Durelle Alexander
Encyclopedia
Durelle Alexander was a talented child performer, and appeared in "Hollywood Junior Follies" and several silent "Our Gang
" comedies throughout the 1920s
.
She would later have a singing career appearing as a featured performer with Paul Whiteman
on NBC
's radio shows "Kraft Music Hall" and "Paul Whiteman
's Musical Varieties".
She would later tour with the prominent big bands of Paul Whiteman
, Eddy Duchin
, Smith Ballew
, and Archie Bleyer
. While appearing with Whiteman in "Billy Rose's Casa Manana", a centennial celebration of Ft. Worth, Texas, she met Edmund Van Zandt, grandson of the city's founders, whom she would soon marry.
. In 1924 at the age of 6, Durelle went with her mother to Hollywood, CA, and made appearances in several silent
'Our Gang' comedies and "Hollywood Junior Follies". She made her stage debut at 8 years old. A few years later at the age of 12, she moved with her mother to New York
and began singing with orchestras. By the age of 14, she signed a contract with Paul Whiteman
.
. Throughout this period, she would appear in several "Radio Guide" magazine articles. By September 1936, she made the cover. She also made several recordings with other artists like Archie Bleyer
and Smith Ballew
. The first known recording with Durelle on the vocals was "Animal Crackers In My Soup" with Smith Ballew
and his Orchestra
, recorded in July 1935. In 1936, Durelle toured with Paul Whiteman in Billy Roses' Annual Texas Centennial, where she met Edmund Pendleton Van Zandt Jr, who was only two years her senior and was also born in Texas
.
, London, England, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas
. Durelle continued to perform and moderate public affairs television
programs. In 1975, Durelle Alexander married a widowed family friend, Col. Harry Taylor Eidson and they moved to Austin to be near their children and grandchildren. She and Harry became beloved by their friends and neighbors as they walked in their Baylor St. neighborhood and frequented neighborhood restaurants, and became involved in the historic preservation of the district
. In May 1994, Durelle Alexander died. Memorial services were held on Memorial Day
in Austin, Texas
.
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
" comedies throughout the 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
.
She would later have a singing career appearing as a featured performer with Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's radio shows "Kraft Music Hall" and "Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
's Musical Varieties".
She would later tour with the prominent big bands of Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
, Eddy Duchin
Eddy Duchin
Eddy Duchin was an American popular pianist and bandleader of the 1930s and 1940s, famous for his engaging onstage personality, his elegant piano style, and his fight against leukemia.-Early career:...
, Smith Ballew
Smith Ballew
Smith Ballew was an American actor, sophisticated singer, orchestra leader, and finally, a Western singing star....
, and Archie Bleyer
Archie Bleyer
Archie Bleyer was an American song arranger, bandleader, and record company executive.-Early life:He was born in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens. He began playing the piano when he was only seven years old...
. While appearing with Whiteman in "Billy Rose's Casa Manana", a centennial celebration of Ft. Worth, Texas, she met Edmund Van Zandt, grandson of the city's founders, whom she would soon marry.
Early life
Durelle Alexander was born March 30, 1918 in Greenville, TexasGreenville, Texas
Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....
. In 1924 at the age of 6, Durelle went with her mother to Hollywood, CA, and made appearances in several silent
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
'Our Gang' comedies and "Hollywood Junior Follies". She made her stage debut at 8 years old. A few years later at the age of 12, she moved with her mother to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and began singing with orchestras. By the age of 14, she signed a contract with Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
.
Fame
By 1935, Durelle was appearing as a featured vocalist on Whiteman's radio show "Paul Whiteman's Musical Varieties" and "Kraft Music Hall" on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. Throughout this period, she would appear in several "Radio Guide" magazine articles. By September 1936, she made the cover. She also made several recordings with other artists like Archie Bleyer
Archie Bleyer
Archie Bleyer was an American song arranger, bandleader, and record company executive.-Early life:He was born in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens. He began playing the piano when he was only seven years old...
and Smith Ballew
Smith Ballew
Smith Ballew was an American actor, sophisticated singer, orchestra leader, and finally, a Western singing star....
. The first known recording with Durelle on the vocals was "Animal Crackers In My Soup" with Smith Ballew
Smith Ballew
Smith Ballew was an American actor, sophisticated singer, orchestra leader, and finally, a Western singing star....
and his Orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, recorded in July 1935. In 1936, Durelle toured with Paul Whiteman in Billy Roses' Annual Texas Centennial, where she met Edmund Pendleton Van Zandt Jr, who was only two years her senior and was also born in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Marriage and death
Durelle and Edmund were married in 1939, and during their 33 years of marriage, (until his death in 1972), they reared three children and lived in VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, London, England, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. Durelle continued to perform and moderate public affairs television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programs. In 1975, Durelle Alexander married a widowed family friend, Col. Harry Taylor Eidson and they moved to Austin to be near their children and grandchildren. She and Harry became beloved by their friends and neighbors as they walked in their Baylor St. neighborhood and frequented neighborhood restaurants, and became involved in the historic preservation of the district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
. In May 1994, Durelle Alexander died. Memorial services were held on Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Known recordings
- "Animal Crackers In My Soup" w/Smith BallewSmith BallewSmith Ballew was an American actor, sophisticated singer, orchestra leader, and finally, a Western singing star....
and his Orch. Recorded 1935 - "Sugar Plum" w/Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
and his Orch. Recorded 1935. - "No Strings" w/Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
and his Orch. Recorded 1935 - "I've Got A Feelin' You're Foolin'" w/Archie BleyerArchie BleyerArchie Bleyer was an American song arranger, bandleader, and record company executive.-Early life:He was born in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens. He began playing the piano when he was only seven years old...
and his Orch. Recorded 1935 - "On A Sunday Afternoon" w/Archie BleyerArchie BleyerArchie Bleyer was an American song arranger, bandleader, and record company executive.-Early life:He was born in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens. He began playing the piano when he was only seven years old...
and his Orch. Recorded 1935 - "And Then Some" w/Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
and his Orch. Recorded 1935 - "Wah-Hoo!" w/Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
and his Orch. Recorded 1936 - "There's A Small Hotel" w/Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
and his Orch. Recorded 1936 - "Comes Love" w/Eddy DuchinEddy DuchinEddy Duchin was an American popular pianist and bandleader of the 1930s and 1940s, famous for his engaging onstage personality, his elegant piano style, and his fight against leukemia.-Early career:...
and his Orch. Recorded 1939