The Stardusters were American jazz vocalists.
30-563: The Stardusters were founded as a male trio in the mid-1930s. Glen Galyon, Curt Purnell, and Dick Wylder had already established themselves in 1936 as the Stardusters, and in 1939, were featured on NBC radio: The Vitalis Show, featuring George Jessel and his Celebrated Guests. They were also featured in late 1939 and early 1940 with Frank Novak and his Music Creators on the Chiclets program heard over NBC. May McKim — who had been
60-503: A Mexican divorce only ten days earlier. After their divorce on August 11, 1939, he caused another scandal by breaking into her house with a pistol and firing shots at her current lover. In 1940, he married a 16-year old showgirl, Lois Andrews , when he was 42. They had a daughter, Jerrilyn, before divorcing in 1942. In his 1975 autobiography, The World I Lived In , Jessel claimed he had affairs with actresses Pola Negri , Helen Morgan and Lupe Vélez . In 1961, actress Joan Tyler filed
90-635: A Broadway production based on the Don Juan legend in 1921. This play ran only 14 performances at the Garrick Theatre . The soundtrack for the film was performed by the New York Philharmonic . George Groves , on assignment from The Vitaphone Corporation , was charged with recording the soundtrack to the film. He devised an innovative, multi-microphone technique and performed a live mix of the 107-piece orchestra. In doing so he became
120-599: A level of recognition that transcended his limited roles in movies. He was widely known by his nickname, the " Toastmaster General of the United States," for his frequent role as the master of ceremonies at political and entertainment gatherings. Jessel originated the title role in the stage production of The Jazz Singer . Jessel was born to Jewish parents, Joseph and Charlotte "Lottie" (née Schwarz) Jessel, on 118th Street in Harlem , New York City. By age 10, he
150-430: A paternity suit against Jessel claiming he was the father of her daughter Christine. Jessel later admitted he was Christine's father and settled the suit out of court. As part of the terms of the settlement, Jessel agreed to pay Tyler $ 500 a month in child support (equivalent to $ 5,036 in 2023). In 1964, Jessel reportedly sexually groped an adult Shirley Temple . According to Temple, he invited her to his office under
180-497: A short film made in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process. In 1925, he emerged as one of the most popular leading men on Broadway with the starring role in the stage production of The Jazz Singer . The success of the show prompted Warner Bros. —after their success with Don Juan (1926) with music and sound effects only—to adapt The Jazz Singer as the first " talkie " with dialogue and to cast Jessel in
210-521: A silent film mood music library owned by Robbins-Engel, "The Fire Agitato" and "In Gloomy Forest," along with several pieces of European classical music that were still under copyright. One of the compositions Axt interpolated in the score for Don Juan was " Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks ," a tone poem by the German composer Richard Strauss . At the time of the event, the Warner Theatre had
240-523: A singer with an orchestra when she met Curt Purnell, married him on August 10, 1936, in Boston, and settled down to a non-professional home life — eventually joined the trio as a permanent member sometime around 1939. May and Curt divorced in August 1941. In 1941, Charlie Spivak hired the group, but added June Hutton. The arrangements featured Hutton backed by the trio. While with Spivak's Orchestra,
270-626: A valid ASCAP license for public performance, and had paid the statutory mechanical royalties for the Vitaphone discs containing the soundtrack audio, but they had not licensed the copyrighted compositions specifically for synchronization rights . The matter was settled out of court, and the Warner Theatre's Music Director, Herman Heller, assigned Ottalie Mark to the task of creating a copyright research database for Warner Bros. Pictures to prevent further infringement claims. A print of Don Juan , including its Vitaphone soundtrack, still survives and
300-620: Is summoned to the wedding, but he prefers death to marriage with Lucrezia. He escapes and kills Donati in a duel. The lovers are led to the death-tower, but while Adriana pretends suicide, he escapes; and following a series of battles, he defeats his pursuers and is united with Adriana. Don Juan premiered August 6, 1926, at the Warner Theatre in New York City preceded by a program of other shorts demonstrating Vitaphone. Lou Tellegen , an early film matinee idol, had starred in
