Ilona Massey

Ilona Massey

Appeared with Milton Berle and Arthur Treacher in an edition of the "Ziegfeld Follies" on Broadway that ran for more than 500 performances.

Built up her early reputation singing in musical halls and operettas in Hungary, Austria and Germany.

During the tabloid feud between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, Ms. Massey was tried out as Eddy's co-star in a couple of musical films. The public was not receptive to it. Most people thought Jeanette and Nelson were married in real life and viewed this new pairing as tantamount to adultery.

Former opera-singer.

Her hatred toward communism was notorious. In 1959 she picketed in protest when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and Deputy Premier Anastas Mikoyan visited her country.



Her widower, Donald Dawson, was a lawyer who was at one time an administrative assistant to President Truman. He was questioned in 1951 by Senator Fulbright's subcommittee about his connections with Washington influence peddlers and RFC loans.

Husband #3 was Charles Walker, one-time owner of a fashionable Manhattan jewelry shop.

In 1954 a special subcommittee of the House of Representatives held hearings in Manhattan on communist aggression in Eastern Europe and Ms. Massey became their star witness, testifying to the rape, murder and robbery committed by Soviet agents against her Hungarian native land.

Since she was married to military man of high rank she is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Submitted her photograph to the Vienna office of MGM and ended up one of 36 European hopefuls to try out Hollywood. Only two succeeded. Ms. Massey and Hedy Lamarr.


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