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Virginia O'Brien Collection

A popular American actress, singer, and radio personality described as "both a hot dish and a dead pan at the same time": Virginia O'Brien AKA "Frozen Face" was best known for her comedic roles with a deadpan delivery in 1940s musicals.

Virginia OBrien

18 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 8 hours, 26 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
9 Audio CDs


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Play a sample episode from May 01, 1946:

"Virginia O'Brien on Mail Call"



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Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

Virginia O'Brien
(1919 – 2001)

Virginia O'Brien
Stage fright is a very real and sometimes debilitating condition. Some performers seem to be most alive when they are performing, and when we look at some of the physical effects of stage fright, we can see how performing can be like a drug. In many cases, stage fright can cause the body’s sympathetic nervous system to activate. For some performers these reactions, along with the adoration of the audience, can bring on a drug like euphoria. For others, the "fight or flight" syndrome can take over, with a release of adrenaline and dry mouth, shaky voice, trembling, even collapsing into a classic fetal position.

Virginia OBrienRadio was a place for some stage fright sufferers to perform without suffering the effects of their phobia. Al Jolson suffered from stage fright, as did Gracie Allen and Jack Benny’s wife, Mary Livingstone. Most performers are eventually able to overcome their stage fright, but occasionally it turns into an asset.

Virginia O’Brien was a very pretty girl whose father was a detective captain with the Los Angeles Police Department, one uncle was the LA postmaster, and another uncle was Hollywood director Lloyd Bacon. Pretty Virginia decided to give show business a try and won a part in the LA production of the musical comedy "Meet the People" in 1939. When it was time for her number on opening night, she went on stage and her face froze. She sang the song beautifully, but her face remained a glacial deadpan. Virginia left the stage horrified, thinking her singing and acting career was over, but the audience thought that the deadpan had been a joke and loved the way she carried it off. Among those laughing in the audience was Louis B. Mayer. She was nicknamed "Frozen Face."

MGM offered Virginia a contract in 1940, and she continued with her trademark deadpan style. She worked steadily, making 16 films between 1940 and 1947. Most of her parts were small supporting roles and featured music numbers, but she was popular with audiences and her fellow actors. She was paired with Red Skelton in several pictures, including DuBarry Was a Lady (1943), co-starring Lucille Ball.

Miss O’Brien was popular on AFRS’s Command Performance as well as making appearances on Mail Call. By the time her MGM contract was up for renewal in 1947, the studio system was beginning to crumble and the public’s taste for musicals was beginning to fade.

Virginia was popular on the nightclub and cabaret circuit, and appeared in several stage musicals. One night in 1980, Lucille Ball appeared at a seminar at USC helmed by Charles Waters, dance director for DuBarry Was a Lady. During the question and answer portion of the evening a fan asked Lucy "What ever happened to Virginia O’Brien?" Suddenly a voice popped up "She’s back here in the cheap seats!" Lucy was thrilled with the unexpected reunion, which made the evening even more special.

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

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    I MET HER ONCE AT THE MASQUER'S CLUB IN HOLLYWOOD. .VERY FUNNY AND SWEET LADY

    Jim Verified Purchase

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  • MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.



