Martha Sleeper
Encyclopedia
Martha Sleeper was a silent film comedienne of the 1920s and Broadway actress of the 1940s.
. Her father, William B. Sleeper, was an official of the Keith-Albee-Orpheum
vaudeville
circuit in New York City. He retired to Los Angeles, California in 1923 because of ill health. She was under contract to Hal Roach
studios beginning in 1924, when she was 14 years old. Her father was found dead of heart disease on September 1, 1925, in bed at his home on 1756 North Tamarind Street. Martha, then 15 years old, with her mother and sister, had taken a short trip to New York City.
Martha Sleeper is a direct descendant of Edward Akass who emigrated to the USA from England around 1858.
at his class exhibitions. One of her dancing photos was sent to an uncle in Los Angeles, California. He framed and displayed it on a wall of his home. The home was sold to Emory Johnson and his mother, Emily Johnson. Emily wrote The Mail Man and recommended Martha Sleeper for a part in films after noticing the teenager's photo.
shorts including: Better Movies
(1925), Baby Clothes
(1926) and Thundering Fleas
(1926),and also had a small role in a Laurel and Hardy
short The Chimp
(1932). Martha's final movies were mainly in the late 1930s, concluding with a small role in The Bells of St. Mary's
(1945).
and a vacation with her husband. However, when she reached Puerto Rico
she fell in love with the island and opened a hand-made clothing shop there in 1950. Sleeper sewed native dresses in San Juan
and resolved never to return to the US mainland.
Before World War II, Sleeper designed jewelry. Using her hands productively was not a new thing for her. She was proficient in selling many of her Martha Sleeper Creations to stores in neighboring islands and on the United States mainland.
At her death in 1983 the New York Times obit for her read "Dead at 72". In the Social Security Death Index, the date of birth of Martha Stelling (her third husband's surname) who died in March 1983 in Beaufort County, South Carolina
is given as June 24, 1910.
Family
Martha Sleeper reputedly spent her first years on a sheep ranch in WyomingWyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Her father, William B. Sleeper, was an official of the Keith-Albee-Orpheum
Keith-Albee-Orpheum
The Keith-Albee-Orpheum Corporation was the owner of a chain of vaudeville and motion picture theatres. It was formed by the merger of the holdings of Benjamin Franklin Keith and Edward Franklin Albee II and Martin Beck's Orpheum Circuit, Inc..-History:...
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...
circuit in New York City. He retired to Los Angeles, California in 1923 because of ill health. She was under contract to 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...
studios beginning in 1924, when she was 14 years old. Her father was found dead of heart disease on September 1, 1925, in bed at his home on 1756 North Tamarind Street. Martha, then 15 years old, with her mother and sister, had taken a short trip to New York City.
Martha Sleeper is a direct descendant of Edward Akass who emigrated to the USA from England around 1858.
Dancer who studied ballet
She studied dancing for five years with the Russian ballet master, Louis H. Chalif, in his New York dancing studio. Her first public exhibitions were at Carnegie HallCarnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
at his class exhibitions. One of her dancing photos was sent to an uncle in Los Angeles, California. He framed and displayed it on a wall of his home. The home was sold to Emory Johnson and his mother, Emily Johnson. Emily wrote The Mail Man and recommended Martha Sleeper for a part in films after noticing the teenager's photo.
Author
In 1926, aged 16, the young actress wrote and published a book entitled Hollywood Be Thy Name. She wrote the story while doing screen work and performing four hours of school work daily. The volume was a romance of work, adventure, and success in Hollywood.Film career
Martha Sleeper's film career began in 1923 and continued until 1945. Her early comedy efforts with Hal Roach include The Mailman (1923), The Racing Kid (1924), Trailing Trouble (1924), Please, Teacher! (1924), A Ten Minute Egg (1924), Sweet Daddy (1924), and Outdoor Pajamas (1924). She also appeared in a handful of silent Our GangOur Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
shorts including: Better Movies
Better Movies
Better Movies is a 1925 short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 44th Our Gang short subject released.-Cast:* Mickey Daniels - Mickey* Joe Cobb - Joe* Allen Hoskins - Farina* Jackie Condon - Jackie* Jay R...
(1925), Baby Clothes
Baby Clothes
Baby Clothes is a 1926 short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 49th Our Gang short subject released.-Cast:* Joe Cobb - Joe* Mickey Daniels - Mickey* Allen Hoskins - Farina* Jackie Condon - Jackie* Johnny Downs - Johnny...
(1926) and Thundering Fleas
Thundering Fleas
Thundering Fleas is a 1926 Our Gang film featuring Oliver Hardy and directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 51st Our Gang short subject released...
