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This vibrant star of the Metropolitan Opera was among several who capitalized on the operatic craze of the 1930s to seek fame in film. Following in the footsteps of fellow divas Jeanette MacDonald, Lily Pons, and Grace Moore on the silver screen, Gladys' film career was modest and ultimately disappointing. Born in Deepwater, Missouri, a mining town in the Ozarks, in 1900 (though some sources cite 1898 or even 1904), she was educated in Kansas City. Though a delicate and fragile child, her vocal talents were strong and showed great promise early on. By age 13, she was a soloist at a local church and later attended the Bush Conservatory of Music in Chicago, earning a Doctorate of Music in 1923. The following year, she joined the Chicago Civic Opera Company, mastering over 22 roles. After training and performing in Europe in the late 1920s, she debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1929 with "La Gioconda." Renowned as one of the Met's finest mezzos, her extensive repertoire of 25 roles included "Norma," "Peter Ibbetson," "La Forza del Destino," "Mignon," and notably "Carmen," which became her hallmark role.
While MGM capitalized on MacDonald, RKO promoted Pons, and Columbia showcased Moore, Paramount sought out the lovely, brown-eyed Gladys for their operettas. Though somewhat reserved and mild-mannered, she signed a lucrative contract and enjoyed enviable publicity. Her ambitious debut came with dual roles in Rose of the Rancho (1936), where she portrayed both a Spanish señorita and "Don Carlos," a masked vigilante—roles reflecting her operatic experience with "trouser" parts. Paired with John Boles, the film quickly failed at the box office. Subsequent projects fared no better. Give Us This Night (1936) flopped despite a script by Oscar Hammerstein II and the presence of Polish tenor Jan Kiepura, who overshadowed her. Champagne Waltz (1937) lacked compelling songs and an engaging storyline, while the mediocre Romance in the Dark (1938), again opposite Boles and featuring a fading John Barrymore, marked a decline. Ultimately, the dull, non-singing melodrama Ambush (1939) sealed the end of her film career.
Conversely, radio proved an ideal medium for Gladys. She was a lively guest on numerous programs and hosted her own show in New York City, performing a wide range of music from arias to spirituals to popular standards. Throughout the war years, she was recognized as the top classical radio singer, with sold-out recordings and concert tours to match. Her career, however, was halted by tragedy. Having survived rheumatic fever as a child, she developed serious heart issues later in life. After major valve surgery, she was compelled to retire by 1957.
Her personal life was fortunately happy. Her second husband, opera singer Frank Chapman, abandoned his own career to manage hers. In their later years, they split their time between a home in Connecticut and a villa in Italy. Chapman passed away in 1966, and Gladys, who had no children, died from her heart condition three years later.
