Editing The Andrews Sisters (section)

=== Interruption ===
[[Image:The Andrews Sisters 1952.JPG|thumb|right|The Andrews Sisters in April 1952, one year before their formal break-up. ''From top:'' LaVerne, Patty, Maxene.]]
An ad in the 1951 'Radio Annual' showed photos of the Andrews as children, as contemporary singers, and as old women in the then-future year of 1975, although the act would not make it that long.<ref>1951 Radio Annual, p.12 (Radio Daily Corp., New York, 1950)</ref> In the 1950s, Patty Andrews decided to break away from the act to be a soloist.<ref name="NPR">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2013/01/31/133568889/patty-andrews-leader-of-the-andrews-sisters-dies|title=Patty Andrews, Leader Of The Andrews Sisters, Dies|last=Blaszyk|first=Amy|date=January 30, 2013|publisher=National Public Radio|access-date=February 17, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216101543/http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2013/01/31/133568889/patty-andrews-leader-of-the-andrews-sisters-dies|archive-date=February 16, 2016}}</ref> She had married the trio's pianist, Walter Weschler, who became the group's manager and demanded more money for Patty.<ref name=foxnews/> When Maxene and LaVerne learned of Patty's decision from newspaper [[gossip column]]s rather than from their own sister, it caused a bitter two-year separation, especially when Patty sued LaVerne for a larger share of their parents' estate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historytheatre.com/files/play-guide_christmas-of-swing_2012.pdf|title=Christmas of Swing|first1=Bob|last1=Beverage|first2=Ron|last2=Peluso|work=HistoryTheater.com|page=4|access-date=February 3, 2013}}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=SheriffIsInTown |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Patty attributed the breakup to the deaths of their parents: "We had been together nearly all our lives," Patty explained in 1971. "Then in one year our dream world ended. Our mother died (in 1948) and then our father (in 1949). All three of us were upset, and we were at each other's throats all the time."<ref name=foxnews/> In 1951, they recorded "[[The Windmill Song]]" which is an adaptation of the French song "Maître Pierre" written in 1948 by [[Henri Betti]] (music) and Jacques Plante<!--- not the ice hockey player ---> (lyrics).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://secondhandsongs.com/work/231770
|title=Secondhand Songs "The Windmill Song"|website=Secondhandsongs.com|access-date=February 25, 2022}}</ref> The English lyrics were written by [[Mitchell Parish]].<ref>{{Google books|oFghAQAAIAAJ|Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series|page=PA573}}</ref> The Andrews Sisters formally broke up in 1953.<ref name="NPR"/>

Maxene and LaVerne tried to continue the act as a duo and met with good press during a 10-day tour of [[Australia]], but a reported [[suicide attempt]] by Maxene in December 1954<ref>[https://www.proquest.com/docview/166728962 Los Angeles Times article] ([[Portable Document Format|PDF]]) December 22, 1954.</ref> put a halt to any further tours (Maxene spent a short time in the hospital after swallowing 18 sleeping pills, an occurrence that LaVerne told reporters was an accident). Maxene and LaVerne did appear together on ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]'' on October 26, 1954, singing the humorous "Why Do They Give the Solos to Patty" as well as lip-synching "Beer Barrel Polka" with Skelton in drag filling in for Patty. This however did not sit well with Patty, and a cease-and-desist order was sent to Skelton. The sisters' private relationship was often troubled, and Patty blamed it on Maxene: "Ever since I was born, Maxene has been a problem, and that problem hasn't stopped," she said.<ref name="Eonline">{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/383541/patty-andrews-dies-singer-was-last-surviving-member-of-the-andrews-sisters|title=Patty Andrews Dies, Singer Was Last Surviving Member of the Andrews Sisters|first=Natalie|last=Finn|work=E Online.com|date=January 30, 2013|access-date=February 3, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203070622/http://www.eonline.com/news/383541/patty-andrews-dies-singer-was-last-surviving-member-of-the-andrews-sisters|archive-date=February 3, 2013}}</ref>

