Stumblin’

Frank Crumit (1889–1943)

Frank Crumit first performed publicly when he was five, in a minstrel show. In a veer away from show biz, he went on to get an advanced degree in electrical engineering from Ohio State University. But then he veered back, studied voice in Cincinnati, and moved to New York. In 1918, he was the first person to play a ukulele on Broadway. In New York City night spots, he was sometimes referred to as “a one-man glee club.”

He married Julia Sanderson, a Broadway actress, and she and Crumit went on to great success on the radio, where they were known as “The Singing Sweethearts of Radio” and “The Ideal Couple of the Air.” Their quiz show, Battle of the Sexes, ran on the radio for thirteen years, until Crumit’s fatal heart attack at the age of 54.