Geneva Duker

Geneva M. Duker Schissel (March 5, 1905 – July 14, 1976) was an American dancer, actress, and diver. She appeared on the vaudeville stage, and in several Broadway productions, in the 1920s.

Geneva Duker
A young white woman with a dark bobbed hair in a side-part, wearing a white fur wrap
Geneva Duker, from a 1924 publication
Born(1905-03-05)March 5, 1905
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJuly 14, 1976(1976-07-14) (aged 71)
Falmouth, Massachusetts, U.S.
Other namesGeneva Schissel, Genevieve Schissel
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
  • showgirl
Spouse
Edmund Schissel
​
(m. 1928)​
Children2

Early life and education

Duker was born in Boston, the daughter of William John Duker and Ellen McMenamin Duker. She became a proficient swimmer and diver at the Boston Municipal Baths,[1] and graduated from Notre Dame Academy in Boston.[2]

Her older sisters Susan, Alice and Jessie had a vaudeville diving act known as the Duker Sisters,[3] which she sometimes joined for performances.[4][5] In 1921 she was a featured dancer in a children's pageant, Secrets of the Sun Dial, produced in Boston to raise money for the Near East Relief Fund.[6] She was also popular as an entertainer for recent World War I veterans.[7]

Career

Duke was a dancer who appeared on the vaudeville stage, and in several Broadway productions. She also worked as an artist's model, and performed in a high-diving stunt act with her sisters at the New York Hippodrome.[5] Her stage credits included roles in Better Times (1922),[8] Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1924,[9] Greenwich Village Follies (1924, with her sister Alice),[10][11][12] The Great Temptations (1926),[13] The Desert Song (1926–1928), Cross My Heart (1928), and Sammy's Sally (1928).[14] Her name and image appeared in advertisements for hosiery in 1924.[15]

Personal life

In 1928, Duker married salesman Edmund Schissel; they had two children, Edmund and Geneva.[16] She died in 1976, in Falmouth, Massachusetts, aged 71 years.[17]

References
  1. "Reception to Roxbury Girls in Musical Comedy". The Boston Globe. January 17, 1925. p. 2. Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Notes About the Players". The Boston Globe. January 27, 1924. p. 52. Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Mrs. Susan Duker Haun of '20s high-diving team". The Boston Globe. April 9, 1975. p. 37. Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Joint Recital at Studio Dances on Huntington Av". The Boston Globe. January 28, 1921. p. 5. Retrieved August 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Roxbury Post Host of 'Follies' Girls". The Boston Globe. February 8, 1924. p. 12. Retrieved August 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Give Children's Play for Near East Relief". The Boston Globe. March 20, 1921. p. 4. Retrieved August 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Primrose Four Dance on Wednesday Evening". Boston Evening Globe. December 12, 1921. p. 9. Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via NewspaperArchive.
  8. "Geneva Duker and Louise Allison". New-York Tribune. October 15, 1922. p. 74. Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Vanities Girls Enjoy Dip in Swimming Pool". The Boston Globe. January 23, 1925. p. 10. Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Actresses of the Stage and Screen: English Beauties" Midweek Pictorial (January 10, 1924): 20. via Internet Archive
  11. Anderson, John Murray (November 25, 1923). "Where Do the Chorus Girls Come From?". The Buffalo Times. p. 3. Retrieved August 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Duker Sisters Guests at Farewell Party". The Boston Globe. January 21, 1925. p. 11. Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "New Plays on Broadway". Billboard. May 29, 1926. p. 25.
  14. Davidson, Max D. (August 21, 1928). "The Play". Asbury Park Press. p. 3. Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Touraine (advertisement)". The Boston Globe. January 27, 1924. p. 50. Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Obituary for Edmund SCHISSEL (Aged 93)". The Boston Globe. August 8, 1996. p. 36. Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Obituary for Geneva M. SCHISSEL". The Boston Globe. July 16, 1976. p. 35. Retrieved August 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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