Melissa, then Miliza-Elisabeth Foelsch, lived in Germany from age one to four (1933 to 1936) with her parents, Miliza Korjus and Kuno Foelsch. She had a nanny, Lia, who was born in Latvia. They spoke German at home. They probably lived during this entire period in Berlin.
Both parents were brilliant in their very different fields of expertise.
Her mother was a soloist at the Magdeburg Opera Theater for the 1933/34 season. She performed with very popular reviews in Berlin, Cologne, Vienna, Warsaw, Budapest, Zurich and other cities. In 1934, the German recording company Electrola began selling vinyl records of Miliza Korjus’ singing works by major composers. In 1935, a German horror movie, The Student of Prague, featured Miliza singing two songs.
Melissa would sometimes appear in promotional photos with her mother.
Melissa’s father continued his scientific studies. He worked on his doctoral thesis on magnetic fields. In 1935, he received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics, and the following year published his thesis in Archiv für Electrotechnik, a major German electrical engineering journal.
One night, after Miliza Korjus performed at the Berlin opera, she received a telegram from renowned Hollywood film producer Irving Thalberg saying that he wanted her to be the lead singer in a major film production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios. Negotiations went back and forth for a few weeks, and she agreed.
When she sang at her last concert in Berlin, Miliza knew she was on her way to Hollywood.
In mid-1936, Miliza, Kuno, their daughter and the nanny Lia immigrated to the United States.
For a video of Melissa speaking German, click here.
For more information about Miliza Korjus, click here.