Palmer was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1889. He grew up always wanted to act, and in 1909, at the age of 20, he made his vaudeville debut at the Palace Theater in Chicago. Just a few years later, Palmer rose to stardom, acting in comedies and musicals by himself, until late 1916 when he teamed up with Joanne 'Jo' Hayden. Their act, "Palmer & Hayden", stayed together until they retired from show business in the 1920s. In mid-1917, the two became engaged.
In September 1917, Hayden's good friend Danny Metcalf, who was supposed to finish medical school, was drafted into the U.S. Army, and was killed in action in World War I on September 29 of that year. Shortly after, Palmer was also drafted into the Army, just before he and Hayden were going to play at The Palace in New York City. Palmer did not want to go to war and purposely damaged his hand so he would not have to go to France. Hayden was going to leave Palmer if he did not serve, so Palmer tried enlisting, but none of the armed services would accept him because of his hand. However, Palmer was accepted to the Red Cross ambulance corps and went overseas in early 1918. Hayden did not leave him or stop the engagement. Palmer saw action in France at Cantigny, the second Battle of Marne, Soissons, Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne. Palmer was shot in the shoulder, but survived the war and was discharged from service in 1919.
Palmer and Hayden returned to vaudeville in 1919, and also got married that same year, but did not do many shows afterward. They retired from vaudeville in the early 1920s.
In 1942, Gene Kelly and Judy Garland player Palmer and Hayden in the MGMmusical filmFor Me and My Gal, directed by Busby Berkeley. The story of the film closely followed the actual events surrounding Palmer's involvement in the First World War, although some details were changed for dramatic purposes, such as making "Danny" Hayden's brother dying in the war instead of a friend. Danny's last name was also used for the character "Jimmy Metcalf", the rival for Hayden's affections.
Shelton Brooks was a Canadian-born African American composer and performer of popular music and jazz. He was known for his ragtime and vaudeville style, and wrote some of the biggest hits of the first third of the 20th century; including "Some of These Days" and "At the Darktown Strutters' Ball". He composed "Some of These Days" at the Pekin Theatre.
Alfred Bryan was a Canadian lyricist.
Van and Schenck were popular American entertainers in the 1910s and 1920s: Gus Van, baritone, and Joe Schenck (pronounced "skenk"; born Joseph Thuma Schenck,, tenor. They were vaudeville stars and made appearances in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1918, 1919, 1920 and 1921. They made numerous phonograph records for the Emerson, Victor, and Columbia record companies.
Gustav Gerson Kahn was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including "Pretty Baby", "Ain't We Got Fun?", "Carolina in the Morning", "Toot, Toot, Tootsie ", "My Buddy" "I'll See You in My Dreams", "It Had to Be You", "Yes Sir, That's My Baby", "Love Me or Leave Me", "Makin' Whoopee", "My Baby Just Cares for Me", "I'm Through with Love", "Dream a Little Dream of Me" and "You Stepped Out of a Dream".
Alexander Dubin was an American lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren.
Jack Selig Yellen was an American lyricist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for writing the lyrics to the songs "Happy Days Are Here Again", which was used by Franklin Roosevelt as the theme song for his successful 1932 presidential campaign, and "Ain't She Sweet", a Tin Pan Alley standard.
Noble Lee Sissle was an American jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer, and playwright, best known for the Broadway musical Shuffle Along (1921), and its hit song "I'm Just Wild About Harry".
Harold Fraser, known professionally as Snub Pollard, was an Australian-born vaudevillian who became a silent film comedian in Hollywood, popular in the 1920s.
Joseph Ruttenberg, A.S.C. was a Ukrainian-born American photojournalist and cinematographer.
Sam M. Lewis was an American singer and lyricist.
Ballard MacDonald was an American lyricist, who was one of the writers of Tin Pan Alley.
For Me and My Gal is a 1942 American musical film directed by Busby Berkeley, and starring Judy Garland, George Murphy, Martha Eggerth, Ben Blue and Gene Kelly in his film debut. The film was written by Richard Sherman, Fred F. Finklehoffe and Sid Silvers, based on a story by Howard Emmett Rogers inspired by a true story about vaudeville actors Harry Palmer and Jo Hayden, when Palmer was drafted into World War I. The film was a production of the Arthur Freed unit at MGM.
Raymond Blanning Egan was a Canadian-born American songwriter of popular music. Many of his songs have appeared in films and musical theatre. He often collaborated with composer Richard A. Whiting.
James William Tate was a songwriter, accompanist, and composer and producer of revues and pantomimes in the early years of the 20th century. Tate was born in Wolverhampton, England and died in Stoke-on-Trent, suddenly at the age of 46, as a result of pneumonia caught while traveling the country with his touring revues.
Louis Holtz was an American vaudevillian, comic actor, and theatrical producer.
George Frederick Walsh was an American actor. An all-around athlete, who became an actor and later returned to sport, he enjoyed 40 years of fame and was a performer with dual appeal, with women loving his sexy charm and men appreciating his manly bravura.
"For Me and My Gal" is a 1917 popular standard song by George W. Meyer with lyrics by Edgar Leslie and E. Ray Goetz. Popular recordings of the song in 1917 were by Van and Schenck; Prince's Orchestra; Henry Burr and Albert Campbell; and by Billy Murray.
Edward Ray Goetz was an American composer, lyricist, playwright, theatre director, and theatrical producer. A Tin Pan Alley songwriter, he published more than 500 songs during his career, many of them originally written for the New York stage. His songs were recorded by several artists, including Judy Garland, Al Jolson, and Blossom Seeley. He was active as both a lyricist and composer for Broadway musicals from 1906 through to 1930, collaborating with artists like George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Sigmund Romberg, and A. Baldwin Sloane to create material for the theatre.
Frederick Roger Imhof was an American film actor, vaudeville, burlesque and circus performer, sketch writer, and songwriter.
My Best Gal is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Anthony Mann and written by Olive Cooper and Earl Felton. The film stars Jane Withers, Jimmy Lydon, Frank Craven, Fortunio Bonanova, George Cleveland and Franklin Pangborn. The film was released on March 28, 1944, by Republic Pictures.
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