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New York circa 1924. The Brox sisters again, a year after getting out of bed. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
The photo is of the Paul Whiteman band from a 1921 Victor catalog of the Victor Talking Machine.
Always adored the Brox sisters, they blew the Keller Sisters away like nobody's business.
Fascinating to see three equally beautiful sisters with such individual looks and attitudes, I'll bet they were real fun to be around.
We also see a flawless representation of there iconic hairstyles of the middle twenties. On the left we see a classic bob of the Colleen Moore/Louise Brooks schools, in the middle we see a soft finger wave (It is still required in New York that a beauty student be able to do a proper finger wave in order to receive a cosmetology license). At left we see a Marcel wave with its defined ripples.
Finally I get it. Duh!
You can see (and hear) the Brox sisters in MGM's "Hollywood Revue of 1929," where they perform "Singing in the Rain," 23 years before before the better-known 1952 musical. The 1929 film isn't all that great overall, but certainly has some memorable moments; the Brox sisters also appear in Paramount's "Paramount On Parade" about the same time. In 1929 the major Hollywood studios were each making lavish all-star revues in which to showcase their very expensive talking, singing, dancing stars (and to help finish off, some say, their expensive silent stars unable to make the transition to talking pictures.)
They did a heck of a Marlene Dietrich impression (with lots of legs for Bruce Wayne!)
I've noted that in these older photographs, people have near-pristine skin, is there something about the film that gives it that "photoshop" smoothness? It's almost like there is no film!
Looks like Lorayne is sitting right next to her own portrait. And who are the folks in the picture to the top left, I wonder?
Is that possibly a picture of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra on the wall? They played the same venues in 1926, Bing Crosby was smitten with Bobbe according to the Whiteman book by Don Rayno.
The stuffed animal's button eyes are unnerving.
Can anyone help me identify the band featured in the photograph hanging on the wall? Is it an outfit they recorded with?
"Vaudevillian" and "centenarian".
Wonder why? Versatility plus cheerfulness? Knowing how to turn a hard situation into a joke? Whatever it was, almost all of them were remarkably durable.
I do not understand the caption under photo..."a year after getting out of bed"??
To pose for a photo in front of an 8x10 head shot of yourself? Reminds me of Lloyd Bridges in "Airplane!"
Dresses made from what appears to be perhaps taffeta, organza and crepe de chine. The kinds of fabrics they simply do not use much anymore in women's clothing, with the kind of details and surface treatments they also don't take time to create.
Oh, to be a flapper!
The Brox sisters all started out as Brocks. A couple of them lived to extremely ripe old age. Bobbe (on the left), born Josephine Brock in 1900, changed her name first to Dagmar and then changed it again; she died in 1999 at age 98. Lorayne (middle), born Eunice Brock in November 1900, died in 1993 at age 92. The youngest, Patricia, was born Kathleen Brock in 1903 and died in 1988.
I've just heard some of their recordings. A Bench in the Park is such a romantic song. Ah. They're beautiful too!
YouTube is the solution as always!
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