The Andrews Sisters
- Music Artist
- Actress
- Music Department
The preeminent singing sister act of all time with well over 75 million records
sold by which the swinging big-band era could not be better represented
were the fabulous Andrews Sisters: the blonde melodic mezzo Patty Andrews, the brunette soprano Maxene Andrews and the red-headed contralto Laverne Andrews.
With their precise harmonies and perfectly syncopated dance moves, the girls
reached heights of worldwide fame still unattained by any group which
followed. They delivered an optimistic, upbeat war campaign that
instilled hope, joy and allegiance through song, comedy, and lively
movement. Providing a musical security blanket to a war-torn
country via records, films, radio, clubs, stages, canteens, they bravely traveled
overseas war zones emphasizing through song the motto that America was strong and
proud ... and to keep on singing and swinging! Unfortunately, while the adhesive harmonies of The Andrews
Sisters were intricately close, their personal harmonies were more
discordant.
Second only to perhaps
Bob Hope in commitment and extensive
USO touring, the girls' profound influence extends even today with such
current pop idols as Bette Midler,
The Pointer Sisters,
Barry Manilow,
The Manhattan Transfer and Christina Aguilera. All have reinvented themselves in Andrews Sisters' style at one time or
another. .
Hailing from Minnesota, eldest sister LaVerne Sophie was born on July 6, 1911,
followed by Maxene Angelyn on January 3, 1916, and finally Patricia Marie on February
16, 1918. Greek father Peter was a restaurateur in the Minneapolis
area; their mother Ollie was a Norwegian homemaker. Childhood was, for the most part, lost to them. The girls' musical talents were quickly identified and they started performing on the road as youngsters, entering
assorted kiddie contests and often winning for their efforts. They practically grew up on the vaudeville circuit, roughing it and toughing it with
various bands and orchestras.
Signed by orchestra leader
Leon Belasco in 1937, the girls made their
very first recordings with "There's a Lull in My Life" (an early solo
by Patty), "Jammin'" and "Wake Up and Live." Subsequent radio work
eventually led to the Decca Records label. Although LaVerne read music
and was, in fact, an accomplished pianist, the trio learned by sense memory,
pure instinct and a strong ear. Patty, the youngest, became the lively melodic
leader, engulfed by the warm harmonies of LaVerne and Maxene.
The old Yiddish song "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" was translated into
English for them by Sammy Cahn and the girls
walked off with their first huge hit in late 1937 (and paid a
flat fifty dollars and no royalties!). An overnight sensation upon
release wherein it sold more than a million copies, their contract was
immediately revised by Decca and throughout the rest of the decade,
they recorded smash after smash -- "The Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out the
Barrel!)," "Well, All Right," "Hold Tight, Hold Tight" (with
Jimmy Dorsey ), "Oh, Johnny! Oh,
Johnny! Oh!," and their first two duets with
Bing Crosby in 1939: "Ciribiribin" and
"Yodelin' Jive" (both featuring jazz violinist
Joe Venuti and his orchestra).
The country was absolutely enthralled and captivated. Universal responded in like by
signing them to some of their nonsensical "B" musicals derived purely
for escapism as the U.S. prepared itself and became embroiled in WW2.
Their first appearance co-starred the zany and sometimes corny antics
of The Ritz Brothers in an
unflattering ditty called
Argentine Nights (1940). The frizzy-bobbed trio were introduced as a sort of specialty act with the
songs "Hit the Road," "Oh, He Loves Me" and "Rhumboogie." This was
followed by a 1-2-3 punch back at the recording studio with their
renditions of the rollicking "Beat Me, Daddy, Eight to the Bar," a
reinvention of the WW1 waltz "I'll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time"
and the soft, sentimental ballad "Mean to Me."
Their second film was
the above-average Bud Abbott -
Lou Costello vehicle
Buck Privates (1941), which solidly
showcased the tunes "You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith," "Bounce Me
Brother with a Solid Four," "I'll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time,"
and their infectious signature jump hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The
girls vocalized perfectly and stepped in swinging time for two other
Bud Abbott -
Lou Costello comedies,
In the Navy (1941) and
Hold That Ghost (1941).
