The Cali-Bama Co-Eds

Sisters in Fiction, Sisters in Fact By Doug Hopkinson

The Cali-Bama Co-Eds was a syndicated radio program that was first broadcast in the Spring of 1931.i It was about five sisters all beginning college at the same time and their experiences with a new campus lifestyle and of course, the boys that go with it. The sisters names were Ruth, Lou, Nell, Betty Jane and Dora.ii Each 15 minute episode contained a rather weak storyline combined with anemic acting and was peppered with 3 or 4 musical numbers. Having the benefit of knowing the true identities of these singing actresses makes it immediately apparent that this radio program was really only a vehicle intended to showcase their true talent which was singing songs in a harmonious style that had become uniquely identified with their group. They were The Five Locust Sisters and were well known during their time.iii The group consisted of four vocalists that could harmonize like birds and a fifth member accompanying them on piano. The Locust Sisters began making a name for themselves in vaudeville as early as 1923.iv Beginning as a trio they were five by January, 1924 when they made their first radio appearance on WHN in New York.v

They had made several recordings for Columbia Records going back to 1923 of which at least one was a best seller in 1926.vi

Their growing popularity lead to a role in a Broadway play titled Hit the Deck in 1927vii which in turned paved their way in 1928 to Hollywood and MGM studios where they made their brief foray into film. Their first film was a Movietone short titled appropriately enough, The Five Locust Sisters.

In 1929, they were invited to be in a second Movietone short titled Metro Movietone Revue.viii Between their well received performances in Hit the Deck and their 2 MovieTone shorts which were seemingly played at every movie theater across the nation. The Locust Sisters had made it to their peak of fame. They would never be superstars, they didnt have the looks for it nor did they garner enough demand for it but they were certainly recognized as entertainers and were used to help draw people to the theater houses as told by the advertisements in untold numbers of newspapers across the country. It is interesting to note that during their entire careers, they were always billed, reviewed or mentioned as The Locust Sisters. Never were they named individually with the exception of the piano playing accompanist. Very little is known about the Locust family. What is known is that there were 8 siblings consisting of one male and seven females. Their names were, Henry, Hilda, Rose, Ada, Selma, Mildred, Lillian and Matilda.ix Henry was not involved with The Locust Sisters as far as is known. There is one anecdote about him which can be mentioned. He later had a son named Stan who worked on the Manhattan Project during WWII.x Hilda was an operatic singer and may have professionally performed in that capacity. She was not a member of The Five Locust Sisters although she did perform once on the same radio program as her sisters, as a solo act. That was in 1929 on the Majestic Hour which was broadcast nationally over the CBS network.xi Rose was also a solo performer and not part of The Five Locust Sisters. According to

her niece, she was .. a lusty singer who could blow the windows outa any speakeasy.xii Rose had a daughter who was a singer and purportedly the first girl band singer for Stan Kentons band. This authors research attempts were unable to verify the claim. What is verified is that Roses daughter married a young Cherokee Indian whose name was Carl Fischer. He was a song writer and a piano player. He eventually met up with Frankie Laine and together they had a few hit songs.xiii Fischer died in 1954xiv at the age of 42 leaving behind his wife and two young daughters, Terry and Carol.

In 1963, these two daughters, now teenagers, formed a singing group of their own called The Murmaids. They recorded a song titled Popsicles and Icicles written by a promising young songwriter by the name of David Gates.xv Popsicles and Icicles made it to #3 on the Billboard charts in November of 1963.xvi

The Murmaids enjoyed their 5 minutes of fame. Terry went on to a career in the music industry and had some success although not quite as much as did David Gates who went on to form a group called Bread.

Ada, Selma, Mildred and Lillian were the four harmonizing singers in The Five Locust Singers. No other information is available on any of them. Matilda was the fifth sister and piano playing accompanist to the other four. She was a classically trained pianist. She purportedly debuted at Carnegie Hall at the tender age of fifteen.xvii She was also at one point in her career a soloist for the National Symphony Orchestra.xviii

The Cali-Bama Co-Eds was broadcast for a little over a year between 1931 and 1932.xixThere is no evidence to suggest that it was ever broadcast nationally or even on a set schedule. It was broadcast in at least 4 different states including Ohio, Massachusetts, West Virginia and North Dakota.xx To all appearances this was a very short lived radio program.

There are eight episodes of this program known to exist at present. Each came from large, heavy 16 transcription discs with orange Transco labels. Hopefully more will be found in the future.

In contrast to their failed radio program, the Locust Sisters had a much more triumphant career. From the stages of vaudeville and Broadway to radio and the silver screen, the five sisters enjoyed a measure of success. Evidence suggests that they did not do much more work after 1935xxi but there was an appearance they made in 1942 at a town in Pennsylvania on Labor Day.xxii

All things must come to an end, and as did The Five Locust Sisters and their unique sound, so too does this article. Further research is needed to provide better detail as to the sisters biographies. Perhaps one of you reading this will do it or already have the answers. For now it must suffice that this much information has been uncovered and shines a bit of light on yet another obscure 1930s radio program.

Evening Independent (OH) 4-29-1931 p10

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Bluefield Daily Telegraph (WV) 12-13-1931 p10 Bluefield Daily Telegraph (WV) 12-6-1931 p8; Bluefield Daily Telegraph (WV) 12-13-1931 p10 iv Bridgeport Telegram (CT) 3-30-1923 p32 v New York Times 1-19-1924 p11 vi Decatur Review (IL) 10-28-1926 p3; Columbia Record Label 736-D vii Internet Broadway Data Base website www.ibdb.com ; New York Times 4-26-1927 p32 viii Internet Movie Data Base website www.imbd.com ; New York Times 8-19-1928 p97 ix Email to author from granddaughter of Rose Locust. x Email to author from granddaughter of Rose Locust. xi Email to author from granddaughter of Rose Locust. ; Greensburg Daily News (IN) 3-8-1929 p3; Oakland Tribune (CA) 3-8-1929 p26 xii Email to author from granddaughter of Rose Locust. xiii Official Murmaids website www.themurmaids.com xiv http://www.jazzbiographies.com xv http://www.classicbands.com/MurmaidsInterview.html xvi Official Murmaids website www.themurmaids.com xvii Email to author from granddaughter of Rose Locust xviii Greensburg Daily News (IN) 3-8-1929 p3; Oakland Tribune (CA) 3-8-1929 p26 xix Evening Independent (OH) 4-29-1931 p10; Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba) 7-12-1932 p13 xx Bluefield Daily Telegraph (WV) 12-6-1931 p8; Evening Independent (OH) 4-29-1931 p10; Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba) 7-12-1932 p13; Lowell Sun (Mass) 1-26-1932 p17; Charleston Gazette (WV) 7-2-1931 p2 xxi New York Times 5-23-1935 p21; New York Times 5-30-1935 p20 xxii Daily Courier (PA) 9-3-1942 p8
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