The legendary vaudeville stars The Duncan Sisters were mentioned on another thread and resulted in several comments about them so I thought they were due a thread of their own. Has anybody seen them? They starred in the silent TOPSY AND EVA - which is not lost but not circulated due to it's being wildly un p.c. - and the early talkie IT'S A GREAT LIFE. They were also reportedly set to star in THE BROADWAY MELODY but already had obligations at the time for appearances. Their 1935 musical short SURPRISE plays on TCM once in a blue moon and some of their "soundie" work of the 1930's can be purchased on the net as well as a 1950's appearance on Liberace's television show. Say what you will about their act, these ladies were hardworking entertainers who kept going for some 40 years when most vaudeville stars were long forgotten.
Rosetta (top) was the comedienne of the group and famous for her blackface character Topsy. Vivian was essentially the straight woman of the act (she was gorgeous, much prettier than this photo suggests). They also sing together in harmony that probably was extremely influential on subsequent sister singing acts although they don't get the credit they deserve for their ground-breaking act.
