Hildegarde(1906-2005)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Born Hildegarde Loretta Sell in Adell, Wisconsin, but for 70 years she
was known simply as "The Incomparable Hildegarde," a title bestowed on
her by columnist Walter Winchell. During the peak of her popularity in
the 1930s and 40s, she was booked in cabarets and supper clubs at least
45 weeks a year. She appeared on the cover of Life magazine in 1939,
and her recordings sold in the hundreds of thousands. Revlon even
introduced a Hildegarde shade of lipstick and nail polish. From the
1950s through the 1970s, in addition to her cabaret performances and
record albums, she appeared in several television specials and toured
with the national company of the Stephen Sondheim musical "Follies."
Hildegarde accompanied herself on the piano and chatted between
numbers, often poking fun at herself. During a 1993 performance at
Manhattan's Algonquin Hotel, she said, "Wrinkle, wrinkle, leave me
alone. Go and sliver Sharon Stone."