The trio reunited in 1956 and signed a new recording deal with [[Capitol Records]], for whom Patty was already a featured soloist. By this point, however, rock-and-roll and [[doo-wop]] were dominating the charts, and older artists were left by the wayside. The sisters recorded a dozen singles through 1959, some of which attempted to keep up with the times by incorporating rock sounds. None of these achieved any major success. In addition, they produced three [[hi-fi]] albums, including a vibrant [[LP album|LP]] of songs from the dancing 1920s with [[Billy May]]'s orchestra. In 1962, they signed with [[Dot Records]] and recorded a series of [[stereo]] albums until 1967, both re-recordings of earlier hits which incorporated up-to-date production techniques as well as new material, including "[[I Left My Heart in San Francisco]]", "[[Still (Bill Anderson song)|Still]]", "[[The End of the World (Skeeter Davis song)|The End of the World]]", "[[Puff the Magic Dragon]]", "[[Sailor (song)|Sailor]]", "[[Satin Doll]]", "[[Mr. Bass Man]]", the theme from ''[[Come September]]'', and the theme from ''[[A Man and a Woman]]''. They toured extensively during the 1960s, favoring top nightclubs in [[Las Vegas]], [[California]], and [[London|London, England]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mE2-RxDyZsC&q=the+andrews+sisters+in+london&pg=PA328|title=The Andrews Sisters: A Biography and Career Record|first=H. Arlo|last=Nimmo|date=January 22, 2004|publisher=McFarland|access-date=May 2, 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=9780786432608}}</ref>

Eldest sister LaVerne died in 1967 at the age of 55 after a year-long bout with [[cancer]],<ref name="05091967 Los Angeles Times">[https://www.proquest.com/docview/155624739 Los Angeles Times article] ([[Portable Document Format|PDF]]) May 9, 1967.{{subscription required}}</ref> during which she was replaced by singer Joyce DeYoung (May 24, 1926 – March 7, 2014). DeYoung fulfilled concert appearances, including an appearance on ''[[The Dean Martin Show]]'' on November 30, 1967, but she did not record with Patty and Maxene. LaVerne had founded the original group and often acted as the peacemaker among the three during the sisters' lives, more often siding with her parents, to whom the girls were extremely devoted, than with either of her sisters. Their last appearance together as a trio was on ''[[The Dean Martin Show]]'' on September 29, 1966.

After LaVerne died, Maxene and Patty continued to perform periodically until 1968, when Maxene became the Dean of Women at Tahoe Paradise College,<ref name="10081968 St Petersburg Times">{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cqJQAAAAIBAJ&pg=5642,6029172&dq=andrews+sisters&hl=en|title=St. Petersburg Times – Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com|access-date=May 2, 2018}}</ref> teaching acting, drama, and speech, and working with troubled teens; and Patty was once again eager to be a [[Solo (music)|soloist]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hR0MAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u1wDAAAAIBAJ&dq=andrews%20sisters&pg=5682%2C6029193 St. Petersburg Times] August 10, 1968.</ref>

In 1969, Patty appeared in [[Lucille Ball]]'s third series ''[[Here's Lucy]]'', in the sixth episode of the second season, titled "Lucy and the Andrews Sisters". The episode has Patty enlisting the help of Lucy, her daughter Kim (played by [[Lucie Arnaz]]), and her son Craig ([[Desi Arnaz Jr.]]) to perform a medley of Andrews Sisters hits for the Andrews Sisters Fan Club reunion. Lucy played LaVerne, Kim (Lucie Arnaz) played Maxene, and Craig (Desi Arnaz Jr.) played [[Bing Crosby]]. She also had a cameo as herself along with many other stars in the 1970 film ''[[The Phynx]]''.

==== Comeback ====
Patty and Maxene's careers experienced a resurgence when [[Bette Midler]] covered "[[Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy]]" in 1973. The next year, the pair debuted on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in the [[Sherman Brothers]]' nostalgic [[World War II]] [[musical theatre|musical]]: ''[[Over Here!]]'', which premiered at the [[Shubert Theatre (Broadway)|Shubert Theatre]] to rave reviews. This was a follow-up to Patty's success in ''[[Victory Canteen]]'', a 1971 California revue. ''Over Here!'' starred Maxene and Patty (with [[Janie Sell]] filling in for LaVerne and winning a [[Tony Award]] for her performance) and was written with both sisters in mind for the leads. It launched the careers of many now notable theater, film, and television stars, including [[John Travolta]], [[Marilu Henner]], [[Treat Williams]], and [[Ann Reinking]]. It was the last major tour for the sisters and was cut short owing to a conflict with the show's producers over pay for the sisters, resulting in the cancellation of an extensively scheduled road tour.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cD9SAAAAIBAJ&pg=4875,1202172&dq=andrews+sisters&hl=en|title=Andrews Sisters in pay dispute|work=St. Petersburg Times|date=December 27, 1974|page=6–D}}</ref> ''Over'' ''Here!'' lasted only a year, and its end marked the last time the sisters would ever sing together.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Maxene Andrews, 79, of the Andrews Sisters|url = https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/23/obituaries/maxene-andrews-79-of-the-andrews-sisters.html|newspaper = The New York Times|date = October 23, 1995|access-date = February 14, 2016|issn = 0362-4331|first = John S.|last = Wilson|url-status=live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160205071549/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/23/obituaries/maxene-andrews-79-of-the-andrews-sisters.html|archive-date = February 5, 2016}}</ref>

