In Memoriam: Russ Columbo

When the hugely popular crooner Russ Columbo died as a result of an accidental shooting at the age of 26 in September 1934 it came as a shock to many Americans; one American who wasn't shocked in the least was his own mother, who spent the last ten years of her life believing her youngest son was still alive, thanks entirely to the subterfuge of her husband and other 11 children. It was thought the shock of the news would kill her, so she went to her grave merely believing her son couldn't be bothered to visit her, rather than that he had died...

Born on this day in 1908, Russ Columbo seemed to live his life as though he knew he didn't have long to live it; he began playing the violin as a child, made his professional debut as a singer at 13, and had dropped out of school to pursue a career by 17. In 1928, as the movies began to talk, he was one of the first people to whom they beckoned, and it was on celluloid that his angelic voice and matinee idol looks merged to create an icon.

So while he made the most of the time he was given - indeed, he took his final bow as one of the biggest stars in the world - Russ Columbo's legacy fell into neglect after not too many years as musical tastes and styles evolved; recently, though, scholars of the obscure (myself humbly included among their number) have sought to revive interest in the suave presence and smooth phrasing of a man praised by such longer-lived contemporaries as Rudy Vallee and Bing Crosby. Both Joseph Lanza and Dennis Penna's Russ Columbo and the Crooner Mystique and Russ Columbo: The Amazing Life and Mysterious Death of a Hollywood Singing Legend by Lou Miano explore the unique appeal and untimely end of this paragon of cool from a bygone age...
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