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During the next few years they perfected their act with
Rosetta as a foghorn-voiced comedian and Vivian as the pretty-but-dumb blonde type. Within a few years they "matured into first-rate vaudeville troupers who wrote much of their music in dialogue." They subsequently played not only in
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Vivian and
Rosetta Duncan have made a snappy, hilarious comedy of the life of a vaudeville sister team in this elaborate picture. It is crammed to the gunwales with Duncan comedy, and they do a lot of the vocalizing that made them famous. Listen for "Following You" – you'll care for
400:. In the late 1940s the Duncans wrote and recorded four Christmas selections for the Hollywood Recording Guild Inc.: "Dear Santy", "The Angel on the Top of the X-mas Tree", "Twimmin' de Cwis'mas Twee" and "Jolly Ole Fella". These appeared on 7" extended play 78rpm kiddie records.
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Unfortunately, the film "faltered at the box office and helped to cut short the
Duncans' movie career." The movie, seldom seen for decades in part due to the color footage being missing, resurfaced in 2010 in a restored print released by Warner Bros. Archive.
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as the fictional
Mahoney sisters. The film proved to be highly successful so MGM decided to follow it up with a similar film, this time starring the real-life Duncan Sisters in the leads. The result was
455:. Ms. Hutton demanded a rewrite after reading the first script draft and soon afterward walked out of her contract with the studio. Production plans for the film were then abandoned and never resumed.
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Their act ended in 1959 when
Rosetta died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident, where she apparently fell asleep at the wheel while returning from a performance engagement, in
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Although by now past their prime, the Duncan
Sisters continued as a popular night club entertainers act for several more decades. They also appeared in several
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The sequences are a fashion revue in the first part of the film, and two musical numbers - "Hoosier Hop" and "I'm
Sailing on a Sunbeam" - at the end.
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1136:. Some of the color scenes were released on laserdisc as part of the "Dawn of Sound" series and a brief clip was used in the compilation film
418:. Vivian, who by that time had remarried to Frank Herman, subsequently continued performing as a single act on the club circuit. She died of
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Rosetta (who was lesbian) attempted a solo career for a few years, but was rejoined with Vivian in 1932 after Vivian's divorce from Asther.
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325:. In the film the Duncan Sisters performed two of their most popular songs, "I'm Following You" and "Hoosier Hop."
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considered making a musical biography about the sisters' life after the success of a film of another sister act,
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https://books.google.com/books?id=XFnfnKg6BcAC&dq=duncan+lesbian+rosetta&pg=PA338
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which featured footage of them reprising their Topsy and Eva characters.
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A silent film adaptation of their stage hit. Partially directed by
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By Frank Cullen, Florence
Hackman, Donald McNeilly Page 338, see:
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369:, who had co-starred with her and Rosetta in the film version of
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Sources differ on their birth dates. These are taken from the
164:(June 17, 1897 – September 19, 1986) were born in
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did cast the
Duncans in their all-star 1930 extravaganza
160:(November 23, 1894 – December 4, 1959) and
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In 1923 the
Duncans created their signature roles in
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announced plans for a biopic on the Duncans to star
140:duo who became popular in the 1920s with their act
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1318:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
886:The Argentines, The Portuguese, and the Greeks
440:. The project never got beyond the idea stage.
380:The Duncan Sisters as Topsy and Eva, circa 1945
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196:, but also in night clubs and on stage in both
1273:Discography of American Historical Recordings
1106:. Jefferson, NC, and London. McFarland, 1996.
682:, with the Duncans doing a cameo appearance.
8:
738:An all-star extravaganza - never completed.
403:In 1956 both Rosetta and Vivian appeared on
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1209:One of Duncan Sisters Badly Hurt In Crash
1115:Wagenknecht, Edward, and Anthony Slide.
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1166:. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. 2009
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1333:20th-century American women musicians
187:L-R Vivian and Rosetta Duncan c. 1912
46:L-R Rosetta and Vivian Duncan c. 1912
27:American entertainers; vaudeville duo
7:
1088:. Secaucus, NJ. Castle Books, 1974.
1084:Springer, John, and Jack Hamilton.
1119:. New York, NY, Crown Books, 1975.