Box-office sellouts on stage and in personal appearances across the
nation, they were given their own radio show in late 1944, which
continued through 1946, featuring such weekly guest stars as
Bing Crosby,
Frank Sinatra,
Bob Hope,
Eddie Cantor,
Bud Abbott and
Lou Costello,
Carmen Miranda,
Judy Garland,
Ethel Merman,
Rudy Vallee, and many other prominent
celebrities. In late1947, CBS Radio signed the sisters as regulars on
"Club Fifteen" (they appeared three times a week for five years with
alternating hosts Bob Crosby and
crooner Dick Haymes.
In 1942, Universal decided it was the right time to spruce them up and give them a bit
more on-screen persona by featuring them front-and-center in what
turned out to be an unfortunate string of poorly-produced "quickies."
In Give Out, Sisters (1942),
they posed as rich society matron types out to better their careers
while featuring their big hit "Pennsylvania Polka." In
Private Buckaroo (1942), they
put on a show for servicemen singing, among others, the huge hit "Don't
Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else But Me". The plots may have
been pancake-thin but they were sure-fire morale boosters and needed
war-time tension relievers. No trained actresses by any margin, the
girls emanated a down-home naturalness and appeal with a comedic flair
that attracted audiences coast-to-coast.
In later films, the girls played everything from "lonely hearts" club
managers in
Always a Bridesmaid (1943),
to elevator operators in
How's About It? (1943), to war-time
factory workers in Swingtime Johnny (1943). The girls were also featured in Universal's Follow the Boys (1944) and Paramount's Hollywood Canteen (1944), popular
all-star productions designed to promote the war effort. With a never-say-die flair, they finished up their
Universal contract rather inauspiciously with
Her Lucky Night (1945), just as
WW2 had come to an end.
Still highly in demand in the recording studio, on radio, on stage and in clubs, they had no trouble moving on. In the post-war years, they appeared in Paramount's Die Welt dreht sich verkehrt (1947) and teamed with Bing Crosby on "You Don't Have to Know the Language." The picture was the highest-grossing film of that year. The Disney company also utilized the girls' voices in their cartoon features
Make Mine Music (1946) and
Melody Time (1948).
All three girls experienced down times in their personal lives as well during the
late-1940s. There were rumblings amid the group. Maxene and Patty went
through painful divorces (Maxene split with the group's manager Lou
Levy; Patty lost agent and husband,
Martin Melcher to singer
Doris Day), and lost their parents within a year of each other, as did their mentor Jack Kapp of Decca
Records. Moreover, the girls squabbled over their parents' estate
shares and individual career desires.
In 1953, Patty, the group's lead,
declared she was going solo. LaVerne and Maxene attempted to duo for a
time until Maxene attempted suicide, of a drug overdose in 1954,
heartbroken over the brittle breakup of the group. LaVerne
denied the suicide attempt to reporters. The girls reunited in 1956 and worked constantly for the next decade in
recording studios (Capitol and Dot), on stages throughout the world
(frequently in England), and in countless guest-star television spots.
LaVerne's serious illness in 1966, however, promptly ended the trio
permanently. She died of liver cancer in May of the next year. Maxene retired
shortly after and became Dean of Women at a Tahoe, Nevada college.
Patty, ever the trouper, continued on television, in clubs and in film
cameos...wherever there was an audience.
In 1973, Patty and Maxene reunited for their first Broadway musical,
the nostalgic "Over Here" (Tony-winning
Janie Sell played the LaVerne counterpart) in
which they performed their old standards following the show's second
act; but it did little to repair the strained Patty/Maxene off-stage
relationship, especially since LaVerne wasn't around to foster
peace-making tactics. As Maxene blamed Patty's husband, Walter
Weschler, as an instigator in separating her from Patty, the
estrangement remained permanent until Maxene's death in 1995.
The two sisters did reunite briefly when they earned a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1987. The group was also inducted into the
Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Patty sang in shows and on cruise
ships while Maxene continued soloing and did quite well for a time in
such musical shows as "Pippin" and "Swing Time Canteen" (the latter as
late as 1995).
Plagued by heart problems (she suffered a massive heart
attack in 1982), Maxene died of a second coronary on October 21, 1995.
Patty remained in seclusion in her Northridge home near Los Angeles
with husband Wally for years. After his death in 2010, Patty began a slow and
steady decline and died on January 30, 2013, just two weeks before her
95th birthday.
