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Irene Franklin
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Irene Franklin's early 1900s baby-talk song "I've Got the Mumps" from 1909: |
Irene Franklin (June 13, 1885 - June 16, 1941) was an American actress of stage and screen, vaudeville comedian, and novelty singer who sung character songs. In the year 1885, Irene Franklin was born in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Her official birth record from Saint Louis verifies 1885, and subsequent census data, ship manifests, and other documentation all point to 1884 or 1885. She is one of the earliest known baby-talk performers, with her hit 1909 song "I've Got the Mumps" which was later released in 1913 on record.
Franklin's other baby voice songs included, "I Want to Be a Janitor's Child", "Redhead", "Gingerbread Head" and "Dimples". In the 1936 comedy picture Along Came Love, Franklin performs her well-known song "Redhead" once more, but with a deeper voice this time.
During the $250,000 Infringement Lawsuit, Irene was referenced as one of the several original baby-talk singers, the others included the Duncan Sisters, Nan Halperin, Peggy Bernier and Hannah Williams. Kane acknowledged that Franklin had sang in a similar manner before her.
Quotes
- Irene Franklin: "I was the child wonder, the Shirley Temple of my day." (1935)
Gallery
Death
- Irene Franklin outlived both of her husbands, passing away in 1941 at the age of 65. Burton Green died in 1922 and Jerry Jarnag in 1934.
Trivia
- Franklin used a little girl persona and "baby-voice" in her act long before Helen Kane was known.
- She began her stage career at the age of six months when she was carried on stage in Hearts of Oak. At age six she appeared in The Prodigal Father, which ran for five years.
- She toured Australia in a vaudeville team and later toured the world before going into films.
- She was also a big hit on Broadway, enhanced by the fact that she could project her singing and speaking voice so loudly that she didn't need a microphone.
- Franklin appeared in a 1930s NBC radio ad at the same time as Mae Questel.
- Her recordings from 1911 to 1917 sold reasonably well as novelty songs.
- When she lost her cute appeal and girlish qualities, she had to abandon portraying little girls and move on to other subjects.
- Franklin had red hair, originally cartoon character Betty Boop also was a redhead.[1] Later in life, Franklin dyed her hair blonde.