Isabel Withers
Encyclopedia
Isabel Withers was an American actress, who worked in theatre, film and television.
and Illinois
. She attended school in Kansas City, Missouri
.
She later enrolled in a school of drama in Kansas City and joined a Chautauqua
circuit repertoire company. At the time it was playing in Billings, Montana
performing The Melting Pot, a play by Israel Zangwill
. Following a route of tented colleges, Withers first appeared on the road in Little Women
. She played the leading role in The Tailor Made Man after a season in stock theatre in Utica, New York
. She performed in Cappy Ricks in Chicago
.
George M. Cohan
selected Withers for the lead feminine role, with Lowell Sherman
, in the Chicago company of The Tavern. In New York City
she appeared in Kempy at the Belmont Theater. While in New York Withers modeled for an exclusive gown shop during the day. Henry Duffy wired her to come to San Francisco, California
to do Kempy just as she was on her way to visit her mother in Los Angeles
.
She made her way south acting in Love Em and Leave 'Em and Rain. Withers starred in Rain at the old Orpheum Theater, 12th Street, San Francisco, California
, in November 1926. Drawing comparisons to actress Jeanne Eagels
, she drew praise in the role of Sadie Thompson.
(1952).
She performed on television during the 1950s in such shows as Four Star Playhouse
(1955), Lassie
(1956), The Millionaire (1957), and
The Bob Cummings Show
(1958).
Isabel Withers died in 1968 in Hollywood, California, aged 72.
Theater
As a youth, Withers lived in Coffeyville, KansasCoffeyville, Kansas
Coffeyville is a city situated along the Verdigris River in the southeastern part of Montgomery County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,295...
and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. She attended school in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
She later enrolled in a school of drama in Kansas City and joined a Chautauqua
Chautauqua
Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with...
circuit repertoire company. At the time it was playing in Billings, Montana
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
performing The Melting Pot, a play by Israel Zangwill
Israel Zangwill
Israel Zangwill was a British humorist and writer.-Biography:Zangwill was born in London on January 21, 1864 in a family of Jewish immigrants from Czarist Russia, to Moses Zangwill from what is now Latvia and Ellen Hannah Marks Zangwill from what is now Poland. He dedicated his life to championing...
. Following a route of tented colleges, Withers first appeared on the road in Little Women
Little Women
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
. She played the leading role in The Tailor Made Man after a season in stock theatre in Utica, New York
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
. She performed in Cappy Ricks in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
selected Withers for the lead feminine role, with Lowell Sherman
Lowell Sherman
Lowell Sherman was an American actor and film director....
, in the Chicago company of The Tavern. In New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
she appeared in Kempy at the Belmont Theater. While in New York Withers modeled for an exclusive gown shop during the day. Henry Duffy wired her to come to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
to do Kempy just as she was on her way to visit her mother in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
She made her way south acting in Love Em and Leave 'Em and Rain. Withers starred in Rain at the old Orpheum Theater, 12th Street, San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, in November 1926. Drawing comparisons to actress Jeanne Eagels
Jeanne Eagels
Jeanne Eagels was an American actress on Broadway and in several motion pictures. She was a former Ziegfeld Follies Girl who went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of sound films....
, she drew praise in the role of Sadie Thompson.
Movies and television
Withers accumulated ninety-two screen and television credits, beginning with a role in the movie The Hot Spot (1931). Many of her screen appearances wee uncredited parts. She was also in her share of B-movies. Two memorable movies in which she had uncredited parts were The Babe Ruth Story (1948) and Monkey BusinessMonkey Business (1952 film)
Monkey Business is a screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Charles Coburn, Marilyn Monroe, and Hugh Marlowe. To avoid confusion with the famous Marx Brothers movie of the same name, this film is sometimes referred to as Howard Hawks' Monkey...
(1952).
She performed on television during the 1950s in such shows as Four Star Playhouse
Four Star Playhouse
Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953...
(1955), Lassie
Lassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
(1956), The Millionaire (1957), and
The Bob Cummings Show
The Bob Cummings Show
The Bob Cummings Show is an American sitcom starring Robert "Bob" Cummings which was produced from January 2, 1955 to September 15, 1959, and originally sponsored by R.J. Reynolds' Winston cigarettes...
(1958).
Isabel Withers died in 1968 in Hollywood, California, aged 72.
Sources
- New York Times, Who's Who, October 5, 1924, p. X2.
- New York Times, Week Promises Brilliant New Offerings In Theaters, May 22, 1927, p. 17.
- Oakland Tribune, Rain Billed For 12th Street Theater, Sunday, November 14, 1926, p. 2W.