Geneva M. Duker Schissel (March 5, 1905 – July 14, 1976) was an American dancer, actress, and diver. She appeared on the vaudeville stage, and in several

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

productions, in the 1920s.

Early life and education

Duker was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, the daughter of William John Duker and Ellen McMenamin Duker. She became a proficient swimmer and diver at the Boston Municipal Baths, and graduated from Notre Dame Academy in Boston. Her older sisters Susan, Alice and Jessie had a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

diving act known as the Duker Sisters, which she sometimes joined for performances. In 1921 she was a featured dancer in a children's pageant, ''Secrets of the Sun Dial'', produced in Boston to raise money for the Near East Relief Fund. She was also popular as an entertainer for recent

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

veterans.

Career

Duke was a dancer who appeared on the vaudeville stage, and in several

productions. She also worked as an artist's model, and performed in a high-diving stunt act with her sisters at the

New York Hippodrome The Hippodrome Theatre, also called the New York Hippodrome, was a theater located on Sixth Avenue between West 43rd and West 44th Streets in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The theater operated from 1905 to 1939 ...

. Her stage credits included roles in ''Better Times'' (1922), '' Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1924'', ''

Greenwich Village Follies ''The Greenwich Village Follies'' was a musical revue that played for eight seasons in New York City from 1919 to 1927. Launched by John Murray Anderson, and opening on July 15, 1919, at the newly constructed Greenwich Village Theatre near Ch ...

'' (1924, with her sister Alice), ''The Great Temptations'' (1926), ''

The Desert Song ''The Desert Song'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Berber fighters, against French colonia ...

'' (1926–1928), ''Cross My Heart'' (1928), and ''Sammy's Sally'' (1928). Her name and image appeared in advertisements for

hosiery Hosiery, (, ) also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the foot, feet and human leg, legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also ...

in 1924.

Personal life

In 1928, Duker married salesman Edmund Schissel; they had two children, Edmund and Geneva. She died in 1976, in

Falmouth, Massachusetts Falmouth ( ) is a New England town, town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 32,517 at the 2020 census, making Falmouth the second-largest municipality on Cape Cod after Barnstable, Massachusetts, Barnstable. T ...

, aged 71 years.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Duker, Geneva 1905 births 1976 deaths American dancers American vaudeville performers Actresses from Boston