Eddie Fisher (singer)
Encyclopedia
Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010), was an American entertainer. He was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds
, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor
, garnered scandalous and unwelcome publicity. He also married Connie Stevens
, and was the father of actresses Carrie Fisher
and Joely Fisher
.
, the son of Russian-born Jewish immigrants
Kate (née
Winokur) and Joseph Fisher. His father's surname was originally either Tisch or Fisch, but was anglicised
to Fisher upon entry into the United States
. To his family, Fisher was always called "Sonny Boy", a nickname derived from the song of the same name
in Al Jolson
's film The Singing Fool
(1928).
Fisher attended Thomas Junior High School, South Philadelphia High School
, and Simon Gratz High School
. It was known at an early age that he had talent as a vocalist and he started singing in numerous amateur
contests, which he usually won. He made his radio debut on WFIL
, a local Philadelphia radio station. He also performed on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
, a popular radio
show which later moved to TV
. Because he became a local star, Fisher dropped out of high school in the middle of his senior year to pursue his career.
and Charlie Ventura
. He was heard in 1949 by Eddie Cantor
at Grossinger's Resort in the Borscht Belt
. After performing on Cantor's radio show he was an instant hit and gained nationwide exposure. He then signed with RCA Victor.
Fisher was drafted into the U.S. Army
in 1951, sent to Texas
for basic training, and served a year in Korea
. From 1952 to 1953, he was the official vocal soloist for The United States Army Band
(Pershing's Own) and a tenor section member in the United States Army Band Chorus (an element of Pershing's Own) assigned at Fort Myer
in the Washington, D.C.
Military District. During his active duty period, he also made occasional guest television appearances, in uniform, introduced as "Pfc Eddie Fisher." After his discharge, he became even more popular singing in top nightclubs. He also had a variety television
series, Coke Time with Eddie Fisher
(NBC
) (1953–1957), appeared on The Perry Como Show, Club Oasis
, The Martha Raye Show
, The Gisele MacKenzie Show
, The Chesterfield Supper Club and The George Gobel Show, and starred in another series, The Eddie Fisher Show
(NBC
) (1957–1959, alternating with Gobel's series).
A pre-rock and roll
vocalist, Fisher's strong and melodious tenor made him a teen idol
and one of the most popular singers of the early 1950s. He had seventeen songs in the Top 10 on the music charts between 1950 and 1956 and thirty-five in the Top 40.
In 1956, Fisher costarred with then-wife Debbie Reynolds
in the musical comedy Bundle of Joy
. He played a dramatic role in the 1960
drama Butterfield 8
with second wife Elizabeth Taylor
. His best friend was showman and producer Mike Todd
, who died in a plane crash in 1958. Fisher's affair and subsequent marriage to Taylor, Todd's widow, caused a show business
scandal
because he and Reynolds had a very public divorce
. It was because of the unfavorable publicity surrounding the affair and divorce that NBC cancelled Fisher's television series in March 1959.
In 1960, he was dropped by RCA Victor and briefly recorded on his own label, Ramrod Records. He later recorded for Dot Records
. During this time, he had the first commercial recording of "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof
. This technically counts as the biggest standard Fisher can claim credit for introducing, although it is rarely associated with him. He also recorded the album Eddie Fisher Today (1965). The Dot
contract was not successful in record sales terms, and he returned to RCA Victor and had a minor single hit in 1966 with the song "Games That Lovers Play" with Nelson Riddle
, which became the title of his best selling album. When Fisher was at the height of his popularity, in the mid 1950s, singles, rather than albums, were the primary recording medium. His last album for RCA was an Al Jolson
tribute, You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet. In 1983 he attempted a comeback tour but this was not a success. Eddie Fisher's last released album was recorded around 1984 on the Bainbridge record label. Fisher tried to stop the album from being released, but it turned up as After All. The album was produced by William J. O'Malley and arranged by Angelo DiPippo. DiPippo worked with Eddie countless hours to better his vocals but it became useless. His final recordings (never released) were made in 1995 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. According to arranger-conductor Vincent Falcone in his 2005 autobiography, 'Frankly: Just Between Us', these tracks were "...the best singing of his life." Fisher performed in top concert halls all over the United States and headlined in major Las Vegas
showrooms. He headlined at the Palace Theater
in New York City as well as London's Palladium
.
