Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1908 January 16 | Born Ethel Agnes Zimmerman in Astoria, Queens, New York, to parents Edward Zimmerman and Agnes Gardner |
| 1908 April 19 | Baptized at the Church of The Redeemer in Astoria |
| 1924 | Received commercial diploma from William Cullen Bryant High School in Long Island City and began work as a stenographer in Manhattan while performing in various night clubs |
| circa 1929 | Began performing at the Les Ambassadeurs Club on Broadway with Lou Clayton, Eddie Jackson, and Jimmy Durante |
| 1930 October 14-1931 June 6 | Debuted on Broadway in George and Ira Gershwin’s musical Girl Crazy, which opened at the Alvin Theatre |
| 1930 December 6 | Made first feature film appearance as Helen King in the Paramount Publix film Follow the Leader |
| 1931 | Appeared in George White’s Scandals of 1931 at the Apollo Theatre |
| 1932 November 26 | Appeared as Wanda Brill in the musical Take a Chance at the Apollo Theatre |
| 1932 November | Recorded first hit, Irving Berlin’s "How Deep Is the Ocean?" |
| 1934 November 21 | Starred as Reno Sweeney in Cole Porter’s musical Anything Goes at the Alvin Theatre |
| 1934 | Appeared in two feature length films: Paramount Pictures We’re Not Dressing as Edith, and Samuel Goldwyn Productions Kid Millions as Dot Clark |
| 1935 September 20 | Cameoed in the Paramount Pictures film The Big Broadcast of 1936 in the number "It’s the Animal in Me" and the cut number "We’re Not Dressing" |
| 1936 October 29-1937 April 10 | Appeared as Nails O’Reilly Duquesne in Cole Porter’s musical Red, Hot, and Blue at the Alvin Theatre |
| 1936 | Appeared in two feature length films: Samuel Goldwyn Productions Strike Me Pink as Joyce Lennox and Paramount Pictures Anything Goes as Reno Sweeney |
| 1938 | Appeared in three 20th Century Fox films: Happy Landing as Flo Kelly, Alexander’s Ragtime Band as Jerry Allen, and Straight, Place and Show as Linda Tyler |
| 1939 February 9 | Starred as Jeanette Adair in Arthur Schwartz-Dorothy Fields’s musical Stars in Your Eyes at the Majestic Theatre |
| 1939 December 6 | Starred as May Daly in Cole Porter’s musical Du Barry Was a Lady at the 46th Street Theatre |
| 1940 October 30 | Starred as Hattie in Cole Porter’s musical Panama Hattie at the 46th Street Theatre |
| 1940 November 15 | Married William B. Smith (divorced 1941) |
| 1942 | Married Robert D. Levitt (divorced 1952 June) |
| 1942 July 20 | Birth of daughter Ethel Levitt (died 1967 August 24) |
| 1943 January 7 | Starred as Blossom Hart in the Cole Porter musical Something for the Boys at the Alvin Theatre |
| 1943 June 24 | Cameoed in the film Stage Door Canteen singing "Marching Through Berlin" |
| 1945 August 11 | Birth of son Robert Levitt Jr. |
| 1946 May 16 | Starred as Annie Oakley in Irving Berlin’s musical Annie Get Your Gun at the Imperial Theatre |
| 1947 | Released the Decca album Ethel Merman Sings Songs She Has Made Famous |
| 1949 | Debuted on television as the guest host for Thru the Crystal Ball |
| circa 1949 | Broadcast the radio network series The Ethel Merman Show |
| 1950 October 12 | Starred as Sally Adams in Irving Berlin’s musical Call Me Madam at the Imperial Theatre |
| 1950 | Released the album Songs from Call Me Madam with Dick Haymes, Eileen Wilson, and Gordon Jenkins and his orchestra and chorus |
| 1951 | Won Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Sally Adams in Call Me Madam |
| 1953 March 4 | Starred as Sally Adams in 20th Century Fox’s film Call Me Madam |
| 1953 March 9 | Married Robert Six (divorced December 1960) |
| 1953 June 15 | Appeared on the television special The Ford 50th Anniversary Show and performed with Mary Martin |
| 1954 February 28 | Reprised her role as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, broadcast live on television as an episode of The Colgate Comedy Hour |
| 1954 November 10 | Reprised her role as Hattie in Cole Porter’s musical Panama Hattie, broadcast on CBS Television |
| 1954 December 16 | Starred as Molly Donahue in the 20th Century Fox film There’s No Business Like Show Business |
| 1954 | Won Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her role as Sally Adams in Call Me Madam |
| 1955 | Released her autobiography, Don’t Call Me Madam: An Autobiography in Neon, published by W. H. Allen |
| 1955 | Released her autobiography, Who Could Ask for Anything More?, co-written by Pete Martin and published by Doubleday & Co. |
| 1956 | Starred as Liz Livingston in the musical Happy Hunting at the Majestic Theatre |
| 1957 | Nominated for Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Liz Livingston in Happy Hunting |
| 1959 May 21 | Starred as Rose in Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim’s musical Gypsy at the Broadway Theatre |
| 1961 | Released the Reprise album Merman: Her Greatest! |
| 1961 | Starred as Rose in the national tour of Gypsy |
| 1960 | Nominated for Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Rose in Gypsy |
| 1960 | Won Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for Gypsy |
| 1962-1963 | Debuted at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas and released a recording of her performance titled Merman in Vegas on Warner Bros. Records |
| 1963 | Starred in the film It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World as Mrs. Marcus, Merman’s final major film role |
| 1964 June 26 | Married Ernest Borgnine (divorced November 1965) |
| 1965 June 30 | Appeared as Madame Coco La Fontaine in the film The Art of Love |
| 1966 May 31 | Reprised her role as Annie in Annie Get Your Gun at the Music Theater at Lincoln Center |
| 1967 | Starred in the NBC Television broadcast of the 1966 Lincoln Center Annie Get Your Gun revival |
| 1970 | Starred as Dolly Levi in the musical Hello, Dolly!, Merman’s final Broadway show |
| 1972 | Released the Decca album Merman Sings Merman |
| 1972 | Received Special Tony Award in recognition of her contributions to musical theater |
| 1975 | Released the Decca album Ethel’s Riding High |
| 1977 May 15 | Performed at the benefit concert Together on Broadway with Mary Martin at the Broadway Theatre |
| 1977 August | Performed for more than 17,000 people at the Hollywood Bowl tribute concert to Irving Berlin with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra |
| 1979 | Released the Ethel Merman Disco Album on A&M Records |
| 1979 | Released the autobiography Merman: An Autobiography, co-authored with George Eells and published by Simon & Schuster |
| 1982 May 10 | Performed at the benefit concert for the Museum of the City of New York at Carnegie Hall |
| 1983 February 5 | Performed at the Golden Circle Theatre Party at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts in San Jose, California |
| 1984 February 15 | Died at age 76 in New York |