Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy Home Page: Recent Episodes
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In time for our event next week in Los Angeles, we have released not 1 but 2 new magazines!
Journal #79 is a 90th anniversary tribute to Naughty Marietta, the movie that started it all! Also included are the very frank recent interviews with Cora Sue Collins, who was the last surviving actor from the film.
Journal #80 is a look back at our club’s history and efforts to get the Jeanette and Nelson story told. Whereas the book Sweethearts may quote a few lines of a person’s interview, the magazines over the years has featured the full-length interviews and extensive documentation of the facts presented in the book. Along with some original interview notes and memoir excerpts, there’s information included that hasn’t been publicly discussed before.
They can be ordered at this link. Those who will be in Los Angeles can get them in person!
Enjoy!
June 10th update!
This year marks an important anniversary for fans of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Their first movie together, Naughty Marietta, was released 90 years ago this month!
Join us on Sunday, June 22nd in Los Angeles to celebrate this event as well as the June birthdays of both Jeanette and Nelson. We have new and returning celebrity guest speakers closely associated with the film.
Our event will be held at the famous Smoke House Restaurant, with a buffet brunch and a special birthday cake. Price includes food, our private room and everything except alcoholic drinks (other than the free mimosas that come with the buffet) which can be ordered from your server. Details:
Date: Sunday, June 22, 2025
Location: The Smoke House restaurant, 4420 W Lakeside Dr, Burbank (across from Warner Bros. studios)
Time: 12 noon – 3 pm
Admission: $100
Tickets must be purchased in advance at this link.
The fabulous buffet food choices include tri-tip steak, ham, turkey, along with vegetarian choices including salads, omelets, waffles, crepes station, soups, coffee, etc.
No physical tickets are needed; please keep your emailed receipt plus we will have a master list of paid reservations at the door. If your reservation. Most out-of-towners are arriving late Wednesday and leaving Tuesday.n includes more than one person, please note their names in the “order notes” section when you check out. Thank you.
NOTE: When checking out here on the website, if you already have a login on our site but have problems logging in, please order as a guest.
ALSO: these look to be our final plans for Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the event: Thursday: A partial tour of their homes including “Mists”, the “Twin Gables” property, Nelson’s Brentwood homes and his beach house. We’ll also be visiting the Santa Monica Pier. Likely lunch at DuPar’s at Farmers’ Market. Friday: Visit the Hollywood area, both their final resting locations, and eating at Miceli’s Restaurant. Friday night we’ll screen Naughty Marietta on the big screen at the hotel at 7 pm. Saturday: walk in their shoes and take a drive to the Santa Barbara, Ojai and Solvang area, to visit the Jeanette/Nelson locations there. Saturday evening at 7 pm we’ll show the new blu-ray of Sweethearts, again in the hotel meeting room. If you’re interested in joining us for any of these options, please specify in the “order notes” section what you would like to see or do, so we can coordinate the entire weekend, including drivers and cars. Sunday, of course, is our main event at The Smoke House in Burbank.
If you’re coming from out-of-town, you might plan to make a long weekend of it; arrive no later than Thursday night and leave Monday. Most out-of-towners are arriving late Wednesday and leaving Tuesday. Our group stays at the hotel listed below, mention (or type in if reserving online) the group code below for the special $139 rate (plus tax). Full breakfast is included. You can also have a longer stay if you’d like; the special rate is good for check-in any time from Wednesday, June 18 through Tuesday, June 24. Note: Not sure if this group rate is still available as of this date; please call the hotel directly if interested.
Holiday Inn Express
22617 Ventura Blvd
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
818-222-2299
Group code: MCD
March 6th is the anniversary of Nelson Eddy’s passing at age 65. As he had wanted, he literally did sing till he dropped.
He was onstage in Miami about to sing a solo number, his “private moment” with Jeanette MacDonald, who had passed two years previously. Every season of his nightclub act, he chose a special song that had meaning for them, had the spotlights turned off so he couldn’t see the audience, and sang his chosen number.
