Eddie Fisher
Eddie Fisher | |
|---|---|
 Fisher in 1960 | |
| Born | Edwin Jack Fisher August 10, 1928 |
| Died | September 22, 2010(aged 82) Berkeley, California,U.S. |
| Resting place | Cypress Lawn Memorial Park |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1948–2010 |
| Spouses |
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| Children | |
| Relatives |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres | Traditional pop |
| Labels |
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Edwin Jack Fisher(August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show,The Eddie Fisher Show.[1]ActressElizabeth Taylorwas best friends with Fisher's first wife, actressDebbie Reynolds.The couple divorced in 1959 when it was revealed shortly after Taylor's third husband,Mike Todd,was killed in a plane crash, that Fisher had been having an affair with her. The affair was a great public scandal, which led to the cancellation ofEddie Fisher's television show.[2]Fisher and Taylor married that same year. The scandalous affair that Fisher and Taylor had been having while each was already married was widely reported and brought unfavorable publicity to both Fisher and Taylor. Approximately five years later, he and Taylor divorced and he later marriedConnie Stevens.Fisher is the father ofCarrie FisherandTodd Fisher,whose mother is Reynolds, and the father ofJoely FisherandTricia Leigh Fisher,whose mother is Stevens.
Early life[edit]
Fisher was born in Philadelphia on August 10, 1928, the fourth of seven children born to Gitte Kathrine "Kate" Tisch (née Minicker, later Stup;c.1901–1991) and Joseph Fisher (né Tisch; 1900–1972), bothJewishimmigrants from theRussian Empire.[3][4][5][6][7][8]His father's surname was originally Tisch, but was changed to Fisher by the time of the 1940 census.[9]To his family, Fisher was always called "Sonny Boy", a nickname derived from thesong of the same nameinAl Jolson's filmThe Singing Fool(1928).[10]His siblings were Sidney, Nettie, Miriam, Janet, Alvin, and Eileen. Kate and Joseph divorced when Fisher was an adult, after 33 years of marriage, and Kate married Max Stup.
Fisher attended Thomas Junior High School,[11]South Philadelphia High School,[citation needed]andSimon Gratz High School.[citation needed]It was known at an early age that he had talent as avocalist,and he started singing in numerous amateur contests, which he usually won. He made his radio debut onWFIL,[11]a local Philadelphia radio station. He also performed onArthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts,a popularradioshow that later moved to television. Because he became a local star, Fisher dropped out of high school in the middle of his senior year to pursue his career.[12]
Career[edit]
By 1946, Fisher was crooning with the bands ofBuddy MorrowandCharlie Ventura.He was heard in 1949 byEddie CantoratGrossinger's Catskill Resort Hotelin theBorscht Belt.Cantor's so-called discovery of Fisher was later described as a totally contrived, "manipulated' arrangement by Milton Blackstone, Grossinger's publicity director.[13]After performing on Cantor's radio show he was an instant hit and gained nationwide exposure. He then signed a recording contract withRCA Victorand became their best selling pop artist.[14]
Fisher was drafted into theU.S. Armyin 1951, sent toFort Hood,Texas,for basic training, and served a year inKorea.From 1952 to 1953, he was the official vocal soloist for theUnited 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 atFort Myerin theWashington, 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 began to sing in top nightclubs and had a varietytelevisionseries,Coke Time with Eddie FisheronNBC(1953–1957). Fisher also appeared onThe Perry Como Show,Club Oasis,The Martha Raye Show,The Gisele MacKenzie Show,TheChesterfield Supper ClubandThe George Gobel Show,and starred in another series,The Eddie Fisher Show(NBC) (1957–1959, alternating with Gobel's series).
