Merna Kennedy
Merna Kennedy | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kennedy in 1933 | |
| Born | Maude Kahler September 7, 1908 Kankakee, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 20, 1944 (aged 36) Los Angeles California, U.S. |
Resting place | Inglewood Park Cemetery, California |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1928–1934 |
| Spouses |
|
Merna Kennedy (born Maude Kahler;[1] September 7, 1908 – December 20, 1944) was an American actress of the late silent era and the transitional period into talkies.
Career
[edit]She was born in Kankakee, one of two children to Maud (née Reed) and John Kahler, a German-American butcher turned chiropractor. After her parents separated, her mother moved the family to California, where she married a grocer two years later, and changed their name to Kennedy. At the outbreak of World War I, their mother prepped seven-year-old Merna and brother Melvin (known as Merle) to tour as a dancing and singing sibling act on the Orpheum and Pantages theater circuits of vaudeville, where she became acquainted with Lita Grey.[2] Merle broke his leg ending the duo, prompting Grey to suggest silent films to Merna.[2]
Kennedy was best known during her brief career for her role opposite Charlie Chaplin in the silent film The Circus (1928), a role for which she was brought to the attention of Chaplin by her friend Lita Grey, who became Chaplin's second wife in 1924.[3] She had red hair[4] and muscular legs (due to being a dancer,) the latter of which helped her gain the role of the circus bareback rider.
Kennedy continued acting after The Circus, starring in early sound films, but retired in 1934 when she married choreographer/director Busby Berkeley on February 10, 1934[5] at Hollywood United Methodist Church.[6] Their marriage broke up by 1936.[2]
Death
[edit]Kennedy died at age 36 of a heart attack on December 20, 1944, four days after her marriage to Master Sergeant Forrest Brayton.[7] She is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.[8]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | The Circus | The Ringmaster's Step-daughter, a Circus Rider | |
| 1929 | Broadway | Billie Moore | Silent and sound versions both released.[9] |
| Barnum Was Right | Miriam Locke | Silent and sound versions both released.[10] | |
| Skinner Steps Out | 'Honey' Skinner | Silent and sound versions both released.[11] | |
| 1930 | The Rampant Age | Doris Lawrance | |
| Embarrassing Moments | Marion Fuller | ||
| The King of Jazz | Second Reporter/ Wife/ Unmarried Wife | Appears in the following segments: "Ladies of the Press" and "In Conference" | |
| Worldly Goods | Mary Thurston | Credited as Myrna Kennedy | |
| The Midnight Special | Ellen Harboard | ||
| 1931 | Stepping Out | Madge Horton | |
| The Gay Buckaroo | Midlred Fields | ||
| 1932 | Lady with a Past | Ann Duryea | |
| Ghost Valley | Jane Worth | ||
| Come On, Tarzan | Pat Riley | ||
| The All American | Gloria Neuchard | ||
| The Red-Haired Alibi | Lynn Monith | ||
| 1933 | Laughter in Hell | Marybelle Evans | |
| Emergency Call | Day File Clerk | ||
| Easy Millions | |||
| Don't Bet on Love | Ruby 'Babe' Norton | ||
| I Love That Man | Alice | Scenes deleted | |
| Arizona to Broadway | Flo Sandberg | ||
| Wanted | Eveyln | Original title: "Police Call"[12] | |
| The Big Chance | Mary Wilson | ||
| Son of a Sailor | Isabel | ||
| 1934 | Wonder Bar | Claire | |
| Jimmy the Gent | Jitters (Typist) | ||
| I Like It That Way | Telephone Company Information Girl | Final role |
References
[edit]- ↑ Birth Records from the Kankakee Historical Society.
- 1 2 3 Chaplin, Lita Grey; Vance, Jeffrey (March 5, 1998). Wife of the Life of the Party: A Memoir. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9781461674320.
- ↑ "The Short Life of Merna Kennedy, Chaplin's Co-Star in "The Circus"". (Travalanche). September 7, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- ↑ "Growing Glory". archive.org.
- ↑ Spivak, Jeffrey (September 29, 2010). Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813140087.
- ↑ Mercado, Eric (July 1, 2012). "Heaven Sent Los Angeles Magazine". Lamag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ↑ "Chaplin Protégé Taken by Death". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. December 28, 1944. p. 4.
- ↑ Ellenberger, Allan R. (May 1, 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. ISBN 9780786409839.
- ↑ "Broadway". Silent Era.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Barnum Was Right!". Silent Era.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Skinner Steps Out (1929)". AFI.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Police Call (1933)". AFI.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links
[edit]
- Merna Kennedy at IMDb
- Merna Kennedy at Virtual History
- Merna Kennedy at Find a Grave
