| Show r if a 1 n f II iN l d li fI j J d r J fA fAa 1 Ii 0 lP if ff fig J to f f. i t- t i r M I 10 Low w Rosetta and Vivian the Inseparable l J Topsy J- J and Eva Will Keep Ke p the Pact Made at atI b I 1 J the tIle Start of Thir b Brilliant Bl Stage Careers ee rs' rs by Going to tIle the Altar iW Together n k J 4 b fx f t o y K l Q r A C t fh dy i. i t The Duncan Sisters with c their fiances left to right Nils Asther Vivian Rosetta and William Ben Beri BenT T f faK aK l w r f t It Iy i f h. h t z j 41 t t j r fj if 3 W x t I. ff-I. iY wit B fIt 4 f fI f r. r fd Af I w M f h 1 Ir Lr 11 4 w x ix i 1 0 ii f. f WL t I l J 1 A II S I Rosetta and Vivian as they appeared in Topsy and Eva b n A x t M A ff o the sister S act that brought them fame and fortune 1 n 1 to 1 I l z r s 's I 2 0 I EVERAL years yeans eaN ago two little girls with long golden curls and dressed in gingham rompers danced and amI sang and told funny funn little stories at a seashore cabaret cabal t in Coney Co cY Island that fantastic fant amusement ent world worM for New Yorkers Those who had come to cat and drink and be merry thought that the little i f girls girls' act was er good indeed The applause thundered through the silk- silk hung room And in their little l dressing corner comer the two little girls hugged each other in sheer joy jO Were going to be successful some some day da- da Just listen to them said Rosetta Hosetta to Vivian And sis she went on we must never break up Neither one of ofus ofus ofus us is going to marry unless the th other one does too All right Shake You bet You and I are arc go- go goIng 7 Ing to the altar together if and when we do go Thus did the Ule Duncan Sisters today world famous because of their sister act and their musical comedy Topsy and Eva E pledge their marriage pact that that pact that during the following years rears seemed often on the verge of be be- being being being ing broken when one or the other of the ilie sisters was w ls reported engaged Love frequently knocked at the heart of Vivian Vian V ian and the heart bf of Rosetta Rosetta but but never did id little Dan Da Cupid shoot his ar arrows ar arrows r- r 1 rows into the hearts of the sisters at atthe atthe 3 the same time That is never until never until I the other day s Rosetta announced her engagement first first to to William lien Deri eri her childhood sweetheart who rose from just such ob ob- obscurity obscurity ob- ob obscurity as she had known to become one of the ilie ablest abl st film technical experts in Hollywood But you ou know 1 I will not marry Wil ViI William William liam jam unless Vivian Viv marries at the same same time she said Friends of Rosetta and William shook their heads sadly Was that marriage pact that the sisters had bad made so many years ago going to mar the life of Rosetta For she and William Beri Bert had been childhood sweethearts sweethearts school day pals Rosetta Vivian Dill Bill and Beth Beri Beni his sister who sister who is one of the best known musical comedy stars today today had had learned their rea in and in inthe inthe inthe the same school house and had voiced their ambitions to become famous on the stage to each other But Rosetta must have known that in inthe the heart of Vivian Dan had shot an arrow too I think that Vivian Vavian will announce her engagement pretty soon soon she said happily And Vivian did two did two weeks later later later- to Nils NiI Asther German Gem n moving picture pictureD D actor who has come com to Hollywood to tomake tomake tomake make a name for himself on the silver sheet Now we ARE going to be married both Vivian and Rosetta say And not break the agreement we made when we began our careers as entertainers At last there will be a 1 double wedding for forthe forthe forthe the Duncan Sisters Just when Topsy and Eva will say sayI sayI sayI I do to their respective fiances is not yet ct known but it will be in the near future say friends of the four The rise of the Duncan Sisters to the ilie glittering pinnacle of fame and fortune is a story of determination hard work brains and personalities When she was about fourteen or fifteen fifteen fifteen teen years ears old Rosetta played a piano in a nickelodeon at eight dollars a week Often her fingers were black and blue blua from pounding the ivory keys kes Then Vivian learned to play the piano and the two sisters began to sing songs together They decided to form an act and their first job as the ilie Duncan Sisters was in inthe inthe inthe the Coney Island cabaret When the summer season ended at the seaside resort Vivian and Rosetta came cam cameto cameto to New NewYork York and opened in Doing Our OurBit OurBit OurBit Bit with Frank Tinney at the Winter Winte Garden They made a 1 tremendous hit Up and down the Gay White Way the theatrical people talked about the cute kids in the Frank Tinney show And Dillingham hired the singing dancing telling story-telling sisters to appear in his A Good Fellow Fame was just around the corner When they went to London soon after to play in Pins and Needles the English city paid them homage On their return to America Vivian and Rosetta played with Fred Stone in Tip Top It was on their second visit to Lon Lon- London London London don that Vivian and Rosetta dashed around the corner and collared Fame The Duncan Sisters were made London society welcomed Vivian and Rosetta with open arms The two little kids who had danced in Coney Island sIaM were invited to the homes of dukes and duchesses counts and countesses And many a laid his title at the feet of Vivian and Rosetta Each could have wed fifty times if she had wished it There is an on amusing story told about the great party given g ven by a titled Lon Lon- London London London don dowager for the Prince of Wales Vales and the King l of Spain Vivian Vian V ian and Rosetta were invited The Duncan Sis Sisters Sisters came met came met and conquered The hostess spent a hour hectic trying to locate her royal roa guests when the time came for dinner She sent butlers scurrying through the mansion and with t Beth Beri B erl sister