During the early 1930s, Eggerth was discovered by the film industry, and her career took off resulting in international fame. She made more than 40 films in five languages: Hungarian, English, German, French and Italian. Among the highlights were,
Where is this Lady (1932);
Ein Lied, ein Kuss, ein Mädel (Berlin 1932, music Robert Stolz);
The Csardas Princess (1934);
The Blonde Carmen (Berlin 1935);
Casta Diva, the story of Bellini (Rome 1935);
Das Hofkonzert (1936);
Zauber der Bohème, with
Jan Kiepura (Vienna 1936, music Robert Stolz); as well as two films written especially for her by
Franz Lehár,
Es war einmal ein Walzer (1932) and
Die ganze Welt dreht sich um Liebe (Vienna 1935). It was on the set of the 1934 film
Mein Herz ruft immer nach dir (
My Heart is Calling You, music
Robert Stolz) that she met and fell in love with the young Polish
tenor,
Jan Kiepura. They were married in 1936 and together became known as Europe's
Liebespaar (Love Pair) causing a sensation wherever they appeared. On February 10, 1938, Jan Kiepura made his debut at New York's
Metropolitan Opera, singing the role of Rodolfo in
Puccini's
La bohème. He went on to sing leading roles in
Tosca,
Rigoletto,
Carmen,
Manon, and
Aida, as well as performing up to 80 concerts a year throughout the United States and Canada. While Kiepura toured the United States, Eggerth was signed by the
Shubert Theatre on Broadway to appear in
Richard Rodgers' musical
Higher and Higher. She subsequently signed a contract with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Hollywood and, during the early 1940s, made two movies with
Judy Garland:
For Me and My Gal in 1942 (also
Gene Kelly's first major film role) and
Presenting Lily Mars in 1943. In Chicago, Eggerth and Kiepura performed together on the operatic stage in
La bohème to rave reviews. In 1943, they starred together on Broadway at the
Majestic Theater in a revised production of Lehár's
The Merry Widow, with Robert Stolz conducting and choreography by
George Balanchine. They would eventually perform
The Merry Widow more than 2,000 times, in five languages throughout Europe and America. In 1945, they were back on
Broadway together in the musical
Polonaise. After World War II, they returned to France touring and making films, such as
Valse Brillante (1949) and
The Land of Smiles (1952), before bringing
The Merry Widow to London's
Palace Theatre in 1954. Throughout her career, Eggerth maintained active recital tours throughout Europe, Canada and the United States, combining her extensive repertoire of
lieder, opera, film songs, and especially Viennese operetta. Kiepura's equally active recital schedule often meant that the couple would be temporarily separated. But the couple's international tours often brought them together in the same city, where they would perform to delighted crowds. In London, they gave two sold-out concerts in one week at the
Royal Albert Hall in 1956. The couple continued singing throughout the 1950s and 1960s with more productions of
The Merry Widow in the United States, concerts and other productions in Europe. In 1965 they brought
The Merry Widow back to Berlin for yet another successful run. Kiepura died in 1966. Eggerth stopped singing at this time for several years. Finally, persuaded by her mother, she decided to revive her career. In the 1970s she began to make regular television appearances, and to actively perform concerts in Europe. In 1982, she returned to the American stage to co-star in the Tom Jones/
Harvey Schmidt musical
Colette opposite
Diana Rigg in Seattle and Denver, and later in
Stephen Sondheim's
Follies in Pittsburgh. In 1999, at the age of 87, she sang on the stage of the
Vienna State Opera in a special televised matinée concert hosted by opera impresario and historian
Marcel Prawy, to mark that opera house's first production of Lehár's
The Merry Widow. She sang a medley from the operetta in four languages and received a spontaneous standing ovation. She repeated this medley in 2000, at a gala to mark the 200th anniversary of Vienna's
Theater an der Wien. In 2001, Eggerth returned to London for "An Interview-in-Concert" at a sold-out
Wigmore Hall, accompanied by conductor-pianist
Alexander Frey and hosted by British author and critic Brendan Carroll. She also sang at the annual
Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation concerts at
Lincoln Center's
Alice Tully Hall. She was seen in Austria on a popular television detective series,
Tatort, playing the role of an aging
diva suspected in a murder case. Appearances in 2006 and 2007 included two concerts with interviews at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art; sold-out shows at the Café Sabarsky in
Neue Galerie entertaining audiences with her pre-war Viennese/Berlin cabaret style of wit, artistry and song; a concert and discussion held as part of
New York University's
Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes; an appearance at the Austrian Cultural Forum as part of their
Mostly Operetta series; operetta
master classes at the
Manhattan School of Music; and an appearance at the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA). Her last performance was at age 99 in 2011. ==Awards==