Velma Connor

Biography

Velma Connor and her identical twin sister, Thelma, started their careers on stage when they signed a singing contract with Gus Edwards in 1921. They toured the country with the Gus Edwards Revue until they soon caught the attention of the renowned Florence Zeigfeld. A new contract was signed and the twins headed to New York where they received some of the top billing at the Amsterdam Theatre for The Ziegfeld Follies 1922. They remained with the Follies through 1926. Throughout their stage career they worked with many great performers including Will Rogers, Gallagher and Shean, Gilda Gray, Fannie Brice, Sofie Tucker, and Bing Crosby. Many of the songs they performed were written especially for them by legendary writers including Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. The twins left the theatre after the 1926 Follies ended. Each took their careers a different direction. Thelma continued her singing thru radio. She had her own broadcast show in New York. Velma turned to motion pictures. She signed a contract with Universal Pictures and filmed dozens of silent westerns with cowboy stars Art Acord, Fred Hume, Jack Hoxie, Hoot Gibson, and Harry Carey. Art Acord nick-named her "Mickey", and that name stuck with her thru her family and closest friends for the rest of her life. After her contract ended with Universal, she signed with MGM. There she had the opportunity to work with legends Jean Harlow, William Powell, Rosalind Russell, Mickey Rooney, and Benny Rubin. Velma became well known and liked in Hollywood's circle. She made life-lasting friends with Jack and Flo Haley, Ray Bolger, Lurene Tuttle, the Duncan Sisters, Arthur Lake and Penny Singleton. The twins returned to the stage in 1944. This time it was for a select audience. They were contracted under the William Morris Agency by Abe Lastfogel to appear for Camp Shows, Inc. with the USO. Their assignments were mostly in the hospitals for the wounded. After one of their performances, a nurse stopped them as they were leaving to thank them and to let them know that their beautiful singing voices had profoundly affected one of their patients. He had been unresponsive until that day. She thanked the twins for "bringing him back". Velma officially retired as an actress in 1947, but she never left what she fondly referred to as "the business"! She remained in the industry through her active memberships with The Ziegfeld Club, Inc., Screen Actors Guild, and serving as a Board Member for the Film Welfare League. Velma died on July 19, 1987 in Los Angeles. She was 82 years old.