Personal Info
Birth date
1908-01-16 (117 Years)
Day of death
1984-02-15
Gender
Female
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Astoria, New York, USA
Also known as
Ethel Agnes Zimmermann
Ethel Merman
Biography
Ethel Merman (January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's Coming Up Roses", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "It's De-Lovely", "Friendship", "You're the Top", "Anything Goes", and "There's No Business Like Show Business", which later became her theme song. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ethel Merman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Filmography
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
7.459
Overview:
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.The Love Boat
6.3
Overview:
Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard the "Love Boat", where Gopher, Dr. Bricker, Isaac, Julie, and Captain Stubing try their best to please them, and sometimes help them fall in love. Things are not always so easy, but in the end, love wins.Batman
7.3
Overview:
Wealthy entrepreneur Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson lead a double life: they are actually crime fighting duo Batman and Robin. A secret Batpole in the Wayne mansion leads to the Batcave, where Police Commissioner Gordon often calls with the latest emergency threatening Gotham City. Racing to the scene of the crime in the Batmobile, Batman and Robin must (with the help of their trusty Bat-utility-belt) thwart the efforts of a variety of master criminals, including The Riddler, The Joker, Catwoman, and The Penguin.The Mike Douglas Show
5.375
Overview:
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.Tony Awards
5.917
Overview:
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances, and an award is given for regional theatre.Great Performances
5.5
Overview:
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.The Carol Burnett Show
7.7
Overview:
The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33. The series won 25 prime time Emmy Awards, was ranked No. 16 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time in 2002 and in 2007 was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All Time."The Red Skelton Show
7.375
Overview:
The Red Skelton Show is an American variety show that was a television staple for two decades, from 1951 to 1971. It was second to Gunsmoke and third to The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings during that time. Skelton, who had previously been a radio star, had appeared in several motion pictures as well. Although his television series is largely associated with CBS, where it appeared for more than fifteen years, it actually began and ended on NBC. During its run, the program received three Emmy Awards, for Skelton as best comedian and the program as best comedy show during its initial season, and an award for comedy writing in 1961.The Lucy Show
7
Overview:
The Lucy Show is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962–68. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to I Love Lucy. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965–66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon, who joined the program for its second season, remained. For the first three seasons, Vivian Vance was the co-star. The earliest scripts were entitled The Lucille Ball Show, but when this title was declined, producers thought of calling the show This Is Lucy or The New Adventures of Lucy, before deciding on the title The Lucy Show. Ball won consecutive Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the series' final two seasons, 1966–67 and 1967–68.The Dick Cavett Show
6.8
Overview:
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.That Girl
6.258
Overview:
That Girl is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. It stars Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewster, New York to try to make it big in New York City. Ann has to take a number of offbeat "temp" jobs to support herself in between her various auditions and bit parts. Ted Bessell played her boyfriend Donald Hollinger, a writer for Newsview Magazine; Lew Parker and Rosemary DeCamp played Lew Marie and Helen Marie, her concerned parents. Bernie Kopell, Ruth Buzzi and Reva Rose played Ann and Donald's friends. That Girl was developed by writers Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, who had served as head writers on The Dick Van Dyke Show earlier in the 1960s.What's My Line?
6.9
Overview:
Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions.Kraft Suspense Theatre
5.3
Overview:
Kraft Suspense Theatre is an American anthology series that was telecast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall specials once monthly. Como's production company, Roncom Films, also produced Kraft Suspense Theatre. Writer, editor, critic and radio playwright Anthony Boucher served as consultant on the series. Later syndicated under the title Crisis, it was one of the few suspense series telecast in color at the time. While most of NBC's shows were in color then, all-color network line-ups did not become the norm until the 1966-67 season.The Colgate Comedy Hour
6.8
Overview:
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show starred many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Ben Blue, Robert Paige, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Broadway dancer Wayne Lamb and Spike Jones and His City Slickers.The Ed Sullivan Show
6.8
Overview:
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.Airplane!
