Marlene was known in school for her "bedroom eyes" and her first affairs were at this stage in her life - a professor at the school was terminated.
Marlene enjoyed music and attended concerts. She was adept at playing the violin and piano. By the time she was in her mid-teens, Marlene had discovered the stage. Acting was to be her vocation. In 1921, Marlene applied for an acting school run by Max Reinhardt. She was accepted. She appeared in several stage productions, but never had more than a couple of spoken lines. In short, she wasn't setting the stage world on fire.
She attempted films for the first time in 1922 Her first film was So sind die Männer (The Little Napoleon) (1923) which was followed by Tragödie der Liebe (Love Tragedy) (1923). On this last project, she met Rudolf Sieber and married him in 1924. The union lasted until his death in 1976 although they didn't live together the whole time.
The remainder of her early film career was generally filled with bit roles. After being seen in the German production of Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) (1930) in 1930, Marlene was given a crack at Hollywood. Her first US film was Morocco (1930) with Gary Cooper, which was followed by Dishonored (1931). This latter movie had her cast as a street walker who is appointed a spy. The film was rather boring but was a success because of Marlene's presence. In 1932, Marlene filmed Shanghai Express (1932) which proved to be immensely popular, grossing $3 million. Once again, she was cast as a prostitute. The next film was Blonde Venus (1932) which turned out to be a horrible production. Her co-star was Cary Grant and once again she was cast as a prostitute.
During this period Dietrich had been typecast as a woman of low morals and she wanted different parts. Her chance came in 1939 in Destry Rides Again (1939) when she was cast as "Frenchy", a Western saloon hostess. This began a new direction for Marlene since it shed the previous typecasting. All through the 1940s, she appeared in well-produced, well-directed films such as Manpower (1942), The Spoilers (1942), The Lady Is Willing (1942) and Pittsburgh (1942).
Afterwards the roles came less frequently, perhaps one to two films every year. In 1945, Marlene didn't appear in any. She only made seven productions in the 1950's. Her last role of any substance was Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Despite the lack of theatrical roles, Marlene still made appearances on the stage. However, by 1979, she was a shell of her former self. After breaking her leg in one performance, she never made a go of it in show business again.
Spending the last 12 years of her life bed-ridden, Marlene died on May 6, 1992 in Paris, France of kidney failure at the age of 90.
Marie Marie
Marlene Dietrich Lyrics
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Miscellaneous
Sweet Marie, Make-A Rag-A-Time Dance Wid Me (18 Ja
[1st verse:]
Lissa to the sweet-a rag-a time
Ain't it nunga make you feel-a fine?
Ev'rybody dance, sleep-a like-a trance
Keep-a steady, get-a ready
What's-a matta you no look-a wise?
Get-a busy, make-a goo goo eyes
Nunga make-a fake, just-a shake-a shake
Make-a jealous for the other guys
[chorus:]
Sweet Marie
Make-a rag-a-time-a dance wid me?
Take a steam-a boat to Italy
On the rag-a line
Hey you wop-a, nunga stop-a
Kiss-a Tony, call 'em pop-a
One, two, three
I'm-a feel-a like-a "Hully Gee"
Come dance rag time wid me
Oh, my sweet-a Marie
[2nd verse:]
What's-a matta you no wanna dance?
Nunga feel afraid to take a chance
Ev'rybody look, shout-a, "Get da hook!"
I'm-a sad-a feel-a bad-a
Shake you'self Kid!
If you love-a Tony nice-a fine
Make-a noise-a like-a rag-a time
Hurry up-a quick, nunga take a week
If you nunga wanna never mind
The lyrics to Marlene Dietrich's song "Marie Marie" depict a playful and flirtatious invitation to a woman named Marie to join the singer in a rag-a-time dance. The song is full of slang and colloquial language, reflecting a sense of carefree fun and mischief. In the first verse, the singer encourages Marie to let loose and dance with abandon, teasingly chiding her for not looking wise and encouraging her to make other men jealous with her moves.
The chorus brings in more playful taunts, with the singer suggesting they take a steamboat to Italy and calling Marie a "wop-a" (a derogatory slang term for Italian people) before ending with a tongue-in-cheek expression of surprise and delight at how much fun they're having. The second verse continues the teasing, suggesting that Marie is too afraid to dance and that the other people watching are starting to think it's time to end the party. But the singer persists, urging Marie to make noise and show off her rag-a-time skills, promising that it won't take long and that they'll have a great time.
Overall, the song reflects a lighthearted view of romance and courtship, one that celebrates spontaneity and humor rather than taking things too seriously. The lyrics are full of wordplay and puns, creating a sense of silly fun that fits with the upbeat rag-a-time rhythm of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Lissa to the sweet-a rag-a time
Listen to the sweet ragtime music
Ain't it nunga make you feel-a fine?
Doesn't it make you feel good?
Ev'rybody dance, sleep-a like-a trance
Everyone is dancing in a trance-like state
Keep-a steady, get-a ready
Keep steady and get ready to dance
One, two three Kid!
Let's dance!
What's-a matta you no look-a wise?
Why aren't you looking smart?
Get-a busy, make-a goo goo eyes
Get busy and make flirty eyes
Nunga make-a fake, just-a shake-a shake
Don't pretend, just shake and dance
Make-a jealous for the other guys
Make the other guys jealous
Sweet Marie
Make-a rag-a-time-a dance wid me?
Marie, would you like to dance ragtime with me?
Take a steam-a boat to Italy
On the rag-a line
Let's take a steamboat to Italy and dance ragtime
Hey you wop-a, nunga stop-a
Kiss-a Tony, call 'em pop-a
Hey, Italian guy, don't stop dancing. Kiss Tony and call him pop
One, two, three
I'm-a feel-a like-a "Hully Gee"
Dance step by step, it makes me feel good
Come dance rag time wid me
Oh, my sweet-a Marie
Come dance ragtime with me, my sweet Marie
What's-a matta you no wanna dance?
Nunga feel afraid to take a chance
Why don't you want to dance? Don't be afraid to take a chance
Ev'rybody look, shout-a, "Get da hook!"
I'm-a sad-a feel-a bad-a
Everyone is looking and saying to stop. This makes me feel sad
Shake you'self Kid!
Let loose and shake your body
If you love-a Tony nice-a fine
Make-a noise-a like-a rag-a time
If you love Tony, make noise and dance like a ragtime
Hurry up-a quick, nunga take a week
If you nunga wanna never mind
Don't take forever, hurry up. If you don't want to, never mind
Contributed by Jayce E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
lvmfah
Brilliant Bacharach arrangement. When this arrangement was shown to Becaud he is said to have cried so very hard... Got to admire and feel for these great artists extreme sensibility.
Gilbert Bécaud Officiel
Lyrics by Pierre Delanoë, music by Gilbert Bécaud <3