Editing The Andrews Sisters (section)

==== 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>