https://www.newsfromme.com/2022/08/20/helen-grayco-r-i-p/

Helen Grayco, R.I.P.
Published Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 4:59 PM

Singer-performer Helen Grayco died this morning at the age of 97. The last time I saw her, which was about ten years ago, she could have passed for 65.. She was a beautiful lady, inside and out, and in her heyday a magnificent vocalist.

Talk about starting young. By the age of eight, Helen Greco — she later changed it — was already a singing star on radio in Tacoma, Washington — the city of her birth. A few years later, Bing Crosby discovered her and she relocated to Hollywood where she had small parts in a number of movies including A Night at the Opera. She toured with many of the top bands of the day including Red Nichols' and Stan Kenton's but is best remembered for her long association with Spike Jones. She performed on his records, tours, radio programs and TV shows…and they married in 1949.

She continued to perform, but not often, after Spike died in 1961 and pretty much gave it up after she married restaurateur Bill Rosen in 1968. While dating her niece, Kristine Greco, I got to visit with Helen a few times. She was lovely and charming and she had the kind of sense of humor that was probably mandatory to be married to Spike Jones.

And, presumably, mother of Spike Jones, Jr.*?

BRYAN STYBLE/Florida
------------------------------------
* For whom, oddly enough, I spent a week as his troupe's sole stagehand at Six Flags/St. Louis during the summer of 1975.

Here a case where I though she died years ago. Spike died in 1965 from his three pack a day habit. It must have been hell kissing him.

In my humble unsolicited opinion The City Slickers were the tightest band of the 20th century. A neighbor of ours saw Spike in Denver in the late forties. He said the band was wearing fluorescent checkered green zoot suits. The band wore black gloves and also wore black masks. Halfway through the first song they hit the black lights and all you could see were the zoot suits flailing about. How magnificent an experience that would have been.

In article <3fecddd9-47bd-42e0-80af-8f687bf9bd20n@googlegroups.com>,
<"radioacti...@gmail.com"> wrote:

> And, presumably, mother of Spike Jones, Jr.*?
>
> BRYAN STYBLE/Florida
> ------------------------------------
> * For whom, oddly enough, I spent a week as his troupe's sole stagehand at
> Six Flags/St. Louis during the summer of 1975.

Yes, she was Spike Jr's mom. I remember Spike Jr taking over the
orchestra at around 17, right after his father's death, just to keep
the gang together.

One of Helen's obits said she was the last living actress who'd been in
silent films. I don't know if that's true, and "last living"
statements are often refuted within hours, but that's what they said.
I still haven't seen anything to the contrary.

On Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 10:19:30 PM UTC-4, A Friend wrote:
>
> One of Helen's obits said she was the last living actress who'd been in
> silent films. I don't know if that's true, and "last living"
> statements are often refuted within hours, but that's what they said.
> I still haven't seen anything to the contrary.

Could you post a link to that obituary?
She was born in September 1924. If, as Mark Evanier's obit at the top of this thread states, she was a singing star on radio in her hometown of Tacoma at age eight, that takes us to 1932 or 1933. Her earliest IMDB credit is 1935's "A Night at the Opera." I suppose it's not impossible that she was somehow in a silent too, but I'd like to see more info.

In article <97e8a734-402b-4c00-b091-d3baa9e5c7b2n@googlegroups.com>,
Diner <bwaystars@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 10:19:30 PM UTC-4, A Friend wrote:
> >
> > One of Helen's obits said she was the last living actress who'd been in
> > silent films. I don't know if that's true, and "last living"
> > statements are often refuted within hours, but that's what they said.
> > I still haven't seen anything to the contrary.
>
> Could you post a link to that obituary?

I'm afraid I can't find it now. Sorry.

I thought I'd seen something else that said her first on-screen
appearance was as a baby or toddler. If so, that would fit.

> She was born in September 1924. If, as Mark Evanier's obit at the top of this
> thread states, she was a singing star on radio in her hometown of Tacoma at
> age eight, that takes us to 1932 or 1933. Her earliest IMDB credit is 1935's
> "A Night at the Opera." I suppose it's not impossible that she was somehow in
> a silent too, but I'd like to see more info.

A Friend <nope@noway.com> wrote:
> In article <3fecddd9-47bd-42e0-80af-8f687bf9bd20n@googlegroups.com>,
> <"radioacti...@gmail.com"> wrote:
>
>> And, presumably, mother of Spike Jones, Jr.*?
>>
>> BRYAN STYBLE/Florida
>> ------------------------------------
>> * For whom, oddly enough, I spent a week as his troupe's sole stagehand at
>> Six Flags/St. Louis during the summer of 1975.
>
>
>
> Yes, she was Spike Jr's mom. I remember Spike Jr taking over the
> orchestra at around 17, right after his father's death, just to keep
> the gang together.
>
> One of Helen's obits said she was the last living actress who'd been in
> silent films. I don't know if that's true, and "last living"
> statements are often refuted within hours, but that's what they said.
> I still haven't seen anything to the contrary.

I believe you're confusing one of the obits for Mildred Kornmann
(also credited as Ricki Van Dusen) with obits for Helen Greco/Grayco.
(Who I assume is not related to my locality's also-deceased
musician/limo driver Joey Greco).

-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.

In article <tduad2$ej$1@reader2.panix.com>, Louis Epstein
<le@top.put.com> wrote:

> A Friend <nope@noway.com> wrote:
> > In article <3fecddd9-47bd-42e0-80af-8f687bf9bd20n@googlegroups.com>,
> > <"radioacti...@gmail.com"> wrote:
> >
> >> And, presumably, mother of Spike Jones, Jr.*?
> >>
> >> BRYAN STYBLE/Florida
> >> ------------------------------------
> >> * For whom, oddly enough, I spent a week as his troupe's sole stagehand at
> >> Six Flags/St. Louis during the summer of 1975.
> >
> >
> >
> > Yes, she was Spike Jr's mom. I remember Spike Jr taking over the
> > orchestra at around 17, right after his father's death, just to keep
> > the gang together.
> >
> > One of Helen's obits said she was the last living actress who'd been in
> > silent films. I don't know if that's true, and "last living"
> > statements are often refuted within hours, but that's what they said.
> > I still haven't seen anything to the contrary.
>
> I believe you're confusing one of the obits for Mildred Kornmann
> (also credited as Ricki Van Dusen) with obits for Helen Greco/Grayco.
> (Who I assume is not related to my locality's also-deceased
> musician/limo driver Joey Greco).

I may be, at that. Thanks.