The 1967 season began in Australia, with Bob Hunter replacing Ted Paxson as Nelson’s accompanist. Hunter reported that for the 1967 season, Nelson’s “private number” was “Last Night When We Were Young.” Upon returning home to the United States, Nelson had a couple weeks break and then headed to Miami to continue his tour.
Here are the lyrics to that song; one can easily understand why it had such meaning for him.
Last night when we were young
Love was a star, a song unsung
Life was so new, so real, so right
Ages ago last night
Today the world is old
You flew away and time grew cold
Where is that star that shone so bright
Ages ago last night?
To think that spring had depended
On merely this, a look, a kiss
To think that something so splendid
Could slip away in one little daybreak
So now let’s reminisce
And recollect the sighs and the kisses
The arms that clung
When we were young last night
The Fall of 1948 was interesting for Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. On August 17, Jeanette sang a recital at the Hollywood Bowl. Her accompanist was none other than Ted Paxson, Nelson’s accompanist! Nelson was not seen by the public at the performance; however, a letter from the time indicates that he was actually backstage! He kept out of sight, not wanting to cause a commotion by sitting out front, which might distract from Jeanette’s solo triumph. She was in fabulous voice, by the way.
On September 5th, Jeanette hosted a party at her home for Eleanor Steber. Nelson and his wife Ann attended, and Jeanette’s husband Gene was of course also in attendance. The very next day, according to Jeanette’s desk diary, she as off to Lake Tahoe, where per letters from the time, she and Nelson had a private yearly “anniversary.”
Some might claim that Tahoe had some special meaning for Jeanette and Gene and who knows; there are several documented trips in which Jeanette travels with him for show; but once arrived, they often go off on their own adventures. This was not uncommon with them over the years. Jeanette obviously does not clarify this in her fan club write-ups; over time there was sometimes confusion when she mentioned her “husband” as to which man she was talking about. However, should one think a yearly Tahoe reunion had any romantic or emotional meaning for Jeanette and Gene, they are mistaken. While they had dated and Gene continued to woo her from afar at that time, he never came to Tahoe and Jeanette would not become engaged to him for nearly a year!
The man who did propose marriage to her at Tahoe was none other than Nelson, when they were filming Rose-Marie back in the Fall of 1935. This was verified by several people’s testimony including those who were there while filming. This included their co-star Jimmy Stewart who was interviewed in 1988 at the Pennsylvania Broadcasters’ Association, when he won an award. This was Stewart’s comment: “No, they didn’t hate each other. They couldn’t have sustained all their musicals if they did. They did not hate each other. Well… I can’t really say from any personal experience except for the one movie I was in with them… but it was the exact opposite.”
Jeanette accepted Nelson’s engagement ring but as we know, a series of events resulted in them breaking up at that time. Once they returned to Los Angeles, Gene had a stronger opportunity to move in as a rebound relationship.
The owners of Tahoe’s Chambers Lodge verified to researcher Carol Kaplan that Nelson and Jeanette made yearly trips to Tahoe and stayed together at the Lodge, in Jeanette’s cabin from 1935. It’s unknown how many years they continued this private reunion.
Back to 1948. After the Tahoe trip in early September, Nelson publicly sang again with Jeanette. He was the radio host of Kraft Music Hall; Dorothy Kirsten was his regular guest co-star but she fell ill. The night before the September 16 broadcast, Dorothy cancelled. Jeanette agreed to step in. For comparison, we are lucky enough to have both the afternoon rehearsal and the live evening show that followed. Enjoy!
On sale this week for Valentine’s Day! An oversized, hardcover, glossy coffee table book, the first biography of Jeanette MacDonald published 50+ years ago! Here’s the link.
Today marks the 60th anniversary of Jeanette MacDonald’s death at age 61. She is pictured above on the set of her favorite film, Maytime (1937). Also remembering today Jeanette’s sister Blossom, who ironically died 13 years to the day after Jeanette, at age 82. In a radio interview Blossom gave some months after Jeanette’s death, she sounds loving and sad about her sister but practical and down-to-earth. Which is why she was a steadying figure for Jeanette, whose life was often fairly dramatic. And that’s what she was like when I knew her. She would sometimes confirm or clarify the most heartbreaking stories and remain dry-eyed, whereas we’d walk out of there and head back to our car, bawling our eyes out. You can listen to her interview below. Remembering both sisters today with love.
