She won an Emmy Award in 1958 for her performance as Helen Morgan in The Helen Morgan Story. For her stage work she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Carlotta Campion in Follies in 2001. Her film work included 1962's Cape Fear and 1963's The Caretakers, for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. She hosted her own variety show for one season (The Polly Bergen Show), and as an author wrote three books on beauty, fashion, and charm.
Early Life
Bergen was born in Knoxville, Tennessee to Lucy (née Lawhorn) and William Hugh Burgin, a construction engineer. "Bill Bergen", as he was later known, had singing talent and appeared with his daughter in several episodes of her 18-episode NBC comedy/variety show, The Polly Bergen Show, which aired during the 1957-1958 television season.
Career
Bergen appeared in many film roles, most notably in the original Cape Fear (1962) opposite Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum. She had roles in three Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedy films in the early 1950s: At War with the Army, That's My Boy and The Stooge. Bergen's later roles included Mrs. Vernon-Williams in Cry-Baby, a John Waters film.
Bergen received an Emmy award for her portrayal of singer Helen Morgan in the episode The Helen Morgan Story of the 1950s television series Playhouse 90. Signed to Columbia Records, she enjoyed a successful recording career during this era, as well. In the 1950s she also was known as "The Pepsi Cola Girl", having done a series of commercials for that product.
She was a regular panelist on the CBS game show To Tell the Truth, during its original run. She also appeared on the NBC interview program Here's Hollywood. In 1963 Bergen co-starred with Doris Day and James Garner in the film comedy, Move Over, Darling. She earned an Emmy nomination for her role as Rhoda Henry, wife of Capt. "Pug" Henry (played by Mitchum), in two ABC miniseries, The Winds of War and its sequel, War and Remembrance.
She starred in a 2001 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies at the Belasco Theater and received a Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
Bergen played Fran Felstein on HBO's The Sopranos, the former mistress of Tony Soprano's father, and former mistress of John F. Kennedy. From 2007 to 2011 Bergen had a guest role in Desperate Housewives as Lynette Scavo's mother, Stella Wingfield, which earned her an Emmy Award nomination.
She was a semi-regular cast member of Commander-in-Chief (2006) as the mother of Mackenzie Allen, the President of the United States, played by Geena Davis. Bergen herself had once played the first female President of the United States, as President Leslie McCloud in the 1964 film, Kisses for My President. Another late appearance came in the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, Candles on Bay Street (2006), in which she played the assistant to a husband-and-wife team of veterinarians.
Personal Life
In 1965, Bergen created the Polly Bergen Company cosmetics line. She has also created lines of jewelry and shoe brands, and has authored three books on beauty.
Bergen converted to Judaism after marrying Hollywood talent agent Freddie Fields, with whom she had two adopted children, Pamela Kerry Fields and Peter William Fields. She had previously been a Southern Baptist.
Bergen's niece is television producer Wendy Riche.
Death
Bergen died on September 20, 2014, at her home in Southbury, Connecticut, surrounded by family and close friends. She had been diagnosed with emphysema and other ailments in the late 1990s.
Let's Fall in Love
Polly Bergen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover
I have a feeling, it's a feeling I'm concealing, I don't know why
It's just a mental, incidental, sentimental, alibi
But I adore you, so strong for you
Why go on stalling, I am falling, love is calling, why be shy
Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we fall in love
Why be afraid of it
Let's close our eyes
And make our own paradise
Little we know of it, still we can try
To make a go of it
We might have been meant for each other
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover
Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we fall in love
Now is the time for it, while we are young
Let's fall in love
In this song, Polly Bergen expresses her willingness to fall in love. She suggests that maybe they are meant for each other, and instead of stalling, it's time to discover if they are compatible. The singer confesses to have concealed her feelings, and it's just an incidental mental alibi. She is falling in love, and the love calling is too strong to be ignored.
The lyrics convey a sense of urgency, that now is the time to take a chance at love. The singer suggests that they close their eyes and make their paradise, even if they know little about love. She is willing to try and make a go of it, and since they are young, now might be the perfect time.
The song encourages people to take chances when it comes to love, expressing the desire that they were meant for each other. Bergen suggests that love is a beautiful thing and something that they should not be afraid of, instead of making an attempt at it.
Line by Line Meaning
We might have been meant for each other
Perhaps we were destined to be together
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover
We should take the risk and see if love is meant to be
I have a feeling, it's a feeling I'm concealing, I don't know why
I have a secret feeling that I am unwilling to reveal, even to myself
It's just a mental, incidental, sentimental, alibi
It's just an excuse I made up to justify my feelings
But I adore you, so strong for you
But I have strong feelings of affection for you
Why go on stalling, I am falling, love is calling, why be shy
Why hesitate? I am already falling in love and it's time to answer its call
Let's fall in love
Let's give ourselves a chance at love
Why shouldn't we fall in love
There's nothing stopping us from falling in love
Our hearts are made of it, let's take a chance
We are both capable of love, so we should take a risk
Why be afraid of it
There's no need to be scared of love
Let's close our eyes
Let's forget about our fears and worries
And make our own paradise
Let's create a world of love and happiness together
Little we know of it, still we can try
We may not know much about love, but we can still make an effort
To make a go of it
To give it a shot
Now is the time for it, while we are young
We should take advantage of this moment while we are still young
Let's fall in love
Let's be bold and fall in love
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind