Ghost voice to stars recalls notable career

by Jennifer Conlee, feature editor

Thirty minutes before Marni Nixon was scheduled for a recent book signing, fans were lining up to meet her. She rushed in 10 minutes late, apologizing for her tardiness and expressing surprise at the line.

Nixon came to Lubbock’s Barnes and Noble Bookstore in September to sign her autobiography, “I Could Have Sung All Night: My Story.”

“I’m doing a master class at Texas Tech tonight,” Nixon explained. “My publisher suggested I sign books while I’m here.”

Nixon has a well-known voice, if not a familiar face.  Known as the “Ghostess with the Mostest,” Nixon was the dubbed singing voice for Deborah Kerr in “The King and I,” Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady,” and Natalie Wood in “West Side Story,” as well as the singing voice of Grandmother Fa in the Disney movie “Mulan.”

“Mother said she new I was an especially gifted child even before I was born,” Nixon wrote in her autobiography.  She explained how, at 18 months, she started singing.

“Every night, somewhere between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., I would stand up in my crib, grasp the high rail, and sway and sing at the top of my lungs,” Nixon wrote.

At the age of 4, Nixon demanded violin lessons, and after four lessons with Karl Moldrem, she became a member of the Baby Orchestra.  When she began school, Nixon was asked to be in the City Schools Youth Orchestra in her hometown of Alta Dia, Calif.

Nixon has also had the chance to be in different movies.  As a child, she appeared in the background in movies with Cary Grant, Shirley Temple, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Henry Fonda.   The roles that she played help to fund Nixon’s true passion, music. 

“I didn’t pay for them (the music lessons),” Nixon’s mother had claimed. “You did!  All the money you made went right to all your lessons.”

Nixon has had many chances to perform her music, including many times on stage.  At 17, she claimed her first starring role, in “Oh, Susanna” at the Pasadena Playhouse in California.  Her first attempt at dubbing came that same year, when she sang for Margaret O’Brien in “The Secret Garden.”

Nixon married at 20, disregarding the warnings of her parents, and started her marriage with $2,500, prize money from winning second place in a singing contest.  Soon after the wedding, Nixon found herself in Boston, where she had been asked to sing for the Tanglewood Music Center.  Nixon quickly became popular on stage.  

She fondly remembers her time performing in a chamber opera. 

“Many don’t know about my years in the chamber opera,” Nixon said, “but my recordings of Stravinsky mean something in the music world.”

She has also performed the music of Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and George Gershwin. 

It was 1955 when she became the singing voice of Deborah Kerr in “The King and I.”   Soon after, she contribute her voice for “West Side Story” and “My Fair Lady.”

It was after “My Fair Lady” came out that Nixon became famous.  “Variety” made it appear that Audrey Hepburn lost the Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. because Nixon had done the actual singing, though later, it came out that there were other reasons for the lost nomination.

Her time to shine came when she played the part of Sister Sophia in “The Sound of Music” in 1965.  It was her first time on the big screen in years.

Besides appearing in films and performing opera, Nixon has also been on Broadway, starring in “Nine,” “Follies,” and her personal favorite, “James Joyce’s The Dead.”

“I like appearing on stage,” said Nixon, “second best to singing in symphonies.  Those are magnificent experiences.”

In 1975, Nixon became the host for “Boomerang,” a show aimed at children between the ages 2 and 6. The show was awarded 30 local Emmy Awards, the Chicago Film Festival Award, and the ACT award.  Nixon herself won four Emmys as the best actress in a children’s film.

Nixon’s autobiography came out in 2006, to the delight of many critics. 

Roger Ebert stated, “At last in her autobiography she comes out from behind the screen and takes a richly deserved bow.” 

Critics have loved her voice for years, and they were more than ready to know the real woman behind the melodic sound.

“The book is inspirational,” said Nixon.  “It’s about what happens to a person with a strange career, three kids, and medical problems.” The book also discusses Nixon’s two battles with breast cancer.

“It also has backstage views to the various plays I’ve done,” she adds. “It answers lots of questions about what the actors were like, and what it is like to dub voices.”

The book also gives insight into her personal life, with her marriage to and divorce from Ernest Gold, and her three children.

“One thing many people don’t know,” said Nixon, “is that my son, Andrew Gold, wrote the song for ‘Golden Girls.’”

Many of the people who lined up for her autograph told Nixon what an inspiration she was to them.  Children and adults alike told her how they too are singers, and have dreams for the stage.

Nixon continues to sing and teach. A singer, it is what she must do.

“My advice for anyone who is going to be a performer,” said Nixon, “is to keep on going and pursue your dreams.”