Fortunately, The Andrews Sisters' legendary feuding can never overshadow their exhaustive musical
contributions and unparalleled success during 36 years of performing
together. In 1987, the group was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star for their recording work. The following year, they were among the inaugural inductees to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
sold by which the swinging big-band era could not be better represented
were the fabulous Andrews Sisters: the blonde melodic mezzo Patty Andrews, the brunette soprano Maxene Andrews and the red-headed contralto Laverne Andrews.
With their precise harmonies and perfectly syncopated dance moves, the girls
reached heights of worldwide fame still unattained by any group which
followed. They delivered an optimistic, upbeat war campaign that
instilled hope, joy and allegiance through song, comedy, and lively
movement. Providing a musical security blanket to a war-torn
country via records, films, radio, clubs, stages, canteens, they bravely traveled
overseas war zones emphasizing through song the motto that America was strong and
proud ... and to keep on singing and swinging! Unfortunately, while the adhesive harmonies of The Andrews
Sisters were intricately close, their personal harmonies were more
discordant.
Second only to perhaps
Bob Hope in commitment and extensive
USO touring, the girls' profound influence extends even today with such
current pop idols as Bette Midler,
The Pointer Sisters,
Barry Manilow,
The Manhattan Transfer and Christina Aguilera. All have reinvented themselves in Andrews Sisters' style at one time or
another. .
Hailing from Minnesota, eldest sister LaVerne Sophie was born on July 6, 1911,
followed by Maxene Angelyn on January 3, 1916, and finally Patricia Marie on February
16, 1918. Greek father Peter was a restaurateur in the Minneapolis
area; their mother Ollie was a Norwegian homemaker. Childhood was, for the most part, lost to them. The girls' musical talents were quickly identified and they started performing on the road as youngsters, entering
assorted kiddie contests and often winning for their efforts. They practically grew up on the vaudeville circuit, roughing it and toughing it with
various bands and orchestras.
Signed by orchestra leader
Leon Belasco in 1937, the girls made their
very first recordings with "There's a Lull in My Life" (an early solo
by Patty), "Jammin'" and "Wake Up and Live." Subsequent radio work
eventually led to the Decca Records label. Although LaVerne read music
and was, in fact, an accomplished pianist, the trio learned by sense memory,
pure instinct and a strong ear. Patty, the youngest, became the lively melodic
leader, engulfed by the warm harmonies of LaVerne and Maxene.
The old Yiddish song "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" was translated into
English for them by Sammy Cahn and the girls
walked off with their first huge hit in late 1937 (and paid a
flat fifty dollars and no royalties!). An overnight sensation upon
release wherein it sold more than a million copies, their contract was
immediately revised by Decca and throughout the rest of the decade,
they recorded smash after smash -- "The Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out the
Barrel!)," "Well, All Right," "Hold Tight, Hold Tight" (with
Jimmy Dorsey ), "Oh, Johnny! Oh,
Johnny! Oh!," and their first two duets with
Bing Crosby in 1939: "Ciribiribin" and
"Yodelin' Jive" (both featuring jazz violinist
Joe Venuti and his orchestra).
The country was absolutely enthralled and captivated. Universal responded in like by
signing them to some of their nonsensical "B" musicals derived purely
for escapism as the U.S. prepared itself and became embroiled in WW2.
Their first appearance co-starred the zany and sometimes corny antics
of The Ritz Brothers in an
unflattering ditty called
Argentine Nights (1940). The frizzy-bobbed trio were introduced as a sort of specialty act with the
songs "Hit the Road," "Oh, He Loves Me" and "Rhumboogie." This was
followed by a 1-2-3 punch back at the recording studio with their
renditions of the rollicking "Beat Me, Daddy, Eight to the Bar," a
reinvention of the WW1 waltz "I'll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time"
and the soft, sentimental ballad "Mean to Me."
Their second film was
the above-average Bud Abbott -
Lou Costello vehicle
Buck Privates (1941), which solidly
showcased the tunes "You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith," "Bounce Me
Brother with a Solid Four," "I'll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time,"
and their infectious signature jump hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The
girls vocalized perfectly and stepped in swinging time for two other
Bud Abbott -
Lou Costello comedies,
In the Navy (1941) and
Hold That Ghost (1941).
