Catherine Virginia Verrill ( November 20, 1916 – January 18, 1999) was a singer in the era of
old-time radio and
big band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...
s. Her work included providing the off-screen singing voices for some female film stars.
Early years
Verrill was born Catherine Virginia Verrill in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...
. Her mother, Aimee McLean Verrill, was active in
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
.
[ At 5 months of age, Verrill appeared with her mother in her act.][
Verrill's family was friends with orchestra leader ]Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist.
As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...
, who had Virginia sing on his bandstand when she was 3 years old. She attended Hollywood's John Marshall High School.[ (Another source says that she graduated from Hollywood High School.)][
]
Radio
By the time she was 13, Verrill was singing on local stations,[ with her debut coming on ]KMPC
KMPC (1540 AM, "Radio Korea", 라디오코리아) is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Corporation. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean– ...
in 1932.[ ] In 1934, she sang with David Brockman and the KHJ orchestra on ''California Melodies'', which originated at KHJ and was carried on the CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
network.[ Early in 1935, columnist ]Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and co ...
reported that Verrill had begun working for CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
.[ ] In June 1935, she was singing on the '' Socony Sketchbook'' with Johnny Green's orchestra and had "a starring contract" on another show that was planned. That program debuted July 2, 1935, with Verrill as star and Mark Warnow conducting the accompanying orchestra. She had another program, ''Vocals by Verrill'', in 1937.
Verrill performed regularly on the variety shows ''College Humor Program'', '' Uncle Walter's Dog House'', ''Home Town, Unincorporated'',[Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 155.] '' The Jack Haley Show'', and ''Maxwell House Show Boat
''Maxwell House Show Boat'' was the top radio show in the United States from 1933 to 1935. The program was sponsored by Maxwell House coffee, and it aired on NBC Radio Thursday nights, 9 pm. The first show was broadcast in 1931.
''Maxwell House ...
''.
She was also heard on broadcasts with Orville Knapp Orville Knapp (January 1, 1904 - July 16, 1936) was an American dance bandleader born in Kansas City, Missouri. He was the brother of Evalyn Knapp.
Orville Knapp was an autodidact on saxophone, and moved to New York City in the early 1920s, where h ...
's Orchestra.
Personal appearances
In 1934, Verrill sang with Marvin George and his Hermosa Hut Orchestra. She also "was featured at the Colony Club and other famous Hollywood rendezvous."[
]
Film
When she was 13, Verrill won an audition over 300 others to sing the title song in Barbara Stanwyck's '' Ten Cents a Dance''," (1931). By the time she was 18 years old, she had "frequently played voice double for Hollywood picture stars."[ ] Her dubbing included singing for Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...
in both '' Reckless'' (1935)[ and '' Suzy'' (1936).
On-screen, she was seen in '']Hide-Out
''Hide-Out'' is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy, crime, drama, romance film directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starring Robert Montgomery and Maureen O'Sullivan. It also features a young Mickey Rooney. The film was nominated for an Academy Award f ...
'' (1934) and ''Walter Wanger's Vogues of 1938
''Walter Wanger's Vogues of 1938'' (also known by its shortened form, ''Vogues of 1938'') is a 1937 musical comedy film produced by Walter Wanger and distributed by United Artists. It was directed by Irving Cummings, written by Bella Spewack and S ...
''.[
]
Personal life
By 1942, Verrill had left show business. A newspaper column printed September 25 of that year reported, "Virginia, at the age of 25, has retired from the stage and screen and is now a happy housewife and mother and is reported to be the best pie crust baker on the block."
At the time of her death, Verrill was married to Dr. Louis C. Duddleston.[ The two had wed on June 17, 1961, in ]Crystal Lake, Illinois
Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is 45 miles northwest of Chicago. The population is 40,269 as of the 2020 Census, a 1.2% decrease from 201 ...
; he was a dentist then living in nearby Woodstock
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...
who had previously taught at Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
. Her first husband was a Music Corporation of America's chief band-booking executive in Chicago.["MCA Inks Welk to 3-Year Pact." Billboard, 18 February 1950.]
Death
Verrill died January 18, 1999, at age 82, in the Mayview Nursing Home in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...
. Survivors included her husband, a son, a daughter, and seven grandchildren.[
]
References
External links
Virginia Verrill sings ''It's Easy to Remember (And So Hard to Forget)'' with the Isham Jones Orchestra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verrill, Virginia
1999 deaths
American film actresses
American radio actresses
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from Santa Monica, California
1916 births
20th-century American singers