Teresa Maxwell-Conover
Encyclopedia
Teresa Maxwell-Conover was an actress in Broadway productions in the early 20th century. She was in
motion pictures until the early 1940s. She was from Louisville, Kentucky
.
debut came at the New Theatre (Park Theatre (Manhattan)
in the four-act play, Nobody's Daughter, in February 1911. As Mrs. Frampton she was
complimented by a New York Times reviewer for having rendered a beautiful performance. He described her as an actress of unusual distinction in appearance and manner, dresses exquisitely, and plays with great naturalness and simplicity a role somewhat indefinitely outlined by the dramatist.
She was in the company of Gertrude Elliott in the Charles Frohman
produced comedy, Preserving Mr. Panmure, in February 1912. Written by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero, the play was presented to audiences at the Lyceum Theatre (New York)
. Previously
it enjoyed an extended run at the Comedy Theatre in London, England.
In September 1912 she was in the first David Belasco
production in New York City. The Governor's Lady was staged by the Republic Theatre (New Victory Theatre
). Also in the Belasco company were Emma Dunn and Emmitt Corrigan. Written by Alice Bradley, it had
a very intense and emotional third act. The stage's impression of reality was heightened by a fine reproduction of a Childs Restaurant. The troupe
traveled to the National Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
in January
1913.
To-Day, a three-act play given at the 48th Street Theatre in October 1913, concentrates on the worship of money in the
United States
. Maxwell-Conover, as Mrs Garland, and Emily Stevens, are applauded by a reviewer for their acting. The same observer thought
the production was an indecent, vicious play, particularly because of its utterly malicious insinuations.
On December 15, 1913 Maxwell-Conover was at the Lyceum in The Cassillis Engagement with Alison Skipworth
in the cast of players. This was
a four-act comedy by St. John Hankin.
The Maxine Elliott Theatre
hosted a comedy by Salisbury Field entitled The Rented Earl in
February 1915. Lawrance D'Orsay, Maxwell-Conover, and Evelyn Carter
were among the actors in a show which was presented twice daily except for Sunday. The farce
tells about a group of social climbers who
try to persuade an English nobleman to assist them in their activities.
In April 1915 Conover-Maxwell was in a production of The Natural Law
by Charles Sumner
at the Republic Theatre, at 209 West 42nd Street (Manhattan)
, in midtown-Manhattan (New York). The play changed venues in September
1915. It moved to the York Theatre at 116th Street near Lenox Avenue (Manhattan)
. John Cort had recently added the York to his chain of playhouses which offered Broadway attractions to audiences at popular
prices. Conrad Nagel
was in the cast when the play came to the Lexington Theatre (Loew's Lexington Theatre)), 571 Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)
, in October.
Emily Stevens was the leading lady
in a Broadhurst Theatre
production of The Madonna of the Future, which premiered in late
January 1918. Maxwell-Conover acted the part of Mrs. Van Duzen.
Near the final curtain of the three-act comedy Maxwell-Conover spoke to Stevens, saying You are so charming: you mean something! I don't in the least know what you mean, but that is what makes you charming. During
the first two acts Stevens' character resolves to bare a child without
being married. She announces this to her neighbors in Tarrytown, New York
. The audience was shocked by the frankness of the language employed by the characters. Written by playwright Alan Dale
, the dialogue was brilliant. Her neighbors are further startled when
Stevens delivers her baby, which comes to light in the comedy's second portion. In the third act she discovers that she loves
the child's father and would rather marry him than see him wed someone
else.
A critic was complimentary of the play's two sets which were representative of what was then a new art of residential decoration
being employed on Broadway. The entire cast proved skilled in speaking their lines. The reviewer's overall impression was positive. He wrote
that the production reminded him of the finest he had witnessed at the
Morosco Theatre
.
In Madonna of the Future Maxwell-Conover wore a frock
of brown satin and
lace. The skirt was draped low in zouave effect. The front panel was
composed of brown mesh lace threaded in gold. The bodice was made of lace
in back and satin in front. The waistline featured brown ribbon velvet.
The costume was completed by a string of brown wooden beads and a flat
sailor hat.
She was in plays which toured various cities by 1919. One of these was My Lady Friends (1919) with comedian Clifton Crawford. Maxwell-Conover starred with William Hodge in Fixing Sister in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
in December 1926. She
continued to play in theatrical productions after her motion picture career hit full stride in the 1920s. In 1928 she acted
the role of the mother in Your Uncle Dudley while playing in a society comedy called The Last of Mrs. Cheney.
in The Daughter Pays (1920). Hammerstein played a woman who strives to maintain her family's finances despite having a mother who squanders money. Constance Talmadge
was showcased in Polly of the Follies (1922). Maxwell-Conover is cast as a
Long Island
society woman in the First National Pictures comedy.
