Margaret Irving

Margaret Irving
Margaret Irving in 1923
Born(1898-01-18)January 18, 1898
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
DiedMarch 15, 1988(1988-03-15) (aged 90)
Westminster, California, US
OccupationActress
Years active1922–1955
SpouseWilliam Frederick James

Margaret Irving (January 18, 1898 – March 5, 1988) was an American stage and film actress. She is best remembered today for her roles as Aunt Gus in the 1950s sitcom The People's Choice[1] and as Mrs. Whitehead in Animal Crackers (1930) starring the Marx Brothers, a role she originated on the Broadway stage.

Biography

Margaret Irving was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 18, 1898.[2] In 1917 she portrayed Lady of Dreams in the Broadway musical Jack O'Lantern at the Globe Theatre; a work created by Ivan Caryll, Anne Caldwell and R. H. Burnside.[3] After this she worked for Florence Ziegfeld on Broadway in the revues Ziegfeld Follies of 1919[4] and Ziegfeld Follies of 1920[5] before appearing in Irving Berlin's Music Box Revue during the 1921-1922[6] and 1922-1923 seasons at the Music Box Theatre.[7] This was followed by the role of June in William B. Friedlander and Con Conrad's Mercenary Mary (1925, Longacre Theatre); a show which lasted less than four months.[8]

Irving created the role of Clementina in Sigmund Romberg's hit musical The Desert Song which had a long Broadway run at the Casino Theatre in 1926-1927.[9] The production then transferred to first the Century Theatre (1927) and then the Imperial Theatre (1927-1928) for a collective run of 471 performances.[10] This was followed by the role of Mrs. Whitehead in Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby's musical Animal Crackers which had a successful run at the 44th Street Theatre with a cast led by the four Marx Brothers and Margaret Dumont.[11] Irving reprised this role in the 1930 sound film adaptation of this show;[12] having previously worked as a silent film actress in the pictures Radio-Mania (1922)[13] and The Broadway Boob (1926).[14]

During the 1930s Irving worked more often in film than on the stage. Some of her film credits during this decade included Sheer Luck (1931), Thanks a Million (1935),[15] San Francisco (1936),[16] Captain Calamity (1936),[17] Follow Your Heart (1936),[18] Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936),[19] and Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939).[20] In 1939 she returned to the stage as Marguerite Worms in the play Where There's a Will at Broadway's John Golden Theatre.[21] This was followed by multiple roles in the musical revue The Streets of Paris which ran at the Broadhurst Theatre in 1939-1940.[22] In the 1940-1941 Broadway season she portrayed Sierra in E. Y. Harburg and Burton Lane's musical Hold On to Your Hats at the Shubert Theatre.[23] Her final Broadway roles were Mrs. Warren in Harold Orlob's Hairpin Harmony (1943)[24] and Gail in Anita Loos's Happy Birthday (1946).[25] She also made a few films in the 1940s, including In Society (1944)[26] and The Beautiful Cheat (1945).[27] Her final film was Ain't Misbehavin' (1955).[28]

She was married to William Frederick James. She died on March 5, 1988 in Westminster, California, at the age of 90.[2]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes and References
1922Radio-ManiaMary Langdon[13]
1926The Broadway BoobMabel Golden[14]
1930Animal CrackersMrs. Whitehead[12]
1931Sheer LuckPatsy
1935Thanks a MillionMrs. Kruger[15]
1936Exclusive StoryMrs. Higgins[29]
1936Wife vs. SecretaryEdna Wilson[30]
1936Captain CalamityMamie Gruen[17]
1936I Married a DoctorMaude Dyer[31]
1936San FranciscoDella Bailey[16]
1936Women Are TroubleFrances Blaine[32]
1936Follow Your HeartLouise Masetti[18]
1936Four Days' WonderAunt Jessica[33]
1936Charlie Chan at the OperaMme. Lilli Rochelle[19]
1937Men in ExileMother Haines[34]
1937The Outcasts of Poker FlatThe Duchess[35]
1937Wife, Doctor and NurseMrs. Cunningham[36]
1937Under SuspicionLaura Walters[37]
1937Sh! The OctopusPolly Crane[38]
1938Little Miss RoughneckMrs. Gertrude 'Gert' LaRue[39]
1938The Baroness and the ButlerCountess Olga[40]
1938Love, Honor and BehaveNan Bowleigh[41]
1938The Toy WifeMadame DeCambri[42]
1938SweetheartsMadame[43]
1938KentuckyWoman with Man at Race Track[44]
1939Mr. Moto's Last WarningMadame Delacour[20]
1944In SocietyMrs. Winthrop[26]
1945The Beautiful CheatOlympia Haven[27]
1955Ain't Misbehavin'Mrs. Grumbacher[28]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Irvin 2014, p. 85.
  2. 1 2 Wilson 2016, p. 367.
  3. ↑ Dietz 2021, pp. 397–398.
  4. ↑ Baral 1970, p. 268.
  5. ↑ Emmet & Kimball 2005, p. 189.
  6. ↑ Sears 2012, p. 68.
  7. ↑ Mantle 1923, p. 477.
  8. ↑ Dietz 2019, p. 254.
  9. ↑ Dietz 2019, pp. 341–342.
  10. ↑ Dietz 2019, p. 341.
  11. ↑ Dietz 2019, p. 486.
  12. 1 2 Crafton 1999, p. 458.
  13. 1 2 Soister, Nicolella & Joyce 2014, p. 385.
  14. 1 2 American Film Institute 1997, p. 88.
  15. 1 2 Fetrow 1992, p. 666.
  16. 1 2 Neibaur 2021, p. 129.
  17. 1 2 Fetrow 1992, p. 85.
  18. 1 2 Fetrow 1992, p. 203.
  19. 1 2 Fetrow 1992, p. 97.
  20. 1 2 Andrews 2023, p. 73.
  21. ↑ "From Paris". Brooklyn Eagle. January 15, 1939. p. 38.
  22. ↑ Dietz 2018, p. 579.
  23. ↑ Dietz 2015, p. 35.
  24. ↑ Dietz 2015, p. 190.
  25. ↑ "Miss Hayes Does Her Fine Best In Underserving Happy Birthday". New York Daily News. November 1, 1946. p. 53.
  26. 1 2 Coniam & Santa Maria 2023, p. 159.
  27. 1 2 Thompson 1985, p. 285.
  28. 1 2 Lowe 2016, p. 79.
  29. ↑ Fetrow 1992, p. 180.
  30. ↑ Harris 2010, p. 393.
  31. ↑ Fetrow 1992, p. 300.
  32. ↑ Fetrow 1992, p. 762.
  33. ↑ "Four Days' Wonder is A. A. Milne Mystery". The Toronto Telegram. September 12, 1936. p. 16.
  34. ↑ Fetrow 1992, p. 415.
  35. ↑ Fetrow 1992, p. 487.
  36. ↑ Fetrow 1992, p. 749.
  37. ↑ Fetrow 1992, p. 713.
  38. ↑ Senn 2015, p. 476.
  39. ↑ "Little Miss Roughneck". Sulphur Times-Democrat. February 24, 1938. p. 5.
  40. ↑ Fetrow 1992, p. 35.
  41. ↑ Fetrow 1992, p. 380.
  42. ↑ Fetrow 1992, p. 697.
  43. ↑ "Icy Model". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 6, 1938. p. 31.
  44. ↑ "Reel Reviews: Kentucky". The Brooklyn Citizen. December 24, 1938. p. 8.

Bibliography

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