Rosemary Theby
Encyclopedia
Rosemary Theby was an American film actress. She appeared in some 250 films between 1911 and 1940.
, Theby studied at Sargent's School in New York
. A contemporary newspaper account described her as being of "medium-height, well proportioned, with regular features and dark hair".
Her first film experience came in the Vitagraph production of The Wager. By 1915, she was a star for the Universal
film company. During World War I
Theby took care of a refugee from Lithuania
. After being educated and cared for by Theby, the young woman
became her maid during an acute shortage of maids in Hollywood, in 1920.
As Miss Corintee in The Great Love (1918), Theby played the part of a German spy with great skill. The film was written and directed by D.W. Griffith. This was a vamp
role which she began to play frequently after depicting characters in slapstick
comedies. Theby played a Chinese vampire in Clung, a Fox Film production directed by Emmett Flynn. Later she began to portray more serious women.
Theby was solely a film actress. She declined an offer to accompany Chauncey Olcott to appear on stage for $85 per week. At the time she was earning $125 weekly in movies. She later regretted her decision because of the experience she would have gained.
. After Meyers' death in 1938, she married Truitt Hughes to whom she remained married until her death.
Theby supported Calvin Coolidge
in the 1924 presidential election. Theby enjoyed playing golf, wearing her hair in a Bob cut
, and possessed a preoccupation with personal cleanliness. On screen she appeared tall and willowy, entering a scene, according to one review in the Los Angeles Times, with a "sensuous glide".
Early life and career
Born in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Theby studied at Sargent's School in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. A contemporary newspaper account described her as being of "medium-height, well proportioned, with regular features and dark hair".
Her first film experience came in the Vitagraph production of The Wager. By 1915, she was a star for the Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
film company. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Theby took care of a refugee from Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. After being educated and cared for by Theby, the young woman
became her maid during an acute shortage of maids in Hollywood, in 1920.
As Miss Corintee in The Great Love (1918), Theby played the part of a German spy with great skill. The film was written and directed by D.W. Griffith. This was a vamp
Vamp
Vamp may refer to:* VaMP, the first autonomous car that drove long distances in traffic* Vamp , a Norwegian folk music band* Vamp, a character in the Metal Gear series of video games* Vamp , in Gobots toyline and cartoon...
role which she began to play frequently after depicting characters in slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
comedies. Theby played a Chinese vampire in Clung, a Fox Film production directed by Emmett Flynn. Later she began to portray more serious women.
Theby was solely a film actress. She declined an offer to accompany Chauncey Olcott to appear on stage for $85 per week. At the time she was earning $125 weekly in movies. She later regretted her decision because of the experience she would have gained.
Personal life
Theby was married to fellow actor and director Harry MyersHarry Myers
Harry C. Myers , sometimes credited as Henry Myers, was an American film actor and director. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and died in Hollywood, California from pneumonia...
. After Meyers' death in 1938, she married Truitt Hughes to whom she remained married until her death.
Theby supported Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
in the 1924 presidential election. Theby enjoyed playing golf, wearing her hair in a Bob cut
Bob cut
A "bob cut" is a short haircut for women in which the hair is typically cut straight around the head at about jaw-level, often with a fringe at the front.-The beginning:...
, and possessed a preoccupation with personal cleanliness. On screen she appeared tall and willowy, entering a scene, according to one review in the Los Angeles Times, with a "sensuous glide".
Selected filmography
- Baby (1915)
- The Silent MysteryThe Silent MysteryThe Silent Mystery is a 1918 drama film serial directed by Francis Ford. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Francis Ford - Phil Kelly* Mae Gaston - Betty Graham* Rosemary Theby - Priestess Kah* Jerome Ash - Van Berg...
(1918) - The Great Love (1918)
- The RogueThe RogueThe Rogue is a 1918 short comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Billy West - Billy* Oliver Hardy - Cafe Owner * Ethel Marie Burton - The Girl* Leo White - The Count* Rosemary Theby - The Sister* Joe Bordeaux* Bud Ross...
(1918) - Bright and EarlyBright and EarlyBright and Early is a 1918 short comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Billy West - A Bellboy* Oliver Hardy - The Boss * Rosemary Theby - His daughter* Leo White - An honest crook* Bud Ross - Old man* Fay Holderness - A Maid...
(1918) - The Mystery of 13The Mystery of 13The Mystery of 13 is a 1919 drama film serial directed by Francis Ford.-Cast:* Francis Ford - Phil Kelly / Jim Kelly* Rosemary Theby - Marian Green* Peter Gerald - Hugo Madiz * Mark Fenton - John Green* Ruth Maurice - Mary Hardon...
(1919) - Married to OrderMarried to OrderMarried to Order is a 1920 film featuring Oliver Hardy. Prints of the film survive.-Cast:* Rosemary Theby - Rose* Oliver Hardy - Her Father * Charley Chase - The Suitor* Leo White* Bud Ross - Car Salesman...
(1920) - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's CourtA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1921 film)A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is a 1921 American silent film adaptation of Mark Twain's 1889 novel of the same name. The film was produced by the Fox Film Corporation and directed by Emmet J. Flynn based on a screenplay by Bernard McConville...
(1921) - I Am the LawI Am the Law (film)I Am the Law is a film starring Alice Lake and Kenneth Harlan, and featuring Noah Beery, Sr. and Wallace Beery. The movie was written by James Oliver Curwood and Raymond L. Schrock, and directed by Edwin Carewe.-Cast:*Alice Lake as Joan Cameron...
(1922) - The Red LilyThe Red LilyThe Red Lily is a 1924 silent drama film directed by Fred Niblo, starring Ramon Novarro, Enid Bennett and Wallace Beery.-Plot:Jean Leonnec and Marise La Noue are pennyless lovers who eloped to Paris, she to become a prostitute known as 'the red lily', he to learn the ways of the underworld from...
(1924) - The Second Hundred YearsThe Second Hundred Years (film)The Second Hundred Years is a 1927 short comedy silent film starring Laurel and Hardy as convicts making an escape from prison. Their heads were shaved for their appearance in this film, and their hair had not yet grown back in their roles in Max Davidson's Call Of The Cuckoo , released a week...
(1927) - The Fatal Glass of BeerThe Fatal Glass of Beer (1933 film)The Fatal Glass of Beer is a short film released in 1933, starring W. C. Fields and produced by Mack Sennett. It was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures.-Story:...
(1933) - Man on the Flying TrapezeMan on the Flying TrapezeMan on the Flying Trapeze is a 1935 comedy film starring W. C. Fields as a henpecked husband. As with his other roles of this nature, Fields is put-upon throughout the film, but triumphs in the end.-Plot:...
(1935) - One Million B.C.One Million B.C.One Million B.C. is a 1940 American fantasy film produced by Hal Roach Studios and released by United Artists. It is also known by the titles Cave Man, Man and His Mate, and Tumak....
(1940)
External links
- Rosemary Theby as Queen Morgan le Fey, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's CourtA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1921 film)A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is a 1921 American silent film adaptation of Mark Twain's 1889 novel of the same name. The film was produced by the Fox Film Corporation and directed by Emmet J. Flynn based on a screenplay by Bernard McConville...
(1921), from NYPL Digital Gallery Lobby Card - WW1 era portrait of Rosemary Theby (moviecard)