204:. They made their first important
25:
333:magazine stated in their review:
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1011:The Argentines, The Portuguese,
253:was subsequently adapted into a
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1328:20th-century American comedians
1323:20th-century American musicians
1195:By Anthony Slide, Page 3, see:
264:with some additional scenes by
1298:American vaudeville performers
1138:That's Entertainment, Part III
870:Just Give the Southland to Me
1:
365:In 1930 Vivian married actor
1269:Duncan Sisters (Vocal group)
1104:The First Hollywood Musicals
897:I Got a "Code" in My "Doze"
854:The Music Lesson (Do-Re-Mi)
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520:May 5, 1919 - Aug 16, 1919
494:Oct 18, 1917 – Feb 9, 1918
285:released their early sound
235:, Vivian as the latter), a
231:(Rosetta as the former, in
85:September 19, 1986 (Vivian)
58:November 23, 1894 (Rosetta)
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1338:Comedians from Los Angeles
1256:Internet Broadway Database
1238:Internet Broadway Database
1211:. December 2, 1959, pg D3.
1153:New York, NY. Dover, 1975.
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82:December 4, 1959 (Rosetta)
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1185:Vaudeville, Old and New,
966:Aunt Susie's Picnic Day
889:Cross Word Puzzle Blues
426:Unrealized movie project
1066:Internet Movie Database
910:The Kinky Kids' Parade
239:derived from the novel
68:Los Angeles, California
1149:Kreuger, Miles (ed.).
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61:June 17, 1897 (Vivian)
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953:Black and Blue Blues
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247:Harriet Beecher Stowe
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921:Happy-Go-Lucky Days
862:In Sweet Onion Time
459:Broadway appearances
1164:"It's a Great Life"
1086:They Had Faces Then
818:Selected recordings
516:She's a Good Fellow
420:Alzheimer's disease
291:The Broadway Melody
283:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
136:) were an American
1151:The Movie Musical.
1102:Bradley, Edwin M.
935:I'm Following You
881:Hula-Hula Lullaby
878:Mean Cicero Blues
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811:A two-reel short.
805:Rosie and "Topsy"
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593:Screen appearances
445:Paramount Pictures
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1168:. Retrieved
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1002:Jingle Bells
972:Rememb'ring
945:Um-um-da-da
924:Hoosier Hop
918:Remembr'ing
795:
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762:Documentary
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702:Casey Hogan
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680:W. C. Fields
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526:Betty Blair
523:Mazie Moore
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449:Betty Hutton
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1008:Vocalizing
712:sequences.
710:Technicolor
705:Babe Hogan
676:silent film
367:Nils Asther
361:Later years
323:Technicolor
296:Bessie Love
294:, starring
174:Gus Edwards
166:Los Angeles
1282:Categories
1049:References
772:Hello Pop!
392:television
300:Anita Page
194:vaudeville
170:California
138:vaudeville
796:Surprise!
678:starring
550:A revue.
443:In 1952,
430:In 1946,
422:in 1986.
355:Surprise!
330:Photoplay
233:blackface
220:entitled
148:Biography
119:1911–1959
101:(Rosetta)
1021:See also
969:Dawning
932:Lickens
785:Herself
782:Herself
759:Herself
756:Herself
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405:Liberace
386:soundies
319:Sam Wood
262:Del Lord
206:Broadway
198:New York
107:(Vivian)
99:Illinois
1254:at the
1236:at the
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1170:May 18,
537:Tip Top
507:debut.
287:musical
214:Ed Wynn
158:Rosetta
130:Rosetta
836:Title
828:Title
671:A now-
635:Topsy
615:Notes
603:Title
566:Topsy
503:Their
481:Notes
472:Dates
469:Title
412:Cicero
202:London
95:Berwyn
70:(both)
844:Year
841:Year
833:Year
825:Year
606:Year
1247:IMDb
1229:IMDb
1172:2010
994:1928
957:1947
949:1927
941:1924
906:1926
893:1930
866:1929
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673:lost
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638:Eva
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255:1927
216:and
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76:Died
52:Born
1271:on
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1134:TCM
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338:it.
311:MGM
278:In
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