Oscar-winning child actor Claude Jarman, Jr. has died at age 90. He is best known for The Yearling (1946), in which his beautiful portrayal earned him a Juvenile Oscar. Three years later, he was Jeanette’s co-star (along with Lassie) in her last film, The Sun Comes Up. Read his obituary at this link.
From the wartime years, two wonderful treats : Nelson Eddy’s Christmas radio show for 1944! And Jeanette’s single radio performance of “Silent Night”!
Sound quality is not the greatest but we are lucky to have these… so enjoy! And Happy Holidays!
And here is Jeanette:
This year it appears we had Black Friday Week and now a Cyber Monday week as well! Some books and magazines are on sale. To see what’s available:
Books by Sharon Rich
Books by other authors: Recommended is K.T Ernshaw, whose real name was Laurrie Garner. She had a relationship with Nelson and even though her book To Love Again is a novel, she based her main character on him. Her other published novel is under her real name.
Poetic Memories series: Recommended is at least Volume 1 which features an in-depth biography section, with photos and letters, of Irene Scott, the woman who was early friends with Blossom Rock (Jeanette’s sister) and later was privy to years of written correspondence of Nelson Eddy’s mother, Isabel.
Mac/Eddy Today Magazines: These continue to be published and contain hundreds of rare photos, articles and behind-the-scenes information about what went on in the lives and careers of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. In the book Sweethearts, a line or two may be quoted from a celebrity, friend, family or fan interview. Many of the complete interview transcripts, documents, letters, legal papers and other documentation referenced in the book are presented in full. The magazine has been called “The most beautiful magazine of its kind”.
Mac/Eddy Today book compilations: Currently all the early magazines from #1-#61 are available in book form – 4 magazines reproduced in each book. Note that we still have a handful of originals of some of these issues, maybe 1 or 2. Contact us if there’s a certain one you’re looking for.
You may also be interested in our 2025 Calendar as well. It’s not on sale but if you’d like a 2024 calendar for free with purchase of the 2025 one, we have a few left and will include it in your paid order so you can enjoy using it for December! While supplies last!!
Happy Holiday season!
Save the date!
Location and details to follow, but wanted to announce we will have a Jeanette-Nelson get together on Saturday, October 26 in Clearwater, Florida. Plan on spending lunchtime at 11 am and the afternoon with us; lunch will likely be at a local restaurant. The event is free; everyone purchases their own lunch.
Our featured guest speaker will be Blythe Kearney, who knew Jeanette MacDonald and also met Nelson when the two stars stayed together in a hotel, during a private vacation in nearby St. Petersburg. Blythe spent an entire day with them, and also in later years discussed with Jeanette both her husband, Gene Raymond, and Nelson Eddy. Hear it right from someone who was right there on the scene!
We recommend those who would be coming from out-of-town to plan to spend the entire day, Saturday, with us. After lunch, we will likely return to the hotel and spend the afternoon together. Some may want to stay overnight and spend part of Sunday with us as well. Clearwater is a 20 minute cab drive away from Tampa Airport; also the smaller Clearwater/St. Pete airport is nearby. We have a block of hotel rooms reserved at a special group rate at the hotel noted below. The dates reserved are Friday, October 25 through Monday, October 28. There’s no obligation to stay all those days but those dates are available. Your hotel room reservation must be made no later than October 7 if you want the special rate.
Holiday Inn Express
2580 Gulf to Bay Blvd (corner of Hwy 19)
Clearwater, Fl
727-797-6300 ext 1
Group name: maceddy
Group block code: MCE
Special rate: $119/night plus tax.
Online Reservation Link Select your room (ihg.com)
If you are interested in attending the Saturday event, please fill out the Contact Form ASAP and let me know how many people you would attend with. This way I can get a better idea of the sized meeting place we would need on Saturday!
Sharon
Special offer! Order today the new 2025 Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy calendar AND the book Jeanette MacDonald: A Pictorial Treasury – 50th Anniversary Special Edition and save $5 plus pay only one shipping charge!
