The Duncan Sisters
| Vivian and Rosetta Duncan | |
|---|---|
L-R Rosetta and Vivian Duncan c. 1912
|
|
| Born |
Rosetta: November 23, 1894  Los Angeles, California
|
| Died |
Rosetta: December 4, 1959 |
Rosetta: November 23, 1894 Los Angeles, California
Vivian: June 17, 1897
Rosetta: December 4, 1959
Berwyn, Illinois
Vivian: September 19, 1986,
The Duncan Sisters were an American vaudeville duo who became popular in the 1920s with their act Topsy and Eva.
Rosetta (November 23, 1894 – December 4, 1959) and Vivian Duncan (June 17, 1897 – September 19, 1986) were born in Los Angeles, California, the daughters of a violinist turned salesman. They began their stage careers in 1911 as part of the cast of Gus Edwards' Kiddies' Revue.
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 vaudeville, but also in night clubs and on stage in both New York and London. They made their first important Broadway appearance in 1917 at the Winter Garden Theatre in a show with Ed Wynn and Frank Tinney entitled Doing Our Bit.
In 1923 the Duncans created their signature roles in Topsy and Eva (Rosetta as the former, Vivian as the latter), a musical comedy derived from the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. For this production they wrote and introduced the songs "I Never Had a Mammy" and "Rememb'ring". A huge hit in its day, Topsy and Eva was subsequently adapted into a 1927 silent movie, directed by Del Lord with some additional scenes by D.W. Griffith.
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