Tidbits on Lawrence Tibbett

A century ago, Lawrence Tibbett (1896-1960) signed his contract with the Metropolitan Opera, a company with whom he would star for over a quarter of a century.

Opera was an unlikely vocation for the son of a Bakersfield, California deputy sheriff. His dad literally died in a shoot-out with an outlaw. Tibbett attended Manual Arts High School in L.A. and served in the Merchant Marine during World War One, none of which gets us any closer to America’s premiere opera house. But Tibbett was a gifted singer, and since his teenage years he earned money by singing at funerals, church services, and as an opening act for silent movies. Formal study brought him up to the level where he could sign with the Met, where he would star in such classic operas as Faust, Lohengrin, Pagliacci, Otello, Tosca, Carmen, and Falstaff, as well as modern ones like The Emperor Jones and Peter Ibbetson. Like the Great Caruso, he became a popular recording artist as well, working exclusively for RCA Victor. Among his countless albums was the first recording of songs from Porgy and Bess.

Prior to signing with the Met, Tibbett had appeared on Broadway in a 1923 production of King Lear starring Reginald Pole. The stardom plus the stage experienced inspired Hollywood to give him a tumble. Tibbett’s period of movie stardom was brief: just six years. His movies included Hal Roach’s production of The Rogue Song (1930) with Laurel and Hardy (!), New Moon (1930) with Grace Moore, The Prodigal (1931) with Esther Ralston, The Cuban Love Song (1931) with Lupe Velez, Metropolitan (1935) with Virginia Bruce, and Under Your Spell (1936) with Wendy Barrie.

Throughout the ’30s, Tibbett was also a popular star on radio, particularly on his own program, sponsored by Packard automobiles. In 1936 he was one of the founders of the American Guild of Musical Artists, for which he served as President for 17 years.

As his career with the Met wound down, Tibbett moved on to other stuff. He returned to Broadway in Miracle in the Mountains (1947), The Barrier (1950), and Fanny (1954). He also took over the role of Captain Hook from Boris Karloff in the touring version of Peter Pan with Jean Arthur. On television he narrated Opera Television Theatre, and appeared on variety programs like The Faye Emerson Show and The Ken Murray Show.

There were moments of bad luck, as well. In 1937 he accidentally stabbed a chorus member during a rehearsal; the man died as a result of the injury. A decade later he rented his place to Bugsy Siegel: it was the house where the gangster was staying when he was murdered. As for Tibbett himself, he was a problem drinker in his last years. His final end was not unlike that of William Holden’s. The poor man tripped and hit his head on a table. He was 63 years old.

For more about show business historyconsult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, And please stay tuned for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.