Film Star Cecilia Sisson: 'The Inside Story'
  • Author: nedsparks
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  • Fame was fleeting for the former film star -- some would say 'actress -- named Cecilia Sisson. She was raised in modest surroundings in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. While performing in a Katoon Kiddie Karnival, she was spotted by Sam Sax, General Production Chief for Warner Bros. Pictures. She became a household name when she burst upon the screen in the mid-1920s. Her statuesque figure and natural good looks created a sensation among the Prohibition-era college boys. When talking pictures arrived, she was at the top of every producer's list. Like many stars of the silent, silver screen, her career was shortened by 'Terrible Mike,' the demon who sent the vocally unfit screaming or lisping from the lot. Sadly, late Cecilia Sisson personified actresses caught in melee of Hollywood's most chaotic transition: from silent films to talkies. In Sisson's 'Mississippi Melody,' she introduced the song that became a standard, 'Pig With Fins,' the first love song written to a river carp. Songs were written for her by the songwriting team of Sam Stept and Noble Sissle. Mr. Sissle, who wrote many hits with Eubie Blake, was the first African-American songwriter under contract to First National Pictures. (Were it not for public outcry, the actress might have become Mrs. Cecilia Sisson Sissle.) He and Mr. Stept also wrote a screen musical, 'Syncopated Sister,' for Tiffany-Tone Studios. Cecilia Sisson played the carefree aunt of Daisy and Violet Hilton. After a failed attempt at nightclubs and dinner theatres, Cecilia Sisson returned to Saskatoon and lived the rest of her life in quiet house by the shores of the South Saskatchewan River. In this 1960s video clip, Carol Channing discusses reasons that may have been responsible for Cecilia Sisson's fast journey into anonymity. Miss Channing seemed to gravitate toward 1920s personalities. Her Broadway shows include the musical comedy 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,' (1949) 'Lend An Ear' (1948), and her one-woman piece, 'Show Girl' (1961). She is the recipient of the 1949 Theatre World Award for 'Lend an Ear.' She was nominated three times for Best Actress in a Musical. In 1964 she won the Award for her most famous role as Dolly Levi Gallagher in 'Hello, Dolly!' In 1995 she was awarded the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. The Sisson sketch, called 'The Inside Story,' was part of 'Show Girl,' written by Charles Gaynor. The saga of Miss Sisson is probably one of Miss Channing's most beloved stories.
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  • Author: laidbackNEWS
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