(1926),and also had a small role in a 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...
short The Chimp
The Chimp
The Chimp is a Laurel and Hardy short film made in 1932. It was directed by James Parrott, produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.- Plot :...
(1932). Martha's final movies were mainly in the late 1930s, concluding with a small role in The Bells of St. Mary's
The Bells of St. Mary's
The Bells of St. Mary's is a 1945 American film which tells the story of a priest and a nun at a school who set out, despite their good-natured rivalry, to save the school from being shut down. It stars Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman...
(1945).
Businesswoman
After achieving prominence on the New York stage, Sleeper left abruptly in 1949. She sailed from New York on a 40-foot schooner. Her destination was the Virgin IslandsVirgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
and a vacation with her husband. However, when she reached Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
she fell in love with the island and opened a hand-made clothing shop there in 1950. Sleeper sewed native dresses in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
and resolved never to return to the US mainland.
Before World War II, Sleeper designed jewelry. Using her hands productively was not a new thing for her. She was proficient in selling many of her Martha Sleeper Creations to stores in neighboring islands and on the United States mainland.
Year of birth
Many sources cite 1907 as the actress's year of birth, which is incorrect. Martha Sleeper was born just after the 1910 census which is why she does not appear in it; she is 9 years old in the 1920 census and 19 years old in the 1930 census.At her death in 1983 the New York Times obit for her read "Dead at 72". In the Social Security Death Index, the date of birth of Martha Stelling (her third husband's surname) who died in March 1983 in Beaufort County, South Carolina
Beaufort County, South Carolina
-National protected areas:*Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge *Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 155,215 people, 45,532 households, and 33,056 families residing in the county. The population density was 206 people per...
is given as June 24, 1910.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | The Mailman | Betty | |
| 1924 | The Racing Kid | ||
| Trailing Trouble | |||
| Please, Teacher! | |||
| A Ten-Minute Egg | Mrs. Dugan | ||
| Seeing Nellie Home | |||
| Sweet Daddy | |||
| Outdoor Pajamas | |||
| Low Bridge | |||
| Should Landlords Live? | |||
| Too Many Mammas | The Apache Dancer | ||
| Every Man for Himself | Lady with rings around her eyes | ||
| All Wet | (uncredited) | ||
| The Royal Razz | |||
| 1925 | The Rat's Knuckles | Flirty McFickle | |
| Plain and Fancy Girls | |||
| Bad Boy | Jimmie's Girl Friend | ||
| Are Husbands Necessary? | |||
| Big Red Riding Hood | The Maid, Book Store Clerk | ||
| Wild Papa Wild Papa Wild Papa is a 1925 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Frank Butler - Tewksbury Spat* Katherine Grant - The model* Laura Roessing - Mrs. Tewksbury* Sidney D'Albrook - Ambrose* George Rowe* Jules Mendel... |
(uncredited) | ||
| Sure-Mike! | Vermuda | ||
| Sherlock Sleuth | Hotel Operator | ||
| Innocent Husbands | Girl at Party | (uncredited) | |
| Tame Men and Wild Women | |||
| There Goes the Bride | |||
| Better Movies Better Movies Better Movies is a 1925 short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 44th Our Gang short subject released.-Cast:* Mickey Daniels - Mickey* Joe Cobb - Joe* Allen Hoskins - Farina* Jackie Condon - Jackie* Jay R... |
Teenaged 'Vamp' | ||
| Should Sailors Marry? Should Sailors Marry? Should Sailors Marry? is a 1925 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Clyde Cook - Cyril D'Armond* Noah Young - The ex-husband* Fay Holderness - Verbena Singlefoot * Martha Sleeper - Smyrna* Oliver Hardy - Doctor... |
Smyrna | ||
| Laughing Ladies | |||
| Hold Everything | |||
| 1926 | A Punch in the Nose | ||
| What's the World Coming To? What's the World Coming To? -Cast:* Clyde Cook - Claudia, the blushing groom/the baby* Katherine Grant - Billie, the bride* James Finlayson - The father-in-law* Helen Gilmore - A neighbor* Martha Sleeper - Butler* Laura De Cardi - A family friend* Stan Laurel - Man in window... |
Butler | ||
| Your Husband's Past | |||
