Maureen

From YouTube comes a 1912 recording of Lillian Russell singing "Come Down Ma' Evening Star," accompanied by a slideshow of photographs of the singer. When this recording was made, Miss Russell was in her early fifties, and though her voice lacks the full vigor and purity of youth, it is still lovely to hear.

kirsten

Thanks for finding this, Maureen. It's great to finally hear Lillian Russell's voice.

Christine

Thank you for sharing this! Those lovely old pictures... wonderful!

HSG

Such a lovely video. Thank you for discovering it, Maureen. The image selection is very well chosen.

What a shame that the recording was made very late in Lillian's life, and that the audio technology of the day was so poor. In her youth, Lillian's voice was praised for being "light" and "airy"--a perfectly visual complement to her soft, gentle, feminine appearance.

We have often thought that Lillian's life would made an excellent choice for a lavish historical film. Twentieth Century Fox did made a Lillian Russell movie in 1940, but Alice Faye, the actress who starred in the title role, didn't resemble Lillian at all; neither was she an accomplished singer.

So who would be the ideal person to cast in the role of Lillian? There really is only one correct choice: Chloe Agnew, another timeless beauty with a soft, feminine appearance and, most crucially, a fuller figure like Lillian's. Furthermore, Chloe's voice is a light, pure, airy soprano, just as Lillian's was said to have been in her prime.

If Miss Agnew were to play Lillian, she would look and sound like the legendary original, and would even match her in beauty. We can say that of no other performer in the world today.

Here is a small, recent picture of Chloe that shows her dressed in a style that recalls Lillian's 19th-century opulence, especially with the flowers in her hair and the gossamer fabric of the dress.

She is a Victorian angel living in the present day.

- Chloe's angelic voice