7.307
Overview:
An ex-fighter pilot forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.Tarzan
6.7
Overview:
Tarzan is a series that aired on NBC from 1966 – 1968. The series portrayed Tarzan as a well-educated character, one who, tired of civilization, had returned to the jungle where he had been raised. The show retained many of the trappings of the classic movie series, including Cheeta, while excluding other elements, such as Jane, as part of the "new look" for the fabled apeman that producer Sy Weintraub had introduced in previous motion pictures starring Gordon Scott, Jock Mahoney, and Mike Henry. CBS aired repeat episodes the program during the summer of 1969.The Muppet Show
8
Overview:
Go behind the curtains as Kermit the Frog and his muppet friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show.It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
6.975
Overview:
A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each attempts to claim the prize for himself.The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
6
Overview:
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show is an American variety series hosted by Dinah Shore, and broadcast on NBC from October 1956 to June 1963. The series was sponsored by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors and its theme song, sung by Shore, was "See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet", which continued to be used in Chevrolet advertising for several more years after the cancellation of the show.Startime
6
Overview:
Startime is an anthology show of drama, comedy, and variety, and was one of the first American television shows broadcast in color. The program was aired Tuesday nights in the United States on the NBC Television network in the 1959-60 television season.Stage Door Canteen
5.8
Overview:
A young soldier on a pass in New York City visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars of the theater and films appear and host a recreational center for servicemen during the war. The soldier meets a pretty young hostess and they enjoy the many entertainers and a growing romanceThe United States Steel Hour
6.2
Overview:
The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation.DuPont Show of the Month
6.75
Overview:
DuPont Show of the Month is an acclaimed 90-minute television anthology series that aired monthly on CBS from 1957 to 1961. The DuPont Company also sponsored a weekly half-hour anthology drama series hosted by June Allyson, The DuPont Show with June Allyson. During the Golden Age of Television, DuPont Show of the Month was one of numerous anthology series telecast between 1949 and 1962. Superficially, it resembled Playhouse 90 and other anthologies, but DuPont Show of the Month focused less on contemporary dramas and more on adaptations of literary classics, including Oliver Twist, The Prince and the Pauper, Billy Budd, The Prisoner of Zenda, A Tale of Two Cities and The Count of Monte Cristo.
Vacation Playhouse
7
Overview:
The concept of the series was the showing of unaired and unsold television pilots that did not make the television lineup for CBS. The show was successful during its first few seasons due to the fact that the show's concept, airing unsold and unaired television pilots, was a popular concept in the 1960s. But during its last two seasons on the air, the series did find some trouble due to the fact that the series were running out of pilots to air and, in their 4th season, they began airing repeats from the three seasons prior. During its 1966 summer run, the series aired eights new pilots and two repeats and during its last year airing five new pilots and four repeats.The Bell Telephone Hour
7.333
Overview:
“The Bell Telephone Hour” was a musical variety show that aired on “NBC” TV from 12 January 1959 to 14 June 1968 that showcased the best in Broadway, Classical, Concert, Jazz and Popular music each week. The series had its’ own house band appropriately named the “Bell Telephone Orchestra”. The show also had its’ own theme song being the “Bell Waltz” composed by “Donald Voorhees” who was also the show's Orchestra conductor. Some of the greatest violinists of the 1960’s performed on this show that aired in the old “Black & White” format. Some of these great violinists included “Erica Mornin”, “Isaac Stern", "Michael Rabin", "Ruggiero Ricci", "Yehudi Menuhin" and "Zino Francesacatti". From time to time some of the great singers and bandleaders of the 1960’s would perform on the show as well. Some of these were “Bing Crosby”, “Gordon MacRae”, “John Gary”, “Leslie Uggams”, “Mary Martin”, “Nelson Eddy”, “Patti Page” and “Roy Rogers”. The TV show followed on the heels of its’ predecessor with the same name on “NBC” radio that aired from 29 April 1940 to 1958 on Monday nights at 8 PM. The name of the show was derived from its’ Major sponsor “Bell Telephone Laboratories”. The TV version began airing on Friday nights at 8:30 PM once a month. It later was given it’s same time slot now airing every other week alternating with another show on the other weeks such as News shows and specials. The show time slot changed quite often over the years. In September 1960 it aired at 9 PM and in September 1961 it moved to 9:30 PM. In October 1963 it moved to Tuesday nights at 10 PM, September 1965 it moved to Sunday night at 6:30 PM and in September 1967 it made its' final move back to Friday night at 10 PM.The Hollywood Palace
4.5
Overview:
