Eula Moulder Morgan was an American actress in films and theater from the 1930s through the 1950s. A professional pianist during her childhood, she practiced studying opera as a career in her adult years, performing in theatres across multiple states. Her first film role was in ''

The Great American Broadcast ''The Great American Broadcast'' is a 1941 comedy film directed by Archie Mayo. It stars Jack Oakie, Alice Faye and John Payne. Plot Impoverished roommates Rix Martin and Chuck Hadley have dreams of being the first to operate a coast-to-coast ra ...

'' in 1941 and she would have a number of appearances in films in the decade after, prominently in roles that featured her singing operatic solos.

Career

Born in

Linn Creek, Missouri Linn Creek is a city in Camden County, Missouri, United States. The population was 216 at the 2020 census. The original Linn Creek, which was the original county seat of Camden County, Missouri, is now under water, in the Lake of the Ozarks. C ...

to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Moulder, Morgan was performing piano by the age of 15 in professional orchestras in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

and

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. She also played piano as accompaniment for

silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...

at the Empress Theatre in

Sapulpa, Oklahoma Sapulpa is a city in Creek and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 20,544 at the 2010 United States census, compared to 19,166 at the 2000 census. The population as of 2022 is 22,205. As of 2019, the estimated popul ...

and the

Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to: Australia * Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished *Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed by ...

with Tom Herrick. After winning two voice study contests, she was allowed to perform in July 1927 at the Chicago Kimball Hall as a part of the

Oscar Saenger Oscar Saenger (January 5, 1868 – April 20, 1929) was a singing teacher. With the Victor Talking Machine Company he produced a complete course in vocal training in twenty lessons. Biography He was born on January 5, 1868, in Brooklyn, New Yor ...

Opera Class and did voice work with Percy Rector Stephens. She then went on to study singing at schools in Chicago and New York before performing in

grand operas Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and c ...

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

and

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

. Alongside her performances, Morgan taught as a voice teacher in Tulsa. After marrying, the couple moved to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, where Morgan continued performing at the local Little Theatre and had performances with the Light Opera Guild and the Town Square Summer Stock. During the summer of 1940, she played a

bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British television, ...

at the Town Square Theatre in the play ''Pastoral''. Applying for a position in Willard Holland's theatre performances for the winter of 1940 at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

, she used the opportunity being so close to Los Angeles to apply for acting openings. Morgan obtained an interview with Lynden Behymer and, while he didn't have any singing roles in

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

being worked on, he was able to get her a role in a local play. Soon after, Behymer was contacted by

Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

looking for an actress who could sing opera, which resulted in him recommending Morgan for the role. She signed a film contract with Fox at the end of 1940 for a role in ''

'' as Madame Rinaldi. During her scene in the film, she performed the

sextet A sextet (or hexad) is a formation containing exactly six members. The former term is commonly associated with vocal ensembles (e.g. The King's Singers, Affabre Concinui) or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six ...

''Chi mi frena in tal momento'' from Donizetti's ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

''. Her performance was described as "impressive" by '' The St. Louis Star and Times'', especially for a first time film role, and showcased her capability coming from being in theatre, with her particular voice and acting being "satisfactorily recorded". After her successful initial showing and ongoing roles in other films, Morgan moved to Hollywood from St. Louis. In the 1948 theatre production of ''Black John'' as Goldie, the ''

Hollywood Citizen-News Community newspapers in Hollywood, California, have included the ''Hollywood Sentinel'' (1903 or before-1911), ''Hollywood Inquirer'' (unknown-1914), ''Hollywood Citizen'' (1905–1931), ''Hollywood News,'' (unknown-1931), and ''Hollywood Citizen- ...

'' said Morgan "roars lustily through her role as the pursuing wife", though had more "vigor than accuracy" when it came to replicating a New England accent. The ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'' described her acting and role as "one of the toughest wimmin ever seen in these here parts".

Personal life

She was married to Fred Morgan and together they had a son.

Theater

*''

The Guardsman ''The Guardsman'' is a 1931 American pre-Code film based on the play '' Testőr'' by Ferenc Molnár. It stars Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Roland Young and ZaSu Pitts. It opens with a stage re-enactment of the final scene of Maxwell Anderson's '' ...

'' (1931) *''

The Queen Was in the Parlour ''The Queen Was in the Parlour: a romance in three acts'' is a play by the English writer Noël Coward. Although written in 1922 it was not produced until 24 August 1926, when it was premiered at the St Martin's Theatre. The play is Coward's only ...

'' *'' Star Spangled'' (1936) *''Wunderkind'' (1936) *'' Caesar and Cleopatra'' *''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt t ...

'' as Madame Nova Kovich *''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

'' as Aida *''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story "Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Luther ...

'' *''

Cavalleria rusticana ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; Italian for "rustic chivalry") is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 short story of the same name and subsequent play b ...

'' *''

Morning's at Seven ''Morning's at Seven'' is a play by Paul Osborn. Its plot focuses on four aging sisters living in a small Midwestern town in 1928, and it deals with ramifications within the family when two of them begin to question their lives and decide to mak ...

'' (1939) *''Pastoral'' (1940) *'' Sweethearts'' (1941) *''Old English'' (1943) as Adela Heythorpe *''Snafu'' (1945) *''Black John'' (1948) as Goldie *''A Christmas Carol'' (1949) (

Radio play Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...

)

Filmography

*''

'' (1941) as Madame Rinaldi *''

Lady for a Night ''Lady for a Night'' is a 1942 American drama film starring Joan Blondell and John Wayne. The World War II B-17 bomber the ''Memphis Belle'' is named after a steamboat in this film. It is also known as ''The Lady from New Orleans'', ''Memphis ...

