Musicals were intensely popular during the Depression not only in the US, but around the world.  Other countries had their own musical stars, such as Jessie Matthews and Jack Buchanan in Britain,

and Marta Eggerth and her early leading man, and later husband, Jan Kiepura, on the Continent.  They were immensely popular as singing sweethearts.  Marta made around forty musicals from 1930 into the early fifties, and composers such as Franz Lehar wrote directly for her.

While her European movies are not readily available over here, there are some highlights on you tube.  She has a lovely and well-placed soprano, and in the thirties, when she was in her late teens and early twenties, she shows a bubbly, outgoing, and very winning personality.  She made movies in five languages.  English seems to have been her fifth.

Marta was Jewish and fled Europe in 1938.  She became popular on stage in America with Kiepura, especially in The Merry Widow.

For modern American fans, Marta Eggerth is remembered mainly for her two pictures at MGM supporting Judy Garland, in both of which she plays a Grande Dame with Judy in the ingénue role Marta had played earlier in Europe.  In For Me and My Gal she sings only one song, but has good dramatic scenes with both Gene Kelly and Garland.  In Presenting Lily Mars she had a much better muscial showcase, and sings three songs.

She returned to making movies in Europe after the war, and continued to perform on stage until Kiepura's death in 1966, when she retired.  She would return for concerts years later, performing into her nineties.

A very famous musical star in Europe.

I didn't know all that much about her except for the MGM performances, but have watched some of her early European musical performances on you tube, and wanted to comment on her great career and talent.

RIP