The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. Originally titled The Saturday Night Hollywood Palace, it began as a mid-season replacement for The Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months. It was staged in Hollywood at the former Hollywood Playhouse on Vine Street, which was renamed The Hollywood Palace during the show's duration and is today known as Avalon Hollywood. A little-known starlet named Raquel Welch was cast during the first season as the "Billboard Girl", who placed the names of the acts on a placard.Cilla
10
Overview:
A mostly live weekly entertainment show starring Cilla Black and her special guests.That's Life
6
Overview:
That's Life is a musical comedy series that appeared on the ABC television network in 1968–69, starring Robert Morse and E. J. Peaker as Bobby and Gloria Dickson. The series focused on the lives of Bobby and Gloria, from their first meeting through their marriage, as their lives progressed, through Gloria's pregnancy and childbirth, as well as Bobby's work experiences at the Miller Chalk Company. Characters often broke into song, in the manner of musical plays and movies. Songs included well-known numbers and original tunes written for the program itself. Well-known stars often guest-starred in one-time roles. Kay Medford had a recurring role as Gloria's mother, Mrs. Quigley, who was often antagonistic to Bobby.Acting
2023It's a Zabriskie, Zabriskie, Zabriskie, Zabriskie Point as Mrs. Marcus (archive footage)
2017This Is Bob Hope... as Self (archive footage)
2017JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala as Self
2013Six by Sondheim as Self (archive footage)
2009Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression as Self (archive)
2005Broadway's Lost Treasures III: The Best of The Tony Awards as Self (segment "Ethel Merman Medley") (archive footage)
2005Judy Garland Duets as Self (archive footage)
2003Great Broadway Musical Moments from the Ed Sullivan Show as Self - Interviewee (archive footage)
2003Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There as Self (archive footage)
1999Television: The First Fifty Years as Self (archive footage)
1995Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons as Self (archive footage)
1991Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World' as Self (archive footage)
1990You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story as Self (archive footage)
1986The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years as Self (archive footage)
1985Muppet Treasures as Self
1985The Best of Broadway as Herself
1982Night of 100 Stars as Self
1980Airplane! as Lieutenant Hurwitz
1979Musical Comedy Tonight as Unknown
1979Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July as Lilly Loraine (voice)
1979The Muppets Go Hollywood as Self
1978A Special Sesame Street Christmas as Self
1977The Love Boat (6 Episodes) as Roz Smith
1976The Muppet Show (1 Episode) as Self - Special Guest Star
1976Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood as Hedda Parsons
1975Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? as Self (archive footage)
1972Journey Back to Oz as Mombi (voice)
1972S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin as Self
1971Great Performances (1 Episode) as Self
1968The Dean Martin Christmas Show as Self (uncredited)
1968That's Life (1 Episode) as Decorator
1968Around the World of Mike Todd as Self
1968The Dick Cavett Show (1 Episode) as Self - Guest
1968Cilla (1 Episode) as Self
1967The Mountains of the Moon as Rosanna McCloud
1967The Carol Burnett Show (1 Episode) as Self
1967Annie Get Your Gun as Annie Oakley
1966That Girl (2 Episodes) as Herself
1966Tarzan (2 Episodes) as Rosanna McCloud
1966Batman (3 Episodes) as Lola Lasagne
1965The Art of Love as Madame Coco La Fontaine
1964The Hollywood Palace (2 Episodes) as Self - Singer
1963The Judy Garland Show (2 Episodes) as Self
1963It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World as Mrs. Marcus
1963Kraft Suspense Theatre (1 Episode) as Clara Lovelace
1963Vacation Playhouse (1 Episode) as Maggie Brown
1963Marilyn as Self ("There's No Business...") (archive footage) (uncredited)
1962The Lucy Show (2 Episodes) as Ethel Merman
1962The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1 Episode) as Self
1961The Mike Douglas Show (3, 2, 1 Episode) as Self, Self - Co-Host, Self - Co-Hostess
1959Startime (1 Episode) as Unknown
1959The Bell Telephone Hour (1 Episode) as Self
1957DuPont Show of the Month (1 Episode) as Self
1956The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (3 Episodes) as Self
1956Tony Awards (1, 1 Episode) as Self - Recipient / Performer, Self - Presenter
1955The Chevy Show (1 Episode) as Self
1954There's No Business Like Show Business as Molly Donahue
1954The Best of Broadway (1 Episode) as Hattie Maloney
1954Anything Goes as Reno Sweeney
1953The United States Steel Hour (1 Episode) as Libby Marks
1953The Ford 50th Anniversary Show as Herself
1953Call Me Madam as Sally Adams
1953General Electric Theater (1 Episode) as Muriel Flood
1951The Red Skelton Show (1 Episode) as Mother Hughes
1950The Colgate Comedy Hour (3 Episodes) as Self
1950What's My Line? (2 Episodes) as Self - Mystery Guest
1948The Ed Sullivan Show (6 Episodes) as Self
1943Stage Door Canteen as Ethel Merman
1938Straight, Place and Show as Linda Tyler
1938Alexander's Ragtime Band as Jerry Allen
1938Happy Landing as Flo Kelly
1936Strike Me Pink as Joyce Lennox
1936Anything Goes as Reno Sweeney
1935The Big Broadcast of 1936 as Ethel Merman
1934Kid Millions as Dot Clark
1934We're Not Dressing as Edith
1933Song Shopping as Ethel Merman
1932Time on My Hands as Self
1932You Try Somebody Else as Self
1932Ireno as Irene
1932Let Me Call You Sweetheart as Herself
1931Roaming as Mary
1931Be Like Me as Eve
1931Old Man Blues as Helen
1931Devil Sea as Arlene
1930Follow the Leader as Helen King
1930The Cave Club as Unknown
1930Her Future as Unknown