Wilson made her
Broadway debut at the
Lyric Theatre in 1919 as Josephine in
Harold Orlob's musical
Nothing But Love. She later returned to Broadway in
Albert Von Tilzer's
Adrienne (1923) and
Noël Coward's
The Young Idea (1932, as Priscilla Hartleberry). She worked as a church vocalist at the Fourth Avenue Methodist Church in Brooklyn in 1920, and by 1922 was the resident soprano at All Souls Church in that city. In 1921 Wilson starred in a production of the three act farce ''Billy's Bungalow'' in Brooklyn. That same year she performed at an event featuring former
Secretary to the President of the United States Elijah W. Halford that was sponsored by the
YMCA of Greater New York. While traveling in a vehicle on July 3, 1921, Wilson was struck by a car which fractured her skull. The accident led to a lawsuit in which she said her injuries impaired her ability to sing. She sought damages of $25,000 but the case was eventually settled out of court for $4,300. In 1922 she starred as Mimi in the musical
The Cameo Girl at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music. In March 1923 she gave a recital which was broadcast nationally on the radio, and the following December performed for the
68th United States Congress and U.S. president
Calvin Coolidge during an official ceremony in which the president was addressing that legislative body. That performance was broadcast on national radio. She subsequently became a regular performer on the radio in the 1920s on the sacred music programs
Midweek Hymn Sing and
Shut-In Hour in which she sang in a vocal quartet with baritone Arthur Billings Hunt, tenor Hunt Dengler, and contralto Helen Janke. She also toured in
vaudeville in the mid 1920s. In November 1927 she performed the role of Annabel in an
NBC Radio production of
Reginald De Koven's opera
Robin Hood with
Colin O'More in the title role and
Jessica Dragonette as Maid Marian. It was broadcast nationally on
The Philco Hour program. She was featured on this program again the following month as Pepita in
Leslie Stuart's
Havana. She performed roles in several more light operas on
The Philco Hour; among them Gretchen in
The Red Mill (1928), Mother Superior in
The Serenade (1928), Lila in
Gypsy Love (1928), Lady Maude in
Eileen (1928), Juliska Racz in
Der Zigeunerprimas (1928), Mlle Pompon in
The Fortune Teller (1928), Molly Seamore in
The Geisha, Desiree in
The Pink Lady (1928), Gretchen in
The Student Prince (1929), Mitzi in
Blossom Time (1929), and Huguette in
The Vagabond King (1929) among others. In 1929 Wilson performed the role of Abydos in
The Wizard of the Nile with the National Light Opera, and portrayed Micaëla in
Georges Bizet's
Carmen with the National Grand Opera Company. That same year she was a performer in a concert organized by
ASCAP honoring
Victor Herbert on the fifth anniversary of his death at the
Ritz-Carlton Hotel. ''. The cartoon features her working for the Internal Revenue Service by day; a job she held during her early days as a radio singer. On October 3, 1932, she starred in the world premiere of
Charles Wakefield Cadman and
Nelle Richmond Eberhart's
radio opera The Willow Tree. She created the role of the temptress Alison Travers in this production. It was conducted by
Cesare Sodero who led the NBC National Grand Opera Orchestra for national broadcast on
NBC Radio. Also in the cast was tenor Frederick Hufsmith whom Muriel later married in 1938. Wilson and Hufsmith were both resident singers on the NBC Radio program
Gems and Melody which was aired nationally from 1933–1935. Without her husband she starred as the character Mary Lou as a principal cast member in the musical radio program
Maxwell House Show Boat from 1932–1935. It was the most popular radio program in the United States during those years. Wilson made several recordings for the
Victor Talking Machine Company during the 1930s which are catalogued in the
Discography of American Historical Recordings. In 1930 she recorded as a member of the Rondoliers Quartette, and in 1935 she recorded as a member of a female vocal trio whose other members included
Elsie Baker and Ruth Rogers. She also recorded several duets with Rogers and performed in a number of other duets, trios and quartets for Victor in 1939 and 1941. Wilson and her husband performed in concerts together into the 1950s. They were also active singers in sacred music performances at various churches; including the
Pro-Cathedral in Brooklyn and the
St. Rose of Lima Church in Manhattan. She was also active as an oratorio soloist in works like
Johann Sebastian Bach's
St Matthew Passion George Frideric Handel's
Messiah, and
Alfred Gaul's
The Holy City. In 1941 she performed on the radio with the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Wilson died at Yonkers General Hospital on May 3, 1969. ==References==