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The 2025 Calendar link
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The Pictorial Treasury book link
Add anything else to your order and still pay one shipping fee, even though these items may ship separately.
Offer and sale price good through September 15, 2024.
The latest Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy magazine, Issue #78, was officially released at our Los Angeles event!
Journal #78 features our Interview issue, with transcripts of the following:
1) an annotated, little-known 1959 interview with Jeanette, in which she speaks candidly on some different topics than other interviews, discussing friendships ranging from Jean Harlow to Woody Van Dyke. She also has stories to share about director Ernst Lubitsch (who once proposed marriage to her!), Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Louella Parsons, opera vs concerts, youth and maturity, and her Broadway career.
2) the only known excerpt from Nelson’s interview with Tony Thomas, in which he discusses the phases of his career.
3) the very important Blythe Kearney interview which includes a transcript of her edited video clip (on YouTube) but also additional content from the 3-hour full interview. Why is this interview so vital? Because Blythe is someone who personally knew Jeanette for years and had a frank conversation with her about her relationship with Nelson and how Gene Raymond dealt with it. Blythe’s grandmother, Mary Blythe (of the Barrymore family; John Barrymore was her cousin) was a lifelong friend and confidante with Jeanette from their high school years onward. Blythe spent time with Jeanette as a child, when Jeanette came to visit and stay with her grandmother. On some trips young Blythe, who often stayed with her grandparents, shared a bedroom with Jeanette. Over the years, Jeanette related to Blythe many anecdotes about her career and life. Also as a child, Blythe spent a day with both Jeanette and Nelson, when they showed up together on a very private vacation. They stayed at the Princess Martha Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida. And took Blythe with them on an outing one day to nearby Sunken Gardens, where Blythe had the opportunity to observe them as a loving couple, when they weren’t hiding the intimacy of their relationship. Blythe’s commentary on why Jeanette remained married to Gene Raymond, and the difference between her “loving” someone vs “being in love” with Nelson, is quite insightful.
4) Terry Kilburn, the child star who played “Brother” in the movie Sweethearts.
This beautiful glossy magazine contains additional information, documentation and many photos.
You can order Issue #78 here.
There’s a complete list of all our magazines still available at this link.
Today we honor the birthday of singer and movie star Jeanette MacDonald, born on this day in 1903.
Remembering Nelson Eddy today on the anniversary of his passing at age 65. June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967.
From the person who probably knew him best, here’s what Jeanette MacDonald had to say about Nelson Eddy in 1935: “No other man on the screen gives such an impression of eagerness and sincerity as Nelson Eddy. He is unique in this respect…. It is this boy-like quality which appeals most to women – the quality of unsophisticated eagerness in a mature and attractive man. He is exactly the same on the screen as he is off … anxious to please … the least theatrical artist I’ve ever known. There’s not an ounce of affectation in him. He was destined for stardom from the beginning.”
Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy rock! Their first film, “Naughty Marietta”, screened today on TCM and tonight the book “Sweethearts” is #1 on this Amazon best seller list! Amazon has it on sale and with Prime free shipping. It’s wonderful that folks are watching their films and learning more about their lives. Very humbling and […]
Both Nelson and Jeanette were patriots and contributed heavily to the WWII war effort. But just before that, Nelson started in “Let Freedom Ring”, a story close to his heart. Originally they were scheduled to star together in this film as a sequel to “Naughty Marietta” in 1935! Great message, no overdone makeup, gorgeous voice, […]
On June 29th, the 122nd anniversary of Nelson Eddy’s birth, some excerpts from an article in Progress Magazine, March 1937. “I want to live a good life gracefully, a life as nearly as possible in harmony with the universe, with life, with the Creator. I want to help others do the same. I want to […]
Hollywood Blvd, June 2023. It was a joy to meet old and new friends in person for the first time since 2018. Post-Covid, it was time to catch up and see the changes in the Jeanette/Nelson local landmarks. Fans came from as far away as Australia; several had never been to Los Angeles before. Over […]
On June 18th, her 120th birthday… some interview quotes: “I have worked terribly hard… maybe even much harder… than I should have. And you only find this out after you can look back at your experiences and see why you should have accepted things more instead of pushing, as I am sure I did. ” […]
Join us to celebrate the June birthdays of Jeanette and Nelson! We have a private room, new guest speakers and some interesting memorabilia none of us have seen before; luncheon includes a choice of 4 entrees from the Smoke House and a special birthday cake! The restaurant opened in 1946 and is famous for prime rib and amazing garlic bread! Jeanette and Nelson ate there, as did most of the Hollywood stars of the day. It’s across from Warner Bros. studios in Burbank so remains popular with industry folks today. Price includes food, our private room and everything except alcoholic drinks which can be ordered from your server. Details:
Date: Sunday, June 25, 2023
Location: The Smoke House restaurant, 4420 W Lakeside Dr, Burbank
Time: 11:30 am – 3:00 pm
Admission: $85/person
Our entree choices include one of the following:
Prime rib
Chicken Picatta
Stuffed Salmon
Pasta Primavera (vegetarian)
Click here to make your reservation. There’s limited seating so please reserve now.