330-486: Is the first feature-length film to utilize the Vitaphone sound-on-disc sound system with a synchronized musical score and sound effects, though it has no spoken dialogue. The film is inspired by Lord Byron 's 1821 epic poem of the same name . The screenplay was written by Bess Meredyth with intertitles by Maude Fulton and Walter Anthony . Don Juan stars John Barrymore as the hand-kissing womanizer. In
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#1732794350526360-721: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored him for his charity work by awarding him the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award , a Special Academy Award . For his contribution to the motion picture industry, George Jessel has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1777 Vine Street in Los Angeles. Don Juan (1926 film) Don Juan is a 1926 synchronized sound American romantic adventure film directed by Alan Crosland . It
390-644: The American entry into the Vietnam War and of conservative political causes. He often crossed the era's stereotypical political lines with its support for the civil rights movement and criticism of racism and anti-Semitism . His outspoken political opinions were, at times, the source of scandal. In 1971, while being interviewed by Edwin Newman on The Today Show on NBC , he repeatedly referred to The New York Times as Pravda (the house organ of
420-769: The Communist Party of the Soviet Union ), and the interview was cut short. Later film roles included a cameo as himself in Valley of the Dolls (1967), The Busy Body (1967) opposite Sid Caesar , and the controversial musical Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (1969) directed by and starring Anthony Newley . He made additional cameos in other all-star films such as The Phynx (1970) and Won Ton Ton,
450-572: The 1950s and 1960s. At the same time he became known as a host on the banquet circuit, famous for his good-natured wit aimed at his fellow celebrities. In 1946, he was one of the founding members of the California branch of the Friars Club . (A recording exists of an example of his "blue" work in front of a stag audience, although it was actually recorded at a roast hosted by the Friars' rival,
480-560: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976). In the 1930s, his personal life kept him in the public eye as much as his movies. On May 2, 1930, Jessel married Florence Courtney in Chicago. She divorced him on October 24, 1932, on the grounds of cruelty. On April 23, 1934, Jessel married silent movie star Norma Talmadge , causing a scandal because Talmadge was married at the time that they started their affair, and she obtained
510-634: The Masquers Club.) He also traveled widely overseas with the USO entertaining troops. As he grew older, he wrote eulogies for many of his contemporaries in Hollywood. He wrote three volumes of memoirs, So Help Me (1943), This Way, Miss (1955), and The World I Lived In (1975). Jessel produced a number of Hollywood films, including The Dolly Sisters (1945), Nightmare Alley (1947), Golden Girl (1951) and The I Don't Care Girl (1953). In
540-405: The Stardusters recorded with Glenn Miller (1941), Jimmy Dorsey (1941), and Jack Teagarden and His Orchestra (1941). The group later went on to record with Billie Holiday (1948) and Stan Kenton (1957). The Stardusters had two notable hits, Brother Bill , and This is no Laughing Matter. And, they sang backup for Evelyn Knight's hit, A Little Bird Told Me , Decca Records , which became
570-603: The early 1950s, he performed on the radio in The George Jessel Show , which became a television series of the same name from 1953 to 1954. He guest-starred on NBC's The Jimmy Durante Show . In 1968, he starred in Here Come the Stars , a syndicated variety show. However, his attempt to extend his career was undermined by a perception that his style of comedy was outdated, as well as by his outspoken support of
600-419: The first music mixer in film history. The film was a box-office success being Warners' biggest grossing film to date with earnings of $ 1,693,000 despite negative reviews from New York film critics. According to Warners records, the film earned $ 1,258,000 in the U.S. and $ 435,000 in other markets. Opening night tickets cost $ 10, and it was the first film on Broadway to charge over $ 3 for a regular ticket with
