Late Life Jazz: The Life and Career of Rosemary Clooney (44 page)

Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?

Danny Kaye—A Tribute to an American Master Clown (PBS-TV)—Air date December 11, 1996

Ira Gershwin at 100: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (PBS-TV)—Air date March 12, 1997

A Foggy Day / Love Is Here to Stay / Of Thee We Sing (with entire cast)

The Rosie O’Donnell Show (syndicated)—Air date May 9, 1997

God Bless the Child

The Larry King Show (CNN)—Air date May 10, 1997

Hello Young Lovers / Always / Thank Heaven for Little Girls / God Bless the Child / Funny Face / A Child Is Only a Moment / Love Is Here to Stay (with Michael Feinstein)

The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder (CBS-TV)—Air date July 15, 1997

Live with Regis & Kathie Lee (syndicated)—Air date October 9, 1997

Holiday at Pops! (A&E)—Air date December 18, 1997

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas / White Christmas

The Rosie O’Donnell Show (syndicated)—Air date May 25, 1998

The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder (CBS-TV)—Air date July 20, 1998

The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder (CBS-TV)—Air date February 16, 1999

Love Is Here to Stay

Sesame Street (PBS-TV)—Air date February 22, 1999

Sunny Day

LateLine (NBC-TV)—Air date March 16, 1999

The Rosie O’Donnell Show (syndicated)—Air date November 5, 1999

Good Morning America (ABC-TV)—Air date November 8, 1999

Love Is Here to Stay

Sunday Morning (CBS-TV)—Air date November 28, 1999

Brief excerpts of Rosemary singing Thanks for the Memory / What’ll I Do / A Foggy Day / Will You Still Be Mine are shown

Christmas in Rockefeller Center (ABC-TV)—Air date December 1, 1999

White Christmas

Swing It! (PBS-TV)—Air date November 28, 1999

If Swing Goes, I Go Too / Love Is Here to Stay / Hey There / In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning / Just in Time / It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) (with Dee Dee Bridgewater)

A Rosie Christmas (ABC-TV)—Air date December 5
,
1999

Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (with Rosie O’Donnell)

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra Live (PBS-TV)—Air date July 4, 2000

God Bless America

This Morning (CBS-TV)—Air date summer 2000

The Boy from Ipanema (with Diana Krall)

Today (NBC-TV)—Air date December 25, 2000

White Christmas / Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

The Rosie O’Donnell Show (syndicated)—Air date March 28, 2001

Ol’ Man River

The View (ABC-TV)—Air date October, 2001

Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep

Nicholas Clooney (born in Ireland about 1830) married Bridget Byron (born 1836 in Ireland) on May 24, 1862, in Mason County, Kentucky. Their son Andrew B. Clooney (1874–1947) married Crescentia (aka Cynthia) Koch (1876–1939) and became a jeweler and a mayor of Maysville, Kentucky. Their son Andrew Joseph Clooney (1902–1974) married Marie Frances Guilfoyle (1909–1973) on August 15, 1928.

Marie Frances Guilfoyle (1909–1973) was the daughter of Michael J. Guilfoyle (1876–1928) who had married Martha Adelia (Ada) Farrow (1884–1958) in 1905. The grandfather of Marie Frances Guilfoyle was Cornelius Guilfoyle (born in Ireland in 1845). He married Rosanna Sweeney (1854–1934) on August 26, 1869 in Mayslick, Mason County, Kentucky.

May 23
, Wednesday. Rose Marie Clooney is born in Maysville, Kentucky.

April
. The US Census shows Rose Marie living with her parents at the Maysville home of her grandfather, Andrew B. Clooney, who is described as a jewelry merchant. Rose’s father is said to be a jewelry salesman and her mother does not have an occupation indicated. Olivette, a daughter of
Andrew B. Clooney (born 1900 and shown as “Alwette”), is also living there and is listed as a musician with an orchestra.

The population of Maysville at that time was 6,557, of whom 59 were indelicately described in the Census as being “Negro.”

April 12
. Elizabeth (Betty) Anne Clooney (Rosemary’s sister) is born in Lewisburg, Kentucky.

