The Andrews Sisters sister, it caused a bitter two-year separation, especially when Patty sued LaVerne for a larger share of their parents' estate. Patty attributed the breakup to the deaths of their parents: "We had been together nearly all our lives," Patty explained in 1971. "Then in one year our dream world ended. Our mother died (in 1948) and then our father (in 1949). All three of us were upset, and we were at each other's throats all the time." In 1951, they recorded "The Windmill Song" which is an adaptation of the French song "Maître Pierre" written in 1948 by Henri Betti
Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else but Me) the "Billboard" charts and was ranked as the nation's twelfth best-selling recording of the year. In May the song was featured in the film "Private Buckaroo" as a performance by the Andrews Sisters with the Harry James orchestra and featuring a tap dancing routine by The Jivin' Jacks and Jills. This scene is often considered one of the most memorable of the film. The Andrews Sisters then released the song on Decca Records. (In a 1971 interview, Patty Andrews reported that this was their most requested song.) Many other artists released records of the song that year, including Kay Kyser.