Alvin Morris

 Alvin Morris, known as Tony Martin (December 25, 1913 – July 27, 2012)

His career spanned over seven decades, and he scored dozens of hits between the late-1930s and mid-1950s with songs such as "Walk Hand in Hand" and "Stranger in Paradise". He was married to actress and dancer Cyd Charisse for 60 years until her death in 2008. Martin sang and was master of ceremonies on Tune-Up Time, with Andre Kostelanetz, on CBS radio in the early 1940s. His The Tony Martin Show, a 15-minute variety program, aired on NBC from 1954 to 1956 prior to the evening newscast. One of his guests was Dinah Shore, soon cast in her own hour-long NBC variety program. He was a featured vocalist on the George Burns and Gracie Allen radio program. On the show Allen playfully flirted with Tony, often threatening to fire him. She'd say things like, "Oh, Tony, you look so tired, why don't you rest your lips on mine?" In films, he was first cast in a number of bit parts, including a role as a sailor in the movie Follow the Fleet (1936), starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. He eventually signed with 20th Century-Fox and then Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in which he starred in a number of musicals. Between 1938 and 1942, he made a number of hit records for Decca. In 1941 Martin was featured in the Marx Brothers final film for MGM, The Big Store, in which he played a singer and performed "Tenement Symphony," which was written by Hal Borne, who became his long-time musical director. Martin was drafted into the Army in 1942 and assigned to the United States Army Air Forces. He was assigned to Capt. Glenn Miller's band, as he was considered one of the best singers in the armed services. Martin later said he felt as though he had "stumbled into heaven through the side door."

He appeared in film musicals in the 1940s and 1950s. His rendition of "Lover Come Back To Me" with Joan Weldon in Deep in My Heart – based on the music of Sigmund Romberg and starring José Ferrer - was one of the highlights of that film. He also starred as Gaylord Ravenal in the Show Boat segment from the 1946 film Till the Clouds Roll By. Martin was married twice, his first marriage to Alice Faye ended in divorce in 1941. He later married Cyd Charisse in 1948, they remained together until her death in 2008. Martin died on the evening of July 27, 2012, of natural causes, age 98. He is interred at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, CA.