Rosemary Clooney makes her first public appearance at the age of three, at the Russell Theater in Maysville, singing “When Your Hair Has Turned to Silver.”

Rosemary Clooney, attractive young daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Clooney Jr., was painfully injured last night when she fell from a moving street car at the East End loop.

(
Public Ledger
, August 10, 1932)

August 18
. Rosemary sings at the Central Hotel, Maysville.

Maysville, Ky. Lieut-Gov. A. B. Chandler spoke last night at the centennial dinner at the Central hotel, which was well attended. … At the conclusion of the address, little Rosemary Clooney, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Clooney Jr of Market Street, sang three songs.

(
Middlesboro Daily News
, August 19, 1933)

January 13
. Nicholas Joseph Clooney (Rosemary’s brother) is born in Maysville.

January 20
. Crescentia Clooney (Rosemary’s grandmother) dies in Maysville. Rosemary, Betty and Nick move to live with their Grandmother Guilfoyle.

April
. The US Census shows Rosemary, Betty, and Nicholas living with their grandmother, Ada Guilfoyle, and their uncle George (aged 18) and aunt Christine (15) at 331 West Third Street in Maysville. The property is rented for $25 per month.

Rosemary graduates from St. Patrick’s Grade School, Maysville. The Guilfoyle family moves to Ironton, Ohio, where Rosemary’s uncles George and Chick open up a service station.

October 13
. Rosemary’s Aunt Ann dies at the age of 25.

Uncles George and Chick go out of business in Ironton. The Guilfoyle family moves to Fairfax Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio. Rosemary attends Withrow High School. Uncle George gets a job with the Baldwin Piano Company in their loading dock.

The Guilfoyle family moves to an old farmhouse on Indian Hill Road, Cincinnati.

Rosemary’s mother divorces her father, comes home, and moves her children to an apartment building on Clinton Springs Avenue, Cincinnati. She then marries William Miller Stone of Lexington.

Rosemary’s mother leaves for California to be with Mr. Stone, who is stationed at Treasure Island in San Francisco, taking Nick Clooney with her. Rosemary’s father returns and moves Rosemary and Betty in with him to an apartment on Elberon Avenue, Cincinnati.

The Clooney Sisters appear before the Maysville Rotarians to sing “The Old Covered Bridge,” “Home on the Range,” and “God Bless America.”

February 9
. Rosemary’s mother gives birth to a daughter named Gail Anne. Mr. and Mrs. Stone return to Kentucky bringing Nick with them.

Rosemary and Betty attend one of the open auditions held by radio station WLW every Thursday. They are offered a basic $20 a week each, which is increased to an extra $7 per show if they do more than three half-hour programs. They sing on radio after school and during the summer vacation. Their first appearance is on the
Moon River
program and they sing “Walkin’ by the River.” They move in with their Auntie Jeanne in Greenhills, Cincinnati.
Summer
. The Clooney Sisters sing on the “Crossroads Café” (a 15-minute show at 5:15
P.M
.) and “Moon River” (a late Sunday night show) on WLW. They also sing at high school dances with a band led by Billy Petering.

They are the babies of the WLW vocal staff both in age and experience but that fact hasn’t prevented the Clooney Sisters from winning listeners on their first assignments at the Crosley station. At present, they reside at 6 Burnham Avenue, Greenhills and attend Mercy High School on Freeman Avenue.

(
Public Ledger
, September 17, 1945)

Fall
. Rosemary is a senior at Our Lady of Mercy High School in Cincinnati. The Clooney Sisters join the Barney Rapp band.

June 12
. Tony Pastor and His Orchestra appear at Moonlite Gardens, Coney Island, near Cincinnati.

Summer
The Clooney Sisters sign up to join the Tony Pastor band and are to be paid $125 each per week. Their Uncle George (age 24) is to accompany them as a chaperone.

July 10
. The Clooney Sisters make their debut with Tony Pastor in the Marine Ballroom on the Steel Pier in Atlantic City. Rosemary and Betty tour with the band for the rest of the year.

August 16
. Tony Pastor and his troupe begin a week’s engagement at Moonlite Gardens on Coney Island, near Cincinnati.

