Arline Abers

Biography

Arlene Aber was born on August 22, 1910 in Fort Worth, Texas. She was one of six children born to Charles B. Aber and Wilhelmina Schultz Aber. Arlene was a musician and a dancer, often working with her sister Charlene Aber. Where most actresses of that era started on stage and migrated to films, Arlene and Charlene Aber started in films in 1927 and moved to the stage when they became Ziegfeld Girls in 1930. Although Charlene worked under her own name with a slight alteration in spelling (Charline), Arlene worked under a few other names: Arline Aber, Minniela Aber, Arlene Aber, Minnie Aber. In Hello Sailor (1927), she was listed in the credits as Minniela Aber. In Climbing the Golden Stairs (1929), Arlene and Charlene are credited as The Aber Twins. Florenz Ziegfeld had a fascination with twins and showcased twins in his productions whenever possible. If two sisters looked very much alike, they were changed to twins on the credits. Consequently, Florenz Ziegfeld credited the sisters as the Aber Twins, even though they were not twins at all. Arlene was 18 months older than Charlene. In 1930, they both appeared in Florenz Ziegfeld's production "Smiles" for 63 performances, credited as Arline and Charline. In 1933, they appeared as The Aber Twins in "Strike Me Pink" which ran for 122 performances. Arlene retired from the stage and films when she married Charles Salerno (1908-1987). In 1939, they had one daughter named after her sister Charlene. Arlene Aber Salerno died in September 1977 in Los Angeles, CA at the age of 67.