Eddy Duchin

Edwin Frank Duchin (April 1, 1909 – February 9, 1951), commonly known as Eddy Duchin or alternatively Eddie Duchin, was an American popular music pianist and bandleader during the 1930s and 1940s.

Early career Duchin was born on April 1, 1909, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, By 1932, Reisman's contract with the Central Park Casino was being terminated, leaving violinist Leo Kahn as the interim leader of the orchestra. After 6 weeks, Duchin had assumed Kahn's place as the orchestra's leader.

Late career Duchin entered the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving as a combat officer in a destroyer squadron in the Mediterranean and Pacific. He attained the rank of lieutenant commander (O4). Duchin's military awards included the Navy Commendation ribbon with Combat "V", Combat Action ribbon, American Area Campaign medal, the European-Africa-Middle Eastern Area Campaign medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Area Campaign medal, and the World War II Victory medal. After his discharge from the military, Duchin was unable to reclaim his former stardom in spite of a stab at a new radio show in 1949.

Personal life Duchin met his future wife, the socialite Marjorie Oelrichs, at the Waldorf in New York City, and wed at Oelrichs' mother's apartment at the Hotel Pierre on June 5, 1935, officiated by Judge Vincent Lippe. They had one son, Peter Duchin, born July 28, 1937. Tragically, Marjorie died just six days after the birth. Duchin had a second child, born August 15, 1938, with model Marguerite O'Malley; and a third, Annette Kalten, born April 26, 1940, with Millie Yammarino. In 1947, he married a second time to Spanish-Filipina Maria Teresa "Chiquita" Parke-Smith (1912-1980), daughter of Teresa Parke-Smith Bertran de Lis y Pastor.

On February 9, 1951, Eddy Duchin died at age 41 at Memorial Hospital in Manhattan of acute myelogenous leukemia.

Legacy By the mid-1950s, Columbia Pictures, having enjoyed success with musical biographies, mounted a feature film based on the bandleader's life. The Eddy Duchin Story (1956) is a fictionalized tearjerker, with Tyrone Power in the title role, and piano dubbed by Carmen Cavallaro. The film did well in theaters.

Dancing with Duchin, an anthology of some of Duchin's recordings, was released in 2002.