Phil Spitalny
Phil Spitalny | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 7, 1890, Tetiev, Ukraine (Russian Empire) |
| Died | October 11, 1970 (aged 79) Miami Beach, Florida |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader, composer |
Phil Spitalny (November 7, 1890 – October 11, 1970) was a musician, music critic, composer, and bandleader heard often on radio during the 1930s–40s. He rose to fame after he led an all-female orchestra, a novelty at the time.
Radio
He led orchestras under the name Phil Spitalny and His All-Girl Orchestra, beginning with Hour of Charm Orchestra on his radio program Hour of Charm in 1934. Spitalny and Evelyn Kaye Klein auditioned over one thousand women to fill the twenty-two piece orchestra. Klein was the featured performer, a virtuoso violinist introduced as Evelyn and her Magic Violin. The program lasted for over ten years on radio. He and Klein married in 1946.[1][2] The orchestra made a guest appearance in the Abbot and Costello movie Here Come the Coeds in 1945.[1]
Films and television
Spitalny appeared in at least ten musical shorts and two features, When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1942) and Here Come the Co-Eds (1945). Between 1951 and 1953, he made three appearances on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town.
Composer
Spitalny wrote music with Gus Kahn, jazz musician Lee "Stubby" Gordon and others.[3]
Last years/death
In retirement in Miami Beach, Spitalny was a music critic for a local Miami newspaper. He died of cancer in Miami Beach in 1970, aged 79, and is buried in the Tetiever section of Ridge Road Cemetery #2 in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, with other members of his family.[4]
Spitalny has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
See also
References
- ^ a b Eder, Bruce. "Phil Spitalny". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- ^ Behrens, John (March 2011), America's Music Makers: Big Bands & Ballrooms 1912-2011, AuthorHouse, pp. 36–, ISBN 978-1-4567-2952-3, retrieved August 31, 2017
- ^ Sheldon Harris Sheet Music Collection, University of Mississippi Libraries, olemiss.edu; accessed April 25, 2015.
- ^ Tetiever Sections Ridge Road No. 2 Cemetery Cleveland, shtetlinks.jewishgen.org; accessed April 25, 2015.
Listen to
External links
- Phil Spitalny at Find a Grave
- Big Bands Database
- Photos of some members of Spitalny's orchestra in Radio-TV Mirror magazine.
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