Amy Arnell

Amy Arnell was an American singer, best known for her work with Tommy Tucker and his orchestra.

Early years

Arnell was born in Roanoke, Virginia, and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia. As early as age 3, she would sit on a piano and sing while her mother played. She attended Woodrow Wilson High School and the College of William & Mary and gained singing experience in her church choir and on radio stations.[1]

Before she made a career of singing, she worked as a secretary.[1]

Career

Arnell caught the attention of Tucker when he heard her sing while he and his band were in Portsmouth. She auditioned for him and was hired.[2] Later, her recording of "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" with the Tucker orchestra "became a smash hit", selling half a million records for Columbia.[3] The recording's success boosted the band from cheaper one-night stands "into the higher brackets."[3] Arnell also appeared with Tucker and his orchestra in the short film It's Tommy Tucker Time (1943), which was part of the RKO Pictures Jamboree Series.[4] The short was reissued in 1947.[5]

Arnell debuted on radio in Detroit on Phil Baker's program,[1] and in 1937-1938 she sang with Tucker's orchestra on George Jessel's Thirty Minutes in Hollywood program.[6] In 1939–1940, she appeared with Tucker and his orchestra on Pot o' Gold.[7] In December 1945, she joined the cast of The Abbott and Costello Show, replacing vocalist Connie Haines.[8]

On December 7, 1943, Arnell left Tucker to do a solo act, performing at theaters.[9] A review in the trade publication Variety in December 1943 evaluated her performance with the comment, "Lacking a voice and with averaged delivery and looks, she scores mildly here."[10]

Other activities

Arnell was half-owner of a florist shop in Hollywood.[11]

References
  1. "Amy Arnell To Appear Here With Tucker". The Daily Mail. Maryland, Hagerstown. May 6, 1943. p. 8. Retrieved October 27, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  2. "(untitled)". Radio and Television Mirror. 17 (4): 74. February 1942. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. Ferris, John (April 26, 1942). "Band With Good Canary Will Never Get 'the Bird'". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. p. 27. Retrieved October 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. "Short Subjects". Motion Picture Herald. May 8, 1943. p. 1304. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  5. "Short Subjects". Motion Picture Herald. November 8, 1947. p. 3919. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  6. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
  7. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 274–275. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  8. "In Hollywood". Variety. December 28, 1945. p. 28. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  9. "Amy Arnell Also Will Try a Solo". Variety. November 24, 1943. p. 49. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  10. "State, N.Y." Variety. December 22, 1943. p. 20. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  11. Alden, Ken (May 1942). "Facing the Music". Radio and Television Mirror. 18 (1): 12. Retrieved 27 October 2018.


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