GENE RAYMOND

Garbo 1951 He was born Raymond Guion on August 13, 1908 in New York City. In films he was known as Gene Raymond. Jeanette MacDonald married the film actor on June 16, 1937 in a traditional wedding ceremony at Wilshire Methodist Church, with Ginger Rogers and Fay Wray as bridesmaids. Adrian designed Jeanette's pink wedding gown. It was the Hollywood event of 1937 with hundreds of fans turning out to see them. Many fans were upset that MacDonald wasn't marrying Nelson Eddy. Raymond was five years younger than MacDonald; his mother accused her of being a cradle snatcher. As a surprise wedding gfit for MacDonald, Raymond had purchased a Tudor style mansion called Twin Gables at 783 Bel-Air Road. They never had any children and they remained happily married for 28 years, until MacDonald's death in 1965. Raymond married again in 1974 to Mrs. Nel Benltley Hees of Palisades, California. She died in 1994 and Raymond died of pneumonia in 1998. He was 90. In his later years, Raymond always spoke highly of MacDonald.

As Amonasro in Aida

The Wedding
June 16, 1937 Beverly Hills, CA

Student Tour

Honeymoon in Honolulu, HI
1937

Life Magazine

Returning from the honeymoon
1937

Rosalie

Twin Gables on Bel-Air Road
Gene's wedding present to Jeanette

Rosalie

Jeanette at Twin Gables
1939

Grauman's Chinese Theatre

At the Santa Anita Racetrack
1939

Gene and Jeanette at Twin Gables

Gene and Jeanette
at Twin Gables
1940s

Gene and Jeanette at Twin Gables

Gene and Jeanette
at Twin Gables
1940s

Jeanette & Gene in Hollywood 1940

Jeanette & Gene
in Hollywood
1940

Gene and Jeanette in Paris 1950

Gene and Jeanette in Paris
1950

Formal Portrait of Gene and Jeanette

Formal portrait of
Gene and Jeanette
1951

Gene and Jeanette at the Metropolitan Opera

Gene and Jeanette
at the Metropolitan Opera
NYC 1951

Columbia Records ad

The Ken Murray TV Show
Gene, Jeanette, Ken Murray
1951

Carnegie Hall Playbill

Jeanette and Gene at the Circus
Madison Square Garden
NYC 1954

Stout Hearted Men album

at Twin Gables
relaxing by the pool
1956

20th Wedding Anniversary

20th Wedding Anniversary
1957

at premiere Gigi, LA 1958

at the film premiere of Gigi
Los Angeles 1958

Jeanette and Gene circa 1959

Jeanette and Gene
circa 1959

  Return to the top of the page