Cherry Sisters: Damned SoulsAt the turn of the 20th Century, the Des Moines Register ran a scathing review of the Cherry Sisters' act. "Their long, skinny arms, equipped with talons at the extremities... waved frantically at the suffering audience" the reviewer wrote. "The mouths of their rancid features opened like caverns and sounds like the wailings of damned souls issued therefrom..." Outraged, the sisters sued for libel.
The upshot? The judge asked the sisters to perform in court - and promptly ruled for the defense.
["Their performance was so entertaining," Stephen Pile wrote of the Cherry Sisters, "that a wire net had to be erected across the footlights to protect them from the shower of potatoes, apples, cabbages and other tributes that were regularly hurled at this unique musical quartet. The sisters themselves insisted that it was the work of envious rivals.
"Their act opened with Aggie, Effie, Lizzie and Jessie walking awkwardly to the centre of the stage in shapeless, flame-red gowns, hats and woollen mittens of their own making. Three of them were tall, thin and sang, while lessie was short, fat and played a bass drum.
"They stood there acknowledging the ecstatic hoots which
greeted their arrival and then launched into a uniquely strained soprano version of 'Ta-ra-ra boom-dee-ay' that included the verse
Cherries ripe, boom-dee-ay
Cherries red, boom-dee-ay
The Cherry Sisters
Have come to stay.
"The song was accompanied by a range of hearty gestures that were refreshingly untarnished by female grace. There were also intermittent thumps upon the drum. The audience sat transfixed with disbelief until the Cherry Sisters shuffled off the stage, showing not the slightest trace of nervousness or of the talent normally associated with this line of work.
"In 1896 they were taken to New York by Oscar Hammerstein, the impresario, who said, 'I have tried putting on the best acts and
it hasn't worked. Now I'm trying the worst.'
"The New York Times review of their opening night on 17 November was headed 'Four Freaks From Iowa.' In it the critic said that 'all too obviously they were genuine products of the barnyard and the kitchen... never before did New Yorkers see anything in the least like the Cherry Sisters' and suggested that their performance might be due to poor diet.
"Another critic wrote that 'a locksmith with a strong rasping file could earn ready wages taking the kinks out of Lizzie's voice.'
"Their repertoire also included 'I'm Out Upon The Mash, Boys,' 'Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight,' 'Don't You Remember Sweet Alice, Ben Bolt,' and 'The Modern Young Man,' a recitation. With a growing reputation as the world's worst variety act they constantly played to capacity crowds all over America. Hammerstein's hunch paid off."]
Hammerstein II, Oscar (1895-1960) American lyricist [noted for his collaborations with Richard Rodgers and his librettos for such
musicals as
Oklahoma! (1943),
Carmen Jones (1943),
South Pacific (1949), and
The Sound of Music (1959)]
[Sources: Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, p. 84; Stephen Pile, Cannibals in the Cafeteria]
More Oscar Hammerstein II anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Lawsuits Libel Bad Singing Music Bad Reviews Concerts
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