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sI Ie / V arauee% v%**By Barbara Bladen*KTimes Drama CritictYou couldn't meet five nicer, more polite or friendly boys than the Osmond Brothers. AVe lunched at the Fairmont Hotel this week where they are appearing nightly in the Venetian Boom and all the prejudice I formerly had for child performers was immediately erased.*•*******-**IIFrom a family of nine children, Donnie, 6; Jay, 0; Merrill, H; Wayne,: 13; and Alan, 15, are the singing group the American television audience has loved on the Andy Williams Show: Their father travels with them, as does George Pitman, a teacher with the Los Angeles school board. -Although the Osmonds have been living.in Los Angeles {closer to the boys’ careers), the Mormon family is from Ogden, Utah,; where, they arc building a summer home. Mrs. Osmond is there now with her other children, three boys ages 2, 17 and 19 years and a girl,age5. ••. ^ • .. It was their religion that put them on the stage ,• in the first place. “Mormons have a family night, ’usually Friday or Saturday, where each member .’must get up and entertain. My wife taught the 'boys to play the sax; they all play a little piano and Merrill and Alan have guitars. But lour of the boys began singing harmony, then we did it for church socials,” the cherubic, and gentie-voked father explained.Their professional career came about through a visit to Disneyland. They were introduced to the man who has the Barbershop Quartet there and he asked them lo sing on a Disney show. Andy Williams’ father saw. them and the rest is instant success beginning .with-their first nationwide television appearance, four and a half years ago.. . The boys have easy smiles, dark eyes and hair and beautifully clear complexions. They've appeared vith Bob Hope, done a Jamie McPheeters show and a pilot for a series called “Seven Little Foys.” Between television appearances they sing at sport and boat shows, .and state fairs. They’re now looking forward to a European tour through the Scandinavian coun-tries.in June.*•’ Mother answers all fan mail. Once in a while she or the older boys will appear on television with the quartet; “They don’t receive allowances,” Mr. Osmond explained, “because we’re always together and what i have is theirs, anytime. Wc pool our . wealth and everyone shares.” He was formerly a reaT estate and Insurance broker before becoming the boy’s manager.At first Jay was the baby of the show. He was only two and a half years old when they began their career. Donnie joined them when he was five and a half years old.’Each boy has his own individual personality. It was their first visit to San Francisco and they were -full of questions about Alcatraz Island, the earthquake (it was the fifty-ninth anniversary date of the holo-• caust) and the bridges.;. Alan has an electronics laboratory at home and Merrill is building an airplane from props which NBC gives him. They have school lessons-for three hours every day. But that day their teacher was going to substitute a trip to Goldcn!Gatc Park aquarium.They play baseball and basketball .together and their older brothers phone often to make sure they’redoing pushups while away from home.They' are tremendously poised, claim never to have had stage fright, study dancing and instruments so they can. be more versatile In their show. They have an endearing-charm that is honest, straightforward and are products of a happy, well-adjusted home. None of this surprised me when I learned they have a prayer service together before every show.iy«ralt;wilofAsArScisp.iIfI:
Newspaper Details
San Mateo Times
San Mateo, California, US
Thu, Apr 22, 1965
Page 31
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
TX, USA 29 Oct 2019
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