Patty continually distanced herself from Maxene, until her death, and would not explain her motives regarding the separation. Maxene appealed to Patty for a reunion, personally if not professionally, both in public and in private, but to no avail. Maxene suffered a serious [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] while performing in [[Illinois]] in 1982 and underwent [[quadruple bypass surgery]], from which she successfully recovered. Patty visited her sister while she was hospitalized. Now sometimes appearing as "Patti" (but still signing autographs as "Patty"), she re-emerged in the late 1970s as a regular panelist on ''[[The Gong Show]]''. Maxene had a successful comeback as a cabaret soloist in 1979 and toured worldwide for the next 15 years, recording a solo album in 1985 entitled "Maxene: An Andrews Sister" for Bainbridge Records. Patty started her own solo act in 1980 but did not receive the critical acclaim her sister had for her performances, even though Patty was considered to be the "star" of the group for years. The critics' major complaint was that Patty's show concentrated too much on Andrews Sisters material, which did not allow Patty's own talents as an expressive and bluesy vocalist to shine through.<ref name="Sforza">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HqkeBgAAQBAJ&q=laverne+andrews+cremated&pg=PA154|title=Swing It!: The Andrews Sisters Story|first=John|last=Sforza|date=January 13, 2015|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|access-date=May 2, 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=9780813148977}}</ref>

The two sisters did reunite, albeit briefly, on October 1, 1987, when they received a star on Hollywood's [[Hollywood Walk of Fame|Walk of Fame]], even singing a few bars of "[[Beer Barrel Polka]]" for the ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'' cameras. The [[1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake]] had shaken the area that morning and the ceremony was nearly cancelled, which caused Patty to joke, "Some people said that earthquake this morning was LaVerne because she couldn't be here, but really it was just Maxene and me on the telephone." Besides this, and a few brief private encounters, they remained somewhat estranged for their remaining years, with Maxene dying in 1995.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cgtrCF00D8AC&q=patty+and+maxene+andrews+estranged&pg=PA321|title=Blind Journey: A Journalist's Memoirs|first=Jack|last=Hawn|date=October 1, 2010|publisher=Strategic Book Publishing|access-date=May 2, 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=9781609760113}}</ref>

Shortly after her [[Off-Broadway]] debut in [[New York City]] in a show called ''Swingtime Canteen'', Maxene suffered another heart attack and died at [[Cape Cod Hospital]] on October 21, 1995, making Patty the last surviving Andrews Sister. Not long before she died, Maxene told music historian William Ruhlmann:<blockquote>I have nothing to regret. We got on the carousel and we each got the ring and I was satisfied with that. There's nothing I would do to change things if I could...Yes, I would. I wish I had the ability and the power to bridge the gap between my relationship with my sister, Patty.<ref name="Swing It"/></blockquote>Upon hearing the news of her sister's death, Patty became distraught. Several days later, Patty's husband, Wally, fell down a flight of stairs and broke both of his wrists. As a result, Patty did not attend either the California or New York memorial services for Maxene.<ref name="NYT-MaxeneObit">{{cite news |last=Mydans |first=Sheryl |title=Maxene Andrews, 79, of the Singing Sisters, Dies |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408001517/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/23/obituaries/maxene-andrews-79-of-the-singing-sisters-dies.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 23, 1995 |access-date=April 8, 2025}}</ref> [[Bob Hope]] said of Maxene's death, "She was more than part of The Andrews Sisters, much more than a singer. She was a warm and wonderful lady who shared her talent and wisdom with others."<ref name="Swing It">{{cite book |last=Sforza |first=John |title=Swing It!: The Andrews Sisters Story |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IPoMEFUgOwUC&pg=PA171 |year=2004 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=United States of America |isbn=9780813190990 |pages=171, 289}}</ref>