ALICE BLUE GOWN

From a 1920 recording, Edith Day sings the best-known song from the musical Irene.  Surprisingly, this was the B-side of the record; the A side was the title song from the musical.

Edith Day was born in Minneapolis in 1896.  She began her career on Broadway in 1916 and in the following year she starred in the musical Going Up, which ran for 351 performances.  It was 1919's Irene which made her a star on both the Broadway and London stages.  A few years later she returned to London and became the first lady of West End musicals with such shows as Rose-Marie, The Desert Song, Showboat, and Rio Rita.  Edith Day retired from the stage in the Forties and did in London in 1971.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcbkgj_alice-blue-gown-edith-day-1919_music