Clooney Sisters get ovation as they open at Coney Island
.

Maysville born Rosemary and Betty Clooney, featured vocalists with Tony Pastor and his Orchestra, received a memorable ovation at Coney Island last night when the band opened a week’s engagement in Moonlite Gardens. They had been living in Indian Hill with their maternal grandmother, Mrs. W. J. Guilfoyle, and they attended Our Lady of Mercy High School in the Queen city. The Clooney Sisters have been singing since, as mere tots, their aunt, Mrs. Stafford Rolph, (Olivette Clooney), one of Maysville’s most accomplished pianists,
took them in hand for a bit of musical training. They had an unusual record with station WLW where they were engaged on their very first audition in itself an extraordinary experience. They were heard on Crossroads Café, Fashions in Melody, Shelf of Melody, Accent on Music and Circle Arrow programs. Two of these—Fashions of Melody and Circle Arrow—were fed to the NBC network.

(
Public Ledger
, August 17, 1946)

September
. In New York City, The Clooney Sisters make their first recordings with Tony Pastor for Cosmo Records.

November 30
. The Clooney Sisters and their duly appointed guardian, George Guilfoyle, sign an agreement with Barney Rapp and Charles Trotta. This appoints Rapp and Trotta as exclusive business managers for the Clooney Sisters for a five-year period on 10% commission from all earnings.

December 18, 1946-January 10, 1947
. The Pastor band is part of an hour-long variety show at the Paramount in New York with the Andrews Sisters and the Les Paul Trio.

The Clooney Sisters continue to tour with the Pastor Band.

February 24–March 6
. Tony Pastor and His Orchestra perform at the Click Theater restaurant in Philadelphia and on March 6, they are featured in
One Night Stand
, a 30-minute radio program from the restaurant.

April 29–June 9
. The Tony Pastor Band has an extended stay at the Hollywood Palladium.

Sharing vocal stint with Pastor are Clooney Sisters, who pass eye-and-ear test with plenty to spare. Gals offer a pleasant, harmonic blend of voices, as well as taking solo rides and teaming with Pastor on novelties.

(Alan Fischter,
Billboard
, May 31, 1947)

April 29 / May 13
. The Clooney Sisters take part in further
One Night Stand
programs on CBS with Tony Pastor. While in Hollywood, Pastor and his group appear in one of Universal’s “Name Band” shorts in which the Clooney Sisters sing “Hawaiian War Chant” and Rosemary sings “Movie Tonight” with Pastor.

October 26
. The Tony Pastor Orchestra plays the Ritz Ballroom, Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Tony Pastor had his birthday surprise Sunday night at the Ritz instead of on WNAB’s “1450 Club” show in the afternoon. The Clooney Sisters, Tony’s grand
little vocalists, appeared on the WNAB show in place of their boss who was delayed in reaching town. And the girls plotted with the bandsmen to spring the surprise on Tony when he called for an intermission break at the ballroom. Instead of taking the break, the bandsmen swung into “Happy Birthday,” the gals ran over and kissed Tony while Ray Colonari ran in with a birthday cake.

Incidentally, the Clooney girls have been with Tony about a year, even though they have no contract with the band. Their affairs are managed by their uncle, a young chap not much older than the girls themselves.

(
Bridgeport Post
, October 28, 1947)

November 1
. Andrew B. Clooney (Rosemary’s grandfather) dies in Maysville.

November 18–20
. Pastor and his team move on to the Paramount Theater in Waterloo, Iowa.

Aided and abetted by the two pulchritudinous Clooney sisters, Tony and his boys proved they have really Pastor-ized music by practically rewriting “The Hawaiian War Chant.” Incidentally, those two eye-filling gals were both solid, but it would be interesting to know which of them hushed the audience with a feverish, half-breath rendition of “I Wish I Didn’t Love You So.” Tony didn’t bother to tell the audience which was which, but one has blond hair, the other has jet black, both have fine voices and curves which meet all standard requirements

(Robert M. L. O. Johnson,
Waterloo Daily Courier
, November 19, 1947)