Fisher has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
, one for recording, at 6241 Hollywood Boulevard, and one for television, at 1724 Vine Street.
In 1981, Fisher wrote an autobiography
, Eddie: My Life, My Loves (ISBN 0-06-014907-8). He wrote another autobiography in 1999 titled Been There, Done That (ISBN 0-312-20972-X). The later book devotes little space to Fisher's singing career, but recycled the material of his first book and added many new sexual details that were too strong to publish before. His daughter Carrie
declared, upon publication: "That's it. I'm having my DNA fumigated."
When interviewed, Debbie Reynolds said that she could understand being dumped "for the world's most beautiful woman (Taylor)", previously a close friend. Taylor and Reynolds later resumed their friendship, and mocked Fisher in their TV movie These Old Broads
, wherein their characters ridiculed the ex-husband they shared, named "Freddie."
, due to complications from hip surgery. He was 82 years old.
After his death he was cremated and his ashes were buried alongside the grave of his wife, Betty (who died on April 15, 2001), at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.
His second wife, Elizabeth Taylor
, died six months and one day after Fisher, on March 23, 2011.
|-
!colspan="3" style="background:#C1D8FF;"| Husband of Elizabeth Taylor
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, garnered scandalous and unwelcome publicity. He also married Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...
, and was the father of actresses Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
and Joely Fisher
Joely Fisher
Joely Fisher is an American actress best known for her work on television as Paige Clark on Ellen as well as Joy Stark in the Fox sitcom Til Death, and also on stage and in films.-Background:...
.
Early life
Fisher, fourth of seven children, was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, the son of Russian-born Jewish immigrants
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
Kate (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Winokur) and Joseph Fisher. His father's surname was originally either Tisch or Fisch, but was anglicised
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
to Fisher upon entry into the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. To his family, Fisher was always called "Sonny Boy", a nickname derived from the song of the same name
Sonny Boy (song)
"Sonny Boy" is a song written by Ray Henderson, Bud De Sylva, and Lew Brown. The hyper-sentimental tearjerker was featured in the 1928 talkie The Singing Fool. Sung by Al Jolson, the 1928 recording was a hit and stayed at #1 for 12 weeks in the charts and was a million seller...
in Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
's film The Singing Fool
The Singing Fool
The Singing Fool is a 1928 musical drama Part-Talkie motion picture which was released by Warner Brothers. The film starred Al Jolson and was a follow-up to his previous film, The Jazz Singer...
(1928).
Fisher attended Thomas Junior High School, South Philadelphia High School
South Philadelphia High School
South Philadelphia High School also known as Southern High is a public secondary high school located in the south section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the intersection of Broad Street and Snyder Avenue, just north of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex residential neighborhood, Marconi...
, and Simon Gratz High School
Simon Gratz High School
Simon Gratz High School is a secondary school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. An inner-city school, it is perhaps best-known for its famous alumni . Originally operated as a public school by the School District of Philadelphia, Gratz has been run as a charter school by Mastery Charter...
. It was known at an early age that he had talent as a vocalist and he started singing in numerous amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
contests, which he usually won. He made his radio debut on WFIL
WFIL
WFIL is a radio station and a former television station serving the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its transmitter is located in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania....
, a local Philadelphia radio station. He also performed on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts is an American radio and television variety show which ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958...
, a popular radio
Radio programming
Radio programming is the Broadcast programming of a Radio format or content that is organized for Commercial broadcasting and Public broadcasting radio stations....
show which later moved to TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. Because he became a local star, Fisher dropped out of high school in the middle of his senior year to pursue his career.
Career
By 1946, Fisher was crooning with the bands of Buddy MorrowBuddy Morrow
Buddy Morrow was an American trombonist and bandleader. He is known for his mastery of the upper range which is evident on records such as "The Golden Trombone," as well as his ballad playing.- His life :Morrow was once a member of The Tonight Show Band...
and Charlie Ventura
Charlie Ventura
Charlie Ventura was a tenor saxophonist and bandleader.Ventura was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had his first successes working with Gene Krupa. In 1945 he won the Down Beat readers' poll in the tenor saxophone division...