Box-office sellouts on stage and in personal appearances across the
nation, they were given their own radio show in late 1944, which
continued through 1946, featuring such weekly guest stars as
Bing Crosby,
Frank Sinatra,
Bob Hope,
Eddie Cantor,
Bud Abbott and
Lou Costello,
Carmen Miranda,
Judy Garland,
Ethel Merman,
Rudy Vallee, and many other prominent
celebrities. In late1947, CBS Radio signed the sisters as regulars on
"Club Fifteen" (they appeared three times a week for five years with
alternating hosts Bob Crosby and
crooner Dick Haymes.
In 1942, Universal decided it was the right time to spruce them up and give them a bit
more on-screen persona by featuring them front-and-center in what
turned out to be an unfortunate string of poorly-produced "quickies."
In Give Out, Sisters (1942),
they posed as rich society matron types out to better their careers
while featuring their big hit "Pennsylvania Polka." In
Private Buckaroo (1942), they
put on a show for servicemen singing, among others, the huge hit "Don't
Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else But Me". The plots may have
been pancake-thin but they were sure-fire morale boosters and needed
war-time tension relievers. No trained actresses by any margin, the
girls emanated a down-home naturalness and appeal with a comedic flair
that attracted audiences coast-to-coast.
In later films, the girls played everything from "lonely hearts" club
managers in
Always a Bridesmaid (1943),
to elevator operators in
How's About It? (1943), to war-time
factory workers in Swingtime Johnny (1943). The girls were also featured in Universal's Follow the Boys (1944) and Paramount's Hollywood Canteen (1944), popular
all-star productions designed to promote the war effort. With a never-say-die flair, they finished up their
Universal contract rather inauspiciously with
Her Lucky Night (1945), just as
WW2 had come to an end.
Still highly in demand in the recording studio, on radio, on stage and in clubs, they had no trouble moving on. In the post-war years, they appeared in Paramount's Die Welt dreht sich verkehrt (1947) and teamed with Bing Crosby on "You Don't Have to Know the Language." The picture was the highest-grossing film of that year. The Disney company also utilized the girls' voices in their cartoon features
Make Mine Music (1946) and
Melody Time (1948).
All three girls experienced down times in their personal lives as well during the
late-1940s. There were rumblings amid the group. Maxene and Patty went
through painful divorces (Maxene split with the group's manager Lou
Levy; Patty lost agent and husband,
Martin Melcher to singer
Doris Day), and lost their parents within a year of each other, as did their mentor Jack Kapp of Decca
Records. Moreover, the girls squabbled over their parents' estate
shares and individual career desires.
In 1953, Patty, the group's lead,
declared she was going solo. LaVerne and Maxene attempted to duo for a
time until Maxene attempted suicide, of a drug overdose in 1954,
heartbroken over the brittle breakup of the group. LaVerne
denied the suicide attempt to reporters. The girls reunited in 1956 and worked constantly for the next decade in
recording studios (Capitol and Dot), on stages throughout the world
(frequently in England), and in countless guest-star television spots.
LaVerne's serious illness in 1966, however, promptly ended the trio
permanently. She died of liver cancer in May of the next year. Maxene retired
shortly after and became Dean of Women at a Tahoe, Nevada college.
Patty, ever the trouper, continued on television, in clubs and in film
cameos...wherever there was an audience.
In 1973, Patty and Maxene reunited for their first Broadway musical,
the nostalgic "Over Here" (Tony-winning
Janie Sell played the LaVerne counterpart) in
which they performed their old standards following the show's second
act; but it did little to repair the strained Patty/Maxene off-stage
relationship, especially since LaVerne wasn't around to foster
peace-making tactics. As Maxene blamed Patty's husband, Walter
Weschler, as an instigator in separating her from Patty, the
estrangement remained permanent until Maxene's death in 1995.
The two sisters did reunite briefly when they earned a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1987. The group was also inducted into the
Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Patty sang in shows and on cruise
ships while Maxene continued soloing and did quite well for a time in
such musical shows as "Pippin" and "Swing Time Canteen" (the latter as
late as 1995).
Plagued by heart problems (she suffered a massive heart
attack in 1982), Maxene died of a second coronary on October 21, 1995.
Patty remained in seclusion in her Northridge home near Los Angeles
with husband Wally for years. After his death in 2010, Patty began a slow and
steady decline and died on January 30, 2013, just two weeks before her
95th birthday.
Fortunately, The Andrews Sisters' legendary feuding can never overshadow their exhaustive musical
contributions and unparalleled success during 36 years of performing
together. In 1987, the group was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star for their recording work. The following year, they were among the inaugural inductees to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.