ALSO: those interested can join us the day before, on Saturday morning, June 24, for an all-day driving tour of Jeanette and Nelson’s homes (including “Mists”). There’s no charge for this but if you’re interested, please note that when you make your reservation in the “comments” section.
For anyone coming from out-of-town and needing an affordable hotel for the weekend: We have reserved a block of rooms at a discount rate. You MUST mention that you’re with the Mac/Eddy group to get the special rate and it’s recommended that you make your reservation quickly before the rooms are gone. The hotel price includes a full breakfast:
Holiday Inn Express
22617 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills
Phone: 818-222-2299
Group code: maceddy
Nelson Eddy died on this day after suffering a massive stroke onstage the night before, while singing in Miami. He never regained consciousness. Gale Sherwood, his singing partner for 14 years during Nelson’s nightclub years, later detailed an unusual occurrence right after he passed, as she was leaving the hospital. “As I walked numbly into the sunlight, I looked up and saw two beautiful white doves soaring off into space. Nelson loved doves and as they flew above me, I said, “There he goes!” I’ll never, never see a small white bird and not think of dear Nelson flying away.” Question: Why TWO doves? Who was the other one?
Bumping up the write-up about Jeanette MacDonald’s funeral TV footage today… 58 years ago today…
Watch it. There is nothing more telling about the Jeanette-Nelson relationship (except “This is Your Life”, of course) than the way Nelson is offered condolences by the other celebrity pallbearers. He’s also the last mourner to step outside the chapel, one can see it in the video footage.
Additionally, he took care of the overdue bills from her funeral expenses that were not paid; one can see some bills in the probate file folder.
The photo snapped of him a month later in Canada later shows a very different Nelson than most people would recognize; he’s quite thin and looks to be lost in his thoughts. Such a difference one month can make.
Nelson Eddy: “The most miserable day of my life” (Jeanette MacDonald’s funeral)
They were close in life and ironically died on the same day thirteen years apart, Jeanette MacDonald in 1965 and Blossom MacDonald Rock in 1978. We will remember…
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Nelson: Joy to the World
Nelson: Oh, Come All Ye Faithful
Nelson: Silent Night
Nelson: Deck the Halls
Nelson: O Holy Night
Nelson: White Christmas
Finally! Joy to the World… We found a rare Christmas carol sung by Jeanette MacDonald! Thanks to Marcus Jones for his help with this project!
At last! We will have an LA get-together once again, on Sunday, June 25, 2023. It will be an afternoon event, likely in the San Fernando Valley and celebrate the June birthdays of both Jeanette and Nelson. At this point we haven’t yet finalized the location (probably still in the San Fernando Valley) – so […]
Just returned from a short TV interview on “Talk of Alabama” morning show. Will post a link later when the network posts it! I’m in Birmingham for a book signing event today and a silent auction, raising money for a scholarship in the name of Jeanette’s friend Lily May Caldwell. Lily May was the entertainment […]
New release! Our glossy, beautiful 2023 Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy calendar. Each month features a special photo with interesting facts and dates about their lives. Order at this link.
