Background and career
Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. Popular during the 1950s, he sold millions of records and hosted his own TV show, The Eddie Fisher Show. Fisher had multiple high-profile marriages, including with Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor, and Connie Stevens.
Fisher was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 10, 1928, the fourth of seven children born to Gitte Kathrine "Kate" (née Minicker; c.1901–1991) and Joseph Fisher (né Tisch; 1900–1972), both Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire. His father's surname was originally Tisch but was changed to Fisher by the time of the 1940 census. To his family Fisher was always called Sonny Boy, a nickname derived from the song of the same name in Al Jolson's film The Singing Fool (1928). His siblings were Sidney, Nettie, Miriam, Janet, Alvin, and Eileen. Kate and Joseph divorced after 33 years of marriage when Fisher was an adult. Fisher attended Thomas Junior High School, South Philadelphia High School, and Simon Gratz High School. It was known at an early age that he had talent as a vocalist, and he started singing in numerous amateur contests, which he usually won. He made his radio debut on WFIL, a local Philadelphia radio station. He also performed on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, a popular radio show that later moved to television. Because he became a local star, Fisher dropped out of high school in the middle of his senior year to pursue his career.
By 1946 Fisher was crooning with the bands of Buddy Morrow and Charlie Ventura. He was heard in 1949 by Eddie Cantor at Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel in the Borscht Belt. Cantor's so-called discovery of Fisher was later described as a totally contrived, "manipulated" arrangement by Milton Blackstone, Grossinger's publicity director. After performing on Cantor's radio show he was an instant hit and gained nationwide exposure. He then signed a recording contract with RCA Victor and became their best-selling pop artist.
Fisher was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951, sent to Fort Hood, Texas, for basic training, and served a year in Korea. From 1952 to 1953 he was the official vocal soloist for the United States Army Band (Pershing's Own) and a tenor section member in the United States Army Band Chorus (an element of Pershing's Own) assigned at Fort Myer in the Washington, D.C. Military District. During his active duty period he also made occasional guest television appearances in uniform, introduced as "PFC Eddie Fisher". After his discharge he began to sing in top nightclubs and had a variety television series, Coke Time with Eddie Fisher on NBC (1953–1957). Fisher also appeared on The Perry Como Show, Club Oasis, The Martha Raye Show, The Gisele MacKenzie Show, The Chesterfield Supper Club, and The George Gobel Show, and he starred in another series, The Eddie Fisher Show (NBC) (1957–1959, alternating with Gobel's series).
Fisher's good looks and strong, melodious tenor voice made him a teen idol and one of the most popular singers of the early 1950s. He had 17 songs in the Top 10 between 1950 and 1956 and 35 in the Top 40. In 1953 "Any Time" became his first record to sell a million copies, followed soon after by "I'm Walking Behind You". That year "Wish You Were Here" topped the U.S. pop charts as well, and another million-seller "Oh! My Pa-Pa" was released. The latter also set an all-time record at that time for RCA Victor; "Oh! My Pa-Pa" sold over 250,000 copies in one week. In 1954 Fisher topped the U.S. charts a fourth time with "I Need You Now", which also hit the UK charts at number 13. When Fisher was at the height of his popularity in the mid-1950s, singles, rather than albums, were the primary medium for issuing recordings. However, Fisher had several Top-10 albums as well. Eddie Fisher Sings, I'm in the Mood for Love, Christmas with Eddie Fisher, and May I Sing to You? all scored within the pop Top 5, featuring both original material and cover songs. In 1957 he signed a then-record $1 million deal with the newly opened Tropicana Las Vegas to appear for at least four weeks a year for five years.
In his memoir, My Life, My Loves, Fisher recounted turning down a Copacabana engagement that a young tenor named Bill Shirley later accepted, whose successful debut Fisher witnessed from backstage. Fisher recalled Monte Proser telling him, “That could have been you,” a moment he described with lingering regret. In 1954, following growing media attention on Shirley’s relationship with Debbie Reynolds, Fisher re-entered Reynolds’ life with the support of his public relations team. His sudden proposal at the Cocoanut Grove shifted public attention and led to Reynolds’ engagement, effectively ending her relationship with Shirley. While Fisher did not reference Shirley directly, the timing and tone of his memoir suggest a desire to reassert his presence both personally and professionally. Fisher created interest as a pop culture icon. Betty Johnson's "I Want Eddie Fisher For Christmas", containing references to a number of hit songs, reached No. 28 in the Music Vendor national survey during an 11-week chart run in late 1954. In 1956, Fisher costarred with then-wife Debbie Reynolds in the musical comedy Bundle of Joy. He played a dramatic role in the 1960 drama BUtterfield 8 with second wife Elizabeth Taylor. His best friend was a showman and producer Mike Todd, who died in a plane crash in 1958. Fisher's affair, divorce from Reynolds, and subsequent marriage to Taylor, Todd's widow, caused a show business scandal. Due to the unfavorable publicity surrounding the affair and divorce, NBC canceled Fisher's television series in March 1959.
