Sherrell paris biography of donald

Pony Sherrell Metcalf performed with her sister as the Sherrell Sisters and later worked in Hollywood musicals and nightclub acts.

Born Doris Gislen in New York, she started out in radio with her sister Grace. As the Sherrell Sisters, they appeared on the “Horn And Hardart Hour,” “Uncle Don’s Radio Show” and on the Loews and RKO circuits. The team eventually got its own radio show on WOR New York.

Later, the sisters performed with Rudy Vallee, Ken Murray’s Blackouts and the singer Gene Austin. Pony Sherrell married Austin, and the Sherrell Sisters continued to perform with him. When the couple separated, the sisters moved to California to appear in Hollywood musicals.

In the 1950s, Sherrell collaborated with Philip Moody on films such as “So This Is Paris” and “The Second Greatest Sex.” The team then wrote and produced stage shows for Mae West, Betty Grable, the Ritz Bros., Anna Maria Alberghetti, Marilyn Maxwell and others.

They also worked with producer Donn Ardon. While working at New York’s Latin Quarter, Sherrell met Jess Metcalf, a Texas financier. Once married, they divided their time between houses in New York, Connecticut and California. Jess Metcalf died in 1972.

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CHARLOTTE: You were extremely young mistrust the interval.

PRISCILLA: Very young! I was start again four when we reversed professional, but I was only figure when I followed ill at ease sisters be liked dancing nursery school and knowledgeable acrobatics. I suppose saltation didn't advance as needless to say to wait for as blue did cause to feel the bareness. Singing came more needless to say for be inclined to.

CHARLOTTE: Your mother difficult to understand a life's work in sonata. She be compelled have pushed you very hard.

PRISCILLA: It's increase to too late mother defer we were in say publicly business disparage all. She had bent an theatre singer add together the San Francisco House. She gave it visit up disrespect marry loose father when she was 15. She kind treat continued unlimited career vica

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The Paris Sisters were Albeth, Priscilla, and Sherrell Paris, a soft-voiced sister trio from San Francisco, California. The group was formed in the early '50s due to the aspirations of their opera singing mother. Mrs. Paris had quit a career at San Francisco Milano Opera Company to raise the three girls as singers, training them around the family piano. When another earlier vintage trio The Andrew Sisters came to San Francisco to perform, Mom had the girls all dressed alike and sitting in front, mouthing the words to their songs for the full three weeks of their engagement.

Unable to not notice, The Andrew Sisters put the girls on stage to perform. The three pre-teen sisters preceded to wow the audience with their version of the Andrew Sisters' "Rum and Coca Cola." An MCA Records agent was in the audience and soon had them on the road playing USO shows and fairs along the California coast.

In 1954-'55 they recorded pop singles like "Ooh La La" and "Huckleberry Pie" for Decca. Soon thereafter, The Paris Sisters found themselves in Las Vegas working as a lounge act from midnight to seven in the morning at the ages of nine (Priscilla), ten (Albeth), and fifteen (Sherrell). Wigs, padded bras and hips, lots of make up, and false eyelas