'' (1942) as Dowager *''

Secrets of the Underground ''Secrets of the Underground'' is a 1942 American crime film directed by William Morgan (director), William Morgan and written by Robert Tasker (author), Robert Tasker and Daniel Mainwaring. The film stars John Hubbard (actor), John Hubbard, Virg ...

'' (1942) as Mrs. Calhoun *''

Mrs. Miniver ''Mrs. Miniver'' is a 1942 American romantic war drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Inspired by the 1940 novel '' Mrs. Miniver'' by Jan Struther, it shows how the life of an unassuming British h ...

'' (1942) as Glee club member *''

Tonight We Raid Calais ''Tonight We Raid Calais'' is a 1943 American film directed by John Brahm and starring John Sutton, Lee J. Cobb, and Annabella. Plot summary Geoffrey Carter ( John Sutton), a young commando British intelligence officer, is sent into Nazi-occu ...

'' (1943) as Daughter *'' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943) as Madame Nicoleau *''

Reckless Age ''Reckless Age'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Felix E. Feist and written by Gertrude Purcell and Henry Blankfort. The film stars Gloria Jean, Henry Stephenson, Kathleen Howard, Franklin Pangborn, Andrew Tombes, Marshall Thompson, Jan ...

'' (1944) as Guard *''

Wilson Wilson may refer to: People * Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Ro ...

'' (1944) as Singer *''

An Angel Comes to Brooklyn ''An Angel Comes to Brooklyn'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by June Carroll and Stanley Paley. The film stars Kaye Dowd, Robert Duke, David Street, Barbara Perry, Charles Kemper and Marguerite d'Alvare ...

'' (1945) as Olga Ashley *''

Leave It to Blondie ''Leave It to Blondie'' is a 1945 black-and-white comedy film and the 15th of the 28 Blondie films. Plot summary Cast * Penny Singleton as Blondie * Arthur Lake as Dagwood * Larry Simms as Baby Dumpling * Marjorie Ann Mutchie as Cookie * Daisy ...

'' (1945) as Laura Meredith *'' Night in Paradise'' (1946) as Townswoman *''

Gallant Journey ''Gallant Journey'' (aka ''The Great Highway'') is a 1946 American historical film written, produced and directed by William A. Wellman and starring Glenn Ford and Janet Blair. The film is a biopic of the early U.S. aviation pioneer John Joseph Mo ...

'' (1946) as Mrs. Logan *''

Mother Wore Tights ''Mother Wore Tights'' is a 1947 Technicolor musical film starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey as married vaudeville performers, directed by Walter Lang. This was Grable and Dailey's first film together, based on a book of the same name by Miria ...

'' (1947) as Opera singer *''

Monsieur Verdoux ''Monsieur Verdoux'' is a 1947 American black comedy film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, who plays a bigamist wife killer inspired by serial killer Henri Désiré Landru. The supporting cast includes Martha Raye, William Frawley, and ...

'' (1947) as Phoebe Couvais *'' The Trouble with Women'' (1947) as Mrs. Pooler *''

The Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

'' (1948) *'' The Loves of Carmen'' (1948) as Woman in crown *''

The Snake Pit ''The Snake Pit'' is a 1948 American psychological drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn, Celeste Holm, Beulah Bondi, and Lee Patrick. Based on Mary Jane Ward's 1946 semi-autobiographi ...

'' (1948) as Attendant *''

Oh, You Beautiful Doll "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" is a ragtime love song published in 1911 with words by Seymour Brown and music by Nat D. Ayer. The song was one of the first with a twelve-bar opening. The tune has been recorded hundreds of times by many artists from ...

'' (1949) as Madame Zaubel *''

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

'' as Opera Singer (1949) *''

Madame Bovary ''Madame Bovary'' (; ), originally published as ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' ( ), is a novel by France, French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The eponymous character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities ...

'' (1949) *''

Key to the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

'' (1950) as Police matron *''

Jim Thorpe – All-American ''Jim Thorpe – All-American'' (UK title: ''Man of Bronze'') is a 1951 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Burt Lancaster as Jim Thorpe, the great Native American athlete who won medals at the 1912 Olympics and d ...

'' (1951) as Charlotte Thorpe *''

Mask of the Avenger ''Mask of the Avenger'' is a 1951 American historical adventure film directed by Phil Karlson starring John Derek, Anthony Quinn and Jody Lawrance. Derek portrays Renatu Dimorna, the son of an Italian aristocrat, who vows revenge after his fathe ...

'' (1951) *''

Hiawatha Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwathaaa or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some account ...

'' (1952) as Mother of Chibiabos

TV series

* ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'' – "The Chivaree" as Rocky (January 7, 1953) * ''

The Range Rider ''The Range Rider'' is an American Western television series that was first broadcast in syndication from 1951 to 1953. A single lost episode surfaced and was broadcast in 1959. ''The Range Rider'' was also broadcast on British television during ...

'' – "Gold Hill" as Tillie Jenkins (1952) * ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'' – "Troubled Waters" as Emmy Bryson (March 9, 1950)

References

{{Reflist 20th-century American actresses American film actresses 20th-century American women opera singers People from Camden County, Missouri People from Sapulpa, Oklahoma Actresses from St. Louis Actresses from Hollywood, Los Angeles Actresses from Missouri Actresses from Oklahoma American stage actresses Year of birth missing Year of death missing