The Eton Boys
The Eton Boys, or The Four Eton Boys,[1] were an American all-male musical quartet from the St. Louis, Missouri area,[2] whose members were Earl Smith, tenor; Art Gentry, 2nd tenor; Charles Day, baritone; and Jack Day, bass.[3] In the 1930s they headlined Broadway with their act,[4] frequently appeared in short musical films such as Broadway Brevities and the animated Screen Songs, and often appeared on radio via the Columbia Network.
History
They went to schools in the St. Louis area, and the original two performed first as acrobats in a vaudeville act.[1][5][4] Art Gentry, was once the youngest regular radio announcer and he worked for KMOX,[5][6] and he is the grandfather of television personality Matt Lauer.[7]
The Eton Boys were featured in Screen Songs film series during the 1930s, appearing in short films (including as the musical accompaniment to animated films). They appeared on popular radio shows, and were heard in the Columbia Varieties program.[8] In 1941 they recorded on Victor Records.[9] Castle Films released an album of their soundies.[10]
Their short musical film A Bicycle Built for Two screened at the Moore College of Art and Design in May 2009.[11]
Filmography
- Frances Shelley and the Four Eton Boys (1929)[12]
- The Operator's Opera (1933)[13]
- Use Your Imagination (1933)
- Sing 'Em Back Alive (1933)
- Moonlight and Pretzels (1933)[14]
- I Like Mountain Music (1933) via Screen Songs
- Down by the Old Mill Stream (1933) via Screen Songs
- "She Reminds Me of You" (1934) via Screen Songs
- Mirrors (1934), a short
- The Gem of the Ocean (1934),[15] a musical short[16]
- A Great Idea (1935)
- Rhythm Café (1938)[15]
- A Bicycle Built for Two (1941)[11]
- My Gal Sal[17]
References
- ^ a b "The Four Eton Boys" (PDF). Radio Personalities 1935. p. 210. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ "Listening In". The Tampa Times. February 16, 1932. Retrieved 2023-04-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Secrets from the Broadcasting Studios". Buffalo Evening News. January 21, 1933. p. 23. Retrieved 2023-04-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Today's Success Story". Orlando Evening Star. April 27, 1934. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-04-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Quartettes". The Courier-Journal. June 8, 1932. Retrieved 2023-04-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Anyway, May Breen Likes It". The Brooklyn Citizen. February 16, 1932. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-04-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hirsch, Stephanie (2008-03-25). Mother Nurture: Life Lessons from the Mothers of America's Best and Brightest. HarperCollins. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-06-118920-3.
- ^ "WABC - New York - 869 (Columbia Network)". Waterville Morning Sentinel. Retrieved 2023-04-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eton Boys". Discography of American Historical Recording. U.C. Santa Barbara, Regents of the University of California.
- ^ MacGillivray, Scott (February 14, 2004). Castle Films: A Hobbyist's Guide. iUniverse. ISBN 9780595324910 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Rea, Steven (May 29, 2009). "Freewheeling series of bicycle shorts". inquirer.com.
- ^ ""Broadway Babies" At the Strand". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Retrieved 2023-04-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Last of Dual Bills Opening Thursday". Buffalo Evening News. September 7, 1933. Retrieved 2023-04-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Moonlight and Pretzels". Variety. August 29, 1933. p. 14 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b Webb, Graham (July 13, 2020). Encyclopedia of American Short Films, 1926-1959. McFarland. pp. 220, 456, 588. ISBN 9781476681184 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Gem of the Ocean". prod-www.tcm.com.
- ^ "Movie Machine Review". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 27, 1942. p. 73 – via Google Books.
External links
- Eton Boys IMDb page
- Videos of their performances Fleischer All Stars