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Talented Sisters- & Another Shout-out to Winthrop Ames They were incredibly talented. They were beautiful. They would go on to star on Broadway and become members of the American Opera Company. But these two Easton residents were told to “go home to New England, and get married, and sing for their husbands” by Broadway composer and critic Deems Taylor. Luckily for the girls Winthrop Ames, director, producer and playwright, of North Easton was willing to promote them.  The sisters Bettina (b. c.1900) and Natalie Hall (b.1904) lived on Union Street in Easton and began singing as young girls. Their mother, Mrs. Fred Hall, was a professional vocalist herself and from an early age provided her daughters with voice lessons, and as they grew older, sent them to train with Mrs. Hall McAllister in Boston. There were four blond Hall girls who often sang together locally at church socials and community events. As the two older sisters married and went in other directions, the two youngest, Bettina and Natalie, would go on to have successful singing careers. It was at Unity Church that Mrs. Louis Frothingham heard the girls sing and was very impressed with their beautiful voices. Hoping to get advice and feedback for the girls, she had them perform for her cousin Winthrop. Their careers took off. Bettina was immediately offered a role in the chorus for his Gilbert and Sullivan productions. A month after Bettina went to New York, another position in the chorus opened up and Natalie joined her sister. Their mother was initially hesitant to allow her girls to venture as far away as New York; it was Winthrop's character that convinced her it would be all right. They worked hard in the chorus and went on to bigger roles. Their mother made it a habit to always attend the first night of a new performance.  Bettina Hall  Natalie Hall "I can't remember a time when I didn't sing," she [Bettina] said. "When I was three years old it was the custom for me and my older sisters to sing together." Bettina believed her mother had secretly wished to sing on the stage herself, but settled for church choirs. "And Natalie and I knew from the very first that someday we would sing. We didn't know how or in what, but it was taken for granted." (Daily Boston Globe, Oct. 9, 1932) There are too many performances to mention, but Bettina (and Natalie) were in “Three Little Girls”. Bettina went on to perform in “Meet My Sister” and “The Cat and the Fiddle”; in addition she was a good business woman, opening a dress shop in New York and an electrical equipment shop on Staten Island. She toured with the U.S.O.  Bettina, 1932 Natalie played Marguerite in “Faust” and the leads in “Carmen” and “Yolanda in Cyprus”. She toured New York, Boston, Colorado, and London. Not surprisingly, both girls were able to have successful careers AND marry. Bettina married Raymond Rubicam of New York, chairman of the board of Young Rubicam, Inc. Natalie’s husband was a lawyer at Colgate University. They had one daughter. Both sisters were blond and beautiful as the photos included illustrate. Anne Wooster Drury [email protected] Sources:
ProQuest Historical Newspapers, Boston Globe (1872-1981) New York Times (3/11/1994) Natalie Hall, 89, Dies, A Star of 20's Musicals Comments are closed.
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