| Madame Mystery Madame Mystery Madame Mystery is a film starring Theda Bara, Oliver Hardy, and James Finlayson, directed and co-written by Stan Laurel, and produced by Hal Roach... |
|||
| Dizzy Daddies | |||
| Ukulele Sheiks | |||
| Baby Clothes Baby Clothes Baby Clothes is a 1926 short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 49th Our Gang short subject released.-Cast:* Joe Cobb - Joe* Mickey Daniels - Mickey* Allen Hoskins - Farina* Jackie Condon - Jackie* Johnny Downs - Johnny... |
Leggy Lady | ||
| Mum's the World | The Nervous Little Girl | ||
| Say It with Babies Say It with Babies Say It with Babies is a 1926 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Glenn Tryon - Casper Crum* Vivien Oakland - Mrs. Crum* Oliver Hardy - Hector, the floorwalker * Martha Sleeper - His wife... |
Hector's Wife | ||
| Don Key (Son of Burro) | Maid | ||
| Long Fliv the King Long Fliv the King Long Fliv the King is a 1926 comedy film starring Charley Chase and featuring Oliver Hardy and Max Davidson in supporting roles. It is a remake of the 1920 Harold Lloyd film His Royal Slyness, about a young man who accidentally becomes the King of a tiny country.-Cast:* Charley Chase - Charles... |
Princess Helga of Thermosa | ||
| Never Too Old | |||
| Thundering Fleas Thundering Fleas Thundering Fleas is a 1926 Our Gang film featuring Oliver Hardy and directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 51st Our Gang short subject released... |
Bride | ||
| Along Came Auntie Along Came Auntie -Cast:* Glenn Tryon - Mr. Chow, the 2nd husband* Vivien Oakland - Mrs. Remington Chow, the wife* Oliver Hardy - Mr. Vincent Belcher, the first husband* Tyler Brooke - The Under-Sheriff* Martha Sleeper - Marie, the maid* Lucy Beaumont - Aunt Alvira... |
Marie, the Maid | ||
| The Merry Widower | (unconfirmed) | ||
| Crazy Like a Fox Crazy Like a Fox (1926 film) Crazy Like a Fox is a 1926 short film starring Charley Chase. The two-reel silent comedy stars Chase as a young man who feigns insanity in order to get out of an arranged marriage, only to find out that his sweetheart is the girl he has been arranged to marry... |
The Bride | ||
| Should Husbands Pay? | His Wife | ||
| Bromo and Juliet Bromo and Juliet Bromo and Juliet is a 1926 silent comedy film starring Charley Chase and featuring Oliver Hardy. A print of the film survives in the film archive at the Library of Congress.-Cast:* Charley Chase - Charley* Corliss Palmer - Madge... |
Bit Role | (uncredited) | |
| Wise Guys Prefer Brunettes | |||
| 1927 | The Honorable Mr. Buggs The Honorable Mr. Buggs The Honorable Mr. Buggs is a 1927 silent comedy film featuring Anna May Wong and Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Matt Moore - Mr. Buggs* Anna May Wong - Baroness Stoloff* Sojin - A crook* Oliver Hardy - Butler* Martha Sleeper - The fiancée* Laura La Varnie... |
The Fiancée | |
| Jewish Prudence | Rachel Gimplewart | ||
| Fluttering Hearts Fluttering Hearts Fluttering Hearts is a 1927 film featuring Charley Chase, Oliver Hardy, and Eugene Pallette.-Cast:* Charley Chase - Charley* Martha Sleeper - Daughter* Oliver Hardy - Big Bill* William Burress - Father* Eugene Pallette - Motorcycle Cop... |
Daughter | ||
| The Way of All Pants | (uncredited) (unconfirmed) |
||
| Love 'Em and Feed 'Em Love 'Em and Feed 'Em Love 'Em and Feed 'Em is a 1927 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Max Davidson - 'Cherokee' Cohen* Oliver Hardy - 'Happy' Hopey* Viola Richard - Viola, a telephone operator* Martha Sleeper - Martha, a stenographer... |
Martha, a stenographer | ||
| Fighting Fathers | |||
| Flaming Fathers | Daughter | ||
| 1928 | Pass the Gravy Pass the Gravy Pass the Gravy is a 1928 short comedy silent film in which neighbors argue over their pet chickens and their children, who are in love. It stars Max Davidson, Gene Morgan, Spec O'Donnell, Martha Sleeper, and Bert Sprotte.... |
Daughter | |
| Should Tall Men Marry? Should Tall Men Marry? Should Tall Men Marry? is a 1928 short silent comedy film featuring Stan Laurel.-Cast:* James Finlayson - Joe Skittle* Martha Sleeper - Martha Skittle* Theodore von Eltz - Teddy * Stuart Holmes - Snake-tail Sharkey... |
Martha Skittle | ||
| Skinner's Big Idea | Dorothy | ||
| The Little Yellow House | Emmy Milburn | ||
| Danger Street | Kitty | ||
| Taxi 13 | Flora Mactavish | ||
| 1929 | The Air Legion | Sally | |
| The Voice of the Storm | Ruth | ||