Fisher's good looks and strong, melodious tenor voice made him ateen idoland one of the most popular singers of the early 1950s. He had 17 songs in the Top 10 on the music charts between 1950 and 1956 and 35 in the Top 40. In 1953, "Any Time"became his first record to sell a million copies, followed soon after by"I'm Walking Behind You".[14]In 1957 he signed a then record $1 million deal with the newly openedTropicana Las Vegasto appear there a minimum of 4 weeks a year for 5 years.[15]
In 1956, Fisher costarred with then-wifeDebbie Reynoldsin themusical comedyBundle of Joy.He played a dramatic role in the1960dramaButterfield 8with second wifeElizabeth Taylor.His best friend was showman and producerMike Todd,who died in a plane crash in 1958. Fisher's affair, divorce from Reynolds, and subsequent marriage to Taylor, Todd's widow, caused a show business scandal. Due to the unfavorable publicity surrounding the affair and divorce, NBC canceled Fisher's television series in March 1959.[16]
Beginning in fall 1959, Fisher established two scholarships atBrandeis University,one for classical and one for popular music, in the name of Eddie Cantor.[17]
In 1960, RCA Victor dropped him and he briefly recorded on his own label, Ramrod Records. He later recorded forDot Records.During this time, he had the first commercial recording of "Sunrise, Sunset" fromFiddler 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 albumsEddie Fisher TodayandYoung and Foolish(both 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"withNelson 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 medium for issuing recordings. His last album for RCA Victor was anAl Jolsontribute,You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet,released in 1968. 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 asAfter All.The album was produced by William J. O'Malley and arranged by Angelo DiPippo. DiPippo, a world-renowned arranger, worked with Eddie countless hours to better his vocals, but it became futile. Fisher's final recordings (never released) were made in 1995 with theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra.According to arranger-conductor Vincent Falcone, writing 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 majorLas Vegasshowrooms. He headlined at thePalace Theaterin New York City, as well as London'sPalladium.In the culmination of his return to the concert stage in 1962, Fisher headlined a five-week Broadway show at Winter Garden, calling it a dream of his since his youth to perform in the venue Al Jolson had made famous.
Fisher created interest as a pop culture icon.Betty Johnson's "I Want Eddie Fisher For Christmas", containing references to a number of hit songs, reached No. 28 in the Music Vendor national survey during an 11-week chart run in late 1954.
Fisher has two stars on theHollywood Walk of Fame:one for recording, at 6241 Hollywood Boulevard, and one for television, at 1724 Vine Street.
Personal life[edit]
Fisher had five marriages and four children:
- Debbie Reynolds(September 26, 1955 – May 12, 1959; divorced)
- Elizabeth Taylor(May 12, 1959 – March 5, 1964; divorced)
- Connie Stevens(February 9, 1967 – June 12, 1969; divorced)
- Terry Richard (October 29, 1975 – April 1, 1976; divorced)
- Betty Lin (July 14, 1993 – April 15, 2001; her death)
In 1981, Fisher wrote anautobiography,Eddie: My Life, My Loves(ISBN978-0-0601-4907-9). He wrote another autobiography in 1999 titledBeen There, Done That(ISBN978-1-5311-9694-3). The latter 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. Upon the book's publication, his daughter Carrie declared: "I'm thinking of having my DNA fumigated."[18]
While performing at The Tropicana Hotel in 1957, Fisher had numerous affairs with women, which contributed to his turbulent marriage to Debbie Reynolds. One of his notable affairs was with modelPat Sheehan.They eventually parted ways after Fisher refused to divorce Reynolds.[19]He would divorce Reynolds two years later and marry Elizabeth Taylor.
When she was interviewed, Debbie Reynolds said that she could understand being dumped "for the world's most beautiful woman", referring to Taylor, who was previously a close friend. Taylor and Reynolds later resumed their friendship and mocked Fisher in aTV moviewritten by Carrie Fisher,These Old Broads,in which their characters ridiculed the ex-husband they shared, named "Freddie Hunter".[20]
In his memoirs, Fisher admitted to addictions to drugs and gambling, which aggravated his career problems.[16]He wrote that his addiction to drugs began in 1953 with the so-called "vitamin" shots administered by the notorious "Dr. Feelgood",Max Jacobson,shots that contained methamphetamine. Fisher said he eventually kicked his drug addiction in 1990 after undergoing rehabilitation at theBetty Ford Clinic.In his autobiography,Been There, Done That,Fisher also claimed that following his separation from Taylor, he had numerous affairs with such women asAnn-Margret,Juliet Prowse,Stefanie Powers,Sue Lyon,Edie Adams,Judith Campbell,Mia Farrow,andMichelle Phillips.[21]Phillips categorically denied Fisher's claim that they had an affair.[22]
Fisher supportedLyndon B. Johnsonin the1964 United States presidential election.[23]
Death[edit]
Fisher suffered from knee, back, hearing, and eyesight problems in his later years, the last of which were worsened by complications stemming from cataract removal surgery, and he rarely appeared in public. According to friends, he remained mentally vigorous and kept himself busy watching television, following news and politics, and singing his old songs while friend George Michalski played the piano. Michalski had worked on several occasions over the years to help Fisher get his name back on the music charts. He said "The '60s passed Eddie by; he missed that entire era of music. I'd play aBeatlessong like "Something"for him and he'd think I wrote it."
Fisher fell and broke his hip on September 9, 2010, and died 13 days later on September 22, 2010, at his home inBerkeley, California,from complications from hip surgery, at the age of 82.[16]His ashes were interred atCypress Lawn Memorial Parknext to his wife Betty Lin, who died in 2001.
Discography[edit]
Hit songs[edit]
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CB | US AC[24] |
UK[25] | ||
| 1948 | "You Can't Be True, Dear"(with Marlin Sisters) | 19 | — | — | — |
| 1950 | "Thinking of You" | 5 | — | — | — |
| 1951 | "Bring Back the Thrill" | 14 | — | — | — |
| "Unless" | 17 | — | — | — | |
| "I'll Hold You in My Heart" | 18 | — | — | — | |
| "Turn Back the Hands of Time" | 8 | — | — | — | |
| "Any Time" | 2 | — | — | — | |
| 1952 | "Tell Me Why" | 4 | — | — | — |
| "Trust in Me" | 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 | 2 | — | 8 | |
| "The Hand of Fate" | 24 | — | — | — | |
| "Lady of Spain" | 6 | 6 | — | — | |
| "Outside of Heaven" | 8 | 13 | — | 1 | |
| "Everything I Have Is Yours" | 23 | 38 | — | 8 | |
| "Christmas Day" | 22 | — | — | — | |
| 1953 | "You're All I Want for Christmas" | 22 | — | — | — |
| "Even Now" | 7 | 9 | — | — | |
| "Downhearted" | 5 | 16 | — | 3 | |
| "How Do You Speak to an Angel?" | 14 | 25 | — | — | |
| "I'm Walking Behind You" | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | |
| "Just Another Polka" | 24 | 18 | — | — | |
| "With These Hands" | 7 | 8 | — | — | |
| "Many Times" | 4 | 8 | — | — | |
| "Just to Be with You" | 18 | — | — | — | |
| "Oh! My Pa-Pa" | 1 | 1 | — | 9 | |
| 1954 | "A Girl, a Girl" | 6 | 6 | — | — |
| "Anema E Core" | 14 | 12 | — | — | |
| "Green Years" | 8 | 13 | — | — | |
| "My Friend" | 15 | 12 | — | — | |
| "The Little Shoemaker"(with Hugo Winterhalter) | 9 | 2 | — | — | |
| "The Magic Tango"(with Hugo Winterhalter) | 22 | 27 | — | — | |
| "Heaven Was Never Like This" | 21 | 27 | — | — | |
| "I Need You Now" | 1 | 1 | — | 13 | |
| "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" | 5 | 7 | — | — | |
| "Fanny" | 29 | 18 | — | — | |
| 1955 | "A Man Chases a Girl" | 16 | 16 | — | — |
| "Just One More Time" | — | 27 | — | — | |
| "Take My Love" | — | 36 | — | — | |
| "(I'm Always Hearing) Wedding Bells" | 20 | 13 | — | 5 | |
| "Heart" | 6 | 12 | — | — | |
| "Song of the Dreamer" | 11 | 10 | — | — | |
| "Don't Stay Away Too Long" | — | 41 | — | — | |
| "Magic Fingers" | 52 | 33 | — | — | |
| "I Wanna Go Where You Go" | 75 | 26 | — | — | |
| "Dungaree Doll" | 7 | 7 | — | — | |
| "Everybody's Got a Home but Me" | 20 | 34 | — | — | |
| 1956 | "Without You" | 41 | 28 | — | — |
| "No Other One" | 65 | 29 | — | — | |
| "On the Street Where You Live" | 18 | — | — | — | |
| "Sweet Heartaches" | 42 | 35 | — | — | |
| "O My Maria" | 80 | — | — | — | |
| "Cindy, Oh Cindy" | 10 | 9 | — | 5 | |
| 1957 | "Some Day Soon" | 94 | — | — | — |
| "Tonight My Heart Will Be Crying" | 96 | — | — | — | |
| "Sunshine Girl" | 94 | — | — | — | |
| "That's the Way It Goes" | — | 55 | — | — | |
| "Sayonara" | — | 56 | — | — | |
| 1958 | "What's the Use of Cryin'" | — | 43 | — | — |
| 1961 | "Tonight" | 44 | 109 | 12 | — |
| "Milk and Honey" | — | 104 | — | — | |
| "Shalom" | — | 105 | — | — | |
| 1962 | "Arrivederci Roma" | 112 | 142 | — | — |
| 1965 | "Sunrise, Sunset" | 119 | 119 | 22 | — |
| "Young and Foolish" | — | — | 25 | — | |
| 1966 | "Games That Lovers Play" | 45 | 41 | 2 | — |
| 1967 | "People Like You" | 97 | 74 | 4 | — |
| "Now I Know" | 131 | 135 | 23 | — | |
Albums[edit]
- Eddie Fisher Sings(10-inch album) (RCA Victor1952)
- I'm in the Mood for Love(RCA Victor 1952/55)
- Christmas with Eddie Fisher(10-inch album) (RCA Victor 1952)
- Eddie Fisher Sings Irving Berlin Favorites(10-inch album) (RCA Victor 1954)
- May I Sing to You?(RCA Victor 1954/55)
- I Love You(RCA Victor 1955)
- Eddie Fisher Sings Academy Award Winning Songs(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[edit]
- Thinking of You(RCA Victor 1957)
- Heart!(RCA Camden1958)
- Eddie Fisher's Greatest Hits(RCA Victor 1962)
- Bring Back the Thrill(RCA Camden 1963)
- This is Eddie Fisher(RCA Victor 1972)
- Eddie Fisher's Greatest Hits(RCA 1975 reissue of 1962 LP)
- The Very Best of Eddie Fisher(MCA 1988)
- All Time Greatest Hits Vol.1(RCA 1989)
- Eddie Fisher – Greatest Hits(RCA 2001)
Books[edit]
- Fisher, Eddie (1984).Eddie: My Life, My Loves.HarperCollins.ISBN978-0-06-014907-9.
- Fisher, Eddie; Fisher, David (1999).Been There, Done That.ISBN978-1-5311-9694-3
References[edit]
- ^Whitburn, Joel (March 1, 2010).Joel Whitburn's Top 40 Pop Singles(12th ed.). Record Research.ISBN978-0-8982-0180-2.
- ^Foster, James F. (February 11, 2014).The Fabulous Fifties.Page Publishing Inc.ISBN9781634172073.
- ^"Eddie Fisher, former husband of Elizabeth Taylor, dies".The Daily Telegraph.London.September 24, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on January 11, 2022.RetrievedJune 22,2018.
- ^The Philadelphia Inquirer,October 14, 1973, p. 36[full citation needed]
- ^"Pennsylvania, Eastern District Naturalization Indexes, 1795-1952," database with images,FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXF4-76P:9 March 2018), Kathrine Or Gitte Tisch, 1943; citing Naturalization, Pennsylvania, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1248 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,412,474.
- ^Freedland, Michael (September 24, 2010)."Eddie Fisher obituary".The Guardian.London.RetrievedJune 22,2018.
- ^Kaufman, Gil (September 24, 2010)."Eddie Fisher, Singer And Ex Of Elizabeth Taylor, Dies".MTV News.Archived fromthe originalon April 12, 2015.RetrievedJune 22,2018.
- ^Shocket, Kathy Shana (October 15, 1999)."'Jewish Sinatra' tells all ".Jewish News of Greater Phoenix.Archived fromthe originalon November 20, 2012.
- ^Fisher, Eddie; Fisher, David (September 1999).Been There, Done That.New York: St. Martin's Press. p.3.ISBN978-1-5311-9694-3.
- ^Been There, Done That,p. 2.
- ^abBeen There, Done That,p. 11.
- ^Been There, Done That,p. 14.
- ^Kanfer, Stefan (1989).A summer world: the attempt to build a Jewish Eden in the Catskills from the days of the ghetto to the rise and decline of the Borscht Belt(1st ed.). New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. pp. 205–209.ISBN978-0-3742-7180-0.
- ^ab"Fisher Gets 2d Gold Platter for 'Walking'".Variety.August 26, 1953. p. 1.RetrievedMarch 12,2024– viaInternet Archive.
- ^"$1,000,000 to Fisher Las Vegas' Top Deal".Variety.February 27, 1957. p. 1.RetrievedJune 9,2019– viaArchive.org.
- ^abcGrimes, William (September 24, 2010)."Eddie Fisher, Pop Singer, Dies at 82".The New York Times.
- ^"Schottland to Head Social Welfare School at Brandeis University".Jewish Telegraphic Agency.December 1, 1958.RetrievedMay 10,2016.
- ^Slotek, Jim (December 27, 2016)."Carrie Fisher struggled with depression, addiction".The London Free Press.RetrievedJanuary 31,2021.
- ^Clemens, Samuel (2020).Pat: A Biography of Hollywood's Blonde Starlet.Sequoia Press. p. 73.ISBN978-0-5786-8282-2.
- ^Keck, William (February 12, 2001)."Scandal's History for 'These Old Broads'".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedOctober 1,2015.
- ^Soares, Emily (October 4, 1999). "Eddie's tale: 'Been There, Done That'".CNN.
- ^Hoffmann, Bill (September 29, 1999). "CRAZY EDDIE NEVER BEDDED ME:MICHELLE".New York Post.
- ^Jet,October 1, 1964
- ^Whitburn, Joel(2002).Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001.Record Research. p. 93.ISBN978-0-8982-0149-9.
- ^Roberts, David (2006).British Hit Singles & Albums(19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 201.ISBN978-1-9049-9410-7.
External links[edit]
- Eddie FisheratIMDb
- Eddie Fisherat theInternet Broadway Database
- Thinking Of You: Eddie Fisheron The Interlude Era site
- Obituary,The New York Times
- Eddie Fisher: Life and TimesArchivedSeptember 26, 2010, at theWayback Machine– slideshow byLife magazine
- Eddie Fisherdiscography atDiscogs
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1928 births
- 2010 deaths
- 20th-century American Jews
- 21st-century American Jews
- American crooners
- American male film actors
- American male pop singers
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Burials at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park
- Deaths from surgical complications
- Dot Records artists
- Jewish American male actors
- Jewish American military personnel
- Jewish American musicians
- Jewish film people
- Jewish singers
- Military personnel from Pennsylvania
- Military personnel from Philadelphia
- Musicians from Philadelphia
- RCA Victor artists
- Singers from Pennsylvania
- Traditional pop music singers
- United States Army personnel of the Korean War
- United States Army soldiers