She was born Irene Marie Dunn on December 20, 1898, in Louisville, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Joseph Dunn, who inspected steamships, and Adelaide Henry, a musician who prompted Irene in the arts. Her first production was in Louisville when she appeared in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the age of five. Her "debut" set the tone for a fabulous career. Following the tragic death of her father when she was 12, she moved with her remaining family to the picturesque and historic town of Madison, Indiana, to live with her maternal grandparents at 916 W. Second St. During the next few years Irene studied voice and took piano lessons in town. She was able to earn money singing in the Christ Episcopal Church choir on Sundays. After graduating from Madison High School in 1916, she studied until 1917 in a music conservatory in Indianapolis. After that she accepted a teaching post as a music and art instructor in East Chicago, Indiana, just a stone's throw from Chicago. She never made it to the school. While on her way to East Chicago, she saw a newspaper ad in the Indianapolis Star and News for an annual scholarship contest run by the Chicago Music College. Irene won the contest, which enabled her to study there for a year. After that she headed for New York City because it was still the entertainment capital of the world. Her first goal in New York was to add her name to the list of luminaries of the Metropolitan Opera Company. Her audition did her little good, as she was rejected for being too young and inexperienced. She did win the leading role in a road theater company, which was in turn followed by numerous plays. During this time she studied at the Chicago Music College, from which she graduated with high honors in 1926. In 1928, Irene met and married a promising young dentist from New York named Francis Dennis Griffin. She remained with Dr. Griffin until his death in 1965.
Irene came to the attention of Hollywood when she performed in "Show Boat" on the East Coast. By 1930 she was under contract to RKO Pictures. Her first film was Leathernecking (1930), which went almost unnoticed. In 1931 she appeared in Cimarron (1931), for which she received the first of five Academy Award nominations. No Other Woman (1933) and Ann Vickers (1933) the same year followed.
In 1936 (due to her comic skits in Show Boat (1936) she was "persuaded" to star in a comedy, up to that time a medium for which she had small affection. However, Theodora Goes Wild (1936) was an instant hit, almost as popular as the more famous It Happened One Night (1934) from two years before. From this she earned her second Academy Award nomination. Later, in 1937, she was teamed with Cary Grant in The Awful Truth (1937). This helped her garner a third Academy Award nomination. She starred with Grant later in My Favorite Wife (1940) and Penny Serenade (1941).
Her favorite film was Love Affair (1939) with Charles Boyer, a huge hit in a year with so many great films, and a role for which she was again nominated for an Academy Award. Howevever, it was the tear-jerker I Remember Mama (1948) for which she will be best remembered in the role of the loving, self-sacrificing Norwegian mother. She got another nomination for that but again lost. This was the picture in which she should have won the Oscar.
She began to wean herself away from films toward the many charities and public works she championed. Her last major movie was as Polly Baxter in 1952's It Grows on Trees (1952). After that she only appeared as a guest on television. Irene knew enough to quit while she was ahead of the game and this helped keep her legacy intact.
In 1957 she was appointed as a special US delegate to the United Nations during the 12th General Assembly by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, such was her widespread appeal. The remainder of her life was spent on civic causes. She even donated $10,000 to the restoration of the town fountain in her girlhood home of Madison, Indiana, in 1976, even though she had not been there since 1938 when she came home for a visit. She died of heart failure on September 4, 1990, in Los Angeles, California.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Irene Dunne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My true love was true
I of course replied
Something here inside
Can not be denied
They, said some day you'll find
All who love are blind
You must realize
Smoke gets in your eyes
So I chaffed them, and I gaily laughed
To think they would doubt our love
And yet today, my love has gone away
I am without my love
Now laughing friends deride
Tears I cannot hide
So I smile and say
When a lovely flame dies
Smoke gets in your eyes
Now laughing friends deride
Tears I cannot hide
So I smile and say
When a lovely flame dies
Smoke gets in your eyes
In Irene Dunne's "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," the singer, who has lost their true love, is reflecting on the doubts their friends had about their relationship when it was still intact. The singer recalls being asked how they knew their love was true, and in response, stating that there was a feeling inside that they couldn't deny. The friends warned of the blindness of love, and how when one's heart is on fire, they must acknowledge that the smoke (symbolizing the pain of lost love) will eventually get into their eyes. The singer scoffed at those doubts initially, but now, with their love gone, they are unable to hide their tears and are forced to acknowledge that indeed, the smoke has gotten into their eyes.
On a deeper level, the lyrics may be seen as a reflection on the ephemeral nature of love- a sentiment that may have been particularly poignant during the era the song was written (1933), which was marked by economic hardship and widespread disillusionment. The lyrics explore the themes of love, loss, and mortality, and underscore the universality of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
They asked me how I knew
Someone asked me how I was certain about my love
My true love was true
That my beloved was really truthful
I of course replied
I instinctively answered back
Something here inside
Deep inside my heart
Can not be denied
I simply could not deny it
They said someday you'll find
People say that one day you will discover
All who love are blind
Love can make you oblivious to certain things
When your heart's on fire
When you're head-over-heels for someone
You must realize
You should be aware
Smoke gets in your eyes
That feelings can be intense and blinding
So I chaffed them, and I gaily laughed
So I teased them, and I laughed cheerfully
To think they would doubt our love
I was surprised that they would question our affection
And yet today, my love has gone away
Sadly, my love has left me
I am without my love
I feel incomplete without my significant other
Now laughing friends deride
Even though my friends are mocking me now
Tears I cannot hide
I can't contain my sadness
So I smile and say
I hide my pain by pretending
When a lovely flame dies
That when love ends
Smoke gets in your eyes
It can be both devastating and blinding
Writer(s): Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach
Contributed by Oliver R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@erinmatt
My favorite rendition of this song. Irene Dunne sings so simply and with such grace. I love the way singing used to be as simple as speaking. The same way Fred and Ginger's lovely dance grows out of simply walking.
@fantubelicious
Wow, she's got a lovely singing voice. I just discovered Irene Dunne, and I'm hooked. Most movies today is so lacking that I don't even bother to go to the movies anymore. I've been watching shows in the 60's - 50's and now am reaching back in time to the 40's-30's. I'm begining to think I was born in the wrong era.
@sjjcws
Irene, Ginger and Lucy! Could that much beauty and talent ever appear in the same movie today? I think not! Perhaps THAT'S what makes it the "Golden Age"!
@NatureFillsMe
This is such a lovely and beautiful song. It's pure beauty and wonderful music. Irene Dunne can't be better on it.
@waynebrasler
I've always thought this was one of the most difficult to sing of all the great popular songs. On her remarkable new album Barbra Streisand tries to wrestle it to the ground but I'm not sure who wins, her or the song. The range required is Olympian, but beyond that the gorgeous melody on the reprise can easily sound monotonous. And of course no one ever knew what "so I chaffed them" means. I think Dunne's version has always been the most brilliant.
@HuggzFaerie
What a voice! Bring this era back again!
@violinthief
You're welcome! Irene Dunne was such a wonderful actress, singer, and person. I am so happy that she is TCM's actress of the month. I will finally get to see Theodora Goes Wild this Thursday!
@Garboskindredspirit
I love Irene Dunne; what a beautiful and talented woman she was -- and such a delightful personality. And yeah -- hearing her sing this song (the way it was meant to be heard) gives me chills.
@viewingut
As beautiful as her voice!
@jans3408
Beautiful. And how graceful were Fred and Ginger. Like liquid silk. I can never believe how they skip up those 3 steps backwards and land like feathers. Magic together.