Opera News

August, 2008





Page 61


Florence Foster Jenkins: A World of Her Own
Documentary by Donald Collup with pbotos and reminiscences
VAI 4431, 89 mins.

I will never forget the first time I heard the "voice" of la Jenkins issuing forth from my transistor radio at summer camp in 1964. My friend Lex Seldin and I were instant fans, as were many the moment they heard Lady Florence (as she liked to be called). Returning to the city, we formed The Florence Foster Jenkins Society and printed stationery, but it never increased its membership. We listened to her old 78rpm recordings incessantly and played them for disbelieving friends until everyone was rendered weak with exhaustion from laughing. But there was also something very touching about Florence - she was serious, a paradox that was explored cleverly in the recent Broadway show about Jenkins, Souvenir, starring Judy Kaye.

Now, for those who have enjoyed her recorded legacy - and appreciated other singers, such as Olive Middleton and Mari Lyn, who have followed in her orthopedic footsteps - comes this thoughtful documentary by former-singer-turned-filmmaker Donald Collup. Many who enjoy Madame's art have wondered how she came to be, what financial resources supported her forays into performing, who trained and accompanied her, and what her famous Carnegie Hall recital was like. This collection of photos, clippings, reviews and reminiscences endeavors to answer all Florence-related queries, using voice-overs of actual witnesses and effective readings from memoirs of friends, as well as from newspaper items. Collup had the invaluable aid of the brilliant collector/author/record producer Gregor Benko (whose CD The Muse Surmounted features Jenkins and others with similar gifts) in compiling materials, and the documentary chronicles her life and art skillfully

The missing ingredient is filmed footage of the lady in action, which does not seem to exist. Pity! But in a way, she's best left up to the imagination and some wonderful descriptions that conjure up a surreal presence. It may be that Jenkins could at one time sing decently, but that time, if it existed, was long before she began to record at the age of seventy-three. Her recordings opened the door to a far wider public, and her now-or-never Carnegie Hall debut was a sellout, with an estimated two thousand turned away. The glittering audience included Tallulah Bankhead, Marge Champion (who describes it in the film) and Lily Pons. Jenkins seemed oblivious to the gales of laughter emanating from the crowd. After she sang a spirited "Clavelitos," tossing blossoms from a basket, the audience demanded an encore. So she had her erstwhile accompanist, Cosme McMoon, get up and collect all the flowers so she could repeat the number and toss them again. (Such brilliance is greatly admired by those of us who actually endeavor to do musical parody.) The downside of the Carnegie event was exposure to bona fide critics, as opposed to benign society columnists, and the write-ups broke her heart. She died a month later, on November 26, 1944. RCA's continuing re-release of her records - they have made it all the way to CD - has made Jenkins a legend, and not merely in her owi mind. Now we can know about the woman behind those amazing quarter tones.

IRA SIFF