The star of popular MGM musicals of the 1940s and '50s ("Anchors Aweigh," "Show Boat" and "Kiss Me Kate") used to make my ears bleed — especially when she sang with duets with Howard Kiel – but she was an icon in movie musicals.  So she deserves her due credit.

She died at age 88.  (She was born, by the way, in Winston-Salem).