On this date in 1958, the Northwood Gleaner published an article about a hometown girl in the big city. Marian Haraldson was trying to find her way in show biz. She was used to hard work and being self-sufficient. Born to Harald and Selma Haraldson, Marian grew up on a 320 acre farm near Northwood. She trained at the University of North Dakota and at St. Olaf in Minnesota, and afterward, she went to New York City.
Three months after her arrival, she was hired to appear in the Metropolitan Sextet, a mixed group of three males and three females that was contracted to appear as part of Milton Berle’s act.
The offer came in part from her voice, but also from her appearance. Blond and tall, she told one reporter, “The truth finally dawned on me when all the reviewers referred to me as a ‘buxom blond,’ and not one discussed my dramatic soprano.”
She worked as part of the group until early 1958. Her goal, however, was to make a living through singing. She made the preliminaries at the Metropolitan opera, but was told she was too tall.
“North Dakota farmers’ daughters come big, let’s face it,” she said.
But the only real issue she had with her size was, comparatively, the size of men. “They make ‘em awfully short these days, and I seem to be able to overpower them all.”
Marian Haraldson did finally make it into show business with her voice. Soon after the interview ran, she was a performer and understudy in a 1959 musical comedy on Broadway called First Impressions. She went on to appear steadily on Broadway – sixteen productions in all, including The Unsinkable Molly Brown, from 1960 to 1962; No, No, Nanette, from 1971 to 1973; Lorelei in 1974, and Woman of the Year 1981 to 1983.
Maybe she didn’t play big roles, but she did play in some big acts. In the end, the big girl with the big voice succeeded in a big way.
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
Sources:
The Northwood Gleaner, January 24, 1958
http://broadwayworld.com/bwidb/people/Marian_Haraldson/
