Victor Arden was the stage name of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

pianist Lewis John Fuiks (8 March 1893 – 31 July 1962)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 14-15. who was best known as the piano duo partner of and co-orchestra leader with

Phil Ohman Phil Ohman (October 7, 1896 – August 8, 1954) was an American film composer and pianist. He is most well known for his collaboration with fellow musician Victor Arden in the 1920s and 1930s. Biography Ohman was born Fillmore Wellington Ohm ...

from 1922 to 1932. He was the pianist in the All-Star Trio, who made several hits for

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...

between 1919 and 1921.

Early years

Arden was born March 8, 1893, in

Wenona, Illinois Wenona is a city in Marshall and LaSalle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 974 at the 2020 census. The Marshall County portion of Wenona is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the small portion th ...

Radio

In 1935, Arden was described in a newspaper article as "well-known to music lovers and radio listeners." At the time, Arden's orchestra was featured on ''Musical Moments'', which was carried on over 300 stations weekly. Arden and his orchestra also provided the music for ''

Mr. Chameleon ''Mr. Chameleon'' is a detective fiction radio drama created by Frank Hummert and produced by Frank and Anne Hummert. It ran on CBS Radio from July 14, 1948, to 1951 or 1953. The series starred Karl Swenson as a New York police detective who i ...

'', a

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal investigation, investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around ...

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the liste ...

that ran on CBS Radio from the late 1940s to the early 1950s.

Recording

Before 1920, Arden was making piano rolls to be reproduced on player pianos manufactured by the American Piano Company. He also cut numerous rolls for QRS.

Death

Arden died July 31, 1962, 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 ...

Selected compositions

1909 * ''Safety Pin Catch'' 1918 * ''Just Blue'', also by Frank Wheeler Wadsworth (1889–1929) 1919 * ''In My Dreams'' * ''Lucille'', also by Frank Wheeler Wadsworth (1889–1929) * ''Marilynn'', also by Frank Wheeler Wadsworth (1889–1929) * ''Honeymoon Waltz'', words by Ray Sherwood (born 1895), music by Victor Arden 1920 * ''Hy n' Dry'' * ''Rose of the Orient'', also by Frank Wheeler Wadsworth (1889–1929) &

George Hamilton Green George Hamilton Green Jr. (May 23, 1893 – September 11, 1970) was a Xylophone, xylophonist, composer, and cartoonist born in Omaha, Nebraska. He was born into a musical family, both his grandfather and his father being composers, arrangers, and ...

* ''Dolly, I Love You'', also by Frank Wheeler Wadsworth (1889–1929) & Dick Long * ''Molly'', also by Frank Wheeler Wadsworth (1889–1929) & Dick Long * ''Who Wants a Baby?'', also by

* ''Dottie Dimples'', also by

* ''In Blossom Time'', also by Louis Weslyn (pseudonym for Weslyn Jones) (1884–1937) 1921 * Round the Town'' * ''Hand Painted Doll'', also by

* ''Lonesome Land'', also by

1922 * ''After A While (You're Goin' to Feel Blue)'', also by

& Walter Hirsch (1891–1967) * ''My Sweet Gal'', also by

* ''I'm Happy: Fox Trot'', also by

1930 * ''Dancing the Devil Away'' 1941 * ''Hearts in Harmony'' * ''We'd Rather Die Upon Our Feet Than Live Upon Our Knees'', words by Henry A. Murphy, melody by Joseph Russel Robinson (1892–1963) & Victor Arden * ''Unity'', words by Henry A. Murphy, melody by Joseph Russel Robinson (1892–1963) & Victor Arden * ''Let's Incorporate'', also by Lawrence M. Klee (died 1957)

Education

Arden was a graduate of the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

and studied at the

American Conservatory of Music The American Conservatory of Music (ACM) was a major American school of music founded in Chicago in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt (1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It developed the Conservat ...

in Chicago.

Family

Arden was married twice. He first married Ilse Alma Spindler (born April 1894) – a 1916 graduate of the

– in Chicago, on May 2, 1917. The couple had two sons: Robert Spindler Fuiks (1921–2009)''Obituaries: Robert Spindler Fuiks,''
TCPalm.com, Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group,

Stuart, Florida Stuart is a city in and the county seat of Martin County, Florida, United States. Located in southeastern Florida, Stuart is the largest of five Municipal corporation, incorporated municipalities in Martin County. The population is 17,425 accordi ...

, December 1, 2009 and Lewis John Fuiks Jr. (1919–2004). Arden remarried in the 1950s to Frances Newsom, a classical soprano.

References

External links

William Edwards biography database

Ashburn, Virginia Ashburn is a unincorporated settlement and census-designated place (CDP) in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, its population was 46,349, up from 3,393 in 1990. It is northwest of Washington, D.C., and par ...

Robert Perry, piano roll historian

Auckland, New Zealand Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

Victor Arden recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Arden, Victor 1893 births 1962 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American pianists American Conservatory of Music alumni American male composers American pop pianists American male pianists 20th-century male pianists 20th-century American male musicians