    18 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 8 hours, 26 min
    18 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 8 hours, 26 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 18 shows - total playtime 8 hours 26 minutes
    2. CP 420428 011 Adolphe Menjou, Fibber Mcgee, Red Skelton.mp3
    3. CP 420818 027 Cary Grant, Virginia Obrien, Freddie Slack.mp3
    4. CP 421024 038 Linda Darnell, Red Skelton, Erskine Hawkins.mp3
    5. CP 430116 048 Jeanette Macdonald, Mills Brothers.mp3
    6. CP 430320 058 Judy Garland, John Charles Thomas, Kenny Baker.mp3
    7. CP 430515 067 Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Martha Tilton.mp3
    8. CP 431127 094 Herbert Marshall, Edgar Bergen, Bob Wills.mp3
    9. CP 440115 101 Frances Langford, Virginia Obrien, Revuers.mp3
    10. CP 440226 108 Dorothy Lamour, Virginia Obrien, Dick Haymes.mp3
    11. CP 440422 116 Gene Tierney, Roy Acuff, Martha Tilton.mp3
    12. CP 440527 121 Dinah Shore, Dick Haymes, Virginia Obrien.mp3
    13. CP 440805 132 Ginger Rogers, Virginia Obrien, Jimmy Durante.mp3
    14. CP 441101 145 Ethel Merman, Joe E Lewis, Connie Boswell.mp3
    15. Mail Call 440524 93 Paulette Goddard, Wc Fields, E.Bergen.mp3
    16. Mail Call 441227 125 Dinah Shore, Carlos Ramirez, J.Durante.mp3
    17. Mail Call 460501 193 Virginia Obrien Got Blues Skipper.mp3
    18. Marx Brothers Virginia Obrien Rockabye Baby The Big Store.mp3
    19. Request Performance 451021 03 Trip Moon Welles, E.Bracken.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    18 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 8 hours, 26 min
    18 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    total playtime 8 hours, 26 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 18 shows - total playtime 8 hours 26 minutes
    2. CP 420428 011 Adolphe Menjou, Fibber Mcgee, Red Skelton.mp3
    3. CP 420818 027 Cary Grant, Virginia Obrien, Freddie Slack.mp3
    4. CP 421024 038 Linda Darnell, Red Skelton, Erskine Hawkins.mp3
    5. CP 430116 048 Jeanette Macdonald, Mills Brothers.mp3
    6. CP 430320 058 Judy Garland, John Charles Thomas, Kenny Baker.mp3
    7. CP 430515 067 Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Martha Tilton.mp3
    8. CP 431127 094 Herbert Marshall, Edgar Bergen, Bob Wills.mp3
    9. CP 440115 101 Frances Langford, Virginia Obrien, Revuers.mp3
    10. CP 440226 108 Dorothy Lamour, Virginia Obrien, Dick Haymes.mp3
    11. CP 440422 116 Gene Tierney, Roy Acuff, Martha Tilton.mp3
    12. CP 440527 121 Dinah Shore, Dick Haymes, Virginia Obrien.mp3
    13. CP 440805 132 Ginger Rogers, Virginia Obrien, Jimmy Durante.mp3
    14. CP 441101 145 Ethel Merman, Joe E Lewis, Connie Boswell.mp3
    15. Mail Call 440524 93 Paulette Goddard, Wc Fields, E.Bergen.mp3
    16. Mail Call 441227 125 Dinah Shore, Carlos Ramirez, J.Durante.mp3
    17. Mail Call 460501 193 Virginia Obrien Got Blues Skipper.mp3
    18. Marx Brothers Virginia Obrien Rockabye Baby The Big Store.mp3
    19. Request Performance 451021 03 Trip Moon Welles, E.Bracken.mp3
  • Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players



    18 recordings on 9 Audio CDs. Total playtime 8 hours, 26 min
    18 recordings on 9 Audio CDs
    total playtime 8 hours, 26 min

    Virginia OBrien Disc A001

    1. Marx Brothers Virginia Obrien Rockabye Baby The Big Store
    2. CP 420428 011 Adolphe Menjou, Fibber Mcgee, Red Skelton
    3. CP 420818 027 Cary Grant, Virginia Obrien, Freddie Slack

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Virginia OBrien Disc A002

    1. CP 421024 038 Linda Darnell, Red Skelton, Erskine Hawkins
    2. CP 430116 048 Jeanette Macdonald, Mills Brothers

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Virginia OBrien Disc A003

    1. CP 430320 058 Judy Garland, John Charles Thomas, Kenny Baker
    2. CP 430515 067 Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Martha Tilton

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Virginia OBrien Disc A004

    1. CP 431127 094 Herbert Marshall, Edgar Bergen, Bob Wills
    2. CP 440115 101 Frances Langford, Virginia Obrien, Revuers

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Virginia OBrien Disc A005

    1. CP 440226 108 Dorothy Lamour, Virginia Obrien, Dick Haymes
    2. CP 440422 116 Gene Tierney, Roy Acuff, Martha Tilton

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Virginia OBrien Disc A006

    1. Mail Call 440524 93 Paulette Goddard, Wc Fields, E.Bergen
    2. CP 440527 121 Dinah Shore, Dick Haymes, Virginia Obrien

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Virginia OBrien Disc A007

    1. CP 440805 132 Ginger Rogers, Virginia Obrien, Jimmy Durante
    2. CP 441101 145 Ethel Merman, Joe E Lewis, Connie Boswell

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Virginia OBrien Disc A008

    1. Mail Call 441227 125 Dinah Shore, Carlos Ramirez, J.Durante
    2. Request Performance 451021 03 Trip Moon Welles, E.Bracken

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Virginia OBrien Disc A009

    1. Mail Call 460501 193 Virginia Obrien Got Blues Skipper

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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