Born Today January 23: Augusta Weissberger

 

1910-2000

 

Involved with Orson Welles and John Houseman's Mercury Theater, Augusta Weissberger was born on this day in New York City.   The reason for a small write up for her here to mark here birthday, is her appearance in the Welles' "work product" silent film of 1938 Too Much Johnson; hers was such a small role, that the character has no name. Weissberger was an employee of the Mercury Theater, who later made recordings of her recollections of the theater, it's openings and it's operations and productions. Some of her written correspondence from the time was also preserved. She appears to have lived her entire life in Ne York City and was married to Stefan Schenker later on. Her brother was L. Arnold Weissberger a entertainment lawyer, mostly for theatrical outfits; he was seven years her junior, preceded her in death by nearly twenty years. Arnold was also an avid and professional photographer who photographed everyone in entertainment from Marilyn Monroe to Andy Warhol (who was a friend of his)--his footprint left in the world is considerably larger than hers was. August Weissberger-Schenker passed away at the age of 90 on the 18th of May in the place where she was born: New York City.  Her services where held the next day at Riverside Memorial Chapel, a specialized Jewish funeral home in New York.  I can find no information, however, about where she was laid to rest.