| 1930 | Our Blushing Brides Our Blushing Brides Our Blushing Brides is a 1930 drama film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, Anita Page, and Dorothy Sebastian. The film was a follow-up to Our Dancing Daughters and Our Modern Maidens , and was a commercial success when it was released.The two previous installments in the series were both... |
Evelyn Woodforth | |
| Madam Satan Madam Satan Madam Satan is a dramatic pre-Code musical film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille for MGM, one of the few DeMille made for the Culver City studio... |
Fish Girl | ||
| War Nurse | Helen | ||
| 1931 | Girls Demand Excitement Girls Demand Excitement Girls Demand Excitement is a 1931 film starring Virginia Cherrill, John Wayne, and Marguerite Churchill. Wayne and Churchill had starred in the widescreen Western epic The Big Trail the previous year... |
Harriet Mundy | |
| Ten Cents a Dance Ten Cents a Dance (1931 film) Ten Cents a Dance is a 1931 romantic drama film starring Barbara Stanwyck as a married taxi dancer who falls in love with one of her customers... |
Nancy Clark | ||
| A Tailor Made Man | Corrine | ||
| Confessions of a Co-Ed | Lucille | ||
| 1932 | Huddle | Barbara Winston | |
| The Chimp The Chimp The Chimp is a Laurel and Hardy short film made in 1932. It was directed by James Parrott, produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.- Plot :... |
Landlord's wife Ethel | (uncredited) | |
| Rasputin and the Empress Rasputin and the Empress Rasputin and the Empress is a 1932 film about Imperial Russia starring the Barrymore siblings—John , Ethel , and Lionel Barrymore . It is the only film in which all three appeared together... |
(uncredited) | ||
| 1933 | The Secret of Madame Blanche | Chorus Girl Who Hears 'My Country Tis of Thee' | (uncredited) |
| Midnight Mary Midnight Mary Midnight Mary is a 1933 film that reveals in flashbacks the hard life of a woman on trial for murder. It stars Loretta Young, Ricardo Cortez, and Franchot Tone.-Cast:*Loretta Young as Mary Martin AKA "Midnight Mary"*Ricardo Cortez as Leo Darcy... |
Barbara Loring Mannering | ||
| Penthouse Penthouse (film) Penthouse is a 1933 black-and-white crime film starring Warner Baxter as a lawyer whose clients are less than upright and Myrna Loy as a call girl who helps him with a murder case.... |
Sue Leonard | ||
| Bombshell Bombshell (film) Bombshell is a Pre-Code film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan, C. Aubrey Smith, Mary Forbes and Franchot Tone.-Plot:... |
Lola's Hair Stylist | (uncredited) | |
| Broken Dreams | Martha Morley | ||
| 1934 | Spitfire Spitfire (1934 film) Spitfire is a 1934 drama film based on the play Trigger by Lula Vollmer. It was directed by John Cromwell and starred Katharine Hepburn, Robert Young and Ralph Bellamy.-Plot summary:... |
Eleanor Stafford | |
| Hollywood Party Hollywood Party (1934 film) Hollywood Party is a musical film starring Jimmy Durante. It was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film had no director credited, although it has been asserted that Richard Boleslawski, Allan Dwan, Edmund Goulding, Russell Mack, Charles Reisner, Roy Rowland, George Stevens and Sam Wood... |
Show Girl | (uncredited) | |
| West of the Pecos | Ril Lambeth | ||
| 1935 | Tomorrow's Youth Tomorrow's Youth - Cast :*Dickie Moore as Thomas Hall Jr*Martha Sleeper as Mrs. Hall*John Miljan as Tom Hall*Franklin Pangborn as Tutor*Paul Hurst as Detective*Gloria Shea as Janes Holsworth*Jane Darwell as Mary*Barbara Bedford as Miss Booth*Sam Flint... |
Mrs. Hall | |
| Great God Gold | Marcia Harper | ||
| The Scoundrel The Scoundrel The Scoundrel is a drama film directed by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, and starring Noël Coward, Julie Haydon, Stanley Ridges, and Lionel Stander. It was Coward's film debut, aside from a bit role in a silent film... |
Julia Vivian | ||
| Two Sinners | Elsie Summerstone | ||
| 1936 | Rhythm on the Range Rhythm on the Range Rhythm on the Range is a 1936 Paramount Pictures musical film directed by Norman Taurog.-Plot:Doris Halliday is the daughter of wealthy banker Robert Halliday. She is about to marry a man she doesn't love, so the family will become richer... |
Constance | |
| Four Days' Wonder | Nancy Fairbrother | ||
| 1945 | The Bells of St. Mary's The Bells of St. Mary's The Bells of St. Mary's is a 1945 American film which tells the story of a priest and a nun at a school who set out, despite their good-natured rivalry, to save the school from being shut down. It stars Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman... |
Mary Gallagher, Patsy's mother |