(August 4th 1904 - September 26th 1966)

Born Helen Clare Schroeder in Bronx, New York in 1904 she displayed an aptitude for the stage and began performing professionally on the Orpheum Circuit when she was fifteen appearing with the Marx Brothers in "On the Balcony". During the early 1920's Helen worked as a kickline dancer with a production called the "All Jazz Revue" and achieved Broadway stardom, in addition to gaining popularity singing with the "Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce".

Her big break came in 1927 when she appeared in the musical "A Night in Spain" which ran at the 44th Street Theater from from May 3rd through November 12th of that year. But the winning success that launched her career actually came a short time later at the Paramount Theater in Times Square when her performance of "That's My Weakness Now" became sudden host to an introduction of the scat lyrics "boop-boop-a-doop".