Marion Bell

Marion Lee Bell (November 16, 1919 – December 14, 1997) was an American singer and musical theatre performer best known for her role in the Broadway musical Brigadoon.

Personal life Bell was born in St. Louis. Her father was a freight agent on the Wabash Railroad. She had three sisters, Evelyn, Ruth, and Veronica.

Bell was known for her "striking" appearance, and was described as "raven" haired, "big-bosomed and sexy,"

Early singing career Bell began her career on local radio by the age of eight, singing with Ted Straeter's orchestra. A soprano, produced by Joe Pasternak, this project came to fruition in 1949 without either Bell or Hodiak in the cast.

She sang a duet from La Traviata with James Melton in Ziegfeld Follies, which was completed in 1944 and considered her screen debut.

Bell had been interviewed by the New York World-Telegram during tryouts in Boston and intimated that she regarded the Broadway musical as a lesser artform than opera. During the war, Bell had entertained troops from the Normandy and Africa campaigns who were recovering at the hospital in Waco, Texas. There she contracted infectious hepatitis, but continued working contrary to her doctor's orders. Her hepatitis recurred during the run of Brigadoon and contributed to the mental exhaustion that caused her to withdraw from the show. She sang on the RCA Victor recording of Down in the Valley, released on three 45 rpm disks.

In 1947 she was announced as one in a series of female guest singers on Gordon MacRae's summer series, Troubadour 1947, on CBS Radio.

During her mid-career, Bell also sang at the St. Louis Municipal Opera, the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, and the Sacramento Music Circus. She sang in more than 200 concerts during her career.

In 1990, Lees visited Bell in Culver City, where she still lived with her father. She had cancer, which was in remission due to chemotherapy, and earned a living giving voice lessons. Lees remarked that she was "remarkably free of bitterness," and Bell said she had never stopped loving him.

Bell spent the last 15 years of her life in Culver City, where she was involved with local light opera and community activities. She died in 1997.