494:, was a rock-and-roll spoof on which Nelson played Vox organ and didn't sing. Around 1971, she returned to New York and made a rare cabaret appearance at the short-lived club Mary Mary, owned by singer-actress Mary McCarty. In 1976, with a cabaret renaissance underway in New York and other cities, Nelson made her official singing comeback with an engagement at the Manhattan club Brothers & Sisters; thereafter she sang at other New York clubs (The Ballroom, Ted Hook's OnStage, Freddy's Supper Club) and at the Mocambo in San Francisco. Reviewing her appearance at The Ballroom,
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180:; one day they talked about songs they both liked, and Nelson performed one at the piano. "What the hell are you doing pounding a typewriter? ... You should be singing," said Russell. Nelson would later work for Russell as a vocal coach. After Nelson's death, Russell said that she "had a high, clear voice, with such intonation and shading! Her lyrics were sung with such understanding that you felt you'd heard a poem sung."
421:(1965), Nelson played Sister Berthe, who saved the von Trapp family in pre-World War II Austria by sabotaging a Nazi car. Nelson uttered the memorable line, "Reverend Mother, I have sinned." The next year she appeared as Sister Elizabeth in the film comedy
568:(1997). Nelson turned the book into an off-Broadway musical, presented at the York Theatre in Manhattan. One of her poems, "Autobiography in Five Short Chapters", went on to become a highly popular self-help and recovery text.
211:. Jacoby invited her to sing there. In January 1950, Nelson moved to New York; soon after she was performing on one of the Blue Angel's four-act bills. She would sing there on and off until 1959, sharing rosters with
625:, at the New York cabaret Don't Tell Mama. By now her cancer had recurred, and the singer died in her apartment on March 6, 2001. At her request, Nelson's ashes were spread by friends and family at the
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Her cabaret career, like the scene itself, was starting to wane, and in 1960 Nelson moved to Los
Angeles. There she maintained a dual career as a writer of special musical material (for
618:, a close friend of hers, sang the song that would become Nelson's trademark, "Make a Rainbow". Nelson had written it in the 1960s and dedicated it to Horne's biracial daughter Angela.
633:, one of her favorite childhood recreational spots. Also per her wishes, the singer's writings, photographs, recordings, press clippings, and personal memorabilia were donated to the
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In the early 1990s, a bout with throat and tongue cancer – which Nelson, who never smoked, blamed on her years of singing in smoky nightclubs – robbed her of her soprano voice.
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In early 2001, she was honored at a MAC/ASCAP Songwriters' Showcase in New York; around that time she made her last appearance at a performance of a revue of her songs,
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wrote in his liner notes: "One has only to hear the delicate phrasing and effortless command of melody to understand why she could immediately create such a stir."
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wrote: "With silver hair rising to a peak atop sleek chiffon and mile-long pearls, Miss Nelson is as graceful and refined to observe as she is to listen to."
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Nelson was a cancer survivor, having conquered breast cancer after a mastectomy in 1973. Four years later, Popular
Library published Nelson's milestone book,
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After leaving Nick Arden's, Nelson continued to work day jobs, while singing sporadically. In 1949 she performed at the Café Gala, a cabaret on
Hollywood's
200:: "Portia walked onto the floor of the Gala, tall, poised, goddesslike in floating chiffon – and singing in a way that was all her own. She was a smash."
530:(in which she played the recurring role of nanny Rachel Gurney) and appearing on numerous TV commercials. She was also seen on an episode of the sitcom
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In
October 1992, the Mabel Mercer Foundation honored her with its Premier Cabaret Classic Award. On January 20, 1993, at the inauguration of President
520:. The show was Broadway-bound, but closed in Washington, D.C. before its New York opening. Nelson continued to act, taking on roles in the soap operas
107:; May 27, 1920 – March 6, 2001) was an American popular singer, songwriter, actress, and author. She was best known for her appearances in 1950s
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Nelson was also a frequent participant in a series of recorded re-creations of classic musicals, produced by
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468:(on the Stanyan label) in 1970, Nelson coached the actor vocally. Another friend, the actor, screenwriter, and novelist
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The poem (which was often uncredited to Nelson) was adopted by motivational speakers and reprinted in
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set the poem to music and recorded it as "The First Five Chapters" on her live CD
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In the 1960s Nelson had sung little; her only album of that decade,
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There's a hole in my sidewalk : the romance of self-discovery
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Let Me Love You: Portia Nelson Sings the Love Songs of Bart Howard
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In 1954, Nelson originated the role of Miss Minerva Oliver in
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Let Me Love You: Portia Nelson Sings the Songs of Bart Howard
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There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery
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There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery
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Patricia O'Haire, "Her 'Rainbow' Song Shines for Bill",
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entertained. Recalled Short in his 1995 autobiography
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This Life: Portia Nelson – Her Songs and Her Friends
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Intimate Nights: The Golden Age of New York Cabaret
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Intimate Nights: The Golden Age of New York Cabaret
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542:(1980), which starred the
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297:The Boys from Syracuse
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303:On Your Toes
301:
295:
289:
283:
267:
263:
259:
245:
221:Imogene Coca
217:Pearl Bailey
202:
197:
190:Sunset Strip
187:
175:
172:Jane Russell
165:
155:
152:Early career
143:
133:
127:
121:
115:
113:
104:
100:
99:
60:(2001-03-06)
43:May 27, 1920
1183:2001 deaths
1178:1920 births
865:The Doctors
753:Filmography
646:Solo albums
641:Discography
523:The Doctors
459:Rock Hudson
413:Rod Steiger
391:Los Angeles
314:Noël Coward
248:Bart Howard
241:William Roy
194:Bobby Short
177:Young Widow
126:; on TV's
71:Occupations
1172:Categories
1015:Daily News
921:19 October
881:References
740:Mini-Album
629:in Utah's
465:Rod McKuen
269:New Yorker
225:Orson Bean
209:Blue Angel
205:Max Gordon
39:1920-05-27
1050:25 August
1013:New York
792:The Other
690:Oklahoma!
623:This Life
479:The Other
470:Tom Tryon
309:Oklahoma!
272:reviewer
229:Wally Cox
599:(2000).
587:My Lives
496:Rex Reed
486:New York
377:Bricktop
109:cabarets
1129:at the
829:Tonight
706:Roberta
550:Writing
352:Odyssey
291:Roberta
80:actress
1073:
868:(1981)
860:(1979)
832:(1953)
824:(1952)
375:, and
373:London
306:, and
103:(born
83:author
49:, U.S.
346:Iliad
341:Homer
1145:IMDb
1071:ISBN
1052:2022
923:2020
526:and
516:and
349:and
55:Died
29:Born
1143:at
911:BFI
577:by
343:'s
316:'s
1174::
1103:^
1043:.
997:^
981:^
909:.
854::
546:.
482:.
407:,
403:,
399:,
387:.
355:.
335:,
300:,
294:,
235:,
231:,
227:,
223:,
219:,
215:,
1079:.
1054:.
925:.
41:)
37:(
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