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. 

 

 

Born Today July 7: Ruth Ford

1911-2009

Actress Ruth Elizabeth Ford was born on this day in Brookhaven, Mississippi. She and her writer/artist brother Charles Henri Ford were the children of wealthy hotel owners throughout the South. This meant frequent moves for the family when the children were young; though eventually Ruth obtained a degree back in her birth state from the University of Mississippi and went to work as a print model (she said on several occasions that her long time friendship with writer William Faulkner began when she was getting a Masters Degree in philosophy from the university). She and her brother both were early transplants to the New York City artist/theater scene--they would stay there, aside from her film sojourn in Hollywood in th 1940's, for the rest of their lives.  The reason for her inclusion here is her involvement in the theater scene of New York in the 1930's. Indeed, Ford was no child actress of films, but rather a now well known member of Orson Welles' Mercury Theater and a cast member of his silent film Too Much Johnson in 1938. The film is famous for amongst other things, being a very late silent film that was used as a rehearsal vehicle.  Unlike many other cast members however, the film was apparently not Ford's film debut. She is listed amongst the rather large uncredited cast member list of the equally bizarre poverty row Marshall Neilan directed horror film Chloe, Love Is Calling You from 1934 (this film, set in the bayous of Louisiana, was shot entirely on location in Florida).  She did not appear in another film until 1941, when she showed up in the lower budget Tex Ritter western Roaring Frontiers--a "damsel in distress" film in which she, obviously, plays the damsel.  In the meantime, she had married her first husband and a daughter. This period in her life marked the beginning of a less than stellar film career, that included lower budget films like:  Secrets of the Lone Wolf (1941), Murder In The Big House (1942), The Gorilla Man (1943), Adventure in Iraq (1943) & Woman Who Came Back (1945). She also made her television debut in the 1940's on the 3rd of November episode of Theatre of Romance: Camille. From that point forward, she did not appear in another film for some 14 years, instead doing television work and appearing in stage productions. In 1963 she again took up film acting, when she appeared in the only film ever directed by Dore Schary: Act One, along side Jason Robards and George Hamilton. She continued to act, off and on, through the rest of decade and throughout the 1970's. She appeared in two films in the 1980's, the last of which was the serial crime thriller Too Scared to Scream. Always an actor of the stage throughout her career, she finished her stage work out on Broadway in 1976. Ford retired to her apartment in The Dakota in New York City, which was already a hubbub of artistic activity, and continued to be so.  When her brother, who also had an apartment at The Dakota died in 2004 at the age of 94, she inherited his holdings. She herself died in New York City on the 12th of August, just a little more than a month after her 98th birthday.  Both her and her brother are buried in their birthplace in Brookhaven at the Rose Hill Cemetery there.  

[Source: Charline Herring Ryan (Find A Grave)]

IMDb

Wikipedia

Find A Grave entry

Born Today May 15: Joseph Cotten

1905-1994

Actor of all trades in the Golden Age of Hollywood Joseph Cotten (Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr.) was born on this day in Petersburg Virginia. While he first came to world wide attention in Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, he was actually in another Orson Welles film 3 years prior. He was the star of Welles filmed remake of Too Much Johnson in 1938.  Despite it's late date, the film was a silent. In fact, the film was actually a side project of Welles' production of the play in live theater.  It was also a famously "lost" film until 2013, when a copy of it turned up in Italy (previously the only known copy of the film was in Welles' possession and thought lost in a house fire in 1970).  Right now, I am not going to go into the merits of the film as it has come down to us as basically a "work print"--what I will say is that Cotten is pretty damn brilliant in his slapstick performance! Suffice to say, this was Cotten's only silent film performance and his career was a long and storied one, so there is little point in attempting to detail it here. I will mention that he made his television debut in 1954 in the State Of The Union feature length episode of the once a month series Producer's Showcase.  In 1955 he was "given" his own series The Joseph Cotten Show: On Trial (original title simply On Trial).  After this point, he made tons of appearances on television (far more than I ever thought for sure!).  He also appeared in a number of horror films--not a genre associated with him at all. Probably--aside from Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte with Bette Davis--my favorite would have to be the Mario Bava entitled Baron Blood in English.  In fact, Cotten's last film appearance came in 1981 in a horror film directed by David Hemmings, featuring Jenny Argutter of An American Werewolf in London fame:  The Survivor.  Curiously, the film is an Australian production. Not long after the wrapping of filming, Cotten suffered a heart attack that led to a stroke that left him disabled, with speech difficulty.  Lucky to be alive at all, he retired from acting, but began writing instead. He also spoke weekly with his old partner in crime, so to speak, Orson Welles.  He actually had one such call the night before Welles' own death in 1985.  By 1990 Cotten had developed cancer and had surgery because of it; despite this, he lived a further 4 years dying at the age of 88 of pneumonia on the 6th of February. His body was shipped back to his home town in Virginia, where he is buried at the Blandford Cemetery.  

