Esther Walker (''nee'' Thomas October 18, 1894 – July 26, 1943) was an American musical comedy performer. Esther Walker was born Esther Thomas in

Pewee Valley, Kentucky Pewee Valley is a home rule-class city in Oldham County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,456 at the 2010 census. History The site of present-day Pewee Valley was first settled as a stop on the Louisville and Frankfort Railroad in 1 ...

."Noted Actress Has Lead Role in 'Biography.'" ''The Dallas Morning News'', 24 February 1934. Retrieved 2010-06-26. Adopting the stage name of Esther Walker, she appeared on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in a 1919 production of ''

Monte Cristo Jr. ''Monte Cristo Jr.'' was a Victorian burlesque with a libretto written by Richard Henry, a pseudonym for the writers Richard Butler and Henry Chance Newton. The score was composed by Meyer Lutz, Ivan Caryll, Hamilton Clarke, Tito Mattei, G. ...

'', and later that year performed at the 44th Street Theatre in ''Hello, Alexander''. Walker recorded over 32 songs for Victor and Brunswick record labels, from 1919 to 1920 and 1925 to 1927, including "Sahara (We'll Soon Be Dry Like You)" from ''Monte Cristo, Jr.'' Walker married Texas businessman

Karl Hoblitzelle Karl Hoblitzelle (October 22, 1879 – March 8, 1967) was an American theater owner, real estate investor, and philanthropist. He was the co-founder of the Interstate Theaters Company, a chain of vaudeville theaters (later movie theaters), now a s ...

, a manager of movie and vaudeville theatres. The couple founded the

Hoblitzelle Foundation The Hoblitzelle Foundation is a foundation which makes grants to social service, educational, medical, and other organizations in Texas, particularly in the Dallas area. Based in Dallas, the foundation was established by Karl Karl may refer to: Pe ...

in 1942, which still exists today. Walker died of cancer in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, on July 26, 1943, at the age of 48.

References

External links

The Jazz Age: Esther Walker
* American stage actresses Deaths from cancer in Texas 1894 births 1943 deaths 20th-century American actresses People from Pewee Valley, Kentucky 20th-century American singers Singers from Kentucky Kentucky women musicians 20th-century American women singers Actresses from Kentucky {{US-theat-actor-1890s-stub