Brief Moment (1933) is a Carole Lombard
and Gene Raymond
movie based on a play. It was released by Columbia Pictures
. Maxwell-Conover is a supporting actress who plays the part of Mrs. Deane.
Her later film appearances are in Gallant Lady (1933), The Mighty Barnum (1934), Mississippi (1935), and Free and
Easy (1941). Maxwell-Conover has uncredited parts in several other movies.
motion pictures until the early 1940s. She was from Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
.
Stage career
Maxwell-Conover's New York CityNew 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...
debut came at the New Theatre (Park Theatre (Manhattan)
Park Theatre (Manhattan)
The Park Theatre, originally known as the New Theatre, was a playhouse in New York City, located at 21, 23, and 25 Park Row, about east of Ann Street and backing Theatre Alley. The location, at the north end of the city, overlooked the park that would soon house City Hall...
in the four-act play, Nobody's Daughter, in February 1911. As Mrs. Frampton she was
complimented by a New York Times reviewer for having rendered a beautiful performance. He described her as an actress of unusual distinction in appearance and manner, dresses exquisitely, and plays with great naturalness and simplicity a role somewhat indefinitely outlined by the dramatist.
She was in the company of Gertrude Elliott in the Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman was an American theatrical producer. Frohman was producing plays by 1889 and acquired his first Broadway theatre by 1892. He discovered and promoted many stars of the American theatre....
produced comedy, Preserving Mr. Panmure, in February 1912. Written by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero, the play was presented to audiences at the Lyceum Theatre (New York)
Lyceum Theatre (New York)
The Lyceum Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 149 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.It has the distinction of being the oldest surviving Broadway venue , the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in New York City, and the first Broadway theatre ever to be granted landmark status...
. Previously
it enjoyed an extended run at the Comedy Theatre in London, England.
In September 1912 she was in the first David Belasco
David Belasco
David Belasco was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, where his Sephardic Jewish parents had moved from London, England, during the Gold Rush, he began working in a San Francisco theatre doing a variety of routine jobs,...
production in New York City. The Governor's Lady was staged by the Republic Theatre (New Victory Theatre
New Victory Theatre
The New Victory Theater is an Off-Broadway theater located at 209 West 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, in Midtown Manhattan. The New Victory is New York's first and only theater for children and family audiences...
). Also in the Belasco company were Emma Dunn and Emmitt Corrigan. Written by Alice Bradley, it had
a very intense and emotional third act. The stage's impression of reality was heightened by a fine reproduction of a Childs Restaurant. The troupe
traveled to the National Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
National Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
The National Theatre is located in Washington, D.C., and is a venue for a variety of live stage productions with seating for 1,676.Despite its name, it is not a governmentally funded national theatre, but operated by a private, non-profit organization....
in January
1913.
To-Day, a three-act play given at the 48th Street Theatre in October 1913, concentrates on the worship of money in the
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Maxwell-Conover, as Mrs Garland, and Emily Stevens, are applauded by a reviewer for their acting. The same observer thought
the production was an indecent, vicious play, particularly because of its utterly malicious insinuations.
On December 15, 1913 Maxwell-Conover was at the Lyceum in The Cassillis Engagement with Alison Skipworth
Alison Skipworth
Alison Skipworth was an English stage and screen actress. She was born Alison Mary Elliott Margaret Groom in London....
in the cast of players. This was
a four-act comedy by St. John Hankin.
The Maxine Elliott Theatre
Maxine Elliott Theatre
The Maxine Elliott Theatre was a Broadway theater located at 109 West 39th Street in New York City. Built in 1908, it was demolished in 1960. The theater was designed by architect Benjamin Marshall of the Chicago firm Marshall and Fox....
hosted a comedy by Salisbury Field entitled The Rented Earl in
February 1915. Lawrance D'Orsay, Maxwell-Conover, and Evelyn Carter
were among the actors in a show which was presented twice daily except for Sunday. The farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
tells about a group of social climbers who
try to persuade an English nobleman to assist them in their activities.
In April 1915 Conover-Maxwell was in a production of The Natural Law
by Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction,...
at the Republic Theatre, at 209 West 42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
, in midtown-Manhattan (New York). The play changed venues in September
1915. It moved to the York Theatre at 116th Street near Lenox Avenue (Manhattan)
Lenox Avenue (Manhattan)
Lenox Avenue / Malcolm X Boulevard is the primary north-south route through Harlem in the upper portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan. This two-way street runs from Farmers' Gate at Central Park North to 147th Street. It is also considered the heartbeat of Harlem by Langston Hughes in...