630-662: The guise of discussing a recent role. During their meeting, Jessel put an arm around Temple while taking off his pants. He then grabbed the 35 year-old Temple's breasts. She fought off his attempts by kicking him in the groin. On May 23, 1981, Jessel died of a heart attack at the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center at the age of 83. He was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California . In 1969,
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#1732794350526660-440: The lead role. However, the studio refused his salary demands, so Jessel turned down the movie role, which was eventually played by Al Jolson . According to Jessel during an interview around 1980, Warner Bros. still owed Jessel money for earlier roles and lacked enough funds to produce this movie with a leading star. Jolson, the biographical inspiration for the movie, became the movie's main financial backer. Jessel's next movie role
690-418: The lyrics for a hit tune, "Oh How I Laugh When I Think How I Cried About You," and he performed in several successful comedy stage shows in the early 1920s. In 1921 he recorded a hit single, "The Toastmaster." He sometimes appeared in blackface in his vaudeville shows. Jessel appeared in his first motion picture, the silent movie The Other Man's Wife (1919). In 1924, he appeared in a brief comedy sketch in
720-586: The powerful Lucrezia Borgia , who invites him to her ball. His contempt for her incites her hatred of Adriana, the daughter of the Duke Della Varnese, with whom he is enraptured; and Lucrezia plots to marry her to Count Giano Donati, one of the Borgia henchmen, and poison the duke. Don Juan intervenes and thwarts the scheme, winning the love of Adriana, but the Borgia declare war on the duke's kinsmen, offering them safety if Adriana marries Donati; Don Juan
750-425: The prologue, Don José, warned of his wife's infidelity, seals his wife's lover alive in his hiding place and drives her from the castle; abandoned to his lust, he is stabbed by his last mistress, and with his dying words he implores his son, Don Juan, to take all from women but yield nothing. Ten years later, young Don Juan, a graduate of the University of Pisa , is famous as a lover and pursued by many women, including
780-494: The subject of a landmark court case over covering . Also † When Hutton left The Stardusters in 1944, Spivak brought in Gene Krupa's vocalist, Irene Daye , whom he later married. George Jessel (actor) George Albert "Georgie" Jessel (April 3, 1898 – May 23, 1981) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and film producer . He was famous in his lifetime as a multitalented comedic entertainer, achieving
810-464: The top prices at $ 3.30 each night. In the five performances over the weekend, it grossed $ 13,787 with people literally fighting to get in and tickets changing hands for $ 5. On August 24, two weeks after the premiere, The New York Times reported that ASCAP was pursuing claims of copyright infringement on behalf of publisher Robbins-Engel Music over the score for Don Juan . Composer William Axt had used two pieces that he had previously composed for
840-408: Was a partner of Eddie Cantor in a kid sketch and performed with him on stage until he outgrew the role at age 16. He later partnered with Lou Edwards and then became a solo performer. His most famous comedy skit was called "Hello Mama" or "Phone Call from Mama," which portrayed a one-sided telephone conversation. In 1919 he produced his own solo show, George Jessel's Troubles . Jessel co-wrote
870-529: Was appearing in vaudeville and on Broadway to support his family after the death of his father, who was a playwright . His mother, who worked as a ticket seller at the Imperial Theater , helped him form The Imperial Trio, a harmony group of ushers to entertain patrons of the theater, with Walter Winchell and Jack Wiener, using the stage names Leonard, Lawrence and McKinley, in their early teens (such usher-singer groups were common). At age 11, he
900-488: Was in Private Izzy Murphy (1926). Whereas Jolson's film career skyrocketed after the 1927 release of The Jazz Singer , Jessel remained in smaller movie roles, often intended for audiences fond of Jewish and other "ethnic" humor. He was elected to The Lambs Theatre Club in 1942. In the mid-1940s, he began producing musicals for 20th Century Fox , producing 24 films in all in a career that lasted through
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