I saw one of Marlene's last performances on television some years ago, and I have been transfixed ever since.

Marlene Dietrich: "Legends Of The 20th Century" (available from HMV)

b. Maria Magdelene Dietrich, 27 December 1901, Berlin, Germany, d. 6 May 1992, Paris, France. Dietrich's heavily accented, half-spoken vocal style made her a femme fatale for nearly half a century. She studied acting with director Max Reinhardt, appearing in Germany on stage and in films during the 20s. Her first major role was in The Blue Angel, in which she sang what was to become her theme tune, 'Falling In Love Again'. The international success of the film led to a career in Hollywood,where Dietrich starred as a cabaret singer or bar-girl in numerous movies. Among them were Morocco (1930), The Blonde Venus (1932), Song Of Songs (1933), Destry Rides Again (in which she performed 'The Boys In The Back Room'), Follow The Boys (1944), and A Foreign Affair (1948). She returned to Britain to make Stage Fright, which was produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1950. After becoming a US citizen in 1939, Dietrich joined the American war effort in 1941, and became associated with the song 'Lilli Marlene'. Originally a German poem written in World War II, it had been recorded in 1939 by Lale Anderson, whose version was extremely popular in Nazi Germany. In turn, Dietrich's Brunswick recording was a big hit in the USA

Falling in Love Again (avilable from HMV)

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