The Eton Boys

The Eton Boys, a.k.a. The Four Eton Boys were a nostalgia act in vaudeville, radio, and films from the 1920s to the early ’40s. Basically, they were what we are accustomed to calling a barbershop quartet, based on the style of vocal arrangements and the turn of the century repertoire.

The four men were from the St. Louis area. Brothers Charles Day and Jack Day had been acrobats in vaudeville prior to forming the act. Art Gentry had been a local radio announcer, and it just so happens was the grandfather of disgraced TV journalist Matt Lauer. The fourth member was Earl Smith. The group had nothing to do with the posh English boarding school; their name was just “NOTE” (i.e., musical note) spelled backwards.

Success in vaudeville and nightclubs got The Eton Boys frequent bookings on CBS radio, and in numerous musical movie shorts, including several Vitaphones between 1929 and 1936, and several Max Fleischer Screen Songs for Paramount (1933), and around a dozen Soundies (1941). They’re also in the 1941 feature film Moonlight and Pretzels (1941). After cutting some records for Victor in 1941, they went their separate ways in 1943.

For more on vaudevilleconsult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, and stay tuned for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.