Mae Busch was an Australian film actress who worked in both silent and sound films in early Hollywood. In the latter part of her career, she appeared in many Laurel and Hardy

Laurel and Hardy

Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...

 comedies, where she frequently played Hardy's shrewish wife.

Early life and career

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Busch was a member of a musical family. Her father was a conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...

 and her mother was a singer. In 1900 her family moved to America, where she was placed in a convent. Upon her graduation Busch decided to pursue a career in theatre, and appeared on stage and then in vaudeville

Vaudeville

Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...

. She first appeared in films in The Agitator and The Water Nymph

The Water Nymph

The Water Nymph is a 1912 comedy "split reel" short starring Mabel Normand and directed by Mack Sennett. Lithely athletic Normand performed her own diving stunts for the film, which was the first Keystone comedy....

, both released in 1912. In 1915 she began working at Keystone Studios

Keystone Studios

Keystone Studios was an early movie studio founded in Edendale, California in 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from Adam Kessel and Charles O. Bauman, owners of the New York Motion Picture Company...

, where she appeared in comedy two-reelers. Her dalliance with studio chief Mack Sennett

Mack Sennett

Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"...

 famously ended his engagement to actress Mabel Normand

Mabel Normand

Mabel Normand was an American silent film comedienne and actress. She was a popular star of Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios and is noted as one of the film industry's first female screenwriters, producers and directors...

 when Normand allegedly walked in on the pair. Normand had been Busch's friend and mentor prior to the incident. According to some accounts, Busch inflicted a serious head injury on Normand by striking her with a vase (she was known for pinpoint throwing accuracy); Normand died a few years later at age 37 from health problems, principally tuberculosis.

At the pinnacle of her film career, Busch was known as the versatile vamp. She starred in such feature films as The Devil's Pass Key

The Devil's Pass Key (1920 film)

The Devil's Pass Key was a 1920 silent drama film directed by Erich von Stroheim.The film was produced by Universal Pictures and distributed under their Jewel banner...

(1920) and Foolish Wives

Foolish Wives

Foolish Wives is an American drama silent film produced and distributed by Universal Pictures and written and directed by Erich von Stroheim. Although uncredited, Irving Thalberg, aged 22, was in charge of production and would go on to become one of the most famous studio heads of all time at...

(1923), both directed by Erich von Stroheim

Erich von Stroheim

Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...

, and in The Unholy Three

The Unholy Three (1925 film)

The Unholy Three is a 1925 American silent film melodrama involving a crime spree, directed by Tod Browning.The film was remade in 1930 as a talkie. In both the 1925 and the 1930 version, the roles of Professor Echo and Tweedledee are played by Lon Chaney and Harry Earles respectively...

(1925), with Lon Chaney

Lon Chaney, Sr.

Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...

. Her career declined abruptly in 1926, when she walked out on her contract at Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer and suffered a nervous breakdown. Afterwards, she found herself working for less prestigious studios such as Gotham and Tiffany, and she was relegated mostly to supporting roles.

In 1927, she was offered a leading role in a Hal Roach

Hal Roach

Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...

 two-reeler, Love 'em and Weep

Love 'em and Weep

Love 'em and Weep is a comedy short silent film directed by Fred Guiol for Hal Roach Studios. It was shot in January 1927 and released June 12 of that year by Pathé Exchange....

, which began her long association with Laurel and Hardy. She appeared in thirteen of their comedies, the last being The Bohemian Girl

The Bohemian Girl (1936 film)

The Bohemian Girl is a 1936 feature film version of the opera The Bohemian Girl by Michael William Balfe. It was produced at the Hal Roach Studios, and stars Laurel and Hardy and Thelma Todd in her last role before her death.-Plot:...

, released in 1936. Her film roles after 1936 were often uncredited. Overall, she had roles in approximately one hundred and thirty motion pictures between 1912 and 1946.
Jackie Gleason later mentioned her name on his television show as "the ever-popular Mae Busch".

Personal life and death

Busch married three times: to actor Francis McDonald

Francis McDonald

Francis McDonald was an American actor whose career spanned 52 years. Although never really a headlining actor, he made 41 film and television appearances between 1913 and 1965, appearing in films such as The Temptress in 1926 with Greta Garbo...

 from 1915–1922; to John Earl Cassell from 1926–29; and to civil engineer Thomas C. Tate from 1936 until her death.

Busch died in 1946, age 54, at a San Fernando Valley

San Fernando Valley

The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...

 sanitarium where she had been ill for five months with colon cancer. Her grave is located at Chapel of the Pines Crematory

Chapel of the Pines Crematory

Chapel of the Pines Crematory is a crematory and columbarium located at 1605 South Catalina Street Los Angeles, California, in the historic West Adams District a short distance southwest of Downtown...

. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Mae Busch has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...

 located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1912	The Water Nymph The Water Nymph The Water Nymph is a 1912 comedy "split reel" short starring Mabel Normand and directed by Mack Sennett. Lithely athletic Normand performed her own diving stunts for the film, which was the first Keystone comedy....		Alternative title: The Beach Flirt
1919	The Grim Game The Grim Game The Grim Game is a 1919 silent film starring Harry Houdini. The film's basic plotline serves as a showcase for Houdini's talent as an escapologist, stunt performer and aviator.-Plot:...	Ethel Delmead
1920	Her Husband's Friends	Clarice
1922	Foolish Wives Foolish Wives Foolish Wives is an American drama silent film produced and distributed by Universal Pictures and written and directed by Erich von Stroheim. Although uncredited, Irving Thalberg, aged 22, was in charge of production and would go on to become one of the most famous studio heads of all time at...	Princess Vera Petchnikoff
	Brothers Under the Skin Brothers Under the Skin Brothers Under the Skin is a 1922 silent comedy film directed by E. Mason Hopper. It is unknown whether any recording of the film survives; it may be a lost film.-Cast:* Pat O'Malley - Newton Craddock* Helene Chadwick - Millie Craddock...	Flo Bulger
1923	Souls for Sale Souls for Sale Souls for Sale is a silent film written, directed, and produced by Rupert Hughes from his novel of the same name. The film featured Eleanor Boardman in her first leading role, having won a contract with Goldwyn Studios through their "New Faces of 1921" contest just two years prior.The film is most...	Robina Teele
1924	Name the man	Bessie Collister
	Bread	Jeanette Sturgis
	Broken Barriers Broken Barriers Broken Barriers is a 1924 silent film starring James Kirkwood, Norma Shearer, and Adolphe Menjou. It was directed by Reginald Barker. The film was based upon a novel by Meredith M. Nicholson.-Plot:...	Irene Kirby
	Married Flirts Married Flirts Married Flirts is a 1924 film starring Pauline Frederick, Mae Busch, and Conrad Nagel, directed by Robert Vignola. Screenplay by Julia Ivers based on a Louis Joseph Vance best seller. The 'sophisticated' drama was considered quite daring at the time, of husbands being lured away from wives...	Jill Wetherell
1925	The Unholy Three The Unholy Three (1925 film) The Unholy Three is a 1925 American silent film melodrama involving a crime spree, directed by Tod Browning.The film was remade in 1930 as a talkie. In both the 1925 and the 1930 version, the roles of Professor Echo and Tweedledee are played by Lon Chaney and Harry Earles respectively...	Rosie O'Grady
1927	Love 'em and Weep Love 'em and Weep Love 'em and Weep is a comedy short silent film directed by Fred Guiol for Hal Roach Studios. It was shot in January 1927 and released June 12 of that year by Pathé Exchange....	Old flame
1928	While the City Sleeps While the City Sleeps (1928 film) While the City Sleeps, is a 1928 silent film, about a tough New York City police detective, played by Lon Chaney, out to get a murdering gangster...	Bessie
1929	Alibi	Daisy Thomas
	Unaccustomed As We Are Unaccustomed As We Are Unaccustomed As We Are is a 1929 comedy short film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, also featuring Mae Busch , Edgar Kennedy , and Thelma Todd...	Mrs. Hardy
1931	Chickens Come Home Chickens Come Home Chickens Come Home is a 1931 short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by James W. Horne and produced by Hal Roach. It was shot in January, 1931 and released on February 21, 1931...	Ollie's Old Time Flame	Uncredited
	Fly My Kite Fly My Kite Fly My Kite is a 1931 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 107th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...	Dan's new wife
	Come Clean Come Clean (1931 film) Come Clean is a 1931 short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by James W. Horne and produced by Hal Roach.-Story:Mr. and Mrs. Hardy wish to have a quiet night in their apartment, but are interrupted when Mr. and Mrs. Laurel pay a visit...	Kate
1932	Their First Mistake Their First Mistake Their First Mistake is a 1932 short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by George Marshall and produced by Hal Roach.- Plot :Mrs Hardy is annoyed that her husband Oliver seems to spend more time with his friend Stanley than with her. After a furious argument, Mrs Hardy says that she is through...	Mrs. Arabella Hardy
	Doctor X Doctor X (film) Doctor X is a First National/Warner Bros. horror and mystery film based on the play of the same name. It was directed by Michael Curtiz and stars Lee Tracy, Fay Wray, and Lionel Atwill....	Cathouse Madame
