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1[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ethel_merman_5277.jpg]]
2->''"Broadway has been very good to me. But then, I've been very good to Broadway."''
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4Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann; January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was the original Queen of Broadway.
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6It is virtually impossible to overstate Merman's position in Broadway history. She has been called "the Undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage" with very, very good reason.
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8Merman made her Broadway debut in the Gershwins' ''Girl Crazy'' and was an immediate smash, to the point where George Gershwin, upon hearing that she had never taken a singing lesson in her life, advised her to keep it that way. The lengthy career that followed put anyone before or since to shame, including roles in some of Broadway's most legendary and influential musicals.
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10She also made her mark in Hollywood, with one particular highlight being her portrayal of the (hopefully) ultimate in shrewish mothers-in-law in ''Film/ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld''. She also starred in the Music/IrvingBerlin JukeboxMusical ''Film/AlexandersRagtimeBand'', and had a memorable cameo in her last film appearance, in ''Film/{{Airplane}}''.
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12Merman was married for 42 days to actor Creator/ErnestBorgnine. In her memoir ''Merman'', there is a chapter titled "My Marriage to Ernest Borgnine". It is [[OneParagraphChapter a blank page]].
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14Merman can be seen as a SpiritualPredecessor[[invoked]] to Creator/BetteMidler due to the CelebrityResemblance between them in terms of physical appearance, comparable acting styles and singing. In recent years, her acting also lives on through Creator/MelissaMcCarthy also due to their acting styles.
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16----
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18!!Her Most Notable Musicals:
19* ''Girl Crazy''
20* ''Theatre/AnythingGoes''
21* ''Theatre/AnnieGetYourGun''
22* ''Call Me Madam''
23* ''[=DuBarry=] Was A Lady''
24* ''Theatre/HelloDolly''
25* ''Theatre/{{Gypsy}}''

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