Loretta Tupper(1906-1990)

Loretta Tupper was born in Marblehead, Ohio. From age four she was a child prodigy pianist, and by age six she was a locally well known performer with several original musical compositions to her credit. Her father died when she was a teenager, so Loretta and her older brother Jack went on the Vaudeville circuit as a performing team to support the family (Jack was a guitar player.) After the collapse of Vaudeville, Loretta and her brother became radio personalities for NBC. Loretta starred in her own variety show, as well as being a permanent character on The Gibson Family, a popular radio drama series. While in radio, Loretta married Frederick Tupper, a respected jazz musician and big band arranger. In 1942, she gave birth to her daughter, Rettadel, and decided to semi-retire from show business. She opened a talent school in Queens, where she taught such future stars as Eileen Brennan. Her talent school included instruction in acting, dance, and piano. Later in life, after the death of her husband to cancer, Tupper decided to return to show business, and began appearing in several television commercials and small film roles. She worked steadily until the last 2 years of her life, and enjoyed her career immensely.