. John Cort had recently added the York to his chain of playhouses which offered Broadway attractions to audiences at popular
prices. Conrad Nagel
Conrad Nagel
Conrad Nagel was an American screen actor and matinee idol of the silent film era and beyond. He was also a well-known television actor and radio performer.-Biography:...
was in the cast when the play came to the Lexington Theatre (Loew's Lexington Theatre)), 571 Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)
Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)
Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated by New Yorkers as "Lex," is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street...
, in October.
Emily Stevens was the leading lady
Leading lady
Leading lady is an informal term for the actress who plays a secondary lead or supporting role, usually a love interest, to the leading actor in a film or play. It is not usually applied to the leading actress in the performance if her character is the protagonist.A leading lady can also be an...
in a Broadhurst Theatre
Broadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert brothers; the Broadhurst opened 27 September 1917...
production of The Madonna of the Future, which premiered in late
January 1918. Maxwell-Conover acted the part of Mrs. Van Duzen.
Near the final curtain of the three-act comedy Maxwell-Conover spoke to Stevens, saying You are so charming: you mean something! I don't in the least know what you mean, but that is what makes you charming. During
the first two acts Stevens' character resolves to bare a child without
being married. She announces this to her neighbors in Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
. The audience was shocked by the frankness of the language employed by the characters. Written by playwright Alan Dale
Alan Dale
Alan Hugh Dale is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale developed a love of theatre and also became a rugby player. After retiring from the sport he took on a number of professions to support his family, before deciding to become a professional actor at the age of 27. With work limited in New...
, the dialogue was brilliant. Her neighbors are further startled when
Stevens delivers her baby, which comes to light in the comedy's second portion. In the third act she discovers that she loves
the child's father and would rather marry him than see him wed someone
else.
A critic was complimentary of the play's two sets which were representative of what was then a new art of residential decoration
being employed on Broadway. The entire cast proved skilled in speaking their lines. The reviewer's overall impression was positive. He wrote
that the production reminded him of the finest he had witnessed at the
Morosco Theatre
Morosco Theatre
The Morosco Theatre was a legitimate theatre located at 217 West 45th Street in the heart of the theater district in midtown-Manhattan, New York, United States....
.
In Madonna of the Future Maxwell-Conover wore a frock
Frock
Frock has been used since Middle English as the name for an article of clothing for men and women .- History of the frock :...
of brown satin and
lace. The skirt was draped low in zouave effect. The front panel was
composed of brown mesh lace threaded in gold. The bodice was made of lace
in back and satin in front. The waistline featured brown ribbon velvet.
The costume was completed by a string of brown wooden beads and a flat
sailor hat.
She was in plays which toured various cities by 1919. One of these was My Lady Friends (1919) with comedian Clifton Crawford. Maxwell-Conover starred with William Hodge in Fixing Sister in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.- History :...
in December 1926. She
continued to play in theatrical productions after her motion picture career hit full stride in the 1920s. In 1928 she acted
the role of the mother in Your Uncle Dudley while playing in a society comedy called The Last of Mrs. Cheney.
Movies
Maxwell-Conover debuted as a film actress as Mrs. Layton du Roc in Just Sylvia (1918). She supported Elaine HammersteinElaine Hammerstein
Elaine Hammerstein was an American silent film and stage actress.-Musical lineage:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of opera producer Arthur Hammerstein and the granddaughter of Oscar Hammerstein. Her father once remarked he was more interested in his daughter's career than...
in The Daughter Pays (1920). Hammerstein played a woman who strives to maintain her family's finances despite having a mother who squanders money. Constance Talmadge
Constance Talmadge
Constance Talmadge was a silent movie star born in Brooklyn, New York, USA, and was the sister of fellow actresses Norma Talmadge and Natalie Talmadge.-Early life:...
was showcased in Polly of the Follies (1922). Maxwell-Conover is cast as a
Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
society woman in the First National Pictures comedy.
Brief Moment (1933) is a Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard was an American actress. She was particularly noted for her comedic roles in the screwball comedies of the 1930s...
and Gene Raymond
Gene Raymond
Gene Raymond was an American film, television, and stage actor of the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to acting, Raymond was also a composer, writer, director, producer, and decorated military pilot.-Stage and movie career:...
movie based on a play. It was released by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. Maxwell-Conover is a supporting actress who plays the part of Mrs. Deane.
Her later film appearances are in Gallant Lady (1933), The Mighty Barnum (1934), Mississippi (1935), and Free and
Easy (1941). Maxwell-Conover has uncredited parts in several other movies.