. He was heard in 1949 by Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
at Grossinger's Resort in the Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
. After performing on Cantor's radio show he was an instant hit and gained nationwide exposure. He then signed with RCA Victor.
Fisher was drafted into the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in 1951, sent to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
for basic training, and served a year in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. From 1952 to 1953, he was the official vocal soloist for The United States Army Band
United States Army Band
Founded in 1922, the United States Army Band – known as "Pershing's Own" – is the premier musical organization of the United States Army. Before 2002, the United States Army Band was the only Washington-based military band to have participated in a theater of foreign combat operations...
(Pershing's Own) and a tenor section member in the United States Army Band Chorus (an element of Pershing's Own) assigned at Fort Myer
Fort Myer
Fort Myer is a U.S. Army post adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It is a small post by U.S...
in the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Military District. During his active duty period, he also made occasional guest television appearances, in uniform, introduced as "Pfc Eddie Fisher." After his discharge, he became even more popular singing in top nightclubs. He also had a variety television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series, Coke Time with Eddie Fisher
Coke Time with Eddie Fisher
Coke Time with Eddie Fisher is an American musical variety television series starring singer Eddie Fisher which was broadcast by NBC on Wednesday nights in early prime time from 1953 to 1957. The program was aired from 7:30 to 7:45 p.m...
(NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
) (1953–1957), appeared on The Perry Como Show, Club Oasis
Club Oasis
Club Oasis is a 24-episode half-hour comedy-variety show, set in a chic simulated nightclub, which appeared on NBC in the 1957–1958 television season. The series alternated with The Polly Bergen Show in the 9 p.m. EST time slot on Saturday evenings...
, The Martha Raye Show
The Martha Raye Show
The Martha Raye Show is an hour-long comedy/variety show which aired live on NBC from January 23, 1954, to May 29, 1956. The series was hosted by the late Martha Raye, a Montana native, who often called herself "The Big Mouth." Her boyfriend on the program and a foil for her humor was portrayed by...
, The Gisele MacKenzie Show
The Gisele MacKenzie Show
The Gisele MacKenzie Show in an American variety show hosted by Gisele MacKenzie. The series aired live on NBC from September 28, 1957, to March 29, 1958. The Curfew Kids appeared on the program as semi-regulars....
, The Chesterfield Supper Club and The George Gobel Show, and starred in another series, The Eddie Fisher Show
Coke Time with Eddie Fisher
Coke Time with Eddie Fisher is an American musical variety television series starring singer Eddie Fisher which was broadcast by NBC on Wednesday nights in early prime time from 1953 to 1957. The program was aired from 7:30 to 7:45 p.m...
(NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
) (1957–1959, alternating with Gobel's series).
A pre-rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
vocalist, Fisher's strong and melodious tenor made him a teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
and one of the most popular singers of the early 1950s. He had seventeen songs in the Top 10 on the music charts between 1950 and 1956 and thirty-five in the Top 40.
In 1956, Fisher costarred with then-wife Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
in the musical comedy Bundle of Joy
Bundle of Joy
Bundle of Joy is a musical remake of the comedy film Bachelor Mother . It stars Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and Adolphe Menjou. An unmarried salesgirl at a department store finds and takes care of an abandoned baby...
. He played a dramatic role in the 1960
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
drama Butterfield 8
BUtterfield 8
BUtterfield 8 is a 1960 Metrocolor drama film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey. Taylor, then 28 years old, won an Academy Award for her performance...
with second wife Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
. His best friend was showman and producer Mike Todd
Mike Todd
Michael Todd was an American theatre and film producer, best known for his 1956 production of Around the World in Eighty Days, which won an Academy Award for Best Picture...
, who died in a plane crash in 1958. Fisher's affair and subsequent marriage to Taylor, Todd's widow, caused a show business
Show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
scandal
Scandal
A scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed...
because he and Reynolds had a very public divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
. It was because of the unfavorable publicity surrounding the affair and divorce that NBC cancelled Fisher's television series in March 1959.