of Rosetta R Dun Duncan's Duncans D un- un cans can's fiance fi and herself one o e of Broadw fa fa- favorite Broadways Broadway's ays ern musical 1 comedy corned y stars s 4 t The inseparable Duncans who will soon go g o to the altar to together to i s Sl t t M gether just as they agreed at the outset of their careers Fa OS as entertainers 1 yf j I b 1 f i j 4 a group of her he other guests I J t combed the garden 1 L Under a huge tree maple-tree seat scat seated i i ed on a long white marble gar gar- garden garden garden den bench beach they found the King of Spain the Prince of Wales Wales- and Vivian and Rosetta Duncan 1 J J The four were chattering and j laughing as if they had known t. t each other all their lives Funny s I stories were flying lying from the lips of the Duncan Sisters and the King and Prince were doubling up with laughter All AU had apparently forgotten that there was a dinner waiting to be served and a hundred or more 1 more guests eager to meet the Royalty When the ilie Duncan Sisters again came back to their native land theatrical of of- offers offers fers by the hundreds were dangled be before before before fore them Id like to do something different said Rosetta pensively to their manager Well the only thing I can suggest is to make a face black-face of you OU said the ilie manager smilingly Rosetta Hosetta shouted Whoops She he danced about the lie room Her face was alight The manager and Vivian watch watched watched ed her amazed d. d dI I have it I 1 have ha it she cried and Eva Eia Topsy Well We'll make Uncle Toms Tom's Cabin y t f s into a mu mu- musical musical muti ti steal e c com com- o 0 m mI edy I x When t the h e first an- an ann ann ana a Y 1 n o 0 cement un was made y i s 's that Rosetta IlS Duncan was wass was's s 's i 3 a writing a fl ri l musical corn com comedy edy based on Harriet HarrietB 3 9 B Beecher e e c h e r Stowe's fa- fa famous famous f a amous t slave slave- tale t the thea theatrical h e a critics s shook their sage heads Most ab ab- absurd absurd surd they said But Roset Roset- Rosetta ta went right righton on o n. n And Topsy and Eva E opened in Chicago Rosetta was Topsy Vivian ian was Eva And the audience sl with delight when they heard a chorus of twenty beautiful girls sing Dont Sell Me Down the Ribber Overnight the Duncan Duman Sisters achieved ed a new and greater fame They be be- became became became came the wealthiest girls on the Amer American American ican stage during the run of Topsy and nd Eva in Chicago and and two years ears later I ter Copyright Copi 1931 7 J by v Central Press ren Inc Ina L. L in New York lork Rosetta a home in Westchester N. N Y This year she paid an in income in- in income income come tax on more than 1000 It was on the Fourth of July 1024 1924 that Rosetta had a little tiff tifT with of a couple policemen in Cicero Ill during which her nose and two ribs were broken The story of Rosetta's battle with the cops was carried in every paper in the coun coun- try With Vivian and their brother Harold Rosetta was returning to Chicago from the Hawthorne Race Track They were arrested for passing a stop sign and asked to come to the police poUce station Harold went into the station The Duncan Sisters sitting in the car decided that being arrested in Cicero was funny funn They laughed Two cops standing before the station decided that it wasn't funny at all They came up to the car and got mad when I told them to go mind their business said Rosetta afterwards Rosetta was pulled froth from the car and during the Ule skirmish suffered a broken nose and two broken ribs When Patrolman Charles Whitlock testified on the stand that Rosetta had beaten and bit him the room courtroom court room howl howl- ed Whitlock weighs 24 pounds arid add stands six feet four inches in his stock stock- stocking stocking stocking ing feet And Topsy weighs ninety pounds and is not quite five feet tall The Cicero incident happened while Topsy Tops and Eva was at the lie height of its ib popularity with the lie theatrical-going theatrical citi citizens citizens zens of the Windy City During their stay In Chicago rumors of engagements of one or the other of the Duncan Sisters were constantly be be- being being being ing peddled around One day Vivian announced ed that she would marry n a prominent Chicago man t I 1 who soon will be a banker Her closest friend at that time was Edward Lehman Jr of the Boulevard Bridge Bank who had earned five promotions in five years cars and was vas well on the way to becoming bank president Vivian never gave out the name of her would-be would fiance but when Rosetta was approached she said Of course Vivian wont won't marry until I do Dont Don't forget our marriage pact Then again Vivian was rumored en en- engaged engaged engaged to Thomas Spencer a singer who at one time had appeared with the Dun Dun- Duncan Duncan Duncan can Sisters It was not until after his death in an automobile accident near Syracuse N. N Yf Y in April 1926 1026 that Vivian ian denied ever having ing been engaged to him And so it went The Duncan Sisters were inseparable First Vivian would be engaged and then Rosetta In November 1926 the Duncan Sis Sis- Sisters Sisters Sis Sis- Sisters were signed by the United Artists to make Topsy and Eva for the movies While the film was wa being screened s Rosetta had an opportunity to renew her friendship with William Beri Ben and Vivian went around a great deal with Nils Asther who played the juvenile lead in Topsy and Eva Young Asther came to this country from Germany German where he had appeared in a picture pi ure with Imogene Wilson WITson In fact friends of the fair Bubbles said Imogene has a new boy friend Guess Frank Tinney is out forever But it wasn't so at all For Nils fell fellin fellin fellin in love with Little Eva and the blonde vivacious v Vivian loved lo in return Topsy and Eva completed will make its world worM premiere soon We wouldn't be at all aU surprised say friends of the newly ne four engaged en if Vivian and Rosetta view their first picture with their first husbands at their sides |
