Sylvia Froos

Sylvia Froos (April 19, 1914 – March 28, 2004), sometimes spelled as Sylvia Fross, was an American actress and singer who appeared on stage, radio, recordings, television, and film during the 1920s through the 1940s. She was a child star that was sometimes billed as Baby Sylvia and as the "Little Princess of Song" She was also referred to as "The Miniature Belle Baker", with her ability to mimic the vocal performances of celebrities being particularly noted by the media, and was additionally likened to Sophie Tucker and Marion Harris.

Career Child performer

Born in New York City on April 19, 1914, Froos had wanted to be a singer since a young age. When she was four, she conducted a multi-song performance at the lodge owned by her father. Her mother forced her to leave, however, and was against her doing further performances. After three years of her repeatedly begging to be allowed to perform at her family's social parties with her mother only allowing her to do so rarely, she was noticed by a theatre booker at one of the social functions after singing accompaniment. Froos was able to convince her mother to, at the age of 7, allow her to act as a part of the Kiddie Cabaret group that performed vaudeville in Washington D.C. and was repeatedly confronted by members of the Gerry Society and she was taken to court after a performance in New Orleans. According to the law, dancing rather than singing was the violation, so the Gerry Society charged that she "wiggled while she sang", thus violating the law, but the judge had her sing several songs in the courtroom and requested she sing a "father song" for him someday before he dismissed the case. Froos claimed to have the record for number of child charges and arrests by the time she was 18 due to being actively pursued by child labor law advocates every time she performed.

In 1923, she engaged in a stage tour with the Octavia White Home and conducted vaudeville features in locations including the Bijou Theatre and a play performance at the New York Biltmore Hotel for Governor Al Smith and at the White House for Florence Harding. She also began starring in short film productions using Vitaphone in 1927.

Theatre Her official Broadway debut was years later when she performed solo singing acts at the Palace Theatre in New York City. In addition to doing shows on Broadway, she also spent the early part of 1930 doing performances in Florida before leaving to star in a singing role in a Fox Studios production called the Fox Follies in Hollywood. After completing the film production, she returned to being a radio host on the KHJ network in April 1934.

As vaudeville dropped in popularity in the United States during the 1930s, she expanded her tours to European venues. Froos had her first cabaret debut in 1936 at the Chez Paree in Chicago.

Music The end of the 1920s saw Froos picked for a radio show for NBC and several years later in 1932 she moved to a show on WADC alongside Victor Moore, both focusing on her musical capabilities. In 1931, she was signed with Victor Records and produced a number of novelty songs, including Who's Your Little Who-Zis?

While most moviemaking was based in Hollywood, some of the major film companies maintained studios on the east coast in the 1930s, largely for the production of short subjects. In 1934 Sylvia Froos joined the ranks of many New York-based performers who took jobs at the Vitaphone and Educational studios. Educational usually co-starred her with singer Warren Hull in its "Young Romance" musical comedies, with such titles as All For One In 1941 she appeared in seven three-minute musical films for the Soundies movie jukeboxes.

In 1944 she undertook a series of performances at military bases and hospitals across the United States. In 1951 she recorded a dialect novelty song, "A Satchel and a Seck," with then-novice comedian Allan Sherman for Jubilee Records. When Sherman became a major recording star with song parodies in 1962, Jubilee reissued the Froos-Sherman record.

Theatre performances Gay Paree of 1928 (1929) Tons o' Fun (1945)

Filmography The Little Princess of Song (1927), short A film clip of her singing "The Sun's in My Heart" is posted on YouTube. It is labelled as from 1932. Stand Up and Cheer! (1934) All For One (1935) Love in a Hurry (1935), short School for Swing (1937), short Eddie Duchin & Orchestra with Sylvia Froos, a Vitaphone short

Discography Who's Your Little Who-Zis? (1931) with the Victor Arden-Phil Ohman Orchestra Snuggled on Your Shoulder (1932) A Satchel and a Seck (1951) with Allan Sherman