Anne Triola
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Anne Margaret Triola (September 25, 1920 – July 27, 2012) was an American singer, musician, and actress of stage, film, and television. As a comedian and supporting actress, she got her start singing in Hollywood night clubs. Triola made her mark in the well known musical film '' Lullaby Of Broadway'' (1951) and received much praise for her effort in the motion picture ''
Without Reservations ''Without Reservations'' is a 1946 RKO Radio Pictures American comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Claudette Colbert, John Wayne and Don DeFore. The film was adapted by Andrew P. Solt, Andrew Solt from the novel ''Thanks, God! I'l ...
'' (1946), which starred
Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert (koʊlˈbɛər/ kohl-BAIR, born Émilie "Lily" Claudette Chauchoin (ʃoʃwɛ̃/ show-shwan); September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway theater, Broadway productions dur ...
and
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
. She participated in five Hollywood films, assisted with USO tours in the Pacific Theater during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and caused audiences to lose themselves in laughter, but Triola may best be remembered for work as a singer and comedian with the
musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...
that included performances in night clubs all over the country such as the Blue Angel in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Triola was listed as being one of the most popular performers in the history of Music Circus that included her work with the Sacramento Music Circus in the 1950s. She was described as a petite, dark haired, dark-eyed song stylist with the Betty Hutton type of delivery.


Early life

Triola was born in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California and was of Italian descent. Her childhood was not typical for a little girl growing up in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
. Instead, Triola embarked on a long stint of study that began with
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
when she was just three years old, prematurely launching her professional career when most children were, back then, mastering the art of roller skating. She learned to play the
accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...
, and by the early age of 12 Triola began playing the squeezebox and singing in various cafes, including one called "Burp Hollow."


World War II

The beginning of Triola's career in show business was interrupted by World War II as Hollywood became involved with the war effort through its USO tours that included big-name actors
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...
and Gary Cooper. From the Hollywood "Bar of Music" she went on a South Pacific tour with Judith Anderson's USO troupe. They served in a number of USO shows during the war and entertained at such well-remembered spots in
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
as Lae, Nadzab and Finchhaven in spite of all the dangers that existed from air raids by Japanese bombers and strafing Zeros that were land-based or planes coming from aircraft carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku. It was recorded on a specific day in the summer of 1944 at Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, that Triola, Anderson, and their USO troupe entertained as many as 1,500 American servicemen—
Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
,
Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
, and Merchant Marine personnel—at the 113th Amphitheater. Triola played her accordion while Shirley Cornell played the
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
. Noted actress Anderson and Helen McClure each performed singing duties while PFC Paul Parmalee played the piano as the group worked together to lift the spirits of battle-weary, worn-out soldiers. Triola lost one $1,500 accordion at the Pacific when a light globe set fire to it.


Career


Started as accordionist

The career of Anne Triola was marked by circumstances, and her success as a singing comedian was the result of one of these. Originally Triola was an accordionist and as such accompanied Judith Anderson's USO troupe into the Pacific Theater during World War II. She was well known as a night club performer only. In New Guinea her accordion burned and it became necessary for Triola to reschedule her act. "Then," she said, "I just started singing a little bit to help out." She found she had success with comedy selections. "My friends used to tell me I had a flair for comedy with the accordion, but I never specialized in it until I started singing," she said.


Becomes singer

When she returned from USO tours she set out to "develop a style of my own" and once more started a nightclub circuit act, this time as a singer. Possibly her greatest fortune occurred while singing in the Blue Angel in New York City. There she became acquainted with some of the top New York theatrical persons.
Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical ...
asked her to star in the London production of ''Annie Get Your Gun''. Her nightclub commitments prevented her from taking the offer but several years later Oscar Hammerstein recommended her for the same role in the Sacramento Music Circus. While singing at Slapsy Maxie's, Director
Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. During the 1930s, he was one of the two great practitioners of economical and effective film directing at Warner Bros., Warner Brothers studios, ...
and Producer Jesse L. Lasky signed her for movies at RKO where she made three movies, one with John Wayne. It was reported that Triola was in the floor show at Slapsy Maxie Rosenbloom's when Lasky and LeRoy found her and immediately offered her a contract. From those movies, ''Without Reservations'' stood out where she had a feature role. Journalist Gene Handsaker singled out Triola for this reason in a June 5, 1946, edition of the Prescott Evening Courier as he explained, "Some supporting performances are terrific, especially that of Anne Triola, who amid shrieks of preview laughter swiped her scenes clear away from Stars Colbert and John Wayne." She was loaned to
Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
for the comic supporting role opposite
Billy De Wolfe William Andrew Jones (February 18, 1907 – March 5, 1974), better known as Billy De Wolfe, was an American character actor. He was active in films from the mid-1940s until his death in 1974. Early life and early stage career Born William Andrew ...
in '' Lullaby Of Broadway'' (1951). Then the motion picture industry deflated, leaving contracts mostly worthless. ''Lullaby Of Broadway'' would be her last movie which was filmed in Technicolor. Triola and De Wolfe sang a couple of duets, "You're Dependable" and "We'd Like to Go on a Trip." Box-office star
Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...
and actor Gene Nelson received most of the attention in the Technicolor musical extravaganza, but the comedy aspect of the film was well provided with the performances of De Wolfe and his vaudeville partner, Triola.


