Lillian Deskin was a performing artist who excelled in dance, piano and other instruments and the comic arts as Ma Quackenbush with the Louisiana Sharecroppers and as Ma and Pa Quackenbush with Eddie Page.  

 

She taught at Nellie Cornish in Seattle Washington in the 1920's then worked with her first husband Mortimer J. Merrick at their dance studio, then on leaving Mort, created her own Lillian Deskin Academy. The Tacoma City Library says of Lillian, "Lillian Deskin was a dance teacher in Tacoma in the 1920s; she eventually left her partner Mortimer J. Merrick to form the Lillian Deskin Academy."

 

She remarried to Armistead Coleman, then when she was divorced from him, joined Eddie Page and traveled the country in an airstream trailer playing nightclubs, fairs and the old vaudeville circuit. Advertising for their act also stated that they (as the Louisiana Sharecroppers) had been in the film "the Grapes of Wrath." *

 

They also played to encourage war bond sales during the war and played a date in New York City with Joe Louis who autographed an 8 X 10 photo for them. 

 

Live stage photos courtesy of Ivan H. Henry thecircusblog.com

 

Eddie's health failed him in the mid 1950's and he passed away. Lillian returned to Washington state and bought a house on Mercer Island where she taught piano to children for many years. 

 

Lillian played everything from Boogie to Gershwin and played it well. There is an existing 78 record of a date they played in 1948 at the Arizona State Fair. Lillian and Eddie are in top form with a string of jokes, songs and piano instrumentals. Lillian plays Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue in perfect form. Her performance on this still takes the breath away. 

 

*If anyone can provide verification of this I would be very grateful.