In 1960, he was dropped by RCA Victor and briefly recorded on his own label, Ramrod Records. He later recorded for Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
. During this time, he had the first commercial recording of "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
. This technically counts as the biggest standard Fisher can claim credit for introducing, although it is rarely associated with him. He also recorded the album Eddie Fisher Today (1965). The Dot
Dot
- Typography :* Full stop, also called period in American English, used as a sentence terminator and as a decimal separator in numerals - Typography :* Full stop, also called period in American English, used as a sentence terminator and as a decimal separator (decimal point) in numerals -...
contract was not successful in record sales terms, and he returned to RCA Victor and had a minor single hit in 1966 with the song "Games That Lovers Play" with Nelson Riddle
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...
, which became the title of his best selling album. When Fisher was at the height of his popularity, in the mid 1950s, singles, rather than albums, were the primary recording medium. His last album for RCA was an Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
tribute, You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet. In 1983 he attempted a comeback tour but this was not a success. Eddie Fisher's last released album was recorded around 1984 on the Bainbridge record label. Fisher tried to stop the album from being released, but it turned up as After All. The album was produced by William J. O'Malley and arranged by Angelo DiPippo. DiPippo worked with Eddie countless hours to better his vocals but it became useless. His final recordings (never released) were made in 1995 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. According to arranger-conductor Vincent Falcone in his 2005 autobiography, 'Frankly: Just Between Us', these tracks were "...the best singing of his life." Fisher performed in top concert halls all over the United States and headlined in major Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
showrooms. He headlined at the Palace Theater
Palace Theatre, New York
The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before...
in New York City as well as London's Palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
.
Fisher has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
, one for recording, at 6241 Hollywood Boulevard, and one for television, at 1724 Vine Street.
Personal life
Fisher had five marriages and four children:- Debbie ReynoldsDebbie ReynoldsDebbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
(1955–1959; divorced)- Carrie FisherCarrie FisherCarrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
(born 1956) - Todd Fisher (born 1958)
- Carrie Fisher
- Elizabeth TaylorElizabeth TaylorDame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
(1959–1964; divorced) - Connie StevensConnie StevensConnie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...
(1967–1969; divorced)- Joely FisherJoely FisherJoely Fisher is an American actress best known for her work on television as Paige Clark on Ellen as well as Joy Stark in the Fox sitcom Til Death, and also on stage and in films.-Background:...
(born 1967) - Tricia Leigh FisherTricia Leigh FisherTricia Leigh Fisher is an American actress and singer.- Early life :Fisher was born in Burbank, California to singer Eddie Fisher and actress Connie Stevens. Her older sister is actress Joely Fisher. Other siblings include half brother Todd Fisher and half-sister actress Carrie Fisher of Star Wars...
(born 1968)
- Joely Fisher
- Terry Richard (1975–1976; divorced)
- Betty Lin (1993 – April 15, 2001; her death)
In 1981, Fisher wrote an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Eddie: My Life, My Loves (ISBN 0-06-014907-8). He wrote another autobiography in 1999 titled Been There, Done That (ISBN 0-312-20972-X). The later book devotes little space to Fisher's singing career, but recycled the material of his first book and added many new sexual details that were too strong to publish before. His daughter Carrie
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
declared, upon publication: "That's it. I'm having my DNA fumigated."
When interviewed, Debbie Reynolds said that she could understand being dumped "for the world's most beautiful woman (Taylor)", previously a close friend. Taylor and Reynolds later resumed their friendship, and mocked Fisher in their TV movie These Old Broads
These Old Broads
These Old Broads is a 2001 television film written by Carrie Fisher and starring her mother Debbie Reynolds, as well as Shirley MacLaine, Joan Collins, and Elizabeth Taylor in her final film role...
, wherein their characters ridiculed the ex-husband they shared, named "Freddie."
Death
Fisher broke his hip on September 9, 2010, and died 13 days later on September 22, 2010, at his home in Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, due to complications from hip surgery. He was 82 years old.
After his death he was cremated and his ashes were buried alongside the grave of his wife, Betty (who died on April 15, 2001), at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.
His second wife, Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, died six months and one day after Fisher, on March 23, 2011.
