R.I.P.: WWL Dawnbusters' Margie O'Dair

Margie O'Dair

Margie O'Dair, the veteran stage and screen actress also well-known as a broadcasting star during the golden age of WWL 870 AM as a member of the Dawnbusters troupe, died Monday, near New Orleans.

She was 89, according to WWL-TV.

O'Dair, whose real name was Marjorie Boyle, died in her sleep.

O'Dair and her sisters, Sally (whose real name was Beverly) and Dotty, were a fixture on WWL-AM's long-running morning comedy-variety & music show, performing alongside host Henry Dupre and orchestra leader Pinky Vidacovich for nearly 20 years, from the 1930s through the 1950s.

"Dawnbusters was an early Laugh-In," she explained in a 1997 interview to mark the show's induction into the Greater New Orleans Broadcasters Association New Orleans Broadcasting Hall of Fame. "It had comedy, music, funny bits and became the most popular show of its kind in the city."

Well-remembered for its comedy, the program's backbone was the large in-studio orchestra. Led by Dave Winstein, it featured top talents like Godfrey Hirsch, Johnny Senac and Warren Galjour, plus singers Bonnie Bell, Johnny Diebold and Norman Treigle, who went on to a legendary opera career. Al Hirt, a young trumpet player at the time, rounded out the ensemble cast.

She also starred in several feature films shot in New Orleans, including The Big Easy and Tightrope, in which she played Clint Eastwood's family housekeeper.