Started in television

Once more Anne Triola returned to night clubs and started in the new entertainment medium, television. She appeared on panel programs and as guest artist on shows. Her last television program was as a guest of
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
. Soon afterward, Triola's career would come to a halt as she would soon marry in 1953, move to nearby Modesto and become a housewife. "After the hustle and bustle of show business," she said, "it is nice to settle down for a change where it is quiet."


Music Circus

Triola's connection with the Music Circus eventually brought her out of retirement from show business. She had been a part of the Sacramento Music Circus when it first started in 1951 which was vaudeville stage entertainment being held inside a big blue and green tent. Triola starred in this operation during its first two seasons before marrying Ralph J. Quartaroli in 1953. In July 1954, she broke out of retirement and began rehearsing for leading roles in the same Sacramento Music Circus. She assisted such musicals as '' New Faces'', ''
Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...
'', and '' Brigadoon''. She played the role of Meg in ''Brigadoon'' and sang Eartha Kitt's numbers in ''New Faces''. With Triola's popularity growing, producers Howard Young and Russell Lewis gave a fitting tribute to Music Circus' favorite actress as they opened the fifth anniversary season in May 1955. She starred in the musical '' Annie Get Your Gun'' which was her signature gig that Triola had performed during the Music Circus' first season. In August 1959, she took on the lead role of '' Bells Are Ringing'' at the Sacramento Music Circus. Co-starring with her were Gar Moore and Marvin Kaplan. She performed the role of a telephone answering service operator in this romantic musical comedy which ran for two weeks straight that summer.


Personal life

In 1953, Triola married successful businessman Ralph J. Quartaroli, president of Stanislaus Food Products Company, and decided to break away from show business as the couple moved to
Modesto, California Modesto ( ; ) is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the List of cities and towns in Ca ...
, where his family owned a cannery. She had met him in Los Angeles when she was there on a business trip. She decided "from experience in show business" marriages and careers may mix but not well. So Triola abandoned her career and became a housewife. "It is hard work, the kind of work a person does for the love of it and not money," she added. A few years later on November 16, 1956, Triola gave birth to a 6-pound, 13-ounce baby girl, whom they named Tina. This gave them two daughters in all as Quartaroli had a daughter named Susan from his previous marriage to his first wife, Edna B. Quartaroli. Tragedy struck the family when Triola's husband and three passengers on board his private airplane were killed in a plane crash during a trip from
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
to
Van Nuys, California Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley ...
, on May 15, 1960. Triola remarried in 1979, to Willey G. Forman (b. 1912) but they divorced in 1983. He died in June 1999 at the age of 86. She lived in
Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
in the early 1990s but had moved back to Los Angeles by 1996. Triola died in
Lee's Summit, Missouri Lee's Summit is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri and a suburb of the Kansas City metropolitan area. It resides in Jackson County (predominantly) as well as Cass County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 101,108, making it the 6th ...
on July 27, 2012, at the age of 91.


Filmography

* ''Snow Follies'' (1939) * '' Moon Over Las Vegas'' (1944) * ''
Without Reservations ''Without Reservations'' is a 1946 RKO Radio Pictures American comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Claudette Colbert, John Wayne and Don DeFore. The film was adapted by Andrew P. Solt, Andrew Solt from the novel ''Thanks, God! I'l ...
'' (1946) * ''
Sleep, My Love ''Sleep, My Love'' is a 1948 American Film noir, noir film directed by Douglas Sirk. It features Claudette Colbert, Robert Cummings and Don Ameche. It has been called "a gaslighting thriller." Plot Alison Courtland, a wealthy New Yorker, hasn't ...
'' (1948) * '' Lullaby of Broadway'' (1951)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Triola, Anne 1920 births 2012 deaths American women singers American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American women comedians Comedians from Los Angeles 21st-century American women