remembering Gabrielle Ray and John Steel

These images of Gabrielle Ray (1883-1973), the English musical comedy dancer and actress who was probably the most photographed young woman in Edwardian Britain, are accompanied by a recording of the American tenor, John Steel (1895-1971). Best known for singing Irving Berlin's 'A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody' in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1919 at the New Amsterdam Theatre, New York, he here gives us 'Just an Old Love Song,' recorded for the Victor label (19089) at the studios in Camden, New Jersey, on 1 June 1923. 'Just an Old Love Song' was written by Victor Schertzinger, with lyrics by Sid Grauman, ' to accompany Douglas Fairbanks's silent film, Robin Hood, released in the United States on 18 October 1922. Don't forget to visit Footlight Notes http://footlightnotes.tripod.com for weekly updates. The recording and images featured here are from John Culme's Footlight Notes Collection.