U.S. singer and actress. Merman, who had never taken voice lessons, worked as a secretary before her first professional singing engagement in 1929. She made her stage debut in George and Ira Gershwin's Girl Crazy (1930) (see George Gershwin; Ira Gershwin). Her brassy, ebullient style and powerful voice made her a favoured performer for Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and others. In the mid-1930s Merman made her first Hollywood appearance, and she later starred on her own radio show. Her many Broadway successes include Anything Goes (1934), Red, Hot and Blue (1936), Annie Get Your Gun (1946), Call Me Madam (1950), and Gypsy (1959)
born Oct. 31, 1896/1900, Chester, Pa., U.S. died Sept. 1, 1977, Chatsworth, Calif. U.S. blues and jazz singer and actress. She was a professional singer by age 17, and she recorded with jazzmen such as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman in the 1930s. She made her Broadway debut in the Africana revue (1927) and later had a lead role in Blackbirds (1930). In 1933 she appeared in Irving Berlin's musical As Thousands Cheer, in which she sang "Heat Wave" and "Suppertime." Her later stage successes included Cabin in the Sky (1940; film, 1943) and The Member of the Wedding (1950; film, 1952). She also acted in films such as Pinky (1949) and The Sound and the Fury (1959)
orig. Ethel Greenglass born Sept. 28, 1915, New York, N.Y., U.S. died June 19, 1953, Ossining, N.Y. born May 12, 1918, New York, N.Y., U.S. died June 19, 1953, Ossining, N.Y. U.S. spies. They were married in 1939, by which time they were already active in the Communist Party. In 1940 Julius became an engineer with the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He and his wife, Ethel, apparently gave military secrets to the Soviet military in a conspiracy with Ethel's brother, Sgt. David Greenglass, a machinist on the atomic-bomb project at Los Alamos, N.M., and Harry Gold, a courier for the U.S. espionage ring. They were all arrested in mid-1950. Greenglass and Gold received prison terms, but the Rosenbergs were sentenced to death. Despite several appeals and a worldwide campaign for mercy, they were executed at Sing Sing Prison in 1953, the only U.S. civilians ever executed for espionage. Despite considerable controversy in subsequent years, the question of their guilt was largely resolved in the early 1990s, when the release of Soviet intelligence information confirmed the Rosenbergs' involvement in espionage
born April 22, 1858, London, Eng. died May 9, 1944, Woking, Surrey British composer. Born into a military family, she studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and was encouraged by Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvoák. She first gained notice with her sweeping Mass in D (1893). Her best-known work is The Wreckers (1906), the most admired English opera of its time. Her March of the Women (1911) reflected her strong involvement in the woman suffrage movement. Her comic opera The Boatswain's Mate (1916) enjoyed considerable success. Her work is notably eclectic, ranging from conventional to experimental. She wrote a multivolume autobiography, Impressions That Remained (1919-40)
born April 22, 1858, London, Eng. died May 9, 1944, Woking, Surrey British composer. Born into a military family, she studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and was encouraged by Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvoák. She first gained notice with her sweeping Mass in D (1893). Her best-known work is The Wreckers (1906), the most admired English opera of its time. Her March of the Women (1911) reflected her strong involvement in the woman suffrage movement. Her comic opera The Boatswain's Mate (1916) enjoyed considerable success. Her work is notably eclectic, ranging from conventional to experimental. She wrote a multivolume autobiography, Impressions That Remained (1919-40)