Virginia Verrill

Biography

The American vocalist and actress Virginia Verrill is remembered chiefly for her singing "That Old Feeling" in the musical Vogues of 1938 (1937). From a musical family, Virginia entered the stage in her mother's vaudeville act as a toddler. By the age of three, she performed with the orchestra of Paul Whiteman, warbling "I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody". As a seasoned fifteen-year old big band vocalist, she won an audition (over 300 fellow applicants) for an off-screen rendition of the title song in Barbara Stanwyck's Ten Cents a Dance (1931). From then on, her strong contralto voice and precise phrasing guaranteed her steady employment as a dubbing voice for Hollywood stars like Jean Harlow (who could neither sing nor dance) or Andrea Leeds. The up-and-coming Leeds ended up replacing Virginia as the nominal lead in The Goldwyn Follies (1938), even though she had already completed recording the entire soundtrack (including "Love Walked In", which later became one of her biggest hit recordings). In the final analysis, Virginia's perceived facial resemblance to established MGM star Myrna Loy prevented her from attaining any form of stardom in her own right. Hollywood's 'unsung heroine' continued to have more success performing in such radio sitcoms as "Uncle Walter's Doghouse" and in swank Broadway night clubs. She also recorded for some time with the orchestra of Isham Jones in the mid-1930's. In 1942, she left the entertainment industry altogether, married a doctor and concentrated on raising a family.