Hit songs
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US AC |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||
| 1948 | "You Can't Be True, Dear You Can't Be True, Dear "You Can't Be True, Dear" is a popular song.It was originally written as a German language song, "Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein," by composer Hans Otten and lyricist Gerhard Ebeler... "(with Marlin Sisters) |
19 | — | — |
| 1950 | "Thinking of You" | 5 | — | — |
| 1951 | "Bring Back the Thrill" | 14 | — | — |
| "Unless" | 17 | — | — | |
| "I'll Hold You In My Heart I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) "I'll Hold You in My Heart " is a 1947 song by Eddy Arnold. The song was Eddy Arnold's third number one on the Juke Box Folk Records chart. "I'll Hold You in My Heart " spent forty-six weeks on the chart and twenty-one at number one.The song went on to become a major country standard... " |
18 | — | — | |
| "Turn Back the Hands of Time" | 8 | — | — | |
| "Any Time Anytime (1921 song) "Anytime" is a popular song written by Herbert "Happy" Lawson. The song was published in 1939.The song is best known in a 1952 recording by Eddie Fisher... " |
2 | — | — | |
| 1952 | "Tell Me Why Tell Me Why (1951 song) "Tell Me Why" is a popular song written by Marty Gold with the lyrics by Al Alberts. The song was published in 1951.-Major recorded versions:The hit version of the song was recorded by Alberts' group, The Four Aces, in 1951... " |
4 | — | — |
| "Trust In Me Trust in Me (1937 song) "Trust in Me" is a song written by Ned Wever, Milton Ager, and Jean Schwartz.It was first popularized by Mildred Bailey in 1937, charting at #4.... " |
25 | — | — | |
| "Forgive Me" | 7 | — | — | |
| "That's the Chance You Take" | 10 | — | — | |
| "I'm Yours" | 3 | — | — | |
| "Just a Little Lovin'" | 20 | — | — | |
| "Maybe"(with Perry Como) | 3 | — | — | |
| "Watermelon Weather"(with Perry Como) | 19 | — | — | |
| "I Remember When" | 29 | — | — | |
| "Wish You Were Here" | 1 | — | 8 | |
| "The Hand of Fate" | 24 | — | — | |
| "Lady of Spain Lady of Spain (song) "Lady Of Spain" is a popular song, written in 1931 by Robert Hargreaves, Tolchard Evans, Stanley J. Damerell, and Henry Tilsley.-Performance:... " |
6 | — | — | |
| "Outside of Heaven" | 8 | — | 1 | |
| "Everything I Have Is Yours" | 23 | — | 8 | |
| "Christmas Day" | 22 | — | — | |
| 1953 | "You're All I Want For Christmas" | 22 | — | — |
| "Even Now" | 7 | — | — | |
| "Downhearted" | 5 | — | 3 | |
| "How Do You Speak To an Angel?" | 14 | — | — | |
| "I'm Walking Behind You" | 1 | — | 1 | |
| "Just Another Polka" | 24 | — | — | |
| "With These Hands" | 7 | — | — | |
| "Many Times" | 4 | — | — | |
| "Just To Be With You" | 18 | — | — | |
| "Oh! My Pa-Pa Oh My Pa-Pa (O Mein Papa) "O mein Papa" is a German song, as related by a young woman remembering her beloved, once-famous clown father. It was written by Swiss composer Paul Burkhard in 1939 for the musical Der Schwarze Hecht , reproduced in 1950 as Feuerwerk to a libretto by Erik Charell, Jürg Amstein, and Robert Gilbert... " |
1 | — | 9 | |
| 1954 | "A Girl, a Girl" | 6 | — | — |
| "Anema E Core" | 14 | — | — | |
| "Green Years" | 8 | — | — | |
| "My Friend" | 15 | — | — | |
| "The Little Shoemaker"(with Hugo Winterhalter) | 9 | — | — | |
| "The Magic Tango"(with Hugo Winterhalter) | 22 | — | — | |
| "Heaven Was Never Like This" | 21 | — | — | |
| "I Need You Now I Need You Now (1954 song) "I Need You Now" is a popular song written by Al Jacobs and Jimmie Crane.The recorded version by Eddie Fisher, issued by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-5830, reached #1 on the Billboard and Cash Box charts in 1954.... " |