1933	Blondie Johnson Blondie Johnson Blondie Johnson is a 1933 Warner Bros. drama film directed by Ray Enright. It stars Chester Morris and Joan Blondell.-Plot:Set during the Great Depression, Blondie Johnson quits her job after a co-worker sexually harasses her. She next is evicted with her sick mother, but cannot get relief. After...	Mae
	Lilly Turner Lilly Turner Lilly Turner is a 1933 melodrama about a woman who marries a bigamist, then a drunk, and falls in love with another man, all while working at a carnival...	Hazel
	Sons of the Desert Sons of the Desert Sons of the Desert is a 1933 American film starring Laurel and Hardy, and directed by William A. Seiter. It was first released in the United States on December 29, 1933 and is regarded as one of Laurel and Hardy's greatest films...	Mrs. Lottie Hardy	Alternative title: Fraternally Yours
1934	Oliver the Eighth Oliver the Eighth Oliver The Eighth is a 1934 short film comedy starring Laurel and Hardy. It was directed by Lloyd French, produced by Hal Roach and distributed by MGM.- Plot :...	Widow	Alternative title: The Private Life of Oliver the Eighth
	The Road to Ruin	Mrs. Monroe	Uncredited
	Going Bye-Bye! Going Bye-Bye! - Plot :In a packed courtroom, Butch Long vows revenge on 'squealers' Laurel and Hardy whose evidence has helped to send him to prison for the rest of his life, threatening to "break off their legs and wrap 'em around their necks!"...	Butch's girlfriend
	Them Thar Hills Them Thar Hills Them Thar Hills is a short comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy.The story involves Stan and Ollie traveling to the mountains for Ollie to recover from gout...	Mrs. Hall
	The Live Ghost The Live Ghost The Live Ghost is a 1934 American short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by Charles Rogers and produced by Hal Roach.-Plot:A tough sea captain is unable to hire on any new crew because his ship is reputed to be haunted, so he persuades fish-market workers Laurel and Hardy to shanghai a...	Maisie the Vamp, Blonde Floozy
1935	Tit for Tat Tit for Tat (1935 film) Tit for Tat is a 1935 short comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy. It was the only direct sequel they made, following the story of the previous year's Them Thar Hills...	Grocer's wife
	The Fixer Uppers The Fixer Uppers The Fixer Uppers is a 1935 short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by Charles Rogers and produced by Hal Roach. The penultimate Laurel and Hardy short comedy made at Hal Roach Studios, the film is a reworking of Slipping Wives a silent comedy the comedians appeared in before they teamed up...	Madame Pierre Gustave
1936	The Bohemian Girl The Bohemian Girl (1936 film) The Bohemian Girl is a 1936 feature film version of the opera The Bohemian Girl by Michael William Balfe. It was produced at the Hal Roach Studios, and stars Laurel and Hardy and Thelma Todd in her last role before her death.-Plot:...	Mrs. Hardy
1938	Daughter of Shanghai Daughter of Shanghai Daughter of Shanghai is a 1937 American motion picture directed by Robert Florey, written by Gladys Unger and Garnett Weston, and starring Anna May Wong and Philip Ahn. The film was unusual in that Asian American actors played the lead roles...	Lil	Uncredited Alternative title: Daughter of the Orient
	The Buccaneer The Buccaneer (1938 film) The Buccaneer is a 1938 American adventure film made by Paramount Pictures based on Jean Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. It was produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille from a screenplay by Harold Lamb, Edwin Justus Mayer and C. Gardner Sullivan adapted by Jeanie...	Bit Role	Uncredited
	Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (1938 film) Marie Antoinette is a 1938 film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starred Norma Shearer as Marie Antoinette...	Madame La Motte	Uncredited
1941	Ziegfeld Girl Ziegfeld Girl (film) Ziegfeld Girl is a 1941 American film starring James Stewart, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, and Lana Turner, and co-starring Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper, Eve Arden, and Philip Dorn. Released by MGM, it was directed by Robert Z...	Jenny
1942	The Mad Monster The Mad Monster The Mad Monster is an American horror film released in 1942 by P.R.C. , a Poverty Row studio. The film, a B-movie shot in black and white, features a mad scientist and a werewolf as the main characters. Directed by Sam Newfield and written by Fred Myton, the film—Poverty Row's only Werewolf...	Susan
1946	The Blue Dahlia The Blue Dahlia The Blue Dahlia is a 1946 film noir, directed by George Marshall and written by Raymond Chandler. The film marks the third pairing of stars Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.-Plot:...	Jenny – Maid	Uncredited
	The Bride Wore Boots The Bride Wore Boots The Bride Wore Boots is a 1946 romantic comedy film with Barbara Stanwyck in the title role, playing opposite Robert Cummings. A very young Natalie Wood is seen in the film, directed by Irving Pichel....	Woman	Uncredited

External links

• Mae Busch at Virtual History