Join us for a Jeanette and Nelson event in Birmingham, Alabama! Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Both of them sang in Birmingham and there are some interesting connections to learn about! Includes light refreshments, discussion, Q&A, book signing, rare interview and video clips shown. Details and RSVP at the link!
Nelson Eddy died 55 years ago today. Let’s take a moment to reflect and his life and work. He began his professional career at age 20 as an opera singer. Hollywood beckoned and because he fell in love with his co-star to be in eight films, Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson ended his opera career. In Hollywood, […]
On November 1, 1963, Jeanette MacDonald signed her last will (though she added a short codicil in June 1964) and headed to Houston Methodist Hospital for a months-long stay. Look carefully at her name on the above hospital paperwork as part of her medical records: Mrs. JEANETTE RANDALL. The address provided was an office one. […]
An amazing find! More than a year before their marriages (and joint honeymoon) in 1937, Jeanette MacDonald appeared as a guest on Mary Pickford’s radio show. They remained friends through the years; Mary and Buddy Rogers are pictured below at Jeanette’s funeral. Listen to the broadcast here: Thanks to Angie Schneider for posting an informative […]
Today marks the anniversary of the passing of Jeanette MacDonald and her sister Blossom Rock. Blossom died 13 years to the day after Jeanette, having watched her sister’s success fade somewhat in the industry and in the younger generations who knew of Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis and a handful […]
“I didn’t like Jeanette MacDonald, I WAS Jeanette MacDonald. She was my idol of all… and Nelson Eddy. They were as important in my world almost as my mother and dad.” This quote is from beloved comedienne Betty White who passed away today, New Year’s Eve, just 17 days short of her 100th birthday. A […]
Our new 2022 calendar is now available at this link! The beautiful, glossy 11 x 8.5″ calendar includes new glossy photos not used before inside the calendar, as well as dozens of interesting, informative and fun dates, facts and events in the lives of Jeanette and Nelson! Once again, Don Schumann has designed a wonderful cover!
Today, Thursday, July 15, 2021, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is having a Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy film festival beginning at 6:30 am Eastern time, screening 7 of their 8 films together! In honor of this event, we released a new 8-book series entitled Poetic Memories. It’s a Limited Edition, only available on this website, […]
Today marks the 120th birthday of Nelson Eddy, in his day the highest paid singer in the world and the biggest crossover singer from opera to movie star! In honor of his birthday, here are four new YouTube videos. In the first interview, we hear Nelson say he loves Jeanette MacDonald and thinks she loves […]
In honor of Jeanette MacDonald’s birthday today, below are links to two of her later interviews. In the first one, she discusses the release of her record album with Nelson Eddy, “Favorites in Hi-Fi.” ? In the second YouTube video, Jeanette discusses the frustrations of writing her ill-fated autobiography. ?? Note that the unfinished typewritten […]
At long last, Mac/Eddy Today Issue #77 is available! It includes: a new look at The Girl of the Golden West as it passed its 80th anniversary; an article about the death of Gale Sherwood, Nelson’s nightclub singing partner for 14 years, and her significance in the latter years of the lives of both Nelson […]
Remembering Nelson Eddy today. In 1967 he suffered a massive stroke onstage while performing, 65 years old, and never regained consciousness. This photo of was part of a series shot in 1938, during a period of his life when he was happy in his personal life. By nature he was highly intelligent, funny, artistic in many genres, creative, an amazing singer, and he loved animals and nature. Very few photos capture that energy and joy of life but this one certainly does!
ALMOST GONE! Our beautiful new 11×8.5″ calendar is filled with glossy photos for each month and interesting facts about their lives and careers. Once again, it features a beautiful cover designed by Don Schumann. Thank you, Don!
The link to order the calendar is here.
Stay safe and well, enjoy the calendar, and here’s to a safe and healthy New Year!
Remembering Jeanette MacDonald today and her older sister Blossom MacDonald Rock, who passed 13 years to the day as Jeanette, and is shown here in her most famous role as Grandmama in “The Addams Family.”
Today fans around the world can read for free (with Kindle Unlimited) how Blossom helped ensure her sister’s story was told… at this link. We will remember!
