Cabaret singer of "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup" who entertained royalty and graced magazine covers.
She entered Marquette University at age sixteen to study music and began playing piano at silent film theaters.
On stage, usually dressed in elegant gowns with dainty gloves, she was a fan of risqué anecdotes and awarding roses to the handsome men in her audience.
She was born Hildegarde Sell in Adell, Wisconsin, the daughter of German immigrants who named her after a medieval saint.
She was called by Eleanor Roosevelt the "first lady of the supper clubs."
