Rosalyn "Roz" Borden (May 29, 1932 – January 23, 2003) was an American actor and singer, and along with her sister, Marilyn Borden, were known as The Borden Twins.The Modesto Bee
/ref> The duo are perhaps best known for their appearance on ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'' playing "Teensy and Weensy" in the episode entitled "Tennessee Bound". Although never anything other than supporting players, the duo have performed in several venues, including gigs on the

nightclub circuit A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

, as well as larger events including Rose Bowl. The twins also performed at countless USO shows at home and overseas. and have worked with many famous entertainer including:

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

, and

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

, Sammy Davis, Jr.,

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced song ...

Bea Arthur Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving ...

, and

Bob Newhart George Robert Newhart (born September 5, 1929) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery style. Newhart came to prominence in 1960 when his album of comedic monologues, ''The Button-Down Mi ...

Biography

Early life

Marilyn and Rosalyn Borden were born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, on May 29, 1932, to Harry (1906–1973) and Elizabeth Borden (1909–1995) and would be followed by a younger sister, Barbara, in 1945. Shortly after the birth of Barbara, Harry left the family. The Borden Twins got into acting with the encouragement of their parents and as children worked with such famous actors including

Bill Robinson Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...

. At age four, they performed on a local radio show with

Ed Begley Edward James Begley Sr. (March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970) was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962) an ...

in their hometown of Hartford. As teenagers, their family moved to Los Angeles. In high school, they started doing network television. In 1951, they caught the eye of

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

who wanted to get them a part in ''

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd Charis ...

''. They can only be seen as extras in large crowd scenes.

Career

The Twins would appear on several television shows including ''

The Spike Jones Show ''The Spike Jones Show'' was the name of several separate American comedy and variety show, variety series that aired on NBC and CBS in the 1950s and 1960s. The series was presented by actor and musician Spike Jones, his wife, musician Helen Gray ...

'' and became regular performers on ''

The Jimmy Durante Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''. The twins soon began their association with

that would span seven years, appearing on many of his TV shows and travelling in his nightclub act. Between their work with Durante, the twins played local nightclubs and travelled with the

U.S.O. The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

entertaining servicemen in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, Japan, and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Television

While appearing on an episode of ''

The Ed Wynn Show ''The Ed Wynn Show'' was an American variety show originally broadcast from September 22, 1949 to July 4, 1950, on the CBS Television Network. Comedian and former vaudevillian Ed Wynn was the star of the program's 39 episodes, which were the firs ...

'' the twins caught the attention of

, who promised them she would find a part for them on ''

''. True to her word,

Ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

featured the twins in episode 112 entitled "Tennessee Bound" in which they played the sheriff's daughter's 'Teensy' and Weensy,' opposite

Tennessee Ernie Ford Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991), known professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American singer and television host who enjoyed success in the country and western, pop, and gospel musical genres. Noted for h ...

. The twins continued work on television and appeared on ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The serie ...

'', '' Maude'', and ''

The Ropers ''The Ropers'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from March 13, 1979, to May 22, 1980. It is a spin-off of ''Three's Company'' and loosely based on the British sitcom ''George and Mildred'', which was itself a spin-off of ...

''. In The 1970s and 1980s the twins worked on the San Francisco based morning show ''A.M. San Francisco'' as fitness experts. Also in the 1980s they began work with

in his stage show in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

and

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevad ...

. Roz and Marilyn were last seen together on television on the 1998 "All-Star Tribute to Aaron Spelling." They would continue to appear at Lucy conventions in California and

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamestown is the largest pop ...

, but they had gotten into the Travel business and booked cruise tours on which they would perform.

Roz's death

Roz had been ill for several years, and the twins moved from the

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...

area to

Modesto, California Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

. On May 29, 2002, the twins celebrated their 70th birthday, but Roz's health soon declined and she died of liver failure on January 23, 2003, at the age of 70. After her sister's death, Marilyn became a volunteer for the local community hospice, a position she retained for the next four years. That May, Marilyn made her first trip without Roz to Jamestown for the annual "Loving Lucy Festival." She would return again in 2005.

Television

*''

Four Star Revue ''Four Star Revue'' (also known as ''All Star Revue'' and ''All Star Summer Revue'') was an American variety/comedy program that aired on NBC from October 4, 1950, to December 26, 1953. The series originally starred four celebrities, Ed Wynn, Dan ...

'' (Girl in Gondola 1 episode 1952) *''

The Colgate Comedy Hour ''The Colgate Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars. Many of the scripts of the series ...

'' (1952) *''

'' (1954 and 1957) *''

'' *''

'' (1955–1957 regular performer) *''

'' (episode 112 "Tennessee Bound" January 24, 1955, as Weensy) *''

Rhoda ''Rhoda'' is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns starring Valerie Harper that originally aired on CBS for five seasons from September 9, 1974, to December 9, 1978. It was the first spin-off of ''The Mary Tyle ...

'' .... Rosalyn (1 episode, 1976) only work not done with Marilyn. *''

'' .... Dottie Tidwell (1 episode, 1977) *'' Maude'' .... Shirley (1 episode, 1978) *''

Apple Pie An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling ingredient is apples. The earliest printed recipe is from England. Apple pie is often served with whipped cream, ice cream ("apple pie à la mode"), or cheddar cheese. It is generally ...

'' .... Trudy Laskey (1 episode, 1978) *''

'' .... Betty (1 episode, 1979) *''

Lottery! ''Lottery!'' is an American anthologic drama that premiered on ABC on September 9, 1983. The series aired for one season of 17 episodes and starred Ben Murphy as Patrick Sean Flaherty, and Marshall Colt as Eric Rush. ''Lottery!'' centered on ...

'' .... Dora (1 episode, 1984) *''The Joan Rivers Show'' .... (1989) *'' Out of This World'' .... Buffalo Breath Twin (1 episode, 1990) *''All-Star Party for Aaron Spelling 1998''

References

External links

The Borden Twins Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Borden, Rosalyn 1932 births 2003 deaths Actresses from Connecticut Musicians from Hartford, Connecticut American twins Identical twin actresses Actresses from Hartford, Connecticut 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American women musicians 21st-century American women