[source: Arthur Koykka via Find A Grave]

IMDb

Wikipedia

Find A Grave entry

Born Today June 13: Mary Wickes

1910-1995

Well known comedic character actress Mary Wickes was born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser in St. Louis, MO on this date into a well off family--her father a prominent banker in the city.  Her parents, ardent theater attendees, took her to plays being at a very early age.  This however did not encourage her to participate in acting until she graduated from college with double degrees at the age of 20 (neither degree was in theater).  She had planned to attend law school, but a professor, apparently seeing something of a comic in her, encouraged her to check out acting (drama) instead. She took it hardly! She soon made her stage debut and began acting on the summer circuit. She was encouraged to go further; so she moved herself to New York and was fortunate enough to gain a role in as a walk on in a major play starring Henry Fonda.  So, she made her Broadway premiere in 1934 in The Farmer Takes A Wife.  She made her film debut that same year in a little known comedy short by Ralph Staub: Art Trouble.  She appeared in another little comedic short the following year, Watch the Birdie, made by former Hal Roach protege Lloyd French.  But...both of these films clearly do NOT fall into the silent era of 1929 or before, so why is Wickes profiled here?  It is because her first appearance in a full length film came in Orson Welles' infamous 1938 late silent Too Much Johnson.  Aside from Welles himself, and Joseph Cotten, she is really the only cast member to go on to be a regular actor; to make a success of the profession.  She, of course, would go on to become one of the most recognizable straight comedic wisecrackers of the 20th century, both in film and in television.  Though she appeared in several well known films (Now, Voyager, Who Done It, June Bride), it was for her television appearances that she is most remembered and recognized.  She made her small screen debut early, in 1948 in two episodes of Actor's Studio.  Her list of show appearances is long and impressive (Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Thin Man series, My Three Sons, I Spy, Columbo, Kolchak, The Waltons, Murder She Wrote, Punky Brewster, Father Dowling Mysteries, & three of Lucille Ball's series--and that barely scratches the surface). She also appeared in several well known comedy films later in life including both of Whoopie Goldberg's Sister Act films and Postcards From The Edge written by Carrie Fisher.  Wickes worked right up until her death on the 22nd of October of 1995, passing away from complications due to breast cancer.  Her last acting job was in voice-over work, occupying the role of "Grandma" in the animated series Life with Louie.  She is in interred with family at Shiloh Valley Cemetery in Shiloh, Illinois. 

IMDb

Wikipedia

Find A Grave

Born Today September 3: Guy Kingsley Poynter

1915-1983

Actor Guy Kingsely Poynter was no child actor, in fact, he did not make any films within the silent era--not even during Hollywood's pre-code days--his film debut actually came in 1938 as "Henry McInstosh" in Orson Welles infamous silent film Too Much Johnson.  Poynter was born Guy Kingsley William in Great Neck, New York on this day in 1915. Poynter also appeared in a stage production of the Welles work as well.  After 1946, he lived and worked in the UK--this he would do for the rest of his life.  He is best known (at least in Britian) for his role the BBC radio show Journey Into Space, where he played Doc Matthews.   He thereafter appeared a series of low budget films and lesser known British television series.  His last appearance before he retired came in the episode The Dentist in 1965 on The Dickie Henderson Show.  Poynter possibly died in the Greater London area on the 6th of September 1983 in the UK just three days after his 68th birthday (note: some sources state that he died in July of that same year, due to a newspaper obit of "his widow" who died in August--creamtorium in Putney lists him as cremated in June of that year).  His remains were supposedly cremated at Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium.  No word as to their deposal or otherwise.

Wikipedia

Leave Virtual Flowers @ Find A Grave