1 | — | 13 | |
| "Count Your Blessings" | 5 | — | — | |
| "Fanny" | 29 | — | — | |
| 1955 | "A Man Chases a Girl" | 16 | — | — |
| "(I'm Always Hearing) Wedding Bells" | 20 | — | 5 | |
| "Heart" | 6 | — | — | |
| "Song of the Dreamer" | 11 | — | — | |
| "Don't Stay Away Too Long" | flip | — | — | |
| "Magic Fingers" | 52 | — | — | |
| "I Wanna Go Where You Go" | 75 | — | — | |
| "Dungaree Doll" | 7 | — | — | |
| "Everybody's Got a Home But Me" | 20 | — | — | |
| 1956 | "Without You" | 41 | — | — |
| "No Other One" | 65 | — | — | |
| "On the Street Where You Live On the Street Where You Live "On the Street Where You Live" is a song with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner from the 1956 Broadway musical My Fair Lady. It is sung in the musical by the character Freddy Eynsford-Hill, who was portrayed by John Michael King in the original production... " |
18 | — | — | |
| "Sweet Heartaches" | 42 | — | — | |
| "O My Maria" | 80 | — | — | |
| "Cindy, Oh Cindy Cindy, Oh Cindy "Cindy, Oh Cindy" is a song written by Robert Nemiroff and Burt D'Lugoff and credited to their pseudonyms, Robert Barron and Burt Long. Nemiroff took the name of the song from his young daughter, Cindy.... " |
10 | — | 5 | |
| 1957 | "Some Day Soon" | 94 | — | — |
| "Tonight My Heart Will Be Crying" | 96 | — | — | |
| "Sunshine Girl" | 94 | — | — | |
| 1961 | "Tonight" | 44 | 12 | — |
| 1962 | "Arrivederci, Roma" | 112 | — | — |
| 1965 | "Sunrise, Sunset" | 119 | 22 | — |
| "Young and Foolish" | — | 25 | — | |
| 1966 | "Games That Lovers Play" | 45 | 2 | — |
| 1967 | "People Like You" | 97 | 4 | — |
| "Now I Know" | 131 | 23 | — | |
Albums
- Eddie Fisher SingsEddie Fisher SingsEddie Fisher Sings is the name of a 1952 album by Eddie Fisher. It was issued as a 10-inch long-playing record by RCA Victor Records.-Track listing:...
(10-inch album) (RCA Victor 1952) - I'm In The Mood For LoveI'm in the Mood for Love (Eddie Fisher album)I'm in the Mood for Love is the name of a 1952 album by Eddie Fisher, reissued in 1955, featuring the song of the same name. It was issued as a 10-inch long-playing record by RCA Victor Records.-Track listing:...
(RCA Victor 1952/55) - Christmas With Eddie Fisher (10-inch album) (RCA Victor 1952)
- Irving Berlin Favorites (10-inch album) (RCA Victor 1954)Grossinger'sz
- May I Sing To You? (RCA Victor 1954/55)
- I Love You (RCA Victor 1955)
- Academy Award Winners (RCA Victor 1955)
- Bundle Of Joy (film soundtrack) (RCA Victor 1956)
- As Long As There's Music (RCA Victor 1958)
- Scent Of Mystery (film soundtrack) (Ramrod 1960)
- Eddie Fisher At The Winter Garden (Ramrod 1963)
- Eddie Fisher Today! (Dot 1965)
- When I Was Young (Dot 1965) (re-recordings of his RCA Victor hits)
- Mary Christmas (Dot 1965)
- Games That Lovers Play (RCA Victor 1966)
- People Like You (RCA Victor 1967)
- You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet (RCA Victor 1968)
- After All (Bainbridge Records 1984)
Compilations
- Thinking Of You (RCA Victor 1957)
- Eddie Fisher's Greatest Hits (RCA Victor 1962)
- The Very Best Of Eddie Fisher (MCA 1988)
- All Time Greatest Hits Vol.1 (RCA 1990)
- Eddie Fisher – Greatest Hits (RCA 2001)
Further reading
- Fisher, Eddie. (1984) Eddie: My Life, My Loves. Harper Collins, ISBN 978-0060149079
External links
- Thinking Of You: Eddie Fisher on The Interlude Era site
- New York Times Obituary
- Eddie Fisher: Life and Times – slideshow by Life magazine
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!colspan="3" style="background:#C1D8FF;"| Husband of Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...