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Quote of the Day: Jackie O
I recently went to see Maria by Callas. I’m not an opera fan but the preview is wonderful and I recommend the film.
I recall the furor about Jackie Kennedy marrying Aristotle Onassis. After seeing the movie, I looked at contemporary coverage and found this joke by Bob Hope which is the QotD:
Published in Group Writing“Nixon has a Greek running mate, and now everyone wants one.”
What a gorgeous voice and incredible presence! I’ve never seen film of her, but it sounds like a fascinating story. Thanks!
Ditto!
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This has brightened my day. I can’t wait to see this! Thank you!
Not to throw cold water on the film, but Callas was known for ruining her voice:
Callas wanted to look like Audrey Hepburn. Jackie O was better suited to that role.
Was it the weight loss or nerves? My wife said that later in life she was still great in rehearsals. In the movie, she says that she was under pressure for a long time (age 15 to 42?) and her nerves eventually became a problem.
I have no opinion. The linked article said weight loss. While growing up, I heard many people saying she lost her voice, and her later performances were sub-par.
Richard, let me add my thanks for this post; I cannot wait to see what looks to be an amazing film about one of the great voices of all time! I also note that the YouTube link takes you to what appears to be an hour and a half documentary about the artist, of which I have watched about half, and there is an interesting interview with a person who worked with her, apparently in her last performing days, who made a comment about her nerves, and that as she tried to calm her right before going on stage– as she was trembling with nerves at that point — when she asked what the problem was, she told her something like “they are always out there, waiting to get me”! For all who would be Callas fans, and that would include anyone who has heard her sing for a minute or two, this documentary is full of some of the greatest performances of some of the best known arias in all of Opera.
Richard, on a personal note, for a number of years, before our move from Baton Rouge to Florida, I was on the Board of our fledgling company, known as Opera Louisiane, and we got some very talented voices for some of our productions, including the rising star, Lisette Oropesa, a Baton Rouge native and graduate of the LSU School of Music, widely respected for its Voice Department. Our General Director, Leanne Clement, a most talented singer in her own right, recently performed at Carnegie Hall and said that she was overwhelmed with the ambiance of the entrance hall, with its portraits of the great artists who had performed there, the first of which was that of Maria Callas!
Thanks again; I will put this on my must see list!
Sincerely, Jim
I remember this stuff. Maria Callas at one time had one of the most beautiful voices ever. I was just a kid but I remember how the news coverage portrayed Callas as a pathetic loser trying to compete with Jackie who stole her man. It was awful to see. There’s actually something to the fact that most good opera singers are fat, something to do with the diaphragm. And Barbra Streisand refused to get a nose job for fear it would affect her voice.
Streisand’s nose is wonderful. Her voice, not so much.
Her weight loss (over 150 pounds? ) and rigid dieting apparently contributed to her early retirement and death at 53. My understanding is her voice remained beautiful but her physical strength and breath support were compromised. I look forward to seeing the movie, thanks.
She really has lost her voice now. So has Bette Midler.
Probably the booze. Like Grace Slick. Or maybe smoking? There is always something tragic about a person indulging in behaviours that destroy their bodies and their talents.
I watched the trailer and inexplicably got tears in my eyes. Music seems to do that to me.
On an even more personal note, I’d never heard her sing before and never saw a picture of her, but her name has been known to me since childhood. My grandmother once understudied for Maria Callas at the Met (I believe). My mother, who was only a child at the time, said she was chosen because she looked like Callas. Now I finally see what she meant.
I guess I’ll have to buy the movie if ever I can.
